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Lionel Messi celebrates his 35th birthday today (June 24) and it's been an absolute pleasure watching the little magician go about his business in his illustrious career. Nobody has shared as intimate a bond with the ball as the legendary Argentinian.
He's won nearly everything there is to be won in the world of football and has scaled heights no other player has. After leaving his boyhood club Barcelona last summer, Messi had a bit of an underwhelming 2021-22 campaign by his own lofty standards at Paris Saint-Germain.
He still produced plenty of moments of magic over the course of the season and there were enough signs to believe he could be back to his best next term.
Messi has had so many iconic moments throughout his career that picking just five feels like a bit of a disservice to his body of work. But let's do it anyway. Here are five times Messi has proved he is the greatest of all time.
#5 Guiding Argentina to Copa America glory in 2021
Despite being one of South America's footballing powerhouses, Argentina have struggled massively in the Copa America over the past three decades. Prior to their triumphant run at the tournament last summer, they had last won the Copa America all the way back in 1993.
Plenty of detractors have used Messi's lack of silverware on the international front as a reason to deny him the GOAT status. In the latest edition of Copa America that happened last summer, Messi decided to take matters into his own hands.
He scored four goals and provided five assists in seven appearances in the tournament. The 35-year-old was the joint-top scorer and assist provider in the competition. Messi was named the 'Best Player of the Tournament' as well.
It was a fitting end to La Albiceleste's trophy drought and yet another wonderful chapter in Messi's career. He came up clutch when his national team needed him the most and despite not being at the peak of his powers, delivered multiple world-class performances.
#4 2011 Champions League final vs Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson guided his Manchester United side to three Champions League finals between the 2007-08 and 2010-11 seasons. However, the Red Devils triumphed only once and that was in the 2007-08 season, where they beat Chelsea on penalties in the final.
They were beaten by Barcelona in the final of the 2008-09 and 2010-11 editions of the Champions League. In the 2010-11 final, the Red Devils simply did not have a chance because Messi was at the peak of his powers and he just couldn't be stopped.
Messi ran rings around the United players at Wembley Stadium that night. The fact that he took the legendary centre-back duo of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to the cleaners goes to show just how phenomenal a player he was.
Pedro opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 27th minute before Wayne Rooney restored parity for Manchester United just seven minutes later. Messi then scored Barcelona's second goal of the night by bamboozling United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar with a long-range strike.
He then embarked on a jinking run to upend the entire United defence, creating a chance which David Villa buried to give Barcelona a two-goal cushion. At the end of the night, it was clear that Messi was simply miles beyond his competition in terms of ability and accomplishments.
#3 The iconic t-shirt upholding celebration
The Messi - Ronaldo and Real Madrid - Barcelona rivalry was at its peak in the 2016-17 season. Messi scored a stoppage-time goal to secure a 3-2 win for Barcelona in the El Clasico on April 24 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Incidentally, it was also Messi's 500th goal for the Catalans and his second of the game.
By then, Messi had figured out exactly how to get under the skin of Real Madrid fans. He took off his shirt and held the side showing his name up against the Santiago Bernabeu faithful, rubbing salt into their wounds.
It was Messi's way of asserting his dominance in hostile territory and it will forever remain one of the most iconic moments in El Clasico history.
#2 Lionel Messi scored a record 91 goals in 2012
Messi had become a force of nature by 2012. That year, he made history with his goalscoring exploits. The Argentina international scored a whopping 91 goals for club and country in 2012.
Messi's numbers from that season are otherworldly. He netted 59 times in 38 La Liga appearances and added 13 more in 12 Champions League games. He broke Gerd Muller's long-standing record of 85 goals from all the way back in 1972.
His closest competitor and eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, could only manage 69 in his best year in terms of goalscoring (2013).
#1 Winning his seventh Ballon d'Or
Lionel Messi picked up a record seventh Ballon d'Or in 2021. He had been absolutely brilliant for Barcelona in the 2020-21 season, scoring 38 goals and providing 14 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions.
But his crowning achievement was winning the 2021 Copa America with Argentina. He was their standout performer by quite some distance.
Messi's closest rival Ronaldo has five Ballons d'Or. Winning a record seventh Ballon d'Or in 2021 truly cemented the former's status as the GOAT.
