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Barcelona is grateful to its stars for the luck that Lionel Messi is still on their records this season.
It seemed for all intents and purposes that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner was going to turn his back on the Camp Nou this summer, but the Blaugrana have held on to their star man for at least one more year.
Monday marked the first time Messi returned to training in Barcelona after making a dramatic announcement last week that he did not want to take his beloved club to court.
Messi and Barcelona
Messi was adamant in his criticism of President Josep Maria Bartomeu that it is not all rays of sunshine and rainbows, while essentially admitting defeat in a debate surrounding his buyout clause.
To be sure, Manchester City will be waiting behind the scenes next summer if Barcelona haven’t been able to twist their arm, but an additional season with Messi is still a huge advantage regardless.
Plus we’re talking about the club’s all-time top scorer with a staggering 634 goals and only Xavi is preventing his 731 appearances in Catalonia from joining the record books.
Messi’s historical status
But one of the most impressive statistics surrounding Messi’s career was highlighted by Transfermarkt this week and concerns his harvest of trophies.
That’s because the revered data website compiled a list of the most decorated footballers of the 21st century and Messi came within four trophies of winning, ultimately finishing third.
That’s quite an amazing achievement, especially considering Messi is a single-club player, but the cool tidbits don’t stop there because Transfermarkt compiled the full top 50.
Soccer Series Trophy Winners
So without further ado, be sure to check out the two players who led Messi to the post and the other footballers, both known and unknown, who have been vacuuming the silverware since 2000.
50. Mario Mandzukic – 23 titles
49. David Alaba – 23 titles
48. Blaise Matuidi – 23 titles
47. Neymar – 24 titles
46. Julio Cesar – 24 titles
45. Mohammad Al-Shalhoub – 24 titles
44. James Rodríguez – 24 titles
43. Javier Mascherano – 24 titles
42. Víctor Valdés – 24 titles
41. Yaroslav Rakitskiy – 24 titles
50-41 summary
You’ll start to realize that Barcelona players are a common theme on this list, so there are no surprises that long-term servers like Mascherano and Valdés will appear.
Meanwhile, it is quite astonishing to think that Neymar is more than half his way to becoming the most decorated footballer in history when he is 28 years old … and plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
40. Manuel Neuer – 24 titles
39. Jerome Boateng – 24 titles
38. Deco – 25 titles
37. Edinson Cavani – 25 titles
36. Marquinhos – 25 titles
35. Luisao – 25 titles
34. Marco Verratti – 25 titles
33. Mark van Bommel – 25 titles
32. Thomas Muller – 25 titles
31. Franck Ribery – 25 titles
40-31 summary
The mid-table section is dominated by Bayern players, as their dominance over the Bundesliga helps players like Boateng, Neuer, Muller, Ribery and Van Bommel win a quarter century of titles.
Cavani joins the club with nearly a decade of aspiring cutlery at the Parc des Princes, as does Verratti, while Benfica legend Luisao also makes a cameo for his success in Portugal.
30. Iker Casillas – 25 titles
29. Gianluigi Buffon – 25 titles
28. Sergio Ramos – 26 titles
27. Carlos Tevez – 26 titles
26. Angel Di Maria – 26 titles
25. Pepe – 26 titles
24. Carles Puyol – 26 titles
23. Andriy Pyatov – 26 titles
22. Toni Kroos – 26 titles
21. Bastian Schweinsteiger – 26 titles
31-20 summary
There’s nothing better than starting with two of the greatest goalkeepers of all time in Buffon and Casillas, while iconic center-backs Puyol and Pepe also make their way into the top 30.
But it’s another world-class central defender, Ramos, who actually finishes shockingly way down in the rankings despite having won four Champions League titles in just half a decade with Real Madrid.
20. Thiago Motta – 27 titles
19. Fernandinho – 28 titles
18. Karim Benzema – 29 titles
17. Pedro – 29 titles
16. Darijo Srna – 29 titles
15. Emad Meteb – 30 titles
14. Thiago Silva – 30 titles
13. Thiago Alcantara – 31 titles
12. Wael Gomaa – 31 titles
11. Xavi – 32 titles
20-11 summary
We are now entering the undisputed God level of serial trophy winners and it cannot be denied that Fernandinho and Srna have the omnipotence of Shakhtar Donetk in Ukraine to thank for their place amongst them.
And if you’re wondering who Gomaa and Meteb are, let us illustrate because the legendary Egyptian gamer duo made collecting cutlery look easy with Al Ahly back in their home country.
10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 33 titles
9. Sergio Busquets – 33 titles
8. Cristiano Ronaldo – 33 titles
7. Arjen Robben – 34 titles
6. Hossam Ashour – 34 titles
5. Gerard Piqué – 36 titles
4. Maxwell – 37 titles
3. Lionel Messi – 37 titles
2. Andrés Iniesta – 39 titles
1. Dani Alves – 41 titles
Summary of the top ten
Yes, you could probably have guessed it, but Alves ranks first as the most decorated footballer in history in title-laden spells with Barcelona, Juventus, PSG, Brazil and Sevilla.
His fellow Barça legend Iniesta only follows him by two plates, while Messi is two gongs behind and his eternal rival, Ronaldo, is also making his way into the top ten with more than 30 great honors.
Barcelona legends rule
Hasn’t it all been bad news in Barcelona this century, then?
Three consecutive seasons of heartbreak in the Champions League have given more than enough reason for Barca fans to feel a bit deflated, but the last 20 years have still been kind enough to them.
It says a lot that the top five have played for Barcelona at some point in their careers, while four of the five practiced their trade in Catalonia for most of their time in the European game.
And of course, a shout out to the players who, sure, have not won such prestigious titles as some of the gongs in Europe, but who are still to be commended for having been so successful in their field.
Also, it can only be good news if you share a roster with Messi, and while Alves and Iniesta are legends in their own right, we’re not sure they can compare to the current Barça captain.
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