Lionel Messi's Barcelona career timeline: The end of Messi's nearly two-decade run?

If the latest Messi transfer rumours are to be believed, the Barcelona forward’s career with the Spanish giants is all but over. Lionel Messi has reportedly sent a fax to the club management, intending his desire to leave, which will see the star forward draw the curtains to his 2-decade long stint with Barcelona. The association between Lionel Messi and Barcelona has been one of the most successful partnerships in recent times, with both the club and the player seeing more highs than lows together. With Lionel Messi’s career with Barcelona coming to an abrupt conclusion, here’s a look at a timeline of some of the most important moments over the past 20 years.

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Messi timeline: Early 2000s

Messi joined Barcelona’s famous youth academy as a 13-year-old in 2000, with the player’s family relocating to Spain to allow the youngster to link up with Barcelona. After impressing for the youth teams, he was given his debut on Nov 16, 2003, by Frank Rijkaard in a friendly against Porto. The player won his first LaLiga title soon after technicalities prevented him from representing Barcelona competitively until 2005. Even at an early age, Lionel Messi helped Barcelona win the LaLiga for the second year in a row in 2005, scoring six goals in 17 appearances. Within three years, Messi became a crucial cog of the Barcelona side. 

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Messi Barcelona career roundup: 2005- 2010

After helping his side domestically, Lionel Messi also won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in 2006. However, the Argentine didn’t feature in the final due to injury as the Spanish side beat Arsenal 2-1. In 2009, Lionel Messi was at the centre of everything great about Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side.

The forward played an influential role in the side that won an impressive six trophies in the calendar year. Aged 22, the incredible performances led to him winning his first Ballon d’Or. Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to another LaLiga victory in 2010, at the same time retaining the World Player of the Year award, beating teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi. The period also saw the start of an incredible run, which saw him win four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards.

Messi timeline: 2010-2015

The start of the new decade coincided with more success for Barcelona and Messi, the forward playing a starring role as he led Barcelona to a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final, scoring in the process. In the 2011-12 season, he set LaLiga and European records for most goals scored in a single season as he ended the campaign with 73 goals. In 2012, Lionel Messi also became the first player to score five goals in a single match, with the player achieving the feat against German club Bayer Leverkusen. Soon after, Lionel Messi became the club’s all-time leading top scorer at the age of 24, as he marched ahead of club legend César Rodríguez. In 2015, in what may now be his last Champions League win with Barcelona, Lionel Messi helped beat Juventus 3-1 in the final.

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Messi Barcelona career: 2015- present

Over the past five years, while Barcelona haven’t always been at their best, the same couldn’t be said about the Argentine forward. Lionel Messi also became the club captain during this time, as his heroics helped the Catalan club win the LaLiga in 2019. The same year also saw him win the Ballon d'Or for a record sixth time. His highlight of 2020 came in June when he scored the 700th goal of his professional career.

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Messi trophies with Barcelona

If a Messi transfer indeed materializes, the forward will be leaving the club after having won everything possible during his time with Barcelona. The player has won 34 titles with Barcelona, which includes four Champions League titles,10 LaLiga honours and six Copas del Reys. Some other trophies part of Leo’s cabinet includes the UEFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Supercopa de Espana.

Image Courtesy: AP