The numbers and statistics have repeatedly been associated with the Argentine star, Lionel Messi, who shattered many records with his former club, Barcelona, reaching a point light-years away from his closest potential competitors in La Liga. The Argentine star Messi exited a "farewell" conference for his career at Barcelona, amid a great state of sadness that overcame the "little flea," who lost control of his tears in a poignant and pivotal moment in the history of "Barça."
## Messi's Journey with Barcelona
Messi signed his first professional contract with Barcelona when he was eighteen years old in 2005, beginning his journey within the walls of "Camp Nou" until the end of a four-year term since his last contract signed with Barça on June 30, 2017. Messi participated with the first team of FC Barcelona in (778) matches across various competitions, scoring (672) goals and providing (305) assists.
The exceptional star claimed the La Liga title with Barcelona on 10 occasions, the Copa del Rey 7 times, and similarly won the Spanish Super Cup. On the European and global front, Messi, alongside "Barça," won the UEFA Champions League 4 times, the UEFA Super Cup 3 times, as well as winning the FIFA Club World Cup 3 times.
## Record Numbers
The legend Lionel Messi holds all the records in the history of FC Barcelona, as indicated on the official website of the Catalan club, with the "little flea" having the most matches played with the Catalan team. "Leo" is the all-time top scorer for Barcelona and has the most victories with the club, in addition to holding the most titles with Barcelona throughout the 121-year history of the Spanish club.
Messi is the only player in the world with the most Ballon d'Or awards, which he won 6 times in the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019. The 2009-2010 season saw Messi achieve the toughest record in the history of the game by becoming the only player ever to win both the Ballon d'Or awarded by "France Football" and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in the same year. In that same season, Messi also received the top scorer award in La Liga and the European Golden Shoe for being the best scorer in European leagues, a combination that has not yet been achieved by anyone other than the Argentine.
The "little flea" was the youngest player to win three Ballon d'Ors, as he received the award for the third time in his career on January 9, 2012, at the age of 24 years, 6 months, and 17 days.
## Record-Setting Goals
Messi holds a unique record as the player with the highest number of goals scored in various official competitions during a single season, achieving this feat when he scored 73 goals in all competitions during the 2011-2012 season, with 50 goals in La Liga, 14 goals in the UEFA Champions League, 3 goals in the Copa del Rey, 3 in the Spanish Super Cup, one in the UEFA Super Cup final, and 2 in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Argentine legend tops the list for the most goals scored in a single calendar year, scoring 91 official goals with Barcelona and the Argentina national team in 2012. Messi broke the record that had stood for many years by becoming the former captain of Barcelona, the player with the most goals scored with one team in all international and domestic competitions in history when he reached 672 goals with Barcelona in all competitions. With this achievement, Messi surpassed the record held by the Brazilian legend Pelé, who scored 643 goals with the Brazilian team Santos between 1956 and 1974.
## Scoring Streaks
The Argentine holds the longest consecutive scoring streak in La Liga, having scored 33 goals in 21 consecutive matches from matchday 11 to matchday 34 in the 2012-2013 season. Messi achieved the same streak across all European leagues when he scored 50 goals for Barcelona in La Liga in the 2011-2012 season.
Messi has scored against the highest number of opponents in the UEFA Champions League when he netted against 36 different opponents with Barcelona, surpassing his fierce rival, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored against 35 different opponents.
## Titles Galore
Regarding titles, Messi is the player with the most local and international titles with one team in La Liga history, having won 35 titles with Barça, 3 more than his former teammate at "Camp Nou," Andrés Iniesta.
"Leo" has the most Spanish top scorer awards, winning it in 8 seasons, the last being in his final season with Barcelona 2020-2021, finishing as the top scorer in the league's history with 474 goals in 520 matches played with Barça in "La Liga."
The best player in the world scored the highest number of goals in various Spanish competitions more than any other player, with a total of 672 goals, in addition to being the top scorer in "La Liga" in international competitions with 128 goals, including 120 goals in the UEFA Champions League, 3 in the UEFA Super Cup, and 5 in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Messi etched his name in the annals of La Liga history as the player with the most wins in the league, achieving 383 victories with Barcelona, while having played the highest number of matches in the competition with 778 appearances. He tops the all-time scoring list for Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League with 120 goals, holding a significant lead over Brazilian legend Rivaldo and his former Barcelona teammate, Uruguayan Luis Suárez, who scored 25 goals in the most important European competition.
