Top 5 stats demonstrating Lionel Messi as the greatest footballer in history

5. The most Ballon d'Or victories belong to Lionel Messi. 

The Ballon d'Or is the most esteemed individual honor given to footballers. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two football players, have owned it for the past 15 years. It is a crucial point of differentiation when contrasting the two superstars.

The fact that Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or six times gives him a significant advantage over other candidates in the GOAT debate (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019). No other player has won it more than three times, and Ronaldo is the only one to have done so five times.

4. The only footballer to receive four highly regarded individual honors in a single campaign.

It's true, what you just read! In one season, Lionel Messi accomplished the unfathomable by winning four prestigious individual awards. In the 2009–10 season, the Argentine won the Ballon d'Or, Golden Boot, FIFA World Player, and Pi chichi Trophy.

Lionel Messi played 35 times in the league that year, scoring 34 goals. In addition, in 11 UEFA Champions League games, he scored eight goals. The timing of these accolades couldn't have been better, considering Pep Guardiola tuple-winning Barcelona team just days prior.

He scored four goals against Arsenal in the Champions League, which was one of his best performances of the year. It compelled Arsène Wenger to pour admiration upon the magician:

3. Most objectives in a year

This is one of the records that Lionel Messi has surpassed that were previously held by Gerd Müller. The former Barcelona number 10 surpassed Gerd Müller in 2012 as the most successful goalscorer in a calendar year, with 91 goals for club and country.

In 1972, the year West Germany won the Euros, German superstar Gerd Müller scored 85 goals. Thirty years later, Lionel Messi, an Argentine, broke his record by scoring 12 goals for Argentina and 79 for Barcelona, respectively.

Even with all the top attackers in the world now, scoring 91 goals in a year is nearly barbaric. Another record that Messi achieved that is very challenging to top is this one.

2. Most goals scored by a single club

How such a record ranks so low on this list is amazing. In 2020, Lionel Messi beat Pele's previous mark for the most goals scored by a single player for a club. Every goalie that Lionel Messi has scored against received a customized beer bottle from Budweiser as a gift to commemorate the occasion.

Pele played 659 times for Santos and netted 643 goals. Messi, though, passed him last year with a goal against Real Valladolid. In total, Lionel Messi scored 672 goals for FC Barcelona across 778 games.

Following his move to Paris Saint-Germain, Messi won't be able to add to his 672 goals. It is reasonable to assume, though, that breaking this record or even coming close to it will require an enormous effort.

1. Most European Golden Boots in Football

In addition to being a prolific goalscorer, Lionel Messi is recognized for his deft dribbling and stunning passes. Despite this, Messi has nonetheless established a reputation for being an absolute machine for finding the back of the goal.

The player with the most goals scored in the league season in each major division in Europe is given the title of European Golden Boot. This trophy has been awarded to Lionel Messi a record six times (2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons).

Among those years, the 2011–12 season was his most productive because he scored 73 goals across all competitions. To round out a great season, he also tallied 19 assists.

Along with Ronaldo, the PSG star has received the most nominations—13—for the prize. Messi has already won six Ballon d'Or awards, whilst most players only hope to win one. He is the best of all time for a number of reasons, including this.