BARCELONA- - Brazil soccer great Pele has paid tribute to Lionel Messi for equalling his goal-scoring record for a single club after the Argentine forward netted his 643rd goal for Barcelona in Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Valencia.
Messi, 33, hit the milestone goal with a diving header just before halftime immediately after his penalty was saved by Valencia keeper Jaume Domenech.
Messi, who made his first appearance for Barcelona aged 17 in 2004, needed 748 matches to score 643 goals, while Pele managed the tally in 665 competitive games for Santos.
"When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path. Like you, I know what it's like to love wearing the same shirt every day," Pele, the only player to win the World Cup three times, wrote on Instagram.
"Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home. Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona.
"Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be increasingly rare in football. I admire you very much."
Pele, now 80, made his Santos debut aged 15 in 1956 and left in 1974 after winning six Brazilian league titles plus two Copa Libertadores crowns, South America's equivalent of the Champions League.
Messi equalled Pele's record of 643 goals for a single club on Saturday but was unable to help Barcelona beat Valencia in La Liga as they had to settle for a 2-2 home draw.
Valencia went ahead at the Camp Nou when Mouctar Diakhaby pounced on some slack Barcelona defending to head home in the 29th minute.
Barcelona earned a penalty towards the end of the first half when Jose Gaya lightly pushed Antoine Griezmann in the back and was initially shown a red card which was then reduced to a yellow after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor.
Messi saw his penalty saved by Valencia keeper Jaume Domenech but Jordi Alba kept the ball alive and his deflected cross fell towards the Argentine, who dived to head the ball across the line and score the milestone goal.
Defender Ronald Araujo gave Barcelona the lead early in the second half with an acrobatic strike from inside the area but Valencia hit back in the 69th when Maxi Gomez turned in a cross from Gaya, denying the Catalans a third straight league win.
The draw left Barcelona fifth in the standings on 21 points after 13 games, eight behind leaders Atletico Madrid and having played one game more.
"We're feeling bitter because we really wanted the three points, it's a real shame they equalised," said goalscorer Araujo.
"We made some mistakes in defence which we cannot afford to make and it's very frustrating because we had lots of chances but the ball wouldn't go in."
The Catalans had enjoyed an impressive 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in mid-week but failed to build on the momentum and are still waiting to record three consecutive victories this season.
Like Barcelona, Valencia are experiencing a season of upheaval and poor results but once again they produced an outstanding, disciplined display, as they did in their 4-1 win over Real Madrid and their victory over high-flying Real Sociedad.
Barcelona's Martin Braithwaite should have increased their lead in the second half but saw his shot blocked by Domenech just as it was about to cross the line, while the keeper also kept out a long-range strike from defender Oscar Mingueza.
Messi went close from a free kick while Philippe Coutinho also could have snatched a winner but flashed his shot just wide of the far post.
