Ranking Lionel Messi's 6 Ballon d'Or wins
Lionel Messi has done nearly everything there is to do on a football pitch. He has achieved almost everything he could have in his illustrious career. The Argentine forward has been the focal point of Argentina and Barcelona over the years. He is now slowly finding his feet in the new-look national side and new club PSG, who acquired him on a free transfer this summer.
One may see Messi's name up in lights ever so often these days. His achievements and the way he achieved them will forever leave a mark in the minds of football aficionados worldwide. However, the boy from Rosario, Argentina, had to prove himself at a club like Barcelona at a very young age.
Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona in 2003 aged just 16, and was quick to establish himself in the first team. He went on to make 778 appearances for the club, scoring a record 672 goals and providing 305 assists. During his time with FC Barcelona, Messi won a club-record 35 trophies. That included ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues, among others.
Lionel Messi made his Barcelona debut in a friendly vs. Porto on this day in 2003.
18 years of greatness 🌟 https://t.co/4TDhQx7lPi
He was the top contributor for Barcelona in a side comprising a core of Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique. In the process, Messi ended up winning many personal accolades too.
Messi has won the European Golden Shoe six times. He has been named the FIFA World Player of the Year and The Best FIFA Men's Player awards once. The 34-year-old has also won a jaw-dropping six Ballon d'Or awards, and has been named Argentina's Player of the Year a staggering 12 times.
However, his tussle for the Ballon d'Or award with arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo made each of his triumphs a bit sweeter. Currently, Messi has one more Ballon d'Or award than Ronaldo, and is the favourite to win No. 7 this year. On that note, let's take a walk down memory lane, and rank Lionel Messi's six Ballon d'Or wins:
#6 Lionel Messi wins his second Ballon d'Or award (2010)
Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona were riding high on the back of a 2008-09 season. They won six trophies in a calendar year (2009), with the Argentine winning his first Ballon d'Or award. Going into the 2009-10 season, Barcelona brought in Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan, in exchange for Samuel Eto'o and €45 million to reinvigorate the club's dynamic.
The Blaugrana were rampant as they marched to the La Liga title, collecting 99 points en route to being crowned champions, a record at the time. Lionel Messi was sharp throughout the season, scoring 34 and assisting 11 goals in 35 league appearances.
He won the Pichichi trophy that season, awarded to the top goalscorer in Spain's top flight. Messi also scored eight goals in 11 UEFA Champions League games, helping Barcelona reach the semi-finals, where they fell to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. His exploits across Europe also saw him bag the European Golden Shoe award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentine truly deserved the award, with teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi finishing in second and third place, respectively. However, Messi dedicated his Ballon d'Or win to the midfield maestros:
🤩The heartwarming moment Lionel Messi dedicated his 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or award to Xavi & Andres Iniesta
🗣"I just want to make a toast to Xavi and Andres,who,despite the fact I won,deserve the award -so this is for them”
#Messi|#Barcelona|#Argentina
https://t.co/uyhZYoIFYm
Barcelona ended the season winning the Supercopa de Espana, champions of Spain, winners of the Copa del Rey and winners of the FIFA Club World Cup. They won four major honours that year. Barcelona's core of Spanish players, like Carles Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Victor Valdes and Gerard Pique also helped Spain lift their first FIFA World Cup title that summer.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, was just getting warmed up for what was to come in subsequent years.
#5 Lionel Messi wins his first Ballon d'Or award (2009)
Leading to the 2009 Ballon d'Or award ceremony, Kaka (AC Milan/Brazil) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Portugal) had won the award in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Lionel Messi was in the final three on both occasions. Football fans and pundits wanted him to win one soon, and the expectations were high. Little did one know that Messi would soon get started.
Barcelona went into the 2008-09 season with former captain and Barcelona B coach Josep 'Pep' Guardiola, a move many dubbed the beginning of a new era. They played mouthwatering football throughout the season, leaving every team in the dust. Barcelona ended the season as La Liga champions ahead of Real Madrid. They also won the Copa del Rey, and beat Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final.
Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o scored to enable Barcelona walk away with the 'Big Ears' trophy after a 2-0 win. In retrospect, Messi ranks his goal in that final as his favourite for the Spanish giants.
Lionel Messi has picked his header against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final as his favourite Barcelona goal 👟😂 https://t.co/W9b44yg9zh
In his first season as Barcelona's new No. 10 following Ronaldinho's departure, Messi and the Blaugrana were rampant.
The Argentine forward ended the season with 38 goals and 19 assists in 51 games across competitions. That year, Lionel Messi finished as the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League, becoming the youngest ever to do so at the age of 21. Alongside Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry, Messi formed a formidable trio that racked up 100 goal contributions together - a club record at the time.
Messi isn't known for scoring headers, but he scored this one in the biggest game of all, the 2009 #UCL final! 🎯
https://t.co/9DLuDV6Psn
Although Messi's 2010 campaign was statistically better, his 2009 campaign ranks higher on this list. That's because of his goal in the Champions League final against Edwin van der Sar. The goal won him many fans worldwide, and Barcelona their first Champions League title since 2006.