Lionel Messi – Master goalscorer
Right now Lionel Messi (Spanish pronunciation: Ljonel andez Mesi) is, in my mind – and those of many others – the world’s best player.
His scoring record is quite phenominal... 670 goals in 845 games at various levels for club and country. And at the age of 31 he still has perhaps another four years left in the game.
Born on 24 June 1987, the Argentine superstar captains both Barcelona and his country’s national team and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, having received a recordtying five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European Golden Shoes.
He has spent his entire professional career with Spanish giants Barcelona, whom he’s helped win a club record 32 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, the UEFA Champions League on four occasions and six Copa del Rey successes.
Both a prolific marksman and a brilliant creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for (a) most goals scored in La Liga matches (401+), (b) most netted in a full La Liga season (50), (c) most goals for any club in European competitions (73), (d) most goals scored in a calendar year (91), (e) most goals netted in El Clásico encounters (26), (f) most hattricks in the UEFA Champions League (8), (g) most assists in La Liga (163+) and (h) most assists in the Copa América (11). And right now he is well on his way to reaching the milestone of 700 goals for club and country.
Born and raised in Rosario, central Argentina, Messi who was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child, played for Newell’s Old Boys as a schoolboy for six years before relocating to Spain with his family at the age of 13 and immediately joined Barcelona as a junior, the club also agreeing to pay for his medical treatment. After a fast progression through Barca's youth academy, Messi made his senior debut at the age of 17 in October 2004, yet despite being injury-prone during his early career, he became an established and integral player for the club within three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, a feat he repeated the following year. His first uninterrupted season came in 2008–09, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins.
Three more successful seasons followed, with Messi winning three consecutive FIFA Ballons d'Or, including an unprecedented fourth. His best campaign statistically to date was the 2011–12 season, in which he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer in official competitions in March 2012.
The following two seasons saw Messi twice finish runner-up for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, his perceived career rival.
In tip-top form in 2014-15, Messi duly regained his best form as he proceeded to break the all-time goalscoring records in both La Liga and the Champions League (November 2014) while leading Barcelona to a historic second treble.
Messi is also his country's all-time leading goalscorer averaging virtually a goal every two games. At youth level, he won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, finishing the tournament with both the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and three years later he was a gold medal winner at football at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
His style of play, as a diminutive, left-footed dribbler, drew comparisons with compatriot Diego Maradona who declared the teenager his successor. When making his senior international debut in August 2005,
Messi became the youngest-ever player to win a full cap for Argentina and he also became the youngest ever to score in a FIFA World Cup, doing so in 2006 when the Argies also reached the final of the 2007 Copa América, where Messi was named young player of the tournament. As his country’s captain since August 2011, Messi led Argentina to three consecutive finals: the 2014 World Cup, for which he won the Golden Ball, and the 2015 and 2016 Copas América. After announcing his international retirement in 2016, he reversed his decision and led his country to qualification for the 2018 World Cup. And he’s still going strong… scoring goals for fun and totally enjoying his football. He’s a top man, top player.