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Lionel Messi's career is the perfect definition of greatness. With six Ballon d'Or awards, six European Golden Shoes, four Champions League titles and many other trophies, the 34-year-old ranks among the most decorated footballers in history.
The Argentine has, of course, been helped by the presence of world-class teammates at club and international level. However, that takes nothing away from the fact that he's been a difference-maker in every team he's featured in.
Over the years, Lionel Messi has torn opposition defenses apart, scored at crucial moments and single-handedly decided the fate of big games. He has recorded many unbelievable performances that will live in the memories of fans for several years.
In honor of his exploits, we decided to look at five iconic times the attacker took matters into his own hands.
#5 Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal (Champions League quarter-finals, 2010)
Arsenal put up a resilient performance to hold Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their 2009-2010 Champions League quarter-final clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners looked set to complete a major upset as they drew first blood via Niklas Bendtner's 18th-minute strike in the second leg at Camp Nou.
However, Lionel Messi rose to the occasion and produced a match-winning performance that would hurt the Premier League giants for many years. The Argentine restored parity with a cool finish in the 21st minute to keep his team in the tie.
By the end of the first half, the forward had already bagged a hat-trick, scoring his second and third goals in the 37th and 42nd-minute marks, respectively. He scored again in the 88th minute to secure a 4-1 triumph for Barcelona.
Barcelona beat Arsenal 6-2 on aggregate and progressed to the semifinals, where they lost to Inter Milan 3-2 on aggregate.
#4 Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona (La Liga, 2017)
The La Liga title was on the line when Barcelona and Real Madrid faced each other in El Clasico on April 23, 2017. It proved to be a fiery encounter between the two bitter rivals who were both looking to pip each other to the Spanish crown.
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro opened the scoring in the 28th minute. Lionel Messi restored parity with a cool finish just five minutes later, before Ivan Rakitic put Barcelona ahead in the 73rd minute.
James Rodriguez thought he had secured a point for Los Blancos when he found an equalizer just five minutes before the end of the game. However, Messi had other ideas. The Argentine stepped up in injury time and sent a thunderous shot into the back of the net to ensure the Catalan giants went home with the bragging rights.
Real Madrid ended up winning the league that season with 93 points. Meanwhile, Barcelona finished in second place with 90 points.
#3 Argentina 3-1 Ecuador (World Cup Qualifiers, 2017)
A series of poor results during the qualifiers placed Argentina on the brink of missing out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia. To progress, La Albiceleste had to earn nothing but a win in their last qualifier clash with Ecuador.
It looked like hell would strike once again as Romario Ibarra bagged an early opener for Ecuador in the first minute of the encounter. With pressure piling up, Lionel Messi stood up and produced one of his most iconic performances in the Argentina jersey.
The forward scored twice within eight minutes ('12 and '20) to give his team the upper hand heading into the second half. He returned with another strike in the 62nd minute to complete a brilliant hat-trick and secure Argentina's participation in the prestigious tournament.
#2 Barcelona 3-0 Bayern Munich (Champions League, 2015)
It was a clash of titans as Barcelona and Bayern Munich faced each other in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash at Camp Nou in 2015. As expected, the match proved to be intensely contested, with neither side breaking the deadlock over 75 minutes.
Then began the Lionel Messi show. The Argentine activated his alien mode, beating Manuel Neuer with a powerful shot from outside the box in the 77th minute.
The forward returned with another unbelievable effort seven minutes later. He received a pass from Dani Alves and humiliated Jerome Boateng with a brilliant piece of skill before sending a perfectly-timed lob into the back of the net.
The attacker influenced the game once again in injury time, setting up Neymar to grab Barcelona's third goal of the night.
Barcelona succumbed to a 3-2 defeat in Germany but progressed with a 5-3 scoreline on aggregate. Neymar scored both goals.
#1 Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool (Champions League, 2019)
Barcelona hosted Liverpool at Camp Nou for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in 2019. The Blaugrana bagged the first goal of the game via a Luis Suarez strike, and the visitors responded by launching several ferocious attacking moves.
Liverpool threatened to level terms until Lionel Messi intervened. The Argentine doubled the Blaugrana's lead by tapping home from close range in the 75th minute. He then scored one of the finest goals of his career seven minutes later.
Leo shocked the football world by sending a brilliant free-kick into the back of the net from 35 yards out. Even Liverpool players couldn't help but shower praise on the diminutive forward after the game.
Unfortunately, Barcelona suffered a 4-0 defeat at Anfield in the second leg of the tie and crashed out of the Champions League.
