On This Day: Messi set La Liga 253-goal record; Spurs smashed Wigan 9-1

Hi all, welcome to All Football's Football On This Day! Let us find out what happened this day (22nd, November) in football history.

On this day in 2014 -Messi set La Liga record of 253 goals with a hat-trick

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi set a La Liga record of 253 goals when he grabbed a hat-trick in a 5-1 win at home to Sevilla.

The previous mark was held by former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra since 1955, which marked the end of the Spaniard’s 15-year career with the Basque club.

Zarra scored his 251 goals in 277 appearances while Messi, who was 17 when he netted for the first time in Spain’s top flight against Albacete in May 2005, needed 289 games.

“When I scored that goal (against Albacete) I couldn’t imagine I could break any record, let alone this one previously held by the great Telmo Zarra,” Messi wrote on his Facebook page.

“I was only able to achieve this because of the support I have had from so many people during my time here and I would like to dedicate this achievement to you all.

“Thanks for always being with me. I would also like to dedicate this to the people who are no longer with us any more. I will never forget you. Thank you everyone for standing with me.”

Well, four years after that day, the GOAT has scored 392 goals now.

On this day in 2009 - Tottenham smashed Wigan 9-1 with 8 goals in the second half

On 22 November 2009, Tottenham Hotspur earned their record Premier League victory, beating Wigan 9-1 with five goals from striker Jermain Defoe.

Nobody would have predicted that score at halftime. After going up 1-0 with a 9th-minute header from Peter Crouch, Spurs seemed to lose focus and created few other chances in the first half. As manager Harry Redknapp said later, "they needed reminding at the break."

Whatever he said to remind them must have worked, as the goals began to flow soon after the restart. Defoe netted his first of the day in the 51st minute, followed by his second just three minutes later, and his third just four minutes after that. Then, after a goal from Aaron Lennon (64'), Defoe added two more (69', 87'). Spurs finished the scoring with late goals from David Bentley (88') and Niko Kranjčar (94'). Meanwhile, Wigan's lone goal came from Paul Scharner in the 57th minute.

It was Tottenham's biggest margin of victory in a top-flight match and pushed them back into fourth place, behind Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal, which is how the final table appeared. Defoe's haul made him only the third player to score five in a Premier League match (after Alan Shearer and Andy Cole).

On this day in 1877 - Birthday of Barca's Founding Father

On 22 November 1877, Barcelona founder, player and president Hans-Max Gamper was born in Winterthur, Switzerland.

An avid sportsman, Gamper grew up in Zürich, where he helped found and played for both FC Excelsior and FC Zürich. He also played for FC Basel.

In 1899, he moved to Barcelona and, on 22 October, placed an ad in Los Deportes calling for people interested in forming a club. Several people responded and, on 29 November, they founded FC Barcelona. Gamper reportedly chose the club colours of red and blue, based on Basel's colours. He made 48 appearances for Barça between 1899 and 1903 and helped them claim their first silverware, the 1902 Copa Macaya. 

By 1908, the club's fortunes had begun to fade. With membership declining, it appeared that Barça was on the verge of shutting down. Gamper volunteered to serve as president. He rejuvenated the membership and guided the club to an undefeated season and the 1909-09 Catalan Championship.

He stepped down as president after that season but later served four more terms when called upon (1910-13, 1917-19, 1921-23, and 1924-25). His last term ended on 17 December 1925 when the Spanish government, in a crackdown on Catalan independence, deposed the entire board and closed the club's doors for six months.

Gamper, who by then went by "Joan," the Catalan version of his name, returned to Switzerland. He subsequently became depressed over personal and financial problems and committed suicide on 30 July 1930.

In 1966, Barça established the Joan Gamper Trophy, an annual pre-season friendly, in his honour.

On this day in 1987 - Birthday of Man Utd star Fellaini 

Last week, Marouane Fellaini appeared to forget his own birthday after unveiling a new haircut to mark the occasion.

The Manchester United player has lost his distinctive black afro, and shared the fresh trim with his Twitter followers on Wednesday along with the hashtag '#birthdaytomorrow'. 

Marouane Fellaini shows off a dramatic birthday new haircut

On this day in 1967 - Ireland's last taste of victory for almost 5 years

On 22 November 1967, Ireland beat Czechoslovakia in a European qualifier. It was their last win for almost five years.

Played in Prague, the match was the last one in the qualifying group, with only the top finisher advancing to the quarterfinals. Ireland were already eliminated but were hoping to play the role of spoiler for the hosts, who started the day one point behind group leader Spain (the Spanish had already completed all of their matches).

It turned out to be Ireland's last taste of victory for quite a while. They went winless in their next twenty games, including their qualification campaigns for the 1970 World Cup and Euro '72, before finally beating Iran 2-1 in a friendly on 18 June 1972. They did not win another competitive match until they defeated France 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier on 15 November 1972. 

On this day in 1922 - Wilf Minter scored 7 goals but still lost the game

On 22 November 1922, Wilf Minter scored seven goals in an FA Cup match and still ended up on the losing side.

The match was an FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round replay, pairing Dulwich Hamlet from the Isthmian League against Minter's side, reigning Athenian League champions St. Albans. Their first meeting ended in a 1-1 draw at St. Albans, with the hosts nicking a late equalizer.

Played before a crowd of 4,060 at Dulwich's Champion Hill, the replay featured emergency replacements in both goals, which undoubtedly contributed to the scoreline. After the first 30 minutes, Minter had his first hat-trick and St. Albans were leading 3-1. Dulwich rallied to go ahead 5-3 in the 60th minute, but Minter notched another hat-trick in the next 10 minutes to push St. Albans ahead, 6-5. With 5 minutes remaining, Dulwich scored again to send the match to extra time.

Dulwich struck first in extra time, but Minter again rose to the occasion, scoring his seventh to equalize five minutes from time. The teams appeared to be headed for another replay when a Dulwich player named Davis scored his fourth of the day to win the match 8-7.

Dulwich nearly repeated the feat 7 years later, drawing 7-7 with Wealdstone in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round.