5 records Lionel Messi can break in the next four years

What was merely a foregone conclusion has finally materialized. Barcelona ace, Lionel Messi, has finally signed a contract extension that ties him to the club till 2021, which also includes a release clause of a whopping €700 million.

Whilst the latter half of the story isn't a concern, the fans are in an absolute delirium to watch their greatest star pen a new deal following a long impediment and frustrating spells of speculations from the media.

But having put all the cacophony to rest, Messi now looks forward to at least four more years of massive success with his boyhood club, whilst also breaking a whole host of records in the process.

Here are the top five feats that the Argentine genius achieve over the course of next four years at Barcelona.

#1 Highest number of European Golden Shoe

Lionel Messi presenting his prized possessions at a recent event

Just a few hours ago, Messi was rewarded his record-equaling fourth European golden boot for his heroic goalscoring exploits in the 2016/17 season, which saw the 30-year old finish with 37 strikes in the league. With that, not only did he draw level with his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo on this count, but is also on course to surpass him with another fruitful season in front of goal.

The twinkle-toed Argentine currently stands at 12 goals in as many appearances, and will look forward to a whole lot more by the time the season comes to a conclusion. With Ronaldo hitting a glass ceiling in his career this season, the Real Madrid player has only accrued 2 goals in the tournament so far, having lost his goalscoring sheen. The Portuguese will sooner or later get the goals he's hungry for, but the tally of 40-45 goals he registered in the seasons gone by looks quite improbable now.

Messi is just 30 and has a few more years at the top. It's very unlikely for him not to win a fifth Golden Boot (or even more), by the time he hangs up his boots.

#2 Most number of caps for FC Barcelona

Xavi retired with 767 caps for FC Barcelona in 17 years

Last month, Messi completed 13 years at his beloved Barcelona FC and with at least a four more still to come, it holds him in good stead to surpass his former team-mate Xavi Hernandez for the all-time highest appearances for his club.

The former midfield magician currently holds the highest number of caps, with 767 across 17 illustrious seasons, followed by Andres Iniesta with 645. However, the Blaugrana skipper is no longer a regular starter at the club and at 33 and is in the twilight of his career.

That leaves Messi with the clear path towards another great milestone. La Pulga is right now third in the list of all-time appearances with 602. He averages at least 52 appearances in a season since 2008/09, and the gap of 165 between him and his former ally could therefore be cemented in exactly four years from now, mathematically at least.

For a player of his caliber and stature, it's quite certain for Messi to not only play at Barcelona, but also play be instrumental figure to its success in the next five or six years. Regardless of how much time it takes, Messi's importance to the club is way too much to deter him from appearing regularly in the red and blue of Catalonia.

#3 Player with the most Pichichi trophies

Lionel Messi holding aloft one of his four Pichichi trophies (left)

Coming back to the goal-scoring front, Messi also won his fourth Pichichi prize last season by finishing atop the La Liga chart with, as aforementioned, 37 strikes in 34 appearances. Whilst he again restored parity between him and his great rival Ronaldo on that count, Messi still has some way to go before he gets the highest number of it.

Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra currently holds the outright record for finishing as the top-scorer in Spain's premier club competition, with as many as 6 Spanish Golden Boots to his name. The late Spaniard first won it thrice on the trot - 1944/45 to 46/47, and then again in 1949/50, 50/51 and 52/53, a record that stands even after 64 years.

But now, it is under threat. Messi is firmly on course for his fifth Pichichi this season, which leaves him with just one more to draw level with Zarra and another one to surpass. And, he has twice as many chances to do the same.

The Blaugrana forward picked up his first piece of the silverware back in 2010, and added two more to his coffer in 2012 and 13, recording an astronomical figure of 50 and 46 goals respectively. Whilst replicating that kind of form is difficult, what certainly isn't is watching him continue to be the most prolific in the division.

#4 Most number of hat-tricks in La Liga

Messi's last of the 28 hat-tricks was a four-goal haul against Eibar in September

Cristiano Ronaldo's blistering run of form since joining Real Madrid has seen him smash record to smithereens over the years. Of the many he's set, or equaled, one record is the highest number of hat-tricks in the league. The Portuguese currently leads the treble count with 32 of them since 2009, whilst Messi remains on his coat-tails with 28.

The first of it, however, remains one of his most special ones, as it was against their eternal rivals Real Madrid back in 2007 in a thrilling 3-3 draw, that saw the Catalans pull level on all three occasions, courtesy of the then 20-year old Messi.

That historic night in Camp Nou set the tone for 27 additional hat-tricks in the coming years, and the Argentine now remains on the cusp of another piece of history. Ronaldo's atrocious run this season has seen him struggle to bag even a goal, let alone a hat-trick. He will, definitely, hit a couple or more in the coming years, but form is clearly inclined towards his Argentinian counterpart right now.

Messi's rich vein of form opens a whole host of prospects, one of it being the prospect of surpassing the Madrid star's incredible count of 32 for the highest number of hat-tricks in the history of La Liga.

Ronaldo, are you watching?

#5 Most number of trophies with FC Barcelona

Messi and Iniesta have won 30 trophies each with FC Barcelona

Another record that is set in the stone for Messi. He is, at present, won 30 trophies with Barcelona in 13 glorious years at the club - a figure that is only matched by his great team-mate, Andres Iniesta. Former captain Xavi once claimed to have lifted the most number of trophies for the club, but his departure in 2015 has allowed his Catalan mates to steal a march over him.

Whilst Messi and Barcelona would continue to storm their way to a great deal of titles and trophies, the former can only claim the record post Iniesta's departure.

Barcelona's estranged No.8 is being increasingly overshadowed by the influx of newer names barging into the team, and can longer claim to have as much an influence in the team as he once did. Iniesta is 33 now, and even though he's offered a life-time contract by the club recently, his fading force might not inspire him to continue gracing the famed Blaugrana colours for long.

That isn't the case with Messi though. He is still ripe at 30 and exercises as profound an influence on the proceedings as ever. Once the sun sets of Iniesta's career, Messi is the natural heir to the captainship, which he's begun taking over this season onward, but will do so fulltime, very soon.

And with Barcelona's prospects of trophies as bright as ever, it's only a matter of time before the prodigal son also becomes their most successful one.