Lionel Messi's greatest games for Barcelona on 21st anniversary of first Blaugrana goal

On May 1, 2005, a definite Lionel Messi scored his archetypal extremity for Barcelona.

Messi's debut onslaught for the archetypal squad came against Albacete astatine the property of 17 years and 10 months old, which astatine the time, made him the youngest subordinate to people a extremity successful La Liga.

The guardant was not introduced until the 88th infinitesimal of the league contest, and helium really recovered the backmost of the nett doubly successful the fixture, the archetypal of which was disallowed.

Messi was not to beryllium denied, though, making it 2-0 precocious connected to unafraid the triumph for Barcelona.

Not excessively galore would person been capable to foretell what followed, with the Argentina planetary going connected to marque 778 appearances for the Catalan giants, scoring 672 times successful the process.

It is fitting that Messi's extremity against Albacete came disconnected an assistance from Ronaldinho - different subordinate who volition everlastingly beryllium remembered arsenic 1 of the champion to ever instrumentality to the field.

To observe the day of Messi's archetypal Barcelona goal, Sports Mole takes a look backmost astatine the Argentine's finest 20 idiosyncratic displays for the Spanish giants during his unrivalled 17-year Camp Nou career.

20. Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United (May 27, 2009)

It is simply a people of the ludicrous modular successful this database that a superb show successful a Champions League last lone makes it to fig 20.

The buildup to the 2009 Champions League last was each astir Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo - a rivalry which was inactive successful its aboriginal stages but which had already generated important hype adjacent earlier the latter's determination to Real Madrid.

Ronaldo already had 1 Ballon d'Or nether his loop heading into the Rome showdown but Messi was connected people to usurp his large rival arsenic the world's champion player, and his show astatine the Stadio Olimpico went a agelong mode towards sealing his archetypal of eight.

Despite pre-match speech of Ronaldo's aerial quality being a large vantage helium had implicit Messi, it was the Argentine who utilized his caput to greater effect arsenic Pep Guardiola's broadside clinched Champions League glory.

A one-booted Messi produced a gravity-defying leap to nonstop a looping header implicit Edwin van der Sar and into the backmost of the net, sealing a 3rd Champions League rubric for his nine and capping different good idiosyncratic show connected the biggest stage.

19. Barcelona 4-0 Bayern Munich (April 8, 2009)

Barcelona person suffered much caller Champions League humiliation astatine the hands of Bayern Munich, but successful 2009 it was their crook to inflict punishment connected the German giants arsenic they efficaciously booked their spot successful the semi-finals with a crippled to spare.

Messi opened the scoring aft lone 9 minutes by rolling the shot into the bottommost corner, and added an assistance conscionable 3 minutes aboriginal with a reverse walk done for Samuel Eto'o to finish.

The Argentine netted his 2nd of the crippled and Barcelona's 3rd successful the 38th minute, diving successful to bravely prod location from adjacent range.

Messi was besides heavy progressive successful the buildup for the 4th extremity arsenic Barcelona enactment the crippled beyond the Bavarians earlier fractional clip of the archetypal leg, remaining connected people for the Champions League glory they achieved that year.

18. Barcelona 5-0 Eibar (February 22, 2020)

The astir caller introduction connected this list, Messi's seventh four-goal haul of his vocation came successful a 5-0 rout of Eibar successful February of past year.

Messi's archetypal was the prime of the clump arsenic helium skipped past 3 defenders earlier applying a superb finish, but his 2nd and 4th goals were besides good solo efforts successful their ain right.

The Argentine had the tally of the spot arsenic helium burst past 2 much defenders and slotted location for his second, clipped a escaped shot location for his hat-trick having tried to acceptable up Antoine Griezmann and past toyed with the Eibar goalkeeper for his 4th goal.

By this signifier of his vocation the supporting formed that had played specified a large relation successful galore of the different inclusions connected this database had mostly breached up, but this crippled was a steadfast reminder - if 1 was needed - that Messi could inactive nutrient other-worldly performances careless of who is astir him.

17. Barcelona 5-0 Atletico Madrid (September 24, 2011)

Messi has a cardinal ways to marque goalkeepers look silly, and 1 of his favourites is to bushed them astatine their adjacent station - conscionable arsenic helium did to Thibaut Courtois for his superb opening extremity successful this rout of Atletico Madrid aboriginal successful the 2011-12 season.

That extremity made it 3-0 aft conscionable 26 minutes, with Messi having already forced an ain extremity to chalk up an assist, and helium went connected to adhd 2 much goals successful the 2nd fractional for yet different hat-trick.

The fig 10's 2nd extremity was arguably adjacent amended arsenic helium pounced connected a escaped shot earlier coasting past a mates of defenders and firing location done the legs of a third, and determination was different nutmeg to implicit the hat-trick arsenic helium bushed Courtois from a choky space again.

The show came conscionable a week aft scoring a hat-trick and claiming 2 assists against Osasuna, offering aboriginal glimpses of what was to travel successful a play which saw him people an unprecedented 50 goals successful the league alone.

16. Barcelona 5-2 Getafe (April 18, 2007)

Picking retired Lionel Messi's top ever extremity is simply a full antithetic rabbit spread of footballing splendour to spell down but, contempt determination being truthful galore to take from, you volition beryllium hard-pressed to find 1 amended than his solo effort against Getafe successful 2007.

Messi had already begun to physique his estimation arsenic Diego Maradona's long-awaited worthy heir by this stage, and the comparisons betwixt the diminutive duo lone grew erstwhile Messi produced a portion of genius eerily reminiscent of Maradona's 'Goal of the Century' against England astatine the 1986 World Cup.

Indeed, the onslaught was voted arsenic Barcelona's top ever extremity - conscionable 1 of the countless indelible marks Messi has made connected the club.

While specified a infinitesimal unsurprisingly stole the headlines arsenic the standout diagnostic of the match, Messi besides acceptable up the opening extremity for Xavi and lashed location the 3rd - each wrong the archetypal half.

The Argentine's magic appeared to beryllium capable to nonstop Barca into the Copa del Rey final, but without Messi successful the squad they contrived to suffer the 2nd limb of the semi-final 4-0 arsenic Getafe pulled disconnected a stunning comeback.

15. Barcelona 4-0 Manchester City (October 19, 2016)

Having wreaked specified havoc arsenic a Barcelona subordinate nether Guardiola, Messi came backmost to haunt his erstwhile manager successful the mode lone helium tin during this Champions League radical crippled successful 2016.

The striker took vantage of immoderate statuesque Man City defending to unfastened the scoring aft 17 minutes, but it was successful the last fractional an hr of the crippled - aft Man City had been reduced to 10 men pursuing Claudio Bravo's dismissal - wherever helium truly took matters into his ain hands.

Messi netted an eight-minute brace to implicit his hat-trick, firing a debased changeable from the borderline container past the helpless Willy Caballero, earlier cushioning the shot location from Luis Suarez's squared pass. 

The Barcelona fig 10 past won a penalty, conscionable implicit 10 minutes after Jeremy Mathieu had been sent off, lone for Neymar to beryllium denied from the spot by Man City's replacement goalkeeper. 

Barca would not beryllium denied their fourth, though, with Messi teeing up Neymar again conscionable 2 minutes aboriginal and the Brazilian this clip making nary mistake arsenic their reunion with their astir palmy ever brag ended successful a 4-0 triumph.

14. Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (May 2, 2009)

Pointing retired that playing a starring relation successful a six-goal showing distant to Real Madrid was 1 of the standout performances of Messi's vocation whitethorn beryllium stating the obvious, but the value of this peculiar crippled goes adjacent further than the information that Barcelona recorded their biggest ever triumph astatine the Bernabeu.

Deployed arsenic a 'false nine' for the archetypal clip by Guardiola, Messi assisted Barcelona's archetypal extremity for Thierry Henry to level the scores aft 18 minutes and past went connected to adhd 2 much of his own.

The archetypal was a poked decorativeness 10 minutes earlier fractional time, portion his 2nd saw him artifact with Casillas earlier beating him astatine the adjacent station to marque it 5-2.

Messi volition consciousness that helium could and should person had much too, missing 3 precise presentable chances and coming adjacent with an audacious lob successful summation to his 2 goals and 1 assist.

Even so, helium had erstwhile again made the Bernabeu his playground arsenic Barcelona enjoyed arguably the standout infinitesimal of an unthinkable play successful which they became the archetypal Spanish nine to triumph the treble.

13. Barcelona 4-0 Espanyol (May 5, 2012)

Always the antheral for a large occasion, Messi ensured that Guardiola's last location crippled successful complaint of the nine - a derby against section rivals Espanyol, nary little - was marked successful suitable style.

It came astatine the extremity of a play successful which Messi successful peculiar reached caller heights, and it was his opening extremity of the contention - a pinpoint 30-yard escaped footwear - which was the prime of his 4 connected the night.

The Argentine fired a punishment disconnected the station conscionable 10 minutes earlier helium deed the shot connected the tally to seal his hat-trick with a driven changeable into the acold corner. 

Messi past dispatched different punishment successful the closing stages and duly celebrated by moving implicit to Guardiola successful the dugout with his Barcelona teammates. 

It was 1 of 8 four-goal hauls successful Messi's vocation and his 3rd of the Guardiola era, bidding farewell to the antheral who got the astir retired of him successful good fashion.

12. Levante 0-5 Barcelona (December 16, 2018)

As acold arsenic decisive power connected a azygous crippled is concerned, this mightiness conscionable beryllium apical of the heap passim each 768 of Messi's Barcelona appearances.

The Argentine scored 3 and created 2 much to single-handedly teardrop Levante apart, straight contributing to each 5 goals successful a 5-0 hammering and mounting the code with his intolerable opening assistance for Suarez 10 minutes earlier fractional time.

A 17-minute hat-trick either broadside of the interval past followed, with Messi tucking the archetypal nether the keeper with his close foot, sweeping a 2nd into the bottommost country from the borderline of the container and past firing location a 3rd from adjacent scope connected the hr mark.

The maestro was not done there, though, ending the lucifer arsenic helium started it with a walk into the way of the marauding Gerard Pique, who capped disconnected the rout.

11. Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United (May 28, 2011)

Two years connected from facing disconnected successful a Rome Champions League final, Barcelona and Manchester United renewed acquaintances successful the showpiece lawsuit astatine Wembley, and erstwhile again it was the Spanish outfit who were celebrating astatine the extremity of it.

Widely regarded arsenic the highest of Guardiola's Barca - and galore would reason the champion nine shot has ever seen - Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and co utterly outclassed a United broadside that had reached the last 3 times successful 4 years.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were among the Man United men to hail that Barcelona squad arsenic the champion they had ever faced successful the aftermath of the game, with Messi shining brightest successful a man-of-the-match performance.

The forward's passionate solemnisation aft his extremity - a lethal debased thrust into the bottommost country from scope - spoke volumes astir however overmuch the lucifer meant to him, and helium besides played a large portion successful his side's 3rd to wrapper up the triumph.

10. Barcelona 8-0 Osasuna (September 17, 2011)

Messi has scored 3 goals and assisted 2 much successful the aforesaid crippled connected 4 abstracted occasions, and it is simply a people of his prime that not each of those performances - which would beryllium career-crowning achievements for immoderate different subordinate - adjacent marque it onto this list.

His prima showing successful an 8-0 obliteration of Osasuna does marque the cut, though, and his haul could person been adjacent much impressive, having besides deed the wrong of the station with a header and struck the crossbar with an audacious lob.

Barca ran riot throughout, racing into a 5-0 pb wrong 41 minutes with Messi having a nonstop manus successful 3 of those goals - scoring doubly himself and mounting up Cesc Fabregas for another.

It was a akin communicative successful the 2nd fractional arsenic Messi chipped the shot done for Xavi to people a superb lob, and the Argentine fittingly enactment the icing connected the barroom himself with a trademark onslaught to headdress disconnected the scoring and implicit his hat-trick.

9. Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (August 17, 2011)

The Spanish Super Cup whitethorn not beryllium the astir prized trophy successful Messi's sizeable collection, but immoderate triumph astatine Real Madrid's disbursal means that spot much and the 2011 Super Cup successful peculiar volition spell down arsenic a memorable infinitesimal successful his career.

Messi had already had a decisive accidental successful the archetypal limb astatine the Bernabeu, scoring erstwhile and creating different successful a 2-2 draw, but helium went 1 amended successful the instrumentality fixture astatine Camp Nou.

The Argentine played the shot done for Iniesta to unfastened the scoring, earlier squeezing location an impudent decorativeness with his close ft to reconstruct Barca's pb conscionable earlier fractional time.

Karim Benzema past appeared to person forced other clip with an equaliser, lone for Messi to person the past laughter erstwhile again arsenic his 88th-minute first-time volley sealed the trophy for the Catalans - 1 of 5 pieces of silverware Guardiola's all-conquering broadside won that calendar year.

8. Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool (May 1, 2019)

Just similar extremity fig 500 had done, Barcelona extremity fig 600 came successful sensational benignant arsenic Messi seemingly enactment his broadside connected people for different Champions League last astatine the disbursal of Liverpool successful 2019.

Messi's archetypal of the semi-final archetypal limb was 1 of the easier goals of his vocation arsenic helium ran a escaped shot into an bare nett aft Luis Suarez had deed the crossbar, but his 2nd 7 minutes aboriginal was thing but straightforward.

Even for a subordinate of Messi's quality, the escaped footwear Barcelona were awarded successful the 82nd infinitesimal appeared to beryllium excessively acold retired to spell for goal, but the Argentine lined it up nonetheless.

Messi could marque a beardown assertion to beryllium regarded arsenic the champion free-kick taker successful past too, and this effort was arguably his best, leaving Alisson Becker nary accidental with a perfectly-placed stunner from 35 yards.

That made it 3-0 connected the nighttime and appeared to all-but unafraid Barcelona's spot successful the final, lone for Liverpool to motorboat 1 of the top Champions League comebacks of each clip successful the 2nd limb astatine Anfield.

7. Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal (April 6, 2010)

Arsenal person been connected the incorrect extremity of galore a Messi masterclass, and 4 of his 9 goals against the Gunners came connected 1 mesmerising nighttime successful April 2010.

Arsene Wenger's broadside had taken the pb astatine Camp Nou earlier Messi took the crippled by the scruff of its neck, mounting the code by blasting his archetypal into the apical country from the borderline of the box.

The 2nd saw him nutrient a cool-headed decorativeness with his right, portion helium brought up the hat-trick earlier fractional clip with a trademark spot which helium made look outrageously easy.

Having led the Arsenal defence a merry creation and astir single-handedly booked Barcelona's spot successful the quarter-finals pursuing a 2-2 gully successful the archetypal leg, Messi past capped disconnected the scoring with a drilled decorativeness to grounds the archetypal four-goal haul of his career.

6. Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona (March 23, 2014)

A Clasico that had it all: 7 goals, a Sergio Ramos reddish card, 3 penalties and, of course, a Messi hat-trick - his 2nd three-goal, one-assist haul successful a enactment successful La Liga.

The assistance came for the opening extremity of the contention aft lone 7 minutes arsenic helium threaded the shot done for Iniesta to score, but a quickfire Karim Benzema brace turned the crippled astir until Messi got his ain sanction connected the scoresheet for the archetypal clip soon earlier fractional time.

Madrid took the pb again done Ronaldo's punishment 10 minutes aft the interval, but Messi past outshone his eternal rival with 2 penalties of his ain - the 2nd placed perfectly into the apical corner.

It was the 2nd Clasico hat-trick of Messi's career, and his lone 1 astatine the Bernabeu, and besides goes down arsenic his champion instrumentality successful a Clasico aft helium had a nonstop manus successful each 4 of his side's goals.

5. Barcelona 7-1 Bayer Leverkusen (March 7, 2012)

In presumption of returns successful a azygous game, this Champions League past 16 2nd limb against Bayer Leverkusen stands unsocial arsenic the champion of Messi's unthinkable Barcelona career.

The Argentine became the archetypal subordinate to ever people 5 goals successful a azygous Champions League match, portion it is besides the lone clip Messi himself has achieved that feat successful a crippled crossed each competitions astatine nine level.

He had already scored 1 and created different successful the archetypal limb to enactment Barca successful complaint of the tie, but his five-star showing against Leverkusen took what would go a record-breaking twelvemonth to caller heights.

Messi produced 2 exquisite lobs, connected either broadside of a precise decorativeness into the acold bottommost corner, earlier helium pounced connected a spill from the goalkeeper to nett his 4th of the game. 

The Barcelona prima wrapped up a magical show with a whipped changeable into the acold corner, sealing a 10-2 aggregate triumph for his side. 

Barca would yet autumn abbreviated successful that season's Champions League, but Messi ended 2011-12 with a ridiculous 73 goals successful 60 games, becoming the club's all-time starring scorer astatine the property of conscionable 24 on the way.

4. Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid (March 10, 2007)

A defining diagnostic of Messi's vocation has been producing the goods successful the biggest games, arsenic this database showcases, and possibly the archetypal large glimpse of that came erstwhile the past 19-year-old announced himself connected the Clasico scene.

The Argentine has gone connected to people much goals against Real Madrid than immoderate different player, and the archetypal 3 of those each came successful this lucifer arsenic Messi recorded his archetypal vocation hat-trick successful style.

Madrid took the pb 3 times astatine Camp Nou, and connected each occasion, Messi deed back. The archetypal was a trademark decorativeness into the bottommost country and the 2nd an opportunistic decorativeness into the extortion of the net, but helium saved the champion until last.

The guardant took matters into his ain hands by dancing distant from 3 Madrid players and firing the shot into the bottommost country successful the 91st minute, rescuing a constituent which, astatine the time, appeared to beryllium important successful the La Liga rubric race.

Ultimately, his heroics would beryllium successful vain, with Madrid and Barca finishing level connected points astatine the apical of the array but Madrid winning the rubric by virtuousness of their superior head-to-head record.

3. Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona (April 27, 2011)

There has ne'er been a Champions League last Clasico before, and the closest we person got came erstwhile the 2 celebrated rivals faced disconnected successful the 2010-11 semi-finals.

In a notoriously ill-tempered history, this was arguably the highest of the Clasico rivalry, with Jose Mourinho successful complaint of Real Madrid and Guardiola mounting caller standards arsenic Barcelona boss.

This semi-final archetypal limb had already been littered with incidental earlier Messi stunned the Bernabeu again, with a Barcelona sub seeing reddish earlier Pepe was sent disconnected for the hosts.

It was Messi's brilliance which yet made the difference, though; the guardant darted crossed his antheral astatine the adjacent station to people the opener aft 77 minutes, earlier producing 1 of the large Champions League semi-final goals to wrapper up the contest.

With conscionable 3 minutes of mean clip remaining, Messi collected the shot 40 yards from extremity earlier turning connected the state to permission 4 Real Madrid defenders successful his aftermath and sliding the shot past Iker Casillas.

2. Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona (April 23, 2017)

There could person been nary much fitting mode for Messi to bring up his 500th Barcelona extremity than a stoppage-time victor successful a Clasico against Real Madrid astatine the Bernabeu.

The six-time Ballon d'Or victor celebrated his milestone extremity successful iconic fashion, raising his garment up successful beforehand of a begrudgingly bedazzled Bernabeu assemblage having erstwhile again haunted his club's top rivals.

It capped an eventful crippled for Messi, who had earlier been near bloodied and bruised by a Marcelo elbow to the face, and was besides connected the extremity of a two-footed Sergio Ramos situation which saw the Madrid stalwart sent off.

As is truthful often the case, Messi's headline-grabbing heroics were not his solitary publication to the crippled either, having already scored a superb idiosyncratic effort to level the scores successful the archetypal half.

At the time, the triumph appeared to person kept Barcelona's rubric hopes alive, though they went connected to decorativeness 3 points adrift of their large rivals.

1. Barcelona 3-0 Bayern Munich (May 6, 2015)

Messi's vocation is littered with unforgettable moments which permission onlookers with nary enactment but to simply beryllium backmost and admire, and 1 of the astir notable of those was his 2nd extremity successful the 2014-15 Champions League semi-final archetypal limb against Bayern Munich.

The guardant skipped past Jerome Boateng with embarrassing ease, leaving the beaten defender connected the level successful his wake, earlier making a mockery of 1 of the top goalkeepers successful past by lifting the shot implicit Manuel Neuer with his 'weaker' close foot.

That iconic solo extremity would person been bully capable successful isolation, but it was conscionable 1 of the decisive impacts made by Messi during a virtuoso 25-minute play which saw him people doubly and assistance another.

The Argentine fired a almighty debased onslaught past Neuer astatine his adjacent station successful the 77th minute, produced his standout infinitesimal of magic conscionable 3 minutes aft that and past sent Neymar done to headdress disconnected the scoring 4 minutes into added time.

Barcelona went connected to suffer the 2nd limb 3-2 successful Germany, but progressed to the last connected aggregate and past bushed Juventus to assistance the trophy.