2019: Lionel Messi's created history this Monday evening, picking up a record-breaking sixth Ballon d'Or, to move one ahead of long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
The decade-long monopoly on football's most
prestigious individual prize held by the Barcelona great and Cristiano Ronaldo
was broken a year ago by Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.
But once again this year it was Messi's name
on the prize as he added to the Ballons d'Or he won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
and 2015.
Below, with the help of Opta data, we have
scrutinised the numbers behind each of the years Messi has been named the
world's best.
Could there really have been any other winner
in a year in which Messi swept every major honour? There were six collective
titles in total as Pep Guardiola's star-studded class won La Liga, the Copa del
Rey, the Champions League, the Supercopa a Espana, the Super Cup and the Club
World Cup. Messi contributed 22 goals and 10 assists in LaLiga across the
calendar year, while adding a respective six and two in the Champions League.
2010
A year later and there were fewer trophies -
just a LaLiga and Supercopa to add to his tally - but it was another phenomenal
year for Messi, who scored 58 goals in just 54 appearances for Barcelona –
meaning he had a goals-to-games ratio of 1.07. He celebrated 42 of those in
just 36 LaLiga games, while he managed a goal a game across 12 appearances in
the Champions League.
A third straight Ballon d'Or arrived in 2011
and justifiably so. The only major honour missing from the list was a Copa del
Rey, with Messi again the figurehead in a Barcateam that won LaLiga and the
Champions League. There were fewer goals, 55 in 57 games across all
competitions, but 25 assists was a mark-up from his 2010 numbers.
2012
The last of four in a row and, while Messi
had just a Copa del Rey to show for his efforts, individually it was an
astonishing 12 months for the Argentina great. In 60 appearances, Messi scored
a scarcely believable 79 goals – 59 of which were in LaLiga and 13 in the
Champions League. That made for an astonishing 1.32 goals per game, while he
added 21 assists for good measure.
2015
In the two years prior and after, it was his
great rival Ronaldo who would dominate the Ballon d'Or. But in 2015 there was
really ever only one likely winner as Messi formed a devastating trio with
Neymar and Luis Suarez under Luis Enrique to win a LaLiga, Copa del Rey and
Champions League treble – with a Super Cup and Club World Cup thrown in for
good measure. The individual stats did not quite match those of three years
previously but he still contributed a mightily impressive 48 goals and 23
assists across 53 appearances.
2019
For a player considered by many as the best
to ever play the game, it seems fitting that Messi should hold the record for
most Ballons d'Or. This year has thus far been just as sensational as his
previous five triumphs, with 41 goals and 15 assists in 44 appearances. Messi
also won LaLiga for a 10th time – the most of any Barcelona player in history.
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