Sunday marked 18 years since Lionel Messi burst onto the big football scene in a FC Barcelona shirt, and since then the footballer has revolutionized the sport and set records that are hard to match.

Lionel Messi, 18 years of magic

October 16, 2004 is a true milestone for modern football, given that on this day the sport was introduced to the man who paved his way to the top of the pyramid, Lionel Messi.

It happened in the Premier League match, in the Catalan derby with Espanyol Barcelona. In front of 34,400 spectators, the young Argentine (17 years, 3 months and 22 days) entered the field in the 82nd minute of the game in place of Deco with the score of Barcelona 1-0.

He was unable to influence the final result of the game, but he immediately caught the attention of specialists, who noted his fine touch.

The first goal in the “Blaugrana” shirt was scored in the match against “Albacete”, when Messi distinguished himself with a wonderful strike.

Messi, records are difficult to compare

Apart from being a true leader at Barcelona and still being the best footballer to this day, Messi set some records that will surely stand for a long time.

1. The footballer currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain is the player with the most hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League history, with 8 in total.

2. Messi is the player with the most goals scored in the Champions League groups: 77.

3. Lionel Messi is the footballer with the most tackles in a Cougars shirt: 164.

4. The athlete with the most golden boots won: 6.

5. Messi also holds the record for most goals in one team’s shirt, 672.

6. Has the most hat-tricks in La Liga Santander: 36.

7. Most goals scored in a calendar year, 91. The previous record was held by Gerd Müller.

8. Messi leads La Liga Santander in goals, being the top leader with 474 successes.

9. At the same time, Lionel Messi is the player with the most assists in the history of the Spanish championship (192), as well as the player with the most goals in one La Liga season (50).

10. Obviously the most important record set by Messi is for the Ballon d’Or, he won 7 in total.

Messi is the absolute leader in “El Clasico”

Without Lionel Messi, the most important and long-awaited match in Spain is no longer the same. Since leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2021, the Argentinian’s record in a match against Real Madrid still remains unattainable.

The ex-dekar of Barcelona scored no less than 26 goals against a great opponent and is the absolute leader of this rating. Cristiano Ronaldo is in 2nd place in this top with 18 successes, and the podium is completed by Alfredo Di Stefano, who also scored 18 times for the “whites”.

Messi, debut in FC “Barcelona”.

Messi, the first goal in a Barcelona shirt