Messi
Lionel Messi has broken many records at FC Barcelona. Here are some of the highlights:
- He is the top scorer in the club’s history with 672 goals in all competitions
- He is the player with the most games played for the club with 778
- He is the player with the most titles won with the club with 35
- He is the player with the most wins for the club with 555
- He is the top scorer in the history of the Spanish League with 474 goals1.
- He is the player with the most Golden Balls (6), Golden Boots (6) and Pichichi Awards (8) in history
Messi has scored 672 goals in all competitions
- League: 474 goals in 520 games
- Champions League: 120 goals in 149 games
- Copa del Rey: 56 goals in 80 games
- Spanish Super Cup: 14 goals in 19 games
- Club World Cup: 5 goals in 5 games
- European Super Cup: 3 goals in 4 games
Lionel Messi, considered by many to be one of the greatest footballers of all time, has spent his entire professional career at FC Barcelona, where he has won numerous titles and set several records. In this article, Messi’s career at Barcelona will be analyzed, from his beginnings in the youth ranks to his consecration as a club legend.
The beginnings of Messi in Barcelona
Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1987, and began playing soccer at the age of five. His talent was evident from an early age, and at the age of 11, he was discovered by a scout from FC Barcelona who was in Argentina looking for new talent.
Messi arrived at La Masía, the famous Barcelona youth academy, in September 2000, when he was just 13 years old. It was then that he began his training as a player at the club, under the technical direction of Carles Rexach.
In 2003, Messi made his Barcelona first team debut, in a friendly match against Porto. However, his official debut in the Spanish First Division would not come until October 2004, in a match against Espanyol.
Messi’s first years at Barcelona were difficult as he had to adapt to a new country, a new culture and a new style of play. In addition, he suffered various injuries that kept him off the field for long periods of time.
Despite these difficulties, Messi began to show his enormous talent on the pitch, quickly becoming one of the team’s top stars. In the 2005-2006 season, Messi scored his first goal in the Spanish league, and at the end of that season, Barcelona won the league title for the first time in six years.
Messi’s golden era at Barcelona
From the 2006-2007 season, Messi began to show his full potential as a player, and became a key player in the Barcelona team. In this season, Barcelona won the Spanish League and the UEFA Champions League, and Messi was one of the main architects of these successes.
In the following years, Messi continued his rise to the top of world football, becoming an increasingly complete and versatile player. In the 2008-2009 season, Barcelona achieved a historic treble (Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League), with Messi as the team’s top scorer in all three competitions.
In the 2009-2010 season, Messi became the first player in history to win the Ballon d’Or (award for the best player in the world) three consecutive times. In that season, Barcelona won the Spanish League and the UEFA Champions League again, and Messi was once again the team leader.
In the following years, Messi continued to accumulate titles and records at Barcelona. In the 2010-2011 season, Barcelona won the Spanish League and the UEFA Champions League again, with Messi as the top scorer in theteam in both competitions. In the 2011-2012 season, Messi broke the record for the most goals scored in a single season in the Spanish League, with a total of 50 goals.
In the 2012-2013 season, Barcelona won the Spanish League for the fourth time in five years, with Messi as the team’s top scorer. However, this season, Barcelona was eliminated in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, which was a great disappointment for the team and for Messi.
In the 2014-2015 season, Barcelona once again won the treble (Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League), with Messi once again leading the team. In the UEFA Champions League final against Juventus, Messi scored one of the most spectacular goals of his career, with an impressive dribble and a powerful shot from the corner.
In the 2015-2016 season, Messi suffered an injury that kept him off the field for several months, which was a big blow for Barcelona. However, the team managed to recover and win the Spanish League, with Messi as the team’s top scorer despite his injury.
In the 2016-2017 season, Messi once again led Barcelona, helping the team win the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. In the 2017-2018 season, Messi broke the record for the most goals scored in a single season in Europe, with a total of 45 goals.
In the 2018-2019 season, Messi led Barcelona to another Spanish League title, becoming the first player in history to win the Ballon d’Or five times. In the 2019-2020 season, Messi continued his dominance in the Spanish League, becoming the season’s top scorer with 25 goals.
Messi’s departure from Barcelona
Despite all of Messi’s successes at Barcelona, surprising news came in August 2020: Messi announced his intention to leave the club. The reason for his decision was a series of disagreements with the club’s management, especially in relation to the management of the team and the lack of a clear sports project.
However, after lengthy negotiations and a legal confrontation with Barcelona, Messi finally decided to stay at the club for another year, with the promise that a team restructuring and management improvement would take place.
In the 2020-2021 season, Messi continued to be the leader of Barcelona, helping the team win the Copa del Rey. However, Barcelona failed to win the Spanish League or the UEFA Champions League, which was a huge disappointment for the team and for Messi.
In March 2021, Barcelona announced that it would not be able to renew Messi’s contract due to financial problems and the Spanish League regulations regarding the salary cap. This meant that Messi would have to leave the club after 21 years.
In August 2021, Messi announced his fileAje with Paris Saint-Germain
After his departure from Barcelona, Messi had several options for teams that were interested in signing him. Finally, in August 2021, Messi announced that he would join Paris Saint-Germain of the French League.
Messi signed a two-year contract with PSG, with the option of a third-year extension. At PSG, Messi was reunited with his former Barcelona teammate, Neymar, and also linked up with the team’s star striker, Kylian Mbappé.