To most, Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer to have ever graced the sport, and it can hardly be argued otherwise. The Argentinian has had a long list of accolades, and here, we attempt to list all of them down.
Messi is the only player in the history of football to win six Ballon d’Or awards, which is the highest of all time. He was 24 when he won the third Ballon d’Or trophy and is the youngest to win three or more.
In the 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Messi won the Golden Boot. His six top scorer awards are the highest of all time. In 2011/12, Messi scored 73 goals across all competitions (50 in the league, 14 in the Champions League, 3 in the Copa del Rey, 3 in the Spanish Super Cup, 1 in the European Super Cup and 2 in the Club World Cup). That is the highest number of goals to be scored in a season of all time.
Keeping to the topic of scoring, he scored 91 official goals in 2012, which is the most in a calendar year. His 50 goals in LaLiga in 2011/12 is the highest in any European league since the Golden Boot award was first given out in the 60s. Lastly, he has scored against the most number of teams in the Champions League, with 36 different clubs.
For the Argentina national team, he scored the most number of International goals in one year. Messi scored 25 goals in 2012 (13 in the Champions League and 12 with the Argentine national team) and shares the record with Vivian John Woodward, who scored 25 in 1909.
