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#3 'That' header against Manchester United in the Champions League final (2009)
Lionel Messi has scored many a fabulous goal during his illustrious career. But his goal against defending champions Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final in Rome remains a special one.
Leading 1-0 after Samuel Eto'o's early strike, Barcelona had to wait till the 70th minute to put the game beyond the visitors. But it was the manner of the strike that took the breath away. Enter Lionel Messi.
Finding himself in acres of space, Xavi threaded a cross to the far post, where Messi had wriggled clear of his marker Rio Ferdinand. Seemingly hanging in the air forever, Messi looped the ball over the despairing dive of Edwin Van der Sar.
No way the diminutive Argentinian should have beaten two formidable and tall opponents in the air, yet Messi did just that.
Later Messi would term that effort the 'best' goal of his career when he said:
"I don't look at goals for their beauty, but their importance. The best goal of my career was the header in the Champions League final, for what that goal and that game meant. I don't have special goals marked out that I'd like to score because for me - the special goals are the important ones."
#2 Lionel Messi becomes the first player to win four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards (2012)
From 2009 to 2012, Lionel Messi was the best player on the planet, winning the coveted Ballon d'Or award for four successive years. To put that achievement into context, only Frenchman Michel Platini has ever done a Ballon d'Or three-peat, doing so from 1983 to 1985.
Lionel Messi completed his Ballon d'Or four-peat in 2012, scoring a record 91 goals in all competitions for club and country. Quite incredibly, Barcelona only had the Spanish Cup to show for Messi's staggering exploits that year.
#1 Lionel Messi wins his first title with Argentina (2021)
Lionel Messi ended a long wait for a maiden international trophy with Argentina when La Albiceleste prevailed by a solitary goal in the Copa America 2021 final against Brazil.
Earlier, Messi had ended up on the losing side in four consecutive major tournament finals - thrice at the Copa America (2007, 2015-16) and once at the FIFA World Cup (2014) - with Argentina.
Making his tenth appearance at a major tournament, the Argentine, leading from the front with four goals and five assists, had his first taste of silverware. Incidentally, that happened exactly five years after his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo had won his first major title - the 2016 Euros with Portugal.
At 34, Messi is approaching the fag end of his illustrious career, but a maiden international trophy with his country is no longer conspicuous by its absence in his illustrious resume.
