Lionel Messi
Left-footed forward, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina.
- Born
- June 24, 1987 (age 39)
- Height
- 1.70 m
- Preferred foot
- Left
- Current club
- Inter Miami
Career goals
929
Assists
424
Appearances
1,175
Team trophies
45
Club career
Senior · official| Club | Years | Apps | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 2004–2021 | 778 | 672 | 303 | 35 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2021–2023 | 75 | 32 | 35 | 3 |
| Inter Miami | 2023– | 115 | 100 | 30 | 3 |
| Club total | 968 | 804 | 368 | 41 |
Assists: the club stints above total 368 and the international record 65, which is 433 — 9 more than the 424 published at the top of this page. No governing body publishes a lifetime assist total, and the per-club and career figures come from different compilations that attribute some assists differently. We publish the career figure as the headline and leave the per-club rows as their sources give them rather than forcing them to agree. Treat the career total as indicative.
International — Argentina
Senior capsTeam honours
- League titles×13
- Domestic cups×9
- Domestic super cups×9
- UEFA Champions League×4
- UEFA Super Cup×3
- FIFA Club World Cup×3
- FIFA World Cup×1
- Copa America / Euros×2
- Finalissima / Nations League×1
Individual awards
- Ballon d'Or×8
- The Best FIFA Men's Player×3
- European Golden Shoe×6
- UEFA Men's Player of the Year×3
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball×2
- Champions League top scorer×6
Ballon d'Or years
Goals by calendar year
Peak: 91 in 2012Peak seasons
Career highlights2011–12 · Barcelona
All-time single-season club-football record. 50 La Liga goals — still the league record.
2012–13 · Barcelona
Second straight 50+ La Liga season. Scored against every team in the league.
2014–15 · Barcelona
Treble season. Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey.
2009–10 · Barcelona
First 40-goal season. La Liga goal-scoring debut and first Pichichi.
2022–23 · PSG / Argentina
World Cup season at age 35.
Records held
22 of 38Most career goals at a single club
672 goals for Barcelona between 2004 and 2021 — more than any player at any single club in history.
Most goals in a single calendar year
91 goals across club and country in 2012, breaking Gerd Müller's 1972 record.
Most goals against a single opponent
32 career goals against Sevilla — the most by any player against a single opponent in football history.
Most direct free-kick goals in modern football
71 direct free-kick goals — most of any active player and one of the highest career totals on record.
Most goals in a single calendar-year season
73 goals in 2011–12 for Barcelona — the highest single-season total in club football, including 50 in La Liga, which is still the league record.
Most goals in a single Champions League match
Five goals against Bayer Leverkusen on 7 March 2012 — the only player ever to do it.
Most Champions League hat-tricks
Tied with Ronaldo on eight — the joint-most in the competition's history. Listed under Messi alphabetically.
Most goals in La Liga history
474 La Liga goals — the all-time competition record.
Most assists in La Liga history
More than 190 La Liga assists — also the all-time competition record.
Most El Clásico goals
26 goals in El Clásico — the most by any player in the fixture's history.
Most Ballon d'Or wins
Eight wins (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023) — more than any other player.
Most European Golden Shoes
Six European Golden Shoes — the most of any player in the award's history.
Most FIFA Best / World Player of the Year awards (combined)
Three FIFA Best awards plus three FIFA World Player wins — six in total, more than any other player.
Most Ballon d'Or top-three finishes
14 top-three finishes between 2007 and 2023 — Ronaldo has 12.
Most goal contributions in a single World Cup knockout run
11 goal involvements (7 goals + 4 assists) on the way to winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.
Only player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice
Adidas Golden Ball in 2014 and again in 2022 — a unique feat in tournament history.
Most goals in a single Copa America
Joint-record holder for goal involvements in a single Copa America (Copa 2021 — 4 goals, 5 assists).
Most World Cup tournaments played
Six World Cups (2006–2026) — a joint record Messi shares with Cristiano Ronaldo, who also played all six. Listed under Messi alphabetically.
Most goals in a single La Liga season
50 La Liga goals in 2011–12 — still the single-season top-flight record.
Most goals in a single European top-five season
73 goals for Barcelona in 2011–12 (all competitions) — the single-season club-football record.
Oldest Ballon d'Or winner of the 21st century
Won his eighth Ballon d'Or aged 36 in 2023.
Most Ballon d'Or podium finishes in consecutive years
Eleven consecutive Ballon d'Or podium finishes from 2007 to 2017, then two more in 2019 and 2021. Neither he nor Ronaldo was on the 2024 shortlist.
His career is broken down club by club from Barcelona to Inter Miami, year by year from the year-by-year index, and against Ronaldo directly on head to head. How every figure on this page was compiled is set out on methodology.