Meet Godfrey Chitalu, The Zambian Lionel Messi

Barça's Lionel Messi scored a lot of goals this year. 86 of them, apparently.* That's a record for a soccer player. Or is it? Zambia's Godfrey Chitalu—whose heyday as a player came in the late 1960s and 70s, before he began coaching in the 80s—may have scored 116 goals in 1972. On this week's excerpt from Slate's Hang Up and Listen podcast, Josh Levin looks at Chitalu's great season, and his long career in the game, which came to a tragic end nearly 20 years ago.
* Update: 86 broke the record. He's at 90 goals now.
You can listen to the full podcast here or subscribe on iTunes.


Latest
Penn State Paid James Franklin $50 Million to Just Go Away
Sun Oct 12 2025
Why the New Orleans Pelicans Could Shock the NBA This Year
Sat Oct 11 2025
Latest Betting
- Why the New Orleans Pelicans Could Shock the NBA This Year
- MLB Best Bets: NLDS Game 5 Tigers vs. Mariners
- College Football Week 7 Betting Picks: Texas, Michigan, Oregon and More
- MLB Best Bets: NLDS Game 4 Phillies vs. Dodgers, Cubs vs. Brewers Picks
- NHL 2025-26 Over/Under Predictions: Best Team Point Totals to Bet Now
- Eagles vs. Giants Thursday Night Football Week 6 Betting Predictions
- Wednesday October 8th Best MLB Playoff Betting Picks & Predictions
