Footie Central | Football Blog Blogging the football world
When it comes to individual honours, no player is more decorated than Barcelona stalwart Lionel Messi. Ever since he made his senior debut for the Catalan club, he has been breaking records left, right and centre. His genius has elevated him to such a level that there is a record being broken in virtually every game that he plays in.
Barcelona’s highest goalscorer
Messi is the club’s highest goalscorer with a tally of 445 strikes in all competitions.
La Liga’s highest goalscorer
The 28-year-old’s La Liga tally of goals stands at 290 from 323 games. His haul eclipsed that Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra, who notched 251 goals from his 278 appearances.
Most goals in a single La Liga season
Messi scored 50 league goals in the 2011/12 season from 37 appearances. His awe-inspiring tally is the most goals scored by any player in a solitary season of the Spanish top flight.
Most goals in a calendar year
2012 was an exceptional year for the diminutive genius as he scored a scarcely believable 91 goals for club and country. His tally broke many old records and is likely to stand for a long, long time to come.
Top assists provider in La Liga
The Argentine wizard is not just great at scoring goals, but he is equally deadly when it comes to setting-up chances for his team-mates as is proven with his assist tally of 114 – a record for the Spanish top flight.
Most Ballon d’Or wins
Messi won four consecutive Ballon d’Or awards – in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. No player has won more than three, and if the voting goes in his favour, as is widely expected to considering the phenomenal 2014/15 season he had, he will take his Ballon d’Or haul to a phenomenal five.
Top goal scorer in El Clasico history
Messi has notched a tally of 21 goals against Real Madrid. He has three more than his compatriot and Los Blancos legend Alfredo Di Stefano. The 28-year-old is also the only player to have scored two hat-tricks in what is one of the greatest rivalries in world football.
Founder and editor of Footiecentral. A voracious reader who loves reading anything and everything related to the history of football. He’s an ardent supporter of Manchester United and rarely misses a match.