There aren’t enough superlatives in the galaxy to do Lionel Messi the justice he deserves for his unworldly footballing exploits.
And while his time at PSG has now come to an end, he is still a truly world-class footballer.
Indeed, the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year registered 63 goals and assists in 54 matches for club and country in the 2022/23 season – hardly bad for a player some had deemed ‘past it.’
Having now signed for Inter Miami, Messi spoke to Beinsports and stressed: “I have achieved everything in football. There is nothing left.”
And as much as this sounds like an exaggeration, it’s hard to argue with him.
In fact, the number of records Messi holds is so astonishing, we thought now was an appropriate time to run you through some of that will likely never be broken.
- Most goal contributions in a World Cup – 21
Messi inspired Argentina to a World Cup triumph in Qatar last year – scoring in every single round of the tournament.
He now has 21 goal contributions in World Cups – one more than the great Pele.
- Most Champions League group stage goals – 80
Messi’s 80 Champions League goals could technically still be beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo in second place, but it’s hard to see the Portuguese star ever playing in the competition again.
Benzema and Lewandowski are next on the list, but with Benzema also headed to Saudi Arabia and Lewandowski 34 years of age, it’s hard to see either coming close.
- Most Argentina caps – 175 and counting
Surpassing Javier Mascherano as Argentina’s most-capped player in 2021, Messi now sits on 175 caps at the time of writing, which is incredible longevity for somebody who has been breaking defenders’ ankles for years at this point.
What’s even scarier is that he still hasn’t retired from international football even after carrying the national team to victory in the 2022 World Cup and 2021 Copa America.
- Most European Golden Shoes – 6
Awarded to the leading goal scorer in Europe’s top divisions, Messi of course, has a trophy cabinet full of European Golden Shoes, as if he’s got a collection going on.
All six of them were won at Barcelona, the last three of which were all won back to back from 2016 to 2019. Freakish firing rates.
- Most club honours – 37
Nobody can ever accuse Messi of being a stat-padding merchant, because he’s always made sure his contributions are the type that are dragging his teams to trophies.
Clinching Ligue 1 for the second year in a rowwith Paris Saint-Germain in 2022/23 added to an obscene silverware haul that took place during his unforgettable spell at Barcelona.
- Most goals for one singular club – 672
Leaving Barcelona was always going to be emotional, but leaving under the circumstances he did made matters a lot worse. Messi’s spell in Catalonia was perhaps the best spell from a player at any club ever.
You can’t disagree really, either. 672 goals is simply insane. Nobody is coming close to that for one club ever again.
- Most La Liga hat-tricks – 36
For many players – even strikers – scoring one or two career hat-tricks is a luxury that one won’t ever forget. Messi can’t even remember half of the hat tricks he’s scored, for some perspective.
Seriously, 36 times he’s put at least three goals past one team in La Liga. That’s ridiculous. If he didn’t have to move on, there’s no doubt in our minds he could’ve reached 40 for Barça.
- Most El Clasico goals – 26
Staying in Spain, Messi holds the record for the most goals scored in what was, at its peak, possibly the greatest game of pure football on earth. Two titans going at it, Barcelona vs Real Madrid isn’t for the faint-hearted.
His greatest rival, Ronaldo, couldn’t get all that close to him on this one, either – scoring 18 times in El Clasico fixtures for Real Madrid. The Argentine loves the big occasions.
- Most goals in a calendar year – 91
Nine goals away from scoring 100 goals within a 365 day period. That is truly unfathomable numbers.
Producing the mesmerising feat in 2012, nobody has come close to Messi’s 91-goal year since. Still sitting in second place is Gerd Muller, who scored 85 goals in 1972. If that doesn’t tell you just how freakish a scoring run that was from Messi, nothing will.
- Most La Liga goals – 474
To put this one into context, Alan Shearer leads the way for Premier League goals scored with 260. Messi has almost double that over in La Liga.
And no, the quality of league is not at play here. 474 goals is frankly a ridiculous firing rate no matter where you score them.
- Most goals in a La Liga season – 50
In an era where Messi and Ronaldo were doing their unworldly best to one-up each other in La Liga, the levels went through the roof.
Ronaldo ran him close when he scored 48 goals in 2014/15, but even that firing rate wasn’t enough to eclipse Messi’s 50 league goals in 2011/12. If he can’t do it, nobody can.
- Most La Liga assists – 192
Playing in a team with some of the greatest midfielders ever in Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Messi of course, outshone Barcelona’s chief creators while also outscoring everyone in his path.
Xavi retired with 129 La Liga assists, which is still a considerable way off Messi’s 192, giving you all the context you need to realise how nauseatingly high that number is.
- Most Ballon d’Or wins – 7
With Messi and Ronaldo both finally showing their human side and declining, their era of dominating the Ballon d’Or awards has seemingly drawn to a close. In that time, Ronaldo managed to steal five away from Messi, which is a serious testament to his own abilities.
Winning five Ballon d’Or’s in Messi’s era is one hell of an accomplishment. Messi’s seven will never be topped. The man found levels that nobody will reach again.
