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2021 has been quite a rollercoaster year for Lionel Messi and his huge fanbase. The unfathomable transfer switch, the most heartbreaking of all time, occurred when FC Barcelona had to let go of their greatest ever player. The Spanish giants could not shoulder the burden of his wages due to their financial constraints.
Paris Saint-Germain, who in contrast to Barcelona do not seem to have any financial troubles, pounced on the opportunity. And before we knew it, Lionel Messi was a Parisian. It was an emotional moment for the player himself, the club and their fans.
Many argued that Joan Laporta and Barcelona could have tried harder to hold on to their superstar. If that was possible for them or not, hopefully we will uncover it someday. But little moments of vulnerability aside, there were enough positives throughout the year for Lionel Messi to cherish.
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Lionel Messi won several individual and team accolades in 2021
The Argentina international won his maiden Copa America trophy with the national team after reaching the finals for the fourth time. This was his first major piece of silverware for his country. Earlier in the year, he also helped Barcelona to their Copa del Rey triumph.
In addition to helping his club and country wil silverware, the Argentine remained prolific throughout the year and produced incredible stats. Lionel Messi added to his Ballon d'Or tally with a record-extending seventh honor.
The PSG forward also matched his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring against 38 different teams in the Champions League.
There are only a few teams that can stop him from getting on the scoresheet. In this calendar year, there were teams which were successful in doing that. In what could be a throwback session of sorts for Barcelona fans, we present the 10 teams that Lionel Messi failed to score against in 2021:
#10 CA Osasuna
Barcelona endured a tough campaign under Ronald Koeman last season but they had their positives in La Liga. The early phase of 2021 was a particularly decent one. Before they faced Osasuna on March 6th, Barcelona were unbeaten in their last 15 games.
The momentum was with the Catalans as Lionel Messi was firing on all cylinders. The forward had scored in each of his last eight La Liga games and the result seemed inevitable in this one. However, the streak broke as he failed to get on the scoresheet.
But this is Lionel Messi we are talking about and he finds one way or the other to impact the game. Just like he always does when not scoring goals, he is busy facilitating them. The Barcelona star assisted both Jordi Alba and Ilaix Moriba's goals. The latter scored his first goal for the club as Barcelona won 2-0 without much hassle.
#9 SD Huesca
Your new year is bound to be a happy one when your favorite footballer gets goals in the very first game of the year. In Lionel Messi's case, that is not even an anomaly given how frequently he finds himself among the goals. However, Huesca ensured that Barcelona had to battle until the last minute to get any points in their first La Liga game of 2021.
The Catalans did eventually run away with all-three points but only by a narrow margin of 1-0. Lionel Messi had only scored one goal in his last four away games and Huesca ensured he could not increase that tally as he visited them. Frenkie de Jong, who contributed with few but important goals, was the match-winner.
Lionel Messi was returning from an ankle injury and had an instant impact with his assist for the Dutchman's goal. It was his fourth assist in La Liga in the 2020-21 campaign in what was the Argentine's 500th La Liga match.
#8 Real Valladolid
The team that stopped Lionel Messi from maintaining his inspirational form, having registered a goal contribution in 14 consecutive La Liga games, was Real Valladolid. This amazing run that started on 19th December, 2020 ended on 5th April, 2021.
Between those two dates, Lionel Messi amassed an incredible 18 goals and eight assists. Despite staying firm throughout the 90 minutes, the Catalans managed to get three points at Camp Nou with a late winner. Few Spanish football fans felt this was a robbery on the visitors who deserved to take something from the game.
Oscar Plano's red card was deemed a little harsh and there was a contentious penalty claim against Jordi Alba, but the referee favored the Catalan side.
#7 Villarreal
When Lionel Messi is not scoring or assisting goals, he is usually busy making a fool out of players who tackle him. That might seem like somewhat of an exaggeration but against Villarreal he just did that. The game was full of entertaining spells as no team felt sure that they could get all-three points.
Villarreal took the lead in under 30 minutes but soon the Antoine Griezmann show began. The Frenchman did not have the most memorable spell with the Catalans but this was one of his better games. It has been argued that Lionel Messi's presence restricted Griezmann from unleashing himself.
Well, then this game must be an exception to that. Despite the Argentine's presence, the Frenchman took it upon himself to equalize and then give Barcelona the lead. All within just seven minutes of Villarreal's goal.
The Catalans protected a 2-1 advantage for the rest of the game. Their work became easier after Manu Trigueros saw himself red-carded for a rash challenge on Lionel Messi, who failed to find the back of the net in the game.
#6 Paraguay
Whether it is the Barcelona colors or the Argentina ones, Lionel Messi is unarguably the standout player regardless of where he plays. The PSG forward has had a great year with his national team and there were only a few selective teams that managed to neutralize his presence.
Paraguay may not be the most glorious South American team but you can bet Lionel Messi doesn't like them a lot. His feelings are justified because they stopped him from scoring on not one but two occasions. The forward managed a goal contribution in every Copa America game except against two sides. One of those teams was Paraguay.
If it wasn't for an early Papu Gomez goal, Argentina could have dropped points in this fixture. They hung on to a narrow 1-0 lead and got all the points.
Lionel Messi's men then faced off against Paraguay in the World Cup qualifiers. This time they were well prepared and not only did they stop the Argentina No.10 but fought for a hard 0-0 draw. Lionel Messi created Argentina's best chance to break the deadlock with a through ball in the 11th minute, but they could not convert it.
#5 Colombia
Colombia and Argentina played one of the most entertaining games in this year's Copa America edition. It has always been a fixture of great intensity and heated exchange and this was in no way different. Nothing would have given Lionel Messi more satisfaction than beating their bitter rivals on their way to the dream final.
Colombia had stopped the Argentine maestro from getting on the scoresheet a month earlier in World Cup qualifiers. However, he is an experienced customer and you can't keep him away from action for too long. Colombia found out the hard way as Lionel Messi notched an assist for Lautaro Martinez's goal.
Luis Diaz equalized in the second half and gave Colombia a path to redemption via a penalty shootout. But Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez put on a heroic display, a masterclass, to save three penalties and help Argentina progress.
#4 Brazil
How quickly things change in football is sometimes quite amusing. Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. went from contesting an emotional Copa America final in July to playing for the same club a month later. The two stars were left teary eyed after the final concluded.
The Argentine had tears of joy after having secured his first major silverware with La Albiceleste while the Brazilian was heart-broken after the loss. It is ironic though that the prolific forward did not score, nor managed an assist in one of the most important games of his career.
Angel Di Maria scored his only goal of the tournament to write history for Argentina in the final. Lionel Messi must feel very proud to be playing alongside him at PSG now. It was a frantic finale as every player gave every ounce of their effort on the pitch. The nine yellow cards issued in the game were clear proof of it.
Brazil negotiated Lionel Messi's threat for a second time this year when they played a World Cup qualifier game in November. It was a 0-0 stalemate as none of the sides really made the most of their opportunities.
#3 Stade Rennes
Moving from one club to another, from one league to another is not easy for any player even if you are Lionel Messi. Leaving Barcelona took an emotional toll on the Argentine and though Paris showered lots of love on him, he required time to settle.
Messi had fitness issues that he had to shrug off to get into his own and though he scored his first goal for PSG in the Champions League in September, the Ligue 1 drought continued. Goals continued in the UCL but the wait continued in the French top-flight.
But PSG were still sitting at the top of the Ligue 1 table. However, they missed Lionel Messi dearly and needed him to step up against Stade Rennes. The team that handed the French giants their only loss of the campaign so far did so in the presence of the Argentine.
Despite starting all four of Neymar, Di Maria, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, PSG failed to score a single goal in reply to the two scored by Stade Rennes.
#2 Atletico Madrid
Lionel Messi could not sign off from Spain with a La Liga title. There were multiple reasons for that, including the turmoil the club was in and Ronald Koeman's inept tactics being regularly highlighted. But the biggest issue was Atletico Madrid and the fine run of form they continued throughout the season.
The best thing about Los Rojiblancos was that when they couldn't win a game, they made sure their closest competitors did not gain any mileage. One of the last games Lionel Messi played in La Liga was against Atletico Madrid. It was a stalemate as both teams were eventually happy to share points with a 0-0 scoreline.
The affair picked up the heat particularly in the second half as a total of six players were shown yellow. Lionel Messi came closest to breaking the deadlock for Barcelona, but saw his strike saved brilliantly by Jan Oblak.
Atletico Madrid eventually went on to win the La Liga title as Luis Suarez's despair of leaving Barcelona turned into sheer delight.
#1 Real Madrid
In 2021, Barcelona lost only three La Liga games in the 2020-21 campaign. Back in April, nobody, not even Lionel Messi, would have guessed that this would be his last El Clasico but as things turned out, it was. It was also the first La Liga loss the Catalans suffered in 2021, at the hands of their biggest rivals.
Real Madrid put the game past Barcelona before the clock even hit the 30-minute mark with goals from Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos. An Oscar Mingueza goal only worked as a consolation in Lionel Messi's last El Clasico as the scoreline read 2-1 in favor of Los Blancos.
The Argentine himself had rattled the woodwork from an inswinging corner in the first half in search of a stunning personal moment. He had another opportunity to work Thibaut Courtois from a free-kick but only managed to hit the wall.
Lionel Messi will get his opportunity to inflict some damage on the Spanish giants when he meets them in February with his new PSG team. Brace yourselves for a fiery game of football.
