Messi: 20 years, 20 records
Twenty years have passed since Lionel Messi first arrived in Barcelona. Since then almost every record available has fallen. Here are 20 such milestones that he has reached.
Player with the most trophies in Barça history
Messi's trophy cabinet contains 34 winners medals with FC Barcelona. The closest to matching him is Andrés Iniesta, who won 32 with the club.
Barça's all-time top goalscorer
César Rodríguez had been Barça's top marksman in 1939 and between 1942 and 1955, scoring 232 goals in official matches. His record stood for over half a century, until Messi matched it on March 20, 2012, with a hat trick against Granada. Eight years later, he has almost triple the amount: 634 and counting.
LaLiga's all-time top scorer
On November 22, 2014, Messi overtook Telmo Zarra (Athletic Club, 1940-55) as the league's top goalscorer. He did so with a hat trick against Sevilla, taking him to 253 in league action (in 289 games).
Top scorer in a single LaLiga season
In 2011/12, he scored 50 LaLiga goals. This is the most for any player in the Spanish top flight.
LaLiga's top hat trick scorer
Messi has scored more hat tricks than any other player in LaLiga history. His most recent, in a 5-2 win over Mallorca on December 7, 2019, was his 35th, and helped him to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo (34).
Most Ballon d'Or awards
Awarded the Ballon d'Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019, his feat of six wins is unrivalled in world football. He is also the youngest man to win three times, the only player to win four in a row, and the player with the longest time between first and last wins (2009 and 2019).
Winner of seven Pichichi awards
Messi is also the winner of more Pichichi awards than anybody else. Last season's was his seventh -one more than Telmo Zarra.
Winner of the most Golden Shoe awards
The Barça star scored the most goals in Europe's big five leagues in 2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19.
Player to score against the most LaLiga sides
Some 37 teams have conceded goals to Messi in league competition over the course of his career. Nobody else can boast such a figure in Spanish football.
Player to score against the most Champions League teams
Likewise, in the Champions League Messi has found the net against 35 different opponents.
First player to score five goals in a Champions League game
On March 7, 2012, Messi scored five times for Barça in a single game. The feat was replicated by Shaktar Donetsk's Luiz Adriano in 2014.
Most goals in a calendar year
In 2012, for Barça and Argentina, Messi scored 91 goals - beating a record previously held by Gerd Müller.
El Clásico's top scorer of all-time
In the biggest game in Spain, Messi has scored 26 times in total. His record against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu is 15 goals, more than his return at any other away ground.
Longest scoring run in LaLiga
From November 2012 to May of 2013, he scored in 21 consecutive LaLiga games.
Double figures for 14 consecutive LaLiga seasons
Messi's consistency in front of goal has meant that he is the only player to score more than 10 goals in 14 consecutive seasons.
More than 40 goals per season for 10 consecutive years
Overall, his reliability is even more impressive: Messi has scored over 40 goals in 10 consecutive years: 2009/10 (47 goals), 2010/11 (53), 2011/12 (73), 2012/13 (60), 2013/14 (41), 2014/15 (58), 2015/16 (41), 2016/17 (54), 2017/18 (45) and 2018/19 (51).
The only player to score twice in every club competition on two occasions
Only Messi holds this honour, and he did it twice: In 2011/12 and 2015/16.
Player with the most Puskas Award nominations
Messi's spectacular strikes have given him more Puskas Award nominations for best goal than any other player. Surprisingly, he has never won the award.
Record assist provider in a single LaLiga season
Messi ended the 2019/20 season with 20 assists, matching Xavi's record from 2008/09. No other player in the 21st Century has set up as many goals.
Player with the most wins in LaLiga history
Messi has been on the winning side in 361 LaLiga games. In all competitions, he has won on 513 of his 731 appearances for Barça. On January 30, 2020, he passed the 500 wins mark with Barça..