Throughout his illustrious career spanning nearly two decades, Lionel Messi has set numerous records that showcase his incredible talent and skill on the field. From winning multiple Golden Balls to scoring countless goals in a single year, season, and tournament, Messi’s accolades are unmatched and solidify his status as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. It would be a daunting task for any future player to surpass the impressive legacy that Messi has left behind.
Only ten players in history have won the prestigious Golden Ball award more than once, with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo being the only two to have won three or more. Messi secured his eighth Golden Ball in 2023, adding to his previous wins in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021. Ronaldo follows closely behind with five wins in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.
In 2012, Messi had a remarkable year scoring a total of 91 goals for both Barcelona and Argentina. This extraordinary feat allowed him to surpass Gerd Muller’s 85-goal record, which had stood for four decades. Among current players, the closest to Messi’s goal-scoring prowess in a single year are Robert Lewandowski in 2021 and Ronaldo in 2013, both with 69 goals. This year, Erling Haaland has scored 44 goals, while Kylian Mbappe has netted 40. Despite their impressive performances, Haaland is still 47 goals shy of Messi’s record, making the Argentine’s achievements truly unparalleled and legendary.
During the 2011-2012 season, Messi broke two records for the most goals scored in a single season: 73 at club level and 82 overall. In comparison, Ronaldo’s highest scoring season with Real Madrid was in 2014-2015, where he scored 61 goals. Taking into account his goals for the Portuguese national team, Ronaldo’s total achievement was 66 goals. Gerd Muller scored 67 goals in the 1972-1973 season, while Pele scored 66 goals in the 1957-1958 season. Messi’s incredible accomplishments make it incredibly challenging for any player to match his record-breaking goals.
For the past two decades, there has been a constant question in La Liga about whether anyone would surpass the goalscoring record held by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sanchez, who scored 38 goals each in the 1950-1951 and 1989-1990 seasons, respectively. Since 2010, Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed that figure three times, Lionel Messi three more times, and Luis Suarez once. Messi holds the record for the most goals in a season, with 50 in 2011-2012, while Ronaldo’s highest was 48 in 2014-2015.
When it comes to scoring goals in consecutive matches, Messi took the spotlight with 19 straight matches in the 2012-2013 season, a feat that was unfortunately interrupted due to injury. But upon his return, Messi quickly added two more matches to his streak, making it 21 consecutive matches with at least one goal. This far outshines the records of Ronaldo Nazario and Cristiano Ronaldo, who both scored in 10 consecutive matches.
Before the Messi-Ronaldo era, Telmo Zarra led La Liga’s goalscoring history with 252 goals, now ranking third behind Messi and Ronaldo. Messi’s record of 474 goals far exceeds Zarra’s tally, with 163 more goals than Ronaldo and 222 more than Zarra. In other leagues, top scorers like Alan Shearer, Silvio Piola, Gerd Muller, and Delio Onnis fall short of Messi’s impressive goal tally.
Messi also holds other remarkable records, such as winning the European Golden Shoe six times, playing 106 matches for Argentina, and scoring 26 World Cup goals. In La Liga, his records include the most wins (383), scoring in the most matches (300), the most matches with at least two goals (133), three goals (36), collective titles (44), and the most goals for a single club (672 goals for Barcelona).
