5 longest goalscoring streaks in football history

#1 Lionel Messi - 21 games, La Liga

During this barely believable run, Messi also scored against all other 19 teams in the league!

Since records are our topic of discussion here, how can it be complete without the mention of Lionel Messi? And what's more - he tops this too, as is often the case. Having only come off the back of a rampaging 73-goal campaign in 2011/12, the Barcelona ace launched into another mercurial scoring run in the following season that saw him score a staggering 21 times on the trot.

Starting with a brace against Mallorca in November, Messi carried on untrammelled in front of goal until he finally ran out of luck on the last matchday. He bagged a brace each against Real Zaragoza, Levante, Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis and Atletico Madrid during the nerve-wracking run, and followed it up with a four-goal salvo against Osasuna.

Messi did go on to miss a few games after this through minor niggles but managed to get himself on the scoresheet upon his return. The Argentine struck 33 times during this hot streak - 46 overall - smashing Ronaldo Nazario's previous haul of scoring in 10 consecutive games well out of the park.