Lionel Messi's greatest individual triumphs

Messi fought off competition form Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo for the prizeOne of the most awe-inspiring footballers of the current generations Lionel Messi has dazzled the world with his brilliance since he took the field with Barcelona on 16 October 2004. What began as the story of a young boy who was on the brink of the extraordinary turned into something that can be accurately described as the tale of a living legend. A man who changed how people think and experience football with his sheer skill, grit and refusal to live and play within the confines of what everyone else considers ‘the best’.It was not a transformation that happened overnight, not even over the course of a season. Rather, it has been a series of defining moments that have made up the aura around the Argentine. It is not an evolution that has ended, it goes on as does his charisma on the pitch.He expresses himself during games and you can tell when he’s enjoying his football. Every opponent beaten, every piece of skill, every nutmeg, every curled finish, every dink and every turn a piece of art that will one day be re-lived and still it is likely none will still decipher the craft of the little magician.It is not just him as an individual who seems beyond the ordinary, but at times he even raises those around him and in turn feeds off them to elevate the whole team to a level that most others fail to match. There are times when you begin to think he’s human like all of us and then he shows you once again with his delicious feet just why he isn’t.Of the 28 years he has lived, he’s spent 20 of them professionally playing football at a junior or senior level. Most of it with Barcelona, some with Newell’s Old Boys in his early days. Along the way he’s picked up many honours that would put some clubs’ trophy cabinets to shame. He’s broken records that most of us thought would never be touched and created some none of saw coming. It’s hard to definitively say how much he’s influenced football, but his honours speak for themselves.Titles with Barcelona- 4 UEFA Champions League (2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15)- 7 La Liga titles (2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15)- 3 Copa Del Rey (2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15)- 3 UEFA Super Cup (2009, 2011, 2015)- 6 Supercopa de Espana (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013)- 2 FIFA Club World Cup (2009, 2011)Quest for glory with Argentina- Olympic Gold Medal (2008)- FIFA World Cup (2014), Runner-up- Copa America (2007, 2015), Runner-up- FIFA World Youth Championship (2005), Winner- South American Youth Championship (2005), Winner

#1 4 Ballon D\'Or (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)

Messi holds the record for most Ballon D’Or trophies won

The Argentine superstar has been awarded the Ballon D’Or on 4 occasions so far (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). That statistic in itself is a record as no individual has been able to match the feat and it does not seem like the dominance will end any time soon, neither does it look like anyone will be able to repeat such an achievement.

The era of dominance that Messi had between 2009 and 2012 could go unparalleled. He often matched it with club achievements as we as a Messi-inspired Barcelona even won a treble during that period. A feat they repeated this year.

The 2009 award was for European Player of the year before the French award was merged with World Player of the Year to form the current FIFA Ballon D’Or, which technically, Messi became the first ever recipient of, but Messi also won the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009 along with the European Ballon D’Or Award.

#2 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (2014)

A less than happy Messi accepted the Golden Ball in 2014

A lot of criticism has been directed towards Lionel Messi’s form for his national team. In his role as captain he has led La Albiceleste to both the World Cup 2014 final as well as the Copa America 2015 final but unfortunately for the Barcelona man, on both occasions Argentina missed out on the big prizes by a hair’s breadth.

It was not for lack of trying from Messi though, the forward even won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball in 2014. The award is given to the best player from that edition of the World Cup. It is an honour he shares with another Argentine hero Diego Maradona. Other recipients include the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Ronaldo and Pele. It’s not an award to be taken lightly, neither is the significance of it dulled by his team’s loss in the final, nonetheless, it will be a trophy he craves.

His national team coach Gerardo Martino and team-mate Carlos Tevez on two separate occasions have come to Messi’s defence, openly stating that if they had been criticised the same way Messi has been for his national team performances they would have quit. It is a testament to their faith in the Argentine captain.

#3 3 European Golden Shoe (2010, 2012, 2013)

Lionel Messi last won the European Golden Shoe in 2013

A staggering number of goals scored is one of the reasons Messi stands out from the crowd and it was this attribute that he has accrued 3 European Golden Shoes for over the course of his career. It’s a trophy that is awarded to the highest league goalscorer in Europe.

To a man who once scored 91 goals in a calendar year, it may not be surprising that he has three of these awards, it is in fact an underwhelming number, surely he must have more. However, in this regard, he has competition from none other than Cristiano Ronaldo who is also a goal-scoring machine. The Portuguese has laid claim on the award for the past 2 seasons, before which Luis Suarez was the recipient.

It hasn’t been the lack of Messi’s contribution to his team that has kept him out, he’s continued to consistently score and assist during that period, remaining at the top of his game, albeit with a few dips but still a cut above the rest.

#4 3 Pichichi Trophy (2010, 2012, 2013)

Messi holds the record for most goals scored by a player in a calendar year (91)

The Pichichi isn’t a league recognised award but one sanctioned by the Spanish news organisation Marca. They do not often reflect the same goal statistics as the league but are mostly similar. They traditionally bestow the Pichichi trophy on the highest scorer of the season. Lionel Messi last won the prize in 2013 but hasn’t stopped scoring since then and despite being pipped to the award this time he played a crucial role in winning the treble for Barcelona.

He has been La Liga’s top scorer 3 times before (2010, 2012 and 2013). The Pichichi has been associated with the La Liga top scorer for so long that it is now synonymous with the accolade.

The award does not take into account any trophies won during the course of the season but focuses more on individual merit, particularly on the difficult task of goal-scoring. Both Messi and Ronaldo have been goal machines and have shared the award between them since 2009-10 when Messi first won it. Diego Forlan was the last winner of the award before the duo asserted their dominance over the sphere.

#5 2 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award (2011, 2015)

Messi became the first player to win UEFA Best Player award twice

An award that was begun in 2011 after the European Player of the Year (Ballon D’Or) was merged with FIFA World Player of the Year to form the FIFA Ballon D’Or that came into effect in 2010. The UEFA Best Player award in its first year was awarded to none other than the Barcelona genius Lionel Messi, 2015 marked the second time the Argentine would lay claim to the prize, also in the process becoming the first player to win the award twice.

The period from 2009 to 2012 was one when Messi really stamped his mark on the game growing with every game and making his presence felt. He snatched up individual awards as well as club honours. The 2009 season saw Barcelona win the treble for the first time under Pep Guardiola, incidentally, despite The Argentine striker recording the highest number of goals for his club did not grab the Pichichi, the same as his feat in 2015.

Had the UEFA Best Player existed in that year though he would have won it, considering he claimed both the awards it replaced, the Ballon D’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009.

#6 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (2009)

Messi won the FIFA World Player of the year along with the UEFA Club Footballer of the year in 2009

Another award that the UEFA Best Player rendered obsolete was the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. The European football governing body bestowed the trophy on players plying their trade in Europe every year since 1997-98 when Luis Ronaldo first won the honour. UEFA also awarded ‘Best Goalkeeper’, ‘Best Defender’, ‘Best Midfielder’ and ‘Best Forward’ trophies in addition to the big prize.

Lionel Messi won the award in 2009, when he scored 38 goals for the club on their way to a treble, he also claimed the Best Striker award from UEFA that year. The Argentine only won the award once, in the next year it was grabbed by another treble winner Diego Milito for Inter Milan after which the prize was scrapped.

In his many years so far of professional football, he’s gathered an array of different individual trophies but these 6 have to be the pride of his collection, in addition to the numerous records that he boasts.