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#4 Veteran Lionel Messi wins a record-breaking sixth Ballon d'Or award (2019)
In his 16th season as part of Barcelona's first team, Lionel Messi had the arduous task of being the captain and leader of a young side.
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It was the first year since 2001-02 that the Blaugrana were without midfield magician Andres Iniesta in the squad. Messi faced a tough challenge, but he overcame it. The way in which he did that, guiding youngsters in the team by setting examples and scoring goals, has made him the legend he is today.
Barcelona won the La Liga title in style, doing the double over fierce rivals Real Madrid, including a 5-1 walloping at the Blaugrana's hunting ground. Lionel Messi finished as the league's top scorer, netting 36 goals and providing 13 assists.
He finished 15 goals ahead of Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema, who finished joint second in the Pichichi rankings. Barcelona also won the Supercopa de Espana that season, downing Sevilla 2-1.
Lionel Messi scored a staggering 51 goals and dished out 22 assists in just 50 games that season. His exploits earned him FIFA's The Best award, Argentina's Player of the Year award, the European Golden Shoe, and of course, his sixth and latest Ballon d'Or award.
Many tend to forget how stunning Messi was that season. That was largely because of Barcelona's humiliating 4-0 loss at home to Liverpool, or their 2-1 reverse against Valencia in the Copa del Rey Final. However, the Barcelona captain continued to put up staggering numbers until his last day in Barcelona.
#3 Lionel Messi wins a Ballon d'Or three-peat (2011)
Coming into the 2010-11 season, Lionel Messi had already put up some mind-boggling numbers in the two preceding seasons. Few were surprised when he came out all guns blazing, in stunning goalscoring form right from the jump. However, fans were left stunned when Messi bettered his tallies from the previous two seasons.
In the 2010-11 campaign, Messi scored 53 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 appearances across competitions for Barcelona. He was the Blaugrana's top scorer in the league with 31 goals in 33 games. However, he was beaten to the Pichichi award by Cristiano Ronaldo, who racked up a scorching 40 strikes.
However, it mattered less ,as the Blaugrana once again pipped their fiercest rivals to the La Liga crown, and also won the Supercopa de Espana. In a repeat of the 2009 final. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United were yet again beaten by Barcelona in the 2011 final, this time by a 3-1 margin. Ferguson would later go on to dub that Barcelona side the greatest he had ever faced.
The 2010-11 season also saw Lionel Messi enter an exclusive group, where it's safe to say not many have or will make it. He recorded more than 15 goals and 15 assists in all competitions for the first time in his career. Since then, he has repeated the feat four more times.
This campaign by Lionel Messi was only a trailer for what was to follow in the 2011-12 season (more on that later).
#2 Lionel Messi wins fifth Ballon d'Or award (2015)
The 2014-15 Barcelona side was a different beast. Although they lost club icon Carles Puyol, who retired, the team was free-flowing on the pitch, steamrolling past opponents with ease. That was owing to the formidable MSN trio formed by Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. They went on to score a ridiculous 122 goals in all competitions together, setting a new record.
The Blaugrana repeated their 2008-09 exploits, clinching their second continental treble, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. Messi once again finished as the top goalscorer for the side in the league as well as across all competitions.
His final tally stood at a stunning 58 goals and 31 assists in 57 games for the season.
What makes this Ballon d'Or win of Messi rank higher than his 2019 win is the level at which MSN went about their business.
The movement, understanding and camaraderie the players had with each other was a thing of beauty, leaving fans and pundits alike in awe. They seamlessly found each other in and around the box, scoring over 100 goals with consummate ease.
After defeat to Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, Messi exhibited remarkable mental strength to overcome that setback. And he did so in some style. Messi's 2015 year was truly remarkable, considering the setbacks Messi faced with his national side losing in World Cup and Copa America final.
#1 Lionel Messi scripts history, becomes first player to win four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards (2012)
Words cannot describe what Lionel Messi achieved in the 2011-12 season. His numbers were truly staggering during that campaign - 50 league goals and 73 across competitions.
However, Barcelona lost out on the league title to rivals Real Madrid, who also created a new record for points in the league (100). The Blaugrana also suffered heartbreak in the Champions League, where eventual winners Chelsea beat them 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
Barcelona still won four trophies, though. They walked away with the Supercopa de Espana after a win over Real Madrid, the UEFA Super Cup after defeating FC Porto, and the FIFA Club World Cup after a 4-0 mauling of Brazilian club Santos.
On a personal level, though, Messi was in dreamland. In 60 appearances throughout the season, Messi amassed an unbelievable 73 goals and 32 assists across all competitions. That included 14 goals in 11 UEFA Champions League games, as well as 50 goals in La Liga.
His rival Ronaldo was shockingly not too far off, recording 46 goals that season. The tally of 96 goals added by Messi and Ronaldo was the highest ever by two players playing in the same major European league in the same season.
It is safe to say that his teammates helped Messi grow into the player he is today, but his rivals probably pushed him go the extra mile. Who knows what his numbers would look like if not for Ronaldo constantly chasing, matching or bettering Lionel Messi's stats? One can only be privileged to watch both Messi and Ronaldo play at the same time.
