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#8 Lionel Messi becomes the first player to win six Ballon d'Or awards
After another glorious year for club and country, Lionel Messi broke the tie with his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo in 2019 to become the first six-time winner in Ballon d'Or history.
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Six months after winning FIFA's Best Player Award, Lionel Messi ended a successful year with the coveted Ballon d'Or honour.
The Argentinian scored 36 goals to help Barcelona to the league title, his 34th title with the club, and also netted 12 in the Champions League.
"I want to thank all of the journalists who voted for me, as well as all of my teammates at Barça and on the Argentinean national team, as they made me enjoy this year so much. You are all part of this incredible award," said Lionel Messi after receiving his first Ballon d'Or award in four years.
#9 Lionel Messi breaks Xavi's record for most assists in a La Liga season
Despite enduring an underwhelming season by his staggering standards, Lionel Messi emulated his former teammate Thierry Henry to become the only two players this century to score and assist 20 goals in a top-flight season.
During the course of the season, Lionel Messi's 21st assist also helped him break another teammate Xavi's record for the most assists in a La Liga campaign.
Lionel Messi also won the Pichichi award (most goals in a La Liga season) for the fourth straight year. Despite his exploits, Barcelona lost their La Liga stranglehold, finishing behind eventual champions Real Madrid to endure their first trophyless campaign in more than a decade.
#10 Lionel Messi scores his 650th goal for Barcelona
Following an indifferent start to the 2020-21 season, Lionel Messi broke the legendary Pele's record for the most goals by a player for a single club before scoring a record-extending 650th goal for Barcelona.
Lionel Messi arrived at the landmark with a sublime free-kick against Athletic Bilbao, opening the scoring in his team's 2-1 win in the La Liga against the Basque team.
The goal arrived in the backdrop of the leaking of the details of Lionel Messi's gargantuan €550 million contract with Barcelona.
The Argentine is now on 658 goals in 509 appearances in all competitions, with 463 of these strikes coming in the La Liga.
