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Lionel Messi has done nearly everything there is to do on a football pitch. He has achieved almost everything he could have in his illustrious career. The Argentine forward has been the focal point of Argentina and Barcelona over the years. He is now slowly finding his feet in the new-look national side and new club PSG, who acquired him on a free transfer this summer.
One may see Messi's name up in lights ever so often these days. His achievements and the way he achieved them will forever leave a mark in the minds of football aficionados worldwide. However, the boy from Rosario, Argentina, had to prove himself at a club like Barcelona at a very young age.
Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona in 2003 aged just 16, and was quick to establish himself in the first team. He went on to make 778 appearances for the club, scoring a record 672 goals and providing 305 assists. During his time with FC Barcelona, Messi won a club-record 35 trophies. That included ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues, among others.
He was the top contributor for Barcelona in a side comprising a core of Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique. In the process, Messi ended up winning many personal accolades too.
Messi has won the European Golden Shoe six times. He has been named the FIFA World Player of the Year and The Best FIFA Men's Player awards once. The 34-year-old has also won a jaw-dropping six Ballon d'Or awards, and has been named Argentina's Player of the Year a staggering 12 times.
However, his tussle for the Ballon d'Or award with arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo made each of his triumphs a bit sweeter. Currently, Messi has one more Ballon d'Or award than Ronaldo, and is the favourite to win No. 7 this year. On that note, let's take a walk down memory lane, and rank Lionel Messi's six Ballon d'Or wins:
#6 Lionel Messi wins his second Ballon d'Or award (2010)
Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona were riding high on the back of a 2008-09 season. They won six trophies in a calendar year (2009), with the Argentine winning his first Ballon d'Or award. Going into the 2009-10 season, Barcelona brought in Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan, in exchange for Samuel Eto'o and €45 million to reinvigorate the club's dynamic.
The Blaugrana were rampant as they marched to the La Liga title, collecting 99 points en route to being crowned champions, a record at the time. Lionel Messi was sharp throughout the season, scoring 34 and assisting 11 goals in 35 league appearances.
He won the Pichichi trophy that season, awarded to the top goalscorer in Spain's top flight. Messi also scored eight goals in 11 UEFA Champions League games, helping Barcelona reach the semi-finals, where they fell to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. His exploits across Europe also saw him bag the European Golden Shoe award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentine truly deserved the award, with teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi finishing in second and third place, respectively. However, Messi dedicated his Ballon d'Or win to the midfield maestros:
Barcelona ended the season winning the Supercopa de Espana, champions of Spain, winners of the Copa del Rey and winners of the FIFA Club World Cup. They won four major honours that year. Barcelona's core of Spanish players, like Carles Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Victor Valdes and Gerard Pique also helped Spain lift their first FIFA World Cup title that summer.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, was just getting warmed up for what was to come in subsequent years.
#5 Lionel Messi wins his first Ballon d'Or award (2009)
Leading to the 2009 Ballon d'Or award ceremony, Kaka (AC Milan/Brazil) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Portugal) had won the award in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Lionel Messi was in the final three on both occasions. Football fans and pundits wanted him to win one soon, and the expectations were high. Little did one know that Messi would soon get started.
Barcelona went into the 2008-09 season with former captain and Barcelona B coach Josep 'Pep' Guardiola, a move many dubbed the beginning of a new era. They played mouthwatering football throughout the season, leaving every team in the dust. Barcelona ended the season as La Liga champions ahead of Real Madrid. They also won the Copa del Rey, and beat Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final.
Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o scored to enable Barcelona walk away with the 'Big Ears' trophy after a 2-0 win. In retrospect, Messi ranks his goal in that final as his favourite for the Spanish giants.
In his first season as Barcelona's new No. 10 following Ronaldinho's departure, Messi and the Blaugrana were rampant.
The Argentine forward ended the season with 38 goals and 19 assists in 51 games across competitions. That year, Lionel Messi finished as the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League, becoming the youngest ever to do so at the age of 21. Alongside Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry, Messi formed a formidable trio that racked up 100 goal contributions together - a club record at the time.
Although Messi's 2010 campaign was statistically better, his 2009 campaign ranks higher on this list. That's because of his goal in the Champions League final against Edwin van der Sar. The goal won him many fans worldwide, and Barcelona their first Champions League title since 2006.
#4 Veteran Lionel Messi wins a record-breaking sixth Ballon d'Or award (2019)
In his 16th season as part of Barcelona's first team, Lionel Messi had the arduous task of being the captain and leader of a young side.
It was the first year since 2001-02 that the Blaugrana were without midfield magician Andres Iniesta in the squad. Messi faced a tough challenge, but he overcame it. The way in which he did that, guiding youngsters in the team by setting examples and scoring goals, has made him the legend he is today.
Barcelona won the La Liga title in style, doing the double over fierce rivals Real Madrid, including a 5-1 walloping at the Blaugrana's hunting ground. Lionel Messi finished as the league's top scorer, netting 36 goals and providing 13 assists.
He finished 15 goals ahead of Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema, who finished joint second in the Pichichi rankings. Barcelona also won the Supercopa de Espana that season, downing Sevilla 2-1.
Lionel Messi scored a staggering 51 goals and dished out 22 assists in just 50 games that season. His exploits earned him FIFA's The Best award, Argentina's Player of the Year award, the European Golden Shoe, and of course, his sixth and latest Ballon d'Or award.
Many tend to forget how stunning Messi was that season. That was largely because of Barcelona's humiliating 4-0 loss at home to Liverpool, or their 2-1 reverse against Valencia in the Copa del Rey Final. However, the Barcelona captain continued to put up staggering numbers until his last day in Barcelona.
#3 Lionel Messi wins a Ballon d'Or three-peat (2011)
Coming into the 2010-11 season, Lionel Messi had already put up some mind-boggling numbers in the two preceding seasons. Few were surprised when he came out all guns blazing, in stunning goalscoring form right from the jump. However, fans were left stunned when Messi bettered his tallies from the previous two seasons.
In the 2010-11 campaign, Messi scored 53 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 appearances across competitions for Barcelona. He was the Blaugrana's top scorer in the league with 31 goals in 33 games. However, he was beaten to the Pichichi award by Cristiano Ronaldo, who racked up a scorching 40 strikes.
However, it mattered less ,as the Blaugrana once again pipped their fiercest rivals to the La Liga crown, and also won the Supercopa de Espana. In a repeat of the 2009 final. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United were yet again beaten by Barcelona in the 2011 final, this time by a 3-1 margin. Ferguson would later go on to dub that Barcelona side the greatest he had ever faced.
The 2010-11 season also saw Lionel Messi enter an exclusive group, where it's safe to say not many have or will make it. He recorded more than 15 goals and 15 assists in all competitions for the first time in his career. Since then, he has repeated the feat four more times.
This campaign by Lionel Messi was only a trailer for what was to follow in the 2011-12 season (more on that later).
#2 Lionel Messi wins fifth Ballon d'Or award (2015)
The 2014-15 Barcelona side was a different beast. Although they lost club icon Carles Puyol, who retired, the team was free-flowing on the pitch, steamrolling past opponents with ease. That was owing to the formidable MSN trio formed by Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. They went on to score a ridiculous 122 goals in all competitions together, setting a new record.
The Blaugrana repeated their 2008-09 exploits, clinching their second continental treble, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. Messi once again finished as the top goalscorer for the side in the league as well as across all competitions.
His final tally stood at a stunning 58 goals and 31 assists in 57 games for the season.
What makes this Ballon d'Or win of Messi rank higher than his 2019 win is the level at which MSN went about their business.
The movement, understanding and camaraderie the players had with each other was a thing of beauty, leaving fans and pundits alike in awe. They seamlessly found each other in and around the box, scoring over 100 goals with consummate ease.
After defeat to Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, Messi exhibited remarkable mental strength to overcome that setback. And he did so in some style. Messi's 2015 year was truly remarkable, considering the setbacks Messi faced with his national side losing in World Cup and Copa America final.
#1 Lionel Messi scripts history, becomes first player to win four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards (2012)
Words cannot describe what Lionel Messi achieved in the 2011-12 season. His numbers were truly staggering during that campaign - 50 league goals and 73 across competitions.
However, Barcelona lost out on the league title to rivals Real Madrid, who also created a new record for points in the league (100). The Blaugrana also suffered heartbreak in the Champions League, where eventual winners Chelsea beat them 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
Barcelona still won four trophies, though. They walked away with the Supercopa de Espana after a win over Real Madrid, the UEFA Super Cup after defeating FC Porto, and the FIFA Club World Cup after a 4-0 mauling of Brazilian club Santos.
On a personal level, though, Messi was in dreamland. In 60 appearances throughout the season, Messi amassed an unbelievable 73 goals and 32 assists across all competitions. That included 14 goals in 11 UEFA Champions League games, as well as 50 goals in La Liga.
His rival Ronaldo was shockingly not too far off, recording 46 goals that season. The tally of 96 goals added by Messi and Ronaldo was the highest ever by two players playing in the same major European league in the same season.
It is safe to say that his teammates helped Messi grow into the player he is today, but his rivals probably pushed him go the extra mile. Who knows what his numbers would look like if not for Ronaldo constantly chasing, matching or bettering Lionel Messi's stats? One can only be privileged to watch both Messi and Ronaldo play at the same time.
