10 best forwards of the decade

1. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has arguably been the best player of the decade. The little magician has become the face of FC Barcelona. Messi and Ronaldo's rivalry gave the footballing world a new dimension which was never seen before.

The Argentine won 7 La Liga's, 5 Copa Del Reys, 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, UEFA Super Cups and FIFA Club World Cups each with FC Barcelona this decade. On an individual level, the 32-year-old now has 6 Ballon d'Ors to his name and 6 Golden Boots.

Messi has evolved over the decade. From being a skinny false nine to becoming the best player in the world, La Pulga has come a long way. The Argentinian can do pretty much everything from scoring mesmerizing goals, setting up teammates, dazzling dribbles, dropping deep to link play up, free-kicks to defence breaking incisive passes and through balls.

The Barcelona number 10 has scored 619 goals for Barcelona in his career and would be hoping to break more milestones before he hangs his boots. The only thing between him and greatness is international success and Messi would be hoping to end that curse in the coming competitions.

Also Read: Barcelona news: For Messi, a free-kick is a penalty, says Aguirre

About the author

Samyak is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who focuses on writing a variety of listicles. A post-graduate in Finance with over 6 years of total work experience, Samyak became interested in football after watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup and some high-octane El Clasico clashes. His favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo for the forward's mentality, and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola for the brand of football their teams showcase.

Samyak only follows top tier and verified fan club social media accounts for sourcing information for his articles. One of his core strengths is crafting crisp and concise articles to avoid any and all potential confusion for readers. These shrewd methods have helped him attain strong readership on his articles, one of them even being read half a million times!

Zinedine Zidane's Panenka penalty in the 2006 final is Samyak’s favorite World Cup moment owing to the Frenchman’s sheer nerves of steel showcased, and thinks Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are ready to usher in a new era post-Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During his free time, Samyak follows Real Madrid, plays football and reads finance articles.

Know More

Edited by Sai Teja