Lionel Messi: The force anchoring FC Barcelona towards yet another successful season

It was on 3rd December 2018 when Luka Modric lifted the Ballon d'Or after being voted the best player in the world in 2018 - an award which was being dominated by the two extraterrestrials, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The Ballon d'Or Gala 2018 not only surprised us with a new winner but also shocked us as Lionel Messi was ranked at the fifth spot. The Argentine international helped his club, FC Barcelona, clinch the domestic double while being their top scorer for the season.

Although Argentina's World Cup journey came to an end at the hands of France, who later went on to become the World Champions, Lionel Messi played a pivotal role in Argentina's qualification for the competition in Russia.

Modric's Ballon d'Or triumph is being addressed as a full-stop on the Messi-Ronaldo domination. However, with the stats from the start of this season speaking for their abilities, it looks like there has been just a pause, not a period, on their football domination.

Lionel Messi, who is going to turn 32 in June 2019, is alive and kicking since the start of the 2018/19 season. The Argentine forward has scored 22 goals and proved 11 assists in the 21 games he has played so far.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the current top-scorer in LaLiga with 16 goals and 10 assists.

The little magician helped the Blaugrana to top their competitive UCL group, getting the better of both Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan. Barcelona is yet to taste defeat in the Champions League this season. Ernesto Valverde's men would be facing Lyon in the round of 16.

Messi's raging approach to opposition defense in each passing game is a positive point for the LaLiga Champions - who are moving into the crucial part of the season.

The little magician does not require shields and swords to break the opponent walls, his tricks and skills are enough to conquer the European football. On his day, even the strongest of defenses find themselves in the misery of being fragile.

Starting off with the breaking of defensive arrays, the Argentine would then advance towards the goal, breaking courage, destroying careers, ruining hopes and then comes out pointing towards the sky, dedicating his goals to his grandmother who'd be proud watching him take over the world football with a storm.

Lionel Messi has mastered the art of scoring free-kicks as he scored 10 free-kick goals in 2018. The 31-year-old forward has claimed almost every individual honor in football, but, he's just not done yet as he is working even hard to claim the glory that lies ahead.

Ernesto Valverde's men would aim to defend their domestic titles along with a hope to clinch the UCL trophy this season.