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Here in this article, I am going against the quote of ex-Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola on Lionel Messi - “Don't write about him, don't try to describe him. Just watch him.” Arguably the greatest player of the game, Lionel Messi holds many records and honours in world football.
More than the goals and the magic, his hunger, and passion for the game is truly astonishing. Even today, Lionel Messi plays every game as if his life depends on it. It's almost as if he's setting and breaking records every time he sets his foot on the ground.
He is into his 14th full season at Camp Nou and is looking fit for another two to three at least. On that note, let’s take a look at 5 of Lionel Messi's records that seem like they will never be broken:
#5 Top goal scorer in La Liga
The Argentine has scored 365 league goals in 400 appearances so far at Camp Nou and he has scored them at the rate of 0.91 goals per game.
On a side note, Messi also holds a number of related records such as 1) With 50 goals in 2011/12, Lionel Messi is also the top goalscorer in a single La Liga season. 2) Messi’s tally includes 28 hat tricks and 105 braces. 3) Messi is the first player to reach 350 goals in La Liga history.
Why will this record stay forever? Because Messi is only 30 years old and isn't quite showing any signs of slowing down. He is extremely fit and seems to be playing at his usual best this season.
He has scored 16 goals for Barcelona in 18 league starts so far in the 2017/18 season. Assuming he continues this for a couple more seasons, he could just score 400 league goals - a record nobody seems likely to come close to, let alone break.
The arrival of creative players like Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele will only increase his goal tally. Messi recently signed a long-term contract with Barcelona and expect him to break the 500 goal barrier, should he stay for the next four to five years. Given the demands and the nature of modern day football, this goal tally can easily stay unbeaten forever.
#4 Youngest player to win 4 Ballon d'Or awards
This is a remarkable achievement by the little magician. He was only 25 years, 6 months and 15 days old when he lifted his fourth Ballon d’Or award. Also, Lionel Messi is the only player to have won 4 consecutive Ballon d’Or awards, and that too, even before turning 26.
Messi currently has won 5 Ballon d’Or awards and only Cristiano Ronaldo is on par with the Argentine. If Messi can help Argentina to the World Cup glory in Russia 2018, he will most likely get his 6th Ballon d'Or award.
There is no question mark on the longevity of this record unlike the previous one and this will definitely stay forever. Given the competitive nature of the football these days, it will be highly unlikely for a player to win four Ballon d’Or awards before the age of 25 years, 6 months and 15 days.
#3 Most consecutive league matches scored in
Consistency and fitness is the key to scoring goals week after week. Recently, Jamie Vardy broke Ruud van Nistelrooy's record to become the first player in Premier League history to score in 11 consecutive league games. But again, Messi holds the no.1 spot here.
Lionel Messi scored 33 goals in 21 consecutive La Liga games during the 2012-13 season. His run of scoring in 21 La Liga games on the trot started in November 2012 and continued until matchday 38 when Atletico Madrid finally managed to keep him out.
It was an astonishing run and Messi managed to score in all the league games that season except for four games. No one in the top flight leagues across the globe has even come close to that record. The second best is Gerd Müller, who scored 22 goals from 16 consecutive games for Bayern Munich during the 1969-70 campaign.
#2 Most official goals in a calendar year for club and country
Lionel Messi is one of the most prolific goal scorers in world football right now. The Argentine has scored 30+ goals in 6 La Liga seasons so far and is on target for the 7th time this season.
In 2012, Messi broke a 40-year-old record held by the German legend Gerd Muller. Messi scored an astonishing 91 goals (combined in all official competitions for Barcelona and Argentina), breaking the previous record of 85 goals set by Gerd Muller for Germany and Bayern in 1972.
Messi’s 91 goals (79 goals in 60 appearances for Barcelona, and 12 goals in nine games for Argentina) came at the rate of 1.319 goals per game and 66 minutes per goal. Simply astounding!
On his way to this record, Messi also becomes the top goalscorer in a La Liga season (50 goals in 2012/13). Don't you reckon 92 seems a goal too many for anyone else to get?
#1 Most goals for one club in the top 5 European leagues
The recent El Clasico goal at the Santiago Bernabeu was one of the special ones for Lionel Messi as the Argentine superstar surpassed Bayern and German legend Gerd Muller for scoring the most number of goals (525) for one club in Europe’s top 5 leagues. He equalled it on December 10th against Villarreal and went past it against Real Madrid on December 23rd.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 527 times so far, and broke Muller’s 39-year-old record of 525 goals in 574 appearances for Bayern Munich between 1965 and 1979. Messi’s career is nowhere close to an end and he might just end up with 700+ career goals for Barcelona.
Loyalty is vanishing in football because of the amount of money that is being paid to the players, and good players switch clubs more frequently these days. Given the market scenario, it's safe to say that this record of Lionel Messi will live for eternity.
