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The 2010s are about to come to an end, and what a glorious decade it has been for us football fans. We have witnessed clubs emerge from the ashes or fall back into positions we never fathomed, we have seen three glorious World Cup's and other amazing international tournaments take place, and we have seen the unthinkable happen in domestic leagues across the world.
However, football during the 2010s will be primarily remembered by many as the decade wherein two superstars dominated the sport like no other. This was the decade where Lionel Messi made headlines and established himself as one of the greatest to ever play the sport.
With innumerable personal accolades and a lot of club trophies to go with it, the little magician has mesmerised millions over the past ten years.
A goalscoring machine, the Argentine captain has scored some astonishing goals which will be etched in the history of football.
In this list, we take a look at his top 10 goals of the last decade.
#10 Vs Real Zargoza (Away), March 21, 2010
We begin this list by going back to the year 2010, by which time Messi had started showing the world his true talent.
This particular goal comes against Real Zargoza in the LaLiga. Many have described this goal to be the one which took the forward to another stratosphere as he announced himself to the world in typical Messi fashion.
Messi collected the ball just near the halfway line. From there, he shrugged off one challenge, raced towards the box and turned a defender inside out before drilling into the far corner.
The crowd was left in awe, and Pep Guardiola was left speechless as his player single-handedly won the game for him. This was one of the first signs of things to come.
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#9 vs Athletic Bilbao (Away) 27th April 2013
Yet another Messi masterclass in dribbling.
Barcelona were on the path to regain the LaLiga title from Real Madrid in the 2012-13 season, and their main man was on a tear yet again.
Although this game against Athletic Bilbao ended in a 2-2 draw, it is mostly remembered for this scrumptious goal by the little magician. Messi received possession from Thiago Alcantara, twisted past Mikel San Jose, Carlos Gurpegui and Ander Herrera with almost no room to operate.
He got past the three and calmly slot the ball into the goal as the helpless goalkeeper could only watch.
#8 vs Racing Santander (Home) 15th October 2012
In the year 2011, Messi was beginning to develop his game as a pure goalscorer. His finishing was greatly improving year by year, and it is around this time period that he really took off.
This goal did not involve him cutting past three or four defenders, but it was impressive in its own right - Messi took the ball from the half-line with contained pace before feeding it to Andres Iniesta, who cleverly backheeled it back to his teammate.
The magician’s off the ball movement was amazing, allowing him to delicately chip it over the standing tackle of the defender and then rounding the keeper to calmly slot the ball into the net. A very aesthetically pleasing goal as the defence was left helpless again.
#7 vs Real Betis (Home) December 2012
This goal might not be the most impressive which Messi has scored in his career, but the significance of it this finish enough for it to be on this list. The legendary Gerd Muller held the world record for scoring the most goals in a calendar year (85 goals in 1972). No one even came close to breaking that record, until Messi stepped up to the challenge.
In this game against Real Betis, the forward calmly ran pass a haphazard defence as he slotted the ball into the net to equal Muller's record. It was a historic moment for football, and Messi would then go on to score 6 more goals in that month as he ended 2012 with 91 goals. It is hard to see someone else break this record any time soon.
#6 vs Iran, World Cup 2014
Although Messi is renowned for the magic that he weaves with Barca, it would be unfair to not include one of his goals for Argentina on this list. The captain of his country, Messi was phenomenal in the 2014 World Cup as he led his team to the finals where they just came up short.
In the group stages, the team was facing Iran, and it was Messi's goal which made the difference in that game. With the score at 0-0 heading into stoppage time, Messi took control of the ball and bent a powerful strike past Alireza Haghighi to break Iranian hearts. One of the goals of the tournament and its importance cannot be undermined.
#5 vs Liverpool (Home), 5th May 2019
Barcelona fans will probably not like to remember this game, as the events that follow this fixture are horrifying to them. However, Liverpool's comeback at Anfield does not take away from Messi's magical moment at Camp Nou during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in the 2018/19 season.
Recently, Messi has made a name for himself as the best free-kick taker in the world. Perhaps none of his free-kicks stands out as much as this particular one against the Reds at Camp Nou.
The Argentine captain dispatched this kick from over 30 yards against one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Alisson Becker. There is possibly no one else who could have scored this, but then again, no one else is Lionel Messi.
#4 vs Real Madrid (Away), 23rd April 2017
One of Messi's most famous finishes, this goal ranks so highly due to its significance and the situation where it was scored.
El Clasico is one of the best fixtures in the world for a reason, as this game showed us. Anything but a win would essentially hand Madrid the title, and it looked to be heading for a 2-2 draw.
However, in stoppage time, Sergi Roberto's swashbuckling run in gave Jordi Alba the chance to square it to Messi, who finished with style from the edge of the area for his 500th Barcelona goal and the game-winner in front of a stunned Santiago Bernabeu.
The celebration that followed was also iconic, as the greatest of his time removed his jersey and stood to celebrate in front of the home fans.
#3 vs Bayern Munich (Home), 6th May 2015
Before this famous semi-final clash against Barcelona, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer declared that he is not afraid of Lionel Messi - "it's crucial to show authority when we meet on the pitch and show him who's boss." The outright best goalkeeper in the world at the time, Neuer was confident that his team would not let Messi weave his spell against them.
Suffice to say, the German would have regretted his words after the game. Messi broke the ankles of one of the world's best defenders when he glided past Jerome Boateng as the Bayern player fell to the ground, and he then calmly chipped the ball over an advancing Neuer who could only watch as the ball ended up in the back of his net.
It was one of Messi's most sublime finishes ever, and his team went on to win the Champions League that season.
#2 vs Real Madrid (Away), 2011
Sergio Busquets will never have an easier assist in his life. After winning his first Ballon d'Or and wreaking havoc across the continent, Lionel Messi and co faced their sworn enemies Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
A rivalry already etched in history, these two sides were going to fight it out for the biggest trophy in Europe, as well as the bragging rights for the next year.
Too bad for then-manager Jose Mourinho that his opponents had a cheat code with them. Messi gathered the ball from Busquets just ahead of the half-way line, and then went on to dribble past four defenders and as many attempted challenges as he finished over the great Iker Casillas in front of a shocked Santiago Bernabeu.
All this happened in the space of 5 seconds as the Madrid defenders looked at each other and wondered what just transpired.
Barcelona won the game 2-0 and advanced to the final where they defeated Manchester United to win their second Champions League title in 3 seasons.
This goal is quite easily the one of the best goal's Messi has scored this decade, if not in his entire career.
#1 vs Athletic Bilbao, Copa del Ray final, 30th May 2015
Just a couple of weeks after his performance against Bayern, Messi outdid himself as he scored one of the greatest goals ever when he tore down the entire Athletic Bilbao defence in the Copa del Ray final.
Barcelona was on course for a treble that season, and who else but Messi stepped up early in the game to shock the entire stadium, and the rest of the audience across the globe. There is no way to describe this goal - just watch and be in awe of the greatness of the Argentine captain.
Also read - Lionel Messi's top 5 teammates at Barcelona
