In 2012, Lionel Messi was unstoppable.With Barcelona and Argentina, the 33-year-old forward delivered the greatest goalscoring year by any footballer in history.In his 69 appearances for club and country, Messi scored a record-breaking 91 goals, beating Gerd Muller’s previous record of 85 with West Germany and Bayern Munich in 1972.That record will likely never be broken and at the end of the 2011/12 season, the Argentine had also achieved another incredible goalscoring feat that will almost certainly stand the test of time.In all competitions for Barcelona that campaign, Messi netted 73 goals (50 of them in La Liga alone), breaking Muller’s previous record of 67 set in 1972/73 with Bayern.
The numbers are simply staggering and what’s arguably even more impressive is how much Messi contributed to the Barcelona team as a whole during his richest vein of goalscoring form.He was still the team’s chief playmaker, regularly picking the ball up from deep and creating a plethora of chances for his world-class teammates.Below, you’ll find a video of Messi doing just that against Valencia in 2012, a game in which the six-time Ballon d’Or winner scored four (yes, FOUR) goals.It defies description really…
Video
How can you score four goals in a match and still drop a playmaking masterclass of that calibre?! It was against one of the best sides in Spain as well, with Valencia finishing the 2012/13 La Liga season fifth in the table.
Messi in 2012 really was something unique and we’ve still not seen a player – even the man himself – get anywhere close to replicating his superhuman form over those 12 months.
During that year, the Argentine magician scored nine hat-tricks, netted four times in a game on two occasions and scored five goals in a match against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.
Messi averaged a goal every 66 minutes he was on the pitch and yet still managed to contribute 29 assists in his 69 appearances.
No wonder many believe he is the GOAT…
