Everton Legend Once Claimed Only Jesus Can Break His '60-Goal Season' Record

A soccer legend from Everton said that only Jesus can break his 60 goals in one season record.

In the history of soccer, Lionel Messi holds the world record for most goals scored in on season. In the 2012-2013 La Liga season, the then 25-year-old star from Rosario, Argentina recorded an incredible tally of 73 goals.

During the same calendar year, Messi scored a total of 91 goals combined in all competitions for Barcelona and the Argentina national side, surapssin the mark of 85 goals scored by Gerd Muller for Bayern Munich and Germany in 1972.

But before Messi made the unbelievable record, a certain Dixie Dean from Everton once predicted that nobody can ever break his 60-goal tally in a single season but Jesus.

Dean is one of the greatest soccer players to ever grace the pitch and in fact, he was even hailed as the greatest of all time during his playing years. He grew up an Everton fan and went on to become one of their most notable players in history. Amassing a total of 349 league goals in 399 appearances between 1925 and 1937, a statue of Dean outside Goodison Park was built in 2001 to pay homage to his legacy.

As part of remembering Dean’s iconic moment which came in the 1927-28 season on May 5, 1928, exactly 92 years ago, Talksport took a look back at the legend’s statement after setting the impressive feat.

The prolific striker hit the back of the net an astonishing 60 times during the said season. And during an interview at the time, Dean joked that the only man who could surpass his tally was “the feller who walks on water.” Evidently, Dean’s metaphoric statement implied that he was referring to Jesus.

“People ask me if that 60-goal record will ever be beaten. I think it will. But there’s only one man who’ll do it. That’s the feller who walks on water. I think he’s about the only one,” Dean stated.

Apparently, limited evidence was gathered to support Dean’s greatness. However, some of the comments from players who have witnessed his talent could prove that the Everton legend was indeed once a dominant athlete.

One of the best descriptions of Dean came from Liverpool great Bill Shankly who said “Dixie was the greatest centre forward there will ever be. His record of goalscoring is the most amazing thing under the sun. He belongs in the company of the supremely great like Beethoven, Shakespeare and Rembrandt.”