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Yearender 2021: Lionel Messi, goals and records

The Argentinian superstar seems to have defied the normal laws of aging and won the Ballon d'Or for the seventh time in his illustrious career in 2021.

Lionel Messi

Kolkata, December 27: Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, still continues to amaze the world with his sheer magic on the pitch.

The Argentinian superstar seems to have defied the normal laws of aging and won the Ballon d'Or for the seventh time in his illustrious career in 2021.

2021 has been a special year for the 34-year-old as he finally clinched his first trophy with his country leading Argentina to the Copa America silverware.

2021 was a memorable year for Messi for another reason too as he broke millions of hearts of Barcelona fans across the globe joining French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. It was by no means a forced transfer from the player's point of view. Rather, he had no other option to leave his beloved club due to their financial struggles despite the Messi willing to even halving his wages.

Here, we take a look at Messi's list of achievements in 2021.

Most caps for Argentina

Messi became Argentina's record appearance maker when he took to the pitch against Bolivia in the 2021 Copa America. He equaled the record of his former team-mate Javier Mascherano of 147 appearances against Paraguay and broke the record against Bolivia. He scored two goals and assisted another for La Albiceleste in the landmark game. Currently, the 34-year-old has 158 national caps to his name having scored 80.

Another Ballon d'Or

Messi picked up his seventh Ballon d'Or award in 2021, extending his record as the player with the highest number of Ballon d'Or awards ever. The forward beat stern competition from Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho, who finished in second and third place respectively. With his win in 2021, Messi also became the first man to win the Ballon d'Or in three separate decades.

Goals and assists

Messi has played a total of 61 games for club and country in 2021 and he has scored 43 goals in the process having created 18 for his teammates. Out of these 43, 11 have been from outside of the box, five have been from free kicks and six from penalties. The 34-year-old has scored 40 with his predominant left foot, two with his right and one with his head.

Most international goals by a South American

Messi became the top scorer in international football from South America having gone on to score 80 goals in 158 games for Argentina since his debut beating the record formerly held by Brazilian great Pele.

Story first published: Monday, December 27, 2021, 11:24 [IST]
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