Godfrey Chitalu’s Feats in 1972 Cast Doubt Over Lionel Messi’s Goal Record

Godfrey Chitalu’s Feats in 1972 Cast uncertainty Over Lionel Messi’s Goal evidence by Marcus Kwesi O'Mard on Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 3:34PM Comments () inShare Godfrey Chitalu Lionel Messi has bathed in adoration since he bankrupt Gerd Muller’s record for the majority goals in a calendar year, but the record might not have belonged to Muller in the first place. Zambia’s Godfrey Chitalu reportedly scored 107 goals in 1972. FIFA never formally documented his goal tally, but the Zambian Football Association is submitting evidence to world soccer’s governing body so that it can praise Chitalu with the record, according to NewsDay Zimbabwe. “We have this record, which has been recorded in Zambian football, but unluckily it has not been recorded in world football,” a Zambia FA spokesperson said. “Even as the world has been looking at Lionel Messi’s record, breaking Gerd Muller’s, the discuss and discussion back here has been why Godfrey’s goals are not being recognized. What we are doing is, we have commissioned an self-governing team locally to go back into the archives and record minute-by-minute every of those goals. The team that we have put together is going to calculate all of those goals, recording which ever game or competition they were scored in. “We will then send that to CAF [Confederation of African Football] and FIFA so that we can show that, while Messi’s record is there, while Muller’s record is there, the actual record holder in terms of goals per calendar year is actually an African. It’s actually Godfrey Chitalu.” Chitalu, a five-time Zambian Footballer of the Year prize winner, is considered his country’s greatest-ever player. He hit his 1972 goal haul while playing professional soccer for Zambian club Kabwe Warriors FC. The club competed in at least four competition that year — the Zambian Premier League, the Zambian Cup, the Zambian Challenge Cup and the African Cup of Champions Clubs. He also played for Zambia’s national team that year. paradoxically, that was the same year Muller scored 85 goals for Bayern Munich and Germany. It is unidentified how many games Chitalu played that yeay, as The Zambian FA is currently in the verification process, but he was photographed (via Facebook/Godfrey Chitalu) holding a ball which celebrates his achievement. Godfrey 'UCAR' Chitalu Messi scored twice on Sunday, giving him a total 86 goals for club and country in 2012. The FC Barcelona superstar passed Muller’s 40-year-old blot, and he has three more games to add coldness between himself and the German great. There’s no way the Argentine will score 21 goals to catch Chitalu (will he?), so it is up to the Zambia FA and FIFA to make a decision which player truly holds the record for most goals scored in a calendar year. Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O’Mard?.