Happy Birthday Lionel Messi: The Incredible Stats that makes him the GOAT

The talismanic Argentine striker Lionel Messi has proven time and time again that he is a brilliant footballer. Barcelona’s No. 10 has recorded the most goals (672), most titles (34), the most assists (288) and the most wins for the Catalan giants in La Liga’s 121-year history.

Apart from this, Messi also maintains several other records.

The Barcelona star celebrated his 34th birthday today; let's take a look at his impressive career-

1. Messi is the only footballer to have won four prestigious awards - Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player, Golden Boot and Pichichi Trophy - in a single season. He accomplished the feat during the 2009/10 campaign.
2. He is the only player to have won six Ballon d’Or awards (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019) in football history. The second place in this list belongs to the Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the prestigious award five times.
3. Messi is the only footballer to have won six Golden Boots. He was honoured with the accolade in the 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
4. Messi is the youngest player to score 100 goals for Barcelona in official matches. He accomplished the feat in 2010 when he was only 22 years old.
5. Messi was also the youngest footballer to score 200 goals for Barcelona.
6. Messi holds the record for the most goals in a calendar year. He scored 91 goals in 2012 - 79 for Barcelona and 12 for Argentina.
7. Messi also holds the record for the best goal scorer for a single club, surpassing the Brazilian legend Pelé, who scored 643 goals for Santos between 1956 and 1974. As of June 22, Messi has scored 672 goals for Barcelona.