Football superstar Lionel Messi is celebrating his 36th birthday on Saturday (June 24). The Argentine great, who played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at the club level in the last 19 seasons, is arguably the greatest footballer of all time and has won almost all the individual and team honors available during his playing career to date. After etching his name in the history books, he’s now set to ply his trade in Major League Soccer, where he has agreed to play for Inter Miami.
As Messi turns 36 today, here’s a look at 11 of his best records:
7 Ballon d’Or awards: Lionel Messi is the only footballer to have won as many as seven Ballon d’Or awards. Cristiano Ronaldo is at No. 2 with five top prizes to his name.
Most European golden shoe: The European golden shoe is awarded to the leading goal scorer in Europe’s top division, and Messi, who will now move to MLS, has won the highest number of six European golden shoes.
Most goals for one club: Messi represented Barca for 17 years at the highest level and played in a total of 778 matches in which he scored 672 goals, which is the record for the most goals scored by a player for one team.
Most number of assists: Messi isn’t just known for scoring goals; he also holds the record for providing the highest number of assists (390), which is 94 more than Thomas Muller, who’s in second with 296.
The world record for most goals in a season: Lionel Messi scored a total of 91 goals in the 2011–12 season, which is a world record for most goals scored by any player in one season.
2 World Cup Golden Balls: Messi is the only player to have won two Golden Balls in FIFA World Cup history. He won the top prize for the first time in 2014 and then again in the 2022 edition.
Most goal contributions in World Cups: Messi has scored a total of 13 goals and provided 8 assists in FIFA World Cup matches, which has taken his tally of goal contributions to 21, which is the most by any player in FIFA World Cup history.
Most titles at club level: Messi has won a record 37 titles at the club level during his spells with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. He won 34 trophies as a Barca player, which also included four UEFA Champions League titles.
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