Lionel Messi can break these 5 records in 2020/21 season

Here are the five records Lionel Messi can break with Barcelona

After an excruciating last few weeks that also saw him edge ever closer to a shock exit from Barcelona, Lionel Messi decided to stay at the club and see out his contract. All of which promises another season of spectacular goals, wonderful assists, and of course, records.

Here are the top five records he could break in the 2020/21 season with the Azulgaranas:

Most appearances for Barcelona

Interestingly enough, Lionel Messi still isn’t the player with the most appearances for Barcelona. The distinction currently belongs to ex-captain and teammate Xavi, who leads with 767 games in all competitions for the club after an illustrious career spanning 17 years.

The current skipper, however, has been chipping away at this list since the former’s retirement in 2015 and has 731 caps in all competitions ahead of the new season. So in all likelihood, Messi should surpass his former club companion by the end of the 2020/21 campaign as the highest appearance maker for the Blaugrana.

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Most goals for a single club

Since making his debut for the club in 2004, Messi has scored goals at a phenomenal rate. He’s currently on 634 in all competitions from 731 games, an impeccable record. But a few more in the upcoming season would see him hit a unique milestone.

The Argentinian ace needs just 10 goals to surpass Pele’s record of scoring the most goals for a single club, with the Brazilian netting 643 times for his native Santos. No other active player even comes close, with arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo way behind at 450 for Real Madrid.

450 goals & 200 assists in La Liga

Messi is already the all-time highest goalscorer as well as the assist-maker in La Liga, but there are some landmark figures to be reached next season. For starters, he needs just six more goals to register 450 goals in the Spanish top-flight alone, a truly remarkable record by all accounts.

He’s already scored more goals in a European league than any other player. To give a context, the next best figure in one of the top five European leagues is 368 goals by Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller in the Bundesliga.

Also, the Barcelona skipper has made 183 assists in La Liga, needing just 17 more to hit a double century. Another stupendous milestone that is unmatched in any of Europe’s premier leagues.

Top five goalscorers of all-time

Let’s not forget, Messi’s peerless scoring rate is also seeing him steadily climb up the charts for most goals ever scored in association football. Having struck 730 times for club and country, he’s seventh on the list, just four behind Gerd Muller and 15 behind Ferenc Puskas.

So it’s only a matter of time before he joins his nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s on fourth right now with 757 career goals, as one of the top five most prolific forwards of all-time. A wonderful testament to the football phenom!

Fifth consecutive ‘Pichichi’ award

Even though Real Madrid successfully put up a title challenge to Barcelona last season, Messi didn’t face any real threat in his pursuit of the domestic Golden Boot. He picked up his record-breaking seventh after netting 25 times. That was also his fourth ‘Pichichi’ award in a row, equaling the record set by former Mexican star Hugo Sanchez.

Messi can become the first-ever player to win the award five years on the trot, and given the minimal challenge he faces on this front, there’s every chance he will. And for the record, that’d also make him the player with the most top-scorer awards in history, surpassing Muller!