Argentine striker Castellanos beats Lionel Messi to Real Madrid record

Argentine striker Valentin “Taty” Castellanos has blitzed his way into the LaLiga record books after a stunning performance against Real Madrid. 

The Girona striker currently on loan from New York City FC in the MLS scored four times against Los Blancos in a 4-2 win to all but end their dreams of retaining the LaLiga crown picked up last year. 

He scored two goals in each half in a perfectly balanced performance to ensure that Girona remain unbeaten against Real Madrid in LaLiga since 2018. 

Despite playing only 72 minutes of the encounter, Castellanos still managed to give Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin nightmares, scoring four goals to set a new LaLiga record against Real Madrid. 

Before Castellanos, no player in the 21st century had ever scored four goals against Real Madrid in LaLiga, a feat even Argentina and Barcelona legend was unable to achieve in his 17 years in LaLiga. 

Only two other players have been able to score up to four times against Real Madrid in any competition in the 21st century, Diego Milito who scored four times in Real Zaragoza’s 6-1 Copa del Rey win over Los Blancos in 2006, and Robert Lewandowski, who scored four in Borussia Dortmund’s famous win in the UEFA Champions League semifinals in 2013. 

Just like Milito and Lewandowski, Castellanos’ four goals might have helped knock Real Madrid out of a competition, as the loss to Girona essentially hands this season’s LaLiga title over to Los Blancos’ arch-rivals Barcelona, who could open up a 14-point gap at the top of the league with a win over Rayo Vallecano.