Lionel Messi started his illustrious career at Barcelona when he was just 13 years old in the year 2000. After 21 incredible years, Messi left the club at the age of 34, leaving big shoes to fill for any future player. During his time at Barcelona, Messi scored an impressive 672 goals in 778 matches and clinched a total of 35 trophies, both big and small, including 10 La Liga titles and four championship victories.
Messi became a member of Barcelona back in 2000 when he was just 13 years old. He worked hard and improved his skills while playing for the youth team until he was finally introduced to the first team by Christopher Francis at the age of 16, during a friendly match in 2003. That’s when Messi made his debut in La Liga, scoring his first goal in the top division against Albacete at the Nou Camp in May 2004.
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In the 2005-2006 season, Messi scored six goals in 17 appearances as Barcelona clinched their second consecutive La Liga title. However, he was absent from the 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the Champions League final.
Playing a pivotal role, Messi helped Barcelona secure six titles in 2009, including the Champions League, La Liga, King’s Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. It was also the year he received his first Golden Ball award on his way to potentially winning four consecutive Golden Balls.
In 2010, Messi won La Liga once again and also received the Ballon d’Or award, which that year included the entire Barcelona team along with Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
Continuing his success, Messi played a key part in Barcelona’s third consecutive La Liga triumph in the 2010-2011 season. He then led Barcelona to a 3-1 victory against Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final, scoring a goal and providing an assist.
Even though Bаrса didn’t clinch Lа Ligа or the Championship Leаgue in 2011–2012, Messi surpassed Ceаr Rodriguez to become Bаrса’s top goalscorer of all time. He wrapped up 2012 with an impressive tally of 91 goals in all competitions, setting a new arena record for the calendar year. This included breaking the La Ligа season scoring record with 50 goals – a feat even Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t achieved yet.
Surpassing Raul’s Champions League goal record in 2014 and then becoming the all-time leading scorer in European football, Messi continued to shine in the 2014-2015 season, contributing to Barcelona’s “triple treble” victory and winning his fourth Golden Ball award. He went on to secure La Liga titles in 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 before assuming the role of Barcelona’s captain in 2018 after Iniesta’s departure.
Despite leading Barcelona to another league title, Messi and his team were knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool. In 2019, he claimed his sixth Ballon d’Or award and set a new record. Messi’s attempt to leave Barcelona in 2020, following an agreement with then-President Bartomeu, was eventually retracted at the end of the summer.
Making history once again, Messi surpassed Pele’s record for most goals scored for a single club with his 644th goal for Barcelona in December 2020. In his final season at Camp Nou, Barcelona only managed to win the King’s Cup and finished third in La Liga, being eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.