Superlatives are insufficient to offer Lionel Messi the honor he deserves for his extraterrestrial football achievements. And even if his time at PSG is now over, he is still a football player of the highest caliber in the world. Indeed, in 54 appearances for club and country in the 2022–23 season, the current FIFA World Man of the Year had 63 goals and assists—not bad for a man some had believed to be “past it.” Messi really has a staggering amount of records, so we thought this was a good moment to run over some of the Lionel Messi records that are probably never going to be broken.
Most goal contributions in a World Cup – 21
Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar last year thanks in large part to Messi, who scored in every game. He has now scored 21 goals at World Cups, one more than the legendary Pele.
Most Champions League group stage goals – 80
Cristiano Ronaldo, who now ranks second with 80 Champions League goals, has a chance to surpass Lionel Messi’s total, although it seems unlikely that he will ever participate in the tournament again. Next on the list are Benzema and Lewandowski, but with Benzema also going to Saudi Arabia and Lewandowski being 34 years old, it’s difficult to imagine either of them competing.
Most Argentina caps – 175 and counting
At the time of writing, Messi has 175 caps, which is unbelievable longevity for someone who has been breaking defenders’ ankles for years at this point. He will overtake Javier Mascherano as Argentina’s most-capped player in 2021. The fact that he hasn’t ended his career in international football despite leading his country to victories at the 2022 World Cup and the 2021 Copa America is even more terrifying.
Most European Golden Shoes – 6
Messi, of course, has a trophy cabinet full with European Golden Shoes, as if he had a collection going on. These shoes are given to the highest goal scorer in Europe’s major divisions. The latter three, from 2016 to 2019, were all victories that came back-to-back in Barcelona, where all six of them won with absurd firing rates.
Most club honors – 37
Nobody has ever been able to accuse Messi of being a stat-padding scam artist since he has consistently made sure that his contributions are those that help his teams win championships. In 2022–2023, Paris Saint–Germain added the Ligue 1 title to the absurd amount of hardware they had already won during his illustrious time at Barcelona.
Most goals for one singular club – 672
Even though leaving Barcelona was always going to be difficult, the circumstances of his departure made things even worse. Messi’s tenure in Catalonia was perhaps the finest of any player’s career. Really, you can’t argue with it either. The ridiculous total of 672 goals is one of the Lionel Messi records that will be difficult to surpass.
Most La Liga hat-tricks – 36
One or two career hat-tricks are a privilege that many players, especially attackers, will never forget. He has defeated one La Liga side by at least three goals 36 times, for real. That is absurd. We have no doubt that he could have played 40 or more games for Barça if he hadn’t had to go on.
Most El Clasico goals – 26
Messi, who is from Spain, has the most goals ever scored in what was, at its height, arguably the greatest game of pure football ever played. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid is a giant vs titan match that is not for the faint of heart. Even Ronaldo, his biggest opponent, who scored 18 goals for Real Madrid in El Clasico games, couldn’t come close to matching him on this one. The Argentine enjoys major events.
Most goals in a calendar year – 91
Those are some absolutely mind-boggling figures. No one has since Messi’s 91-goal season of 2012 come close to matching it. With 85 goals in 1972, Gerd Muller is still in second position. Nothing will be able to convey to you how bizarre Messi’s scoring spree was if that.
Most La Liga goals – 474
With 260 goals in the Premier League, Alan Shearer holds the record for most goals scored. In La Liga, Messi has nearly doubled that total. And no, this situation is not affected by the league’s caliber. Regardless of where they are scored, 474 goals in a season is a tremendous goal-scoring pace.
Most goals in a La Liga season – 50
The intensity peaked during a time when Messi and Ronaldo were doing their damnedest to outdo each other in La Liga. Even though Ronaldo’s 48 goals in 2014–15 came close to Messi’s 50 league goals in 2011–12, it wasn’t enough to surpass them. Nobody else can accomplish it if he can’t.
Most La Liga assists – 192
Messi excelled with Barcelona’s key creators and outscored everyone in his path while playing with two of the greatest midfielders in history, Xavi and Andres Iniesta. You don’t need any more background to understand how nauseatingly high that figure is since Xavi departed with 129 La Liga assists, which is still far below Messi’s 192.
Most Ballon d’Or wins – 7
The era of Messi and Ronaldo monopolizing the Ballon d’Or honors appears to be coming to an end as they are both finally displaying their human side and aging. It is a significant tribute to Ronaldo’s ability that he was able to take five from Messi throughout that period. Five Ballon d’Or victories during Messi’s reign is an incredible feat. One of the Lionel Messi records that will never be surpassed is this one.
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