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The best male player in FIFA
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- Lionel Messi competes for the seventh annual FIFA individual award
- This year new records for goals and assists
- We look back on another great season for Messi
Year after year, with astonishing consistency, Lionel Messi continues to set records, and 2020 was no different. The 33-year-old Argentine not only set new benchmarks with his goals, but also with assists, demonstrating once again his remarkable vision, quality and maturity.
Milestones in 2020
- With 25 goals, he became La Liga’s top scorer for the seventh time, setting a new record for the competition.
- He finished runner-up in La Liga.
- He passed the 700 goal mark in his career.
- He set a new La Liga record for most assists in a season (21).
- He became the first and first Argentine footballer to win the prestigious Laureus Athlete of the Year award.
- Goal of the Season Scorer in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League.
Messi’s year, in pictures
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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores his team’s first goal against SD Eibar
Dec 14, 2020
BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 22: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores his team’s first goal during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and SD Eibar SAD at Camp Nou on February 22, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain . (Photo by Alex Caparros / Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores his team’s fourth goal against SD Eibar
Dec 14, 2020
BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 22: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores his team’s fourth goal during La Liga match between FC Barcelona and SD Eibar SAD at Camp Nou on February 22, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain . (Photo by Alex Caparros / Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores the second goal of his team and the 700 of his career
Dec 14, 2020
BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 30: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores the second goal for his team and the 700th goal of his career by penalty against goalkeeper Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid during the League match between FC Barcelona and the Club Atlético de Madrid at the Camp Nou on June 30. 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores the second goal of his team and the 700 of his career
Dec 14, 2020
BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 30: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores the second goal for his team and the 700th goal of his career by penalty against goalkeeper Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid during the League match between FC Barcelona and the Club Atlético de Madrid at the Camp Nou on June 30. 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores the second goal of his team and the 700 of his career
Dec 14, 2020
BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 30: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores the second goal for his team and the 700th goal of his career by penalty against goalkeeper Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid during the League match between FC Barcelona and the Club Atlético de Madrid at the Camp Nou on June 30. 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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Nelson Semedo (L) of FC Barcelona celebrates with teammates Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi after scoring
Dec 14, 2020
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN – JULY 19: Nelson Semedo (L) of FC Barcelona celebrates with teammates Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi after scoring the fourth goal for their sides during the League match between Deportivo Alaves and FC Barcelona at the Stadium de Mendizorroza on July 19. 2020 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Europe’s soccer stadiums remain empty due to the coronavirus pandemic, as government social distancing laws prohibit fans within venues, causing all matches to be played behind closed doors. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates with his teammates after scoring the second goal for his sides
Dec 14, 2020
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN – JULY 19: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona scores the second goal for his side during the League match between Deportivo Alaves and FC Barcelona at Mendizorroza Stadium on July 19, 2020 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain . Europe’s soccer stadiums remain empty due to the coronavirus pandemic, as government social distancing laws prohibit fans within venues, causing all matches to be played behind closed doors. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images)
© Getty Images
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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates with his teammates after scoring his sides the second goal d
Dec 14, 2020
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN – JULY 19: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s second goal during the La Liga match between Deportivo Alaves and FC Barcelona at the Mendizorroza Stadium on July 19 2020 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Europe’s soccer stadiums remain empty due to the coronavirus pandemic, as government social distancing laws prohibit fans within venues, causing all matches to be played behind closed doors. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images)
© Getty Images
Featured Accessories
- February 22, 2020
- La Liga, Matchday 25
- Barcelona 5-0 Eibar
After four league games without scoring, Messi found the goal four times against Eibar. It was the sixth time in his career that he had achieved such a feat (or the seventh if you count the five that he beat Bayer Leverkusen in a Champions League game in 2012). Interestingly, his last quadruple was also against Eibar in 2017 at the Camp Nou, where all his four-goal shots have taken place. On this occasion, Messi scored three of his four goals in the first half.
- June 23, 2020
- La Liga, Matchday 31
- Barcelona 1-0 Athletic Bilbao
On the eve of his 33rd birthday, Messi groomed Ivan Rakitic for the only goal of the match, in the process making his 250th assist in the Barcelona jersey. Then, on July 19, during the last day of La Liga, The flea provided his 21st assist of the season, breaking Xavi’s previous record of 20.
- June 30, 2020
- La Liga, Matchday 33
- Barcelona 2-2 Atletico Madrid
With his converted penalty, Messi scored the 700th goal of his career (630 with Barça and 70 with Argentina), joining a select club made up of Josef Bican, Romario, Pelé, Ferenc Puskas, Gerd Muller and Cristiano Ronaldo. He would also end the season with 25 league goals, beating Telmo Zarra to become the first player to win the Pichichi award seven times. Receiving the award for the fourth consecutive season, he also matched the winning streaks of Alfredo Di Stefano and Hugo Sánchez.
What the player said …
About reaching 700 goals:
“I want to thank everyone who helped me score 700 goals as a professional, both at my club and with the Argentina team, as well as my family, friends and fans. Hopefully, with their help, there will be more to follow.”
On his Pichichi and the attendance records:
“Individual goals and awards are always the least important; I would have preferred it to be accompanied by the league title like other years.”
What others said about him …
“Messi is 100% football. It doesn’t matter who you are, you just have to watch and enjoy this guy. He’s on another level. With all due respect to the other greats, there’s only one number one: he’s Leo. Playing 311 games alongside him, it was a dream. I really enjoyed it. I just want to tell you this: ‘Thanks for everything, Leo, because you’ll never know how much playing next meant to you for you. “
Ivan Rakitic to FIFA.com
“Obviously you admire him, but when you start to share things with him, he is so transparent that instead of telling him what you think of him, you want to ask him about his young children or remind him of the time. a Valencia-Barcelona match (laughs) When he becomes your captain, you would go to war for him if he asked you.
Rodrigo de Paul to FIFA.com
“Lewandowski has a great opportunity this time, as he won everything with his team last season. Ronaldo and Messi have dominated The Best in the past, but for me the best is always Messi. He’s my all-time favorite.” .
Pablo Aimar to FIFA.com
All winners, including those of the FIFA Fan Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award, will be crowned on December 17, 2020 on a live TV show starting at 19:00 CET.
To keep up to date with the latest news on The Best FIFA Football Awards ™, visit FIFA.com, The Best FIFA Football Awards ™ Official facebook page, FIFA on Twitter and FIFA on YouTube.
Join the discussion on who should win this year’s awards using the hashtag #The best.
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