Argentine captain Lionel Messi wrote a letter on Tuesday expressing his desire to leave Barcelona. This means that he is ready to end his 16-year career at the Nou Camp, in which he has won 34 trophies and 634 goals. Messi has some remarkable achievements, including six Ballon d'Or awards while playing for Barcelona. Last summer, the BBC released Messi's 10 best moments for Barcelona and Argentina, asking them to keep it in order. Based on readers' opinions, the BBC has ranked them from 1 to 10.
1. 91 goals in one year
Messi scored a record 91 goals in the same year in 2012. He scored 79 goals for Barcelona and 12 for Argentina. Due to that achievement, Messi won the Ballon d'Or for the fourth time in a row. However, with all these goals, he only won the Copa del Rey in 2012.
2. First Hattrick
Messi's first hat-trick was in a big game of club football. The teenager Messi scored all three goals for Barcelona in the 2007 El Classico which was the first at the Nou Camp. He scored in the last minute beating some defenders. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. From that moment on, he was known from house to house.
3. The Best Goal
Messi's goal in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final 13 years ago is probably the best ever. The goal was similar to Diego Maradona's lone goal against England at the 1996 World Cup. Messi took the ball from his own part on the field against Getafe, beating five defenders and beating the goalkeeper in a single attempt.
4. The first goal in the Champions League final
There was a time when people questioned whether Messi could score against an English club in Europe. He failed to score against the English club 10 times before the 2009 final. But Messi scored on a Xavi cross against Manchester United in the 2009 final. For the first time, the game was known as Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo.
5. Barcelona's goal-scoring record
Messi broke the record for most goals for Barcelona in 2012 at the age of 24. He achieved that feat by scoring a hat-trick in the game against Granada. He scored the first goal, equaling Cesar Rodriguez's record of 232 goals. Then he broke the record by scoring the second goal and even set the record by scoring the third goal.
6. 500th Goal in El Classico
Messi scored 500 goals in the El Classico against Real Madrid in 2017. The result of the game was in favor of Barcelona. El Classico wins, 500 goals for Barcelona and Barsaa tops the points table. He took off his jersey and had an iconic celebration.
7. Balo Day Or Award for the sixth time
Messi won a record sixth Ballon d'Or last December. After scoring 54 goals for the country and the club in the 2018/19 season, he surpassed the five-time award-winning Ronaldo. Accepting the award, Messi responded that he had had better years ahead of him.
8. La Liga record
Messi scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 win over Sevilla in 2014. He equaled Telmo Zara's record of 251 free kicks. He then broke the record by scoring another goal and also scored the third goal.
Messi has now scored 444 La Liga goals, nearly 200 more than the previous record. Ronaldo has scored 311 goals for Real Madrid.
9. 4 goals against Arsenal
Messi single-handedly scored all four goals in Barcelona's 4–1 victory over Arsenal in 2010. With one goal behind, Messi scored four goals. In the two-leg quarterfinals, Barcelona reached the semifinals with a 6-3 victory. He has scored four goals in a single game for the first time in his career. Two years later, Messi scored five goals in a 7–1 victory over German club Bayern Leverkusen in the Champions League last 16. Messi has scored 115 goals in the Champions League, second only to Ronaldo.
10. Golden Ball Award at the World Cup
Theoretically, this is a big moment for Messi, to be declared the best player in the World Cup. With Messi failing to win international trophies, it is sometimes debated whether Messi is the best of all time. He won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. But it was a unique decision to give the award to Messi, who failed to score in the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Messi, who scored four goals in the group stage, did not do well in the knockout stage. The loss against Germany in the final was also a disappointing performance.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter also expressed surprise. Also, Argentine legend Maradona reacted by saying that this decision was not appropriate. Reaching the final in Brazil was the closest chance for Messi to win the World Cup. Four years later, Messi was knocked out of the quarterfinals after scoring a superb goal against Nigeria in Russia.
