16 January 2010 - Messi's Milestone

On 16 January 2010, Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal for Barcelona, becoming the youngest person in club history to hit that milestone.

The goal came in a home league match against Sevilla. The two teams had already met twice that month in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, with Sevilla advancing on away goals after drawing 2-2 on aggregate. In the second leg, which Barcelona won 1-0, Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop repeatedly frustrated Messi, denying him in several one-on-one attempts and preventing him from scoring.

In the league match on 16 January, Palop got off to another good start, keeping the game scoreless through the first half. But shortly after the start of the second half, Barcelona took the lead with a 49th-minute own goal from center back Julien Escudé. A chip from Barça striker Pedro doubled their lead in the 70th minute.

Then Messi struck. In the 84th minute, he scored his record 100th club goal from just outside the six-yard box. At 22 years, six months, and 22 days old, he was the youngest player in club history to score a century. But he didn't stop there, adding another in the first minute of stoppage time to extend the final score to 4-0.

Now eight years later, he has a current total of 611 goals.

3 November 2010 - Inzaghi Becomes King Of Europe

On 3 November 2010, Milan striker Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi scored his 70th goal in European competition to share the honors as UEFA's top scorer. Briefly.

The goal came in a Champions League group stage match against Real Madrid, who had beaten Milan 2-0 in Spain the previous month. Playing before a crowd of 76,357 in the return leg at the San Siro, Real Madrid took the lead with a 45th-minute score from Gonzalo Higuaín. But in the second half, Inzaghi struck twice to put Milan ahead.

His first goal of the day was a 68th-minute header that took advantage of a rare mistake from Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas. He struck again ten minutes later to notch his 70th goal in UEFA competitions, matching the record set by former Real Madrid forward Raúl González, who had moved to Schalke earlier that year.

Unfortunately for Milan, the lead did not last, as Madrid winger Pedro León scored an equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw. Inzaghi's share of the record did not last long either, as Raúl scored three months later in Schalke's 1-0 win over Valencia in the Round of 16 to push his total to 71. Since then, that number has been passed  by both Cristiano Ronaldo (113) and Lionel Messi (100), pushing Inzaghi down to fourth.

17 August 2011 - Barça Gets Off To A Super Start

On 17 August 2011, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 to take their 10th Supercopa de España (and the first one over their Clásico rivals).

The competition, which kicks off the Spanish season, pits the reigning La Liga champions against the Copa del Rey holders in a two-legged series, home and away. Real Madrid and Barcelona had met there four teams previously, in 1988, 1990, 1993, and 1997, with Real Madrid claiming the honors each time. But Barça had the recent edge, carrying a six-match unbeaten streak against Madrid in the league (with five wins), as well as eliminating them in the previous season's Champions League. (Madrid, however, had beaten Barcelona in the 2011 Copa del Rey Final).

The two teams met at the Bernabéu on 14 August for the first leg, where they drew 2-2, then reconvened at Camp Nou three days later. There, Andres Iniésta opened the scoring in the 15th minute after an incisive through pass by Lionel Messi left him one-on-one with keeper Iker Casillas, who fell victim to a chip. Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from short range five minutes later, but Messi restored the lead just before the break.

Real Madrid drew level again in the second half through an 82nd-minute goal from striker Karim Benzema, but Messi had the last word with the match-winner in the 88th minute.

That season, Real Madrid went on to win the league, while Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, setting up another Supercopa meeting in 2012.

24 June 1987 - The Mighty Messi

On 24 June 1987, Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina. He has since become one of the world's best players, winning a record five Ballons d'Or.

After initially playing for a local club managed by his father, Messi joined the youth program at Newell's Old Boys in 1995. There, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. The costs of treatment, reported to be approximately $900 per month, proved a barrier for a rumored move to River Plate, but Barcelona were interested and agreed to cover the expenses as part of a deal that brought Messi to Spain in 2003.

He joined the Barcelona youth team, but made his senior team debut in 2004 at the age of 17 and tallied a total of nine appearances that season, followed by 25 in 2005-06. The next season, he secured a regular place in the first team, but his breakout season came in 2008-09, when he made a total of 51 appearances and scored 38 goals as Barcelona won their first La Liga title in three years and also lifted the Champions League trophy. That led to his first Ballon d'Or (and FIFA World Player of the Year award) in 2009.

Playing with a perfect blend of balance and ball control, his scoring continued to improve, with 47 goals in 2009-10, 53 in 2010-11, and an amazing 73 in 2011-12. He currently has 507 goals in 583 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona while winning a total of eight La Liga titles, five Copas del Rey, four Champions League titles, and three FIFA Club World Cups. He also won additional Ballons d'Or in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015.

Along the way, he has also earned 141 caps for Argentina with 74 goals.

6 December 2010 - Just Another Step In Their Plan For World Domination

On 6 December 2010, FIFA and France Football magazine announced the three finalists for the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or. And all three were from FC Barcelona.

The award was a combination of France Football's Ballon d'Or, started in 1956, and FIFA's World Player of the Year award, which began in 1991. In 2010, the two organizations agreed to merge their awards, calling the new honor the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

They announced their shortlist of 23 players on 27 October, then culled the list to the top three vote-getters on 6 December. The three were Barcelona's Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Lionel Messi, who had won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2009. Although Barcelona had won La Liga in 2010, the inclusion of Xavi and Iniesta was due in part to their World Cup-winning run with Spain the previous summer. But Messi went on to win the award when it was announced in January 2011.

It was not the first time that a single club took the top three spots in Ballon d'Or voting: AC Milan did it in 1988, when Marco van Basten beat out Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, then again in 1989, when van Basten won it again, that time over Rijkaard and Franco Baresi.

8 October 2010 - Japan Rises Over Argentina

On 8 October 2010, Japan got their first win over Argentina, beating them 1-0 in a friendly. It was the seventh meeting between the two teams.

It was Japan's first match under their new manager, Alberto Zaccheroni, who had just come off a 6-month term with Juventus. His pre-Japan career also included spells with a number of other Italian clubs, including Udinese (1995-98), Milan (1998-2001), Lazio (2001-02), Inter (2003-04), and Torino (2006-07). Argentina, meanwhile, were playing their third match under interim manager Sergio Batista, who had replaced Diego Maradona after the 2010 World Cup. Argentina had won his two previous matches, over Ireland (1-0) and defending World Cup champions Spain (4-1).

The Albiceleste fielded a full-strength side for the match against Japan, played before a crowd of 60,000 at Saitama Stadium. But despite the presence of prolific scorers Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, and Diego Milito, it was Japan who struck first, going up 1-0 in the 19th minute with a goal from Shimizu S-Pulse winger Shinji Okazaki (pictured, left), who pounced on the ball after goalkeeper Sergio Romero failed to hold on to it.

Messi twice came close, but his 14th-minute and 30th-minute shots were stopped by goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima. He had another chance in the 75th minute, but fired the ball straight at Kawashima for an easy save.

Not content to sit on the lead, Japan attacked the Argentine goal and had several opportunities to extend the margin. But Okazaki's goal remained the only one of the day as Japan claimed the 1-0 victory.

19 December 2009 - Barça Ends A Banner Year

On 19 December 2009, Barcelona won a record 6th trophy for the calendar year, using an extra-time goal to beat Estudiantes in the Club World Cup.

That year, Barcelona had already won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Supercup, and the UEFA Champions League, matching Liverpool's haul of 5 trophies in 2001. The Champions League victory qualified them for the Club World Cup, which included the champions of 5 other confederations and the UAE's Al-Ahli, who qualified as hosts.

Both Barcelona and Estudiantes entered the competition at the quarterfinal stage, with the Catalan side beating Mexico's Atlante and the Argentinians defeating South Korean team Pohang Steelers to set up their meeting in the Final.

Although Barcelona were heavily favored, a driving header from center forward Mauro Boselli put Estudiantes ahead in the 37th-minute. Despite constant pressure from Barcelona, the underdogs held on and looked to have secured victory when, with one minute left, Barça pulled level with a header of their own from forward Pedro.

Lionel Messi, that year's Ballon d'Or winner, provided the deciding goal in extra time, receiving a long cross and slipping the ball under Estudiantes keeper Damien Albil in the 110th minute. Two days later, Messi was named the FIFA World Player of the Year.

13 December 2008 - When The Paradigm Shifted In Spain

On 13 December 2008, Barcelona won their first Clásico in almost three years, beating Real Madrid 2-0.

Since suffering a 3-0 loss to Barcelona on 19 November 2005, the Merengues rattled off a five-match unbeaten streak that included three wins and two draws, all in the league.

The last match of that run was the worst for Barcelona as, on 5 May 2008, Real Madrid won 4-1 at the Bernabéu with goals from Raúl (12'), Arjen Robben (20'), Gonzalo Higuaín (62'), and Ruud van Nistelrooy (77') (Barcelona's lone goal was an 86th-minute consolation strike from Thierry Henry). It was the final nail in the coffin for Barça manager Frank Rijkaard, as the club announced shortly afterward that he would be replaced at the end of the season by youth team coach Pep Guardiola. Real Madrid, meanwhile, went on to claim their second consecutive La Liga title

Guardiola duly took over the following month and immediately began to reshape the team by offloading a number of players, including two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho. After an opening day loss to Numancia, Guardiola's Barcelona went unbeaten in their next thirteen league matches, with eleven wins and two draws. They were at the top of the table on 13 December when they hosted Real Madrid for Guardiola's first Clásico as manager. It was close until the last few minutes, when goals from Samuel Eto'o (83') and Lionel Messi (90') delivered a 2-0 victory.

Barcelona extended their unbeaten streak against Madrid to seven league matches, with six wins and one draw, before finally losing in April 2012. During that run, they also went undefeated against their rivals in the Champions League and the Supercopa de España, getting a win and a draw in each of those competitions.

1 December 2009 - The Ballon d'Or Gets Messi

On 1 December 2009, Lionel Messi capped an amazing year by winning the Ballon d'Or as the world's best footballer. And he did by a record margin of votes.

A panel of sports journalists from around the world voted on the award, which had previously been limited to players from European clubs, but expanded in 2007 to include footballers from anywhere in the world.

The award came on the heels of Messi's incredible run with Barcelona in 2008-09 in which the Catalan club won a staggering total of six trophies--La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. Messi was one of four players from that team to finish in the voters' top five--the others were Xavi (3rd), Andrés Iniesta (4th), and Samuel Eto'o (5th), who had since moved to Inter in the summer of 2009.

The second-place finisher was Cristiano Ronaldo, who had won the award over Messi in 2008. In 2009, Messi finished with 473 out of a possible 480 first-place votes, more than doubling Ronaldo's total that year of 233 votes and setting a record separation of 240 votes between first and second place. The previous record was 167, set in 2007 when voting expanded to accommodate the award's new global scope. Cristiano Ronaldo had finished second that year to future Real Madrid teammate Kaká.

In 2010, the Ballon d'Or merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year Award to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Messi won that award in 2010, 2011, and 2012, with Ronaldo winning it in 2013 and 2014.

16 November 2003 - Barça Enters The Dragon

On 16 November 2003, Porto defeated Barcelona, 2-0, in a friendly held to inaugurate Porto's new stadium, Estádio do Dragão.

Boasting a capacity of 50,399 and built at a cost of €98 million, the stadium was designed by architect Manuel Salgado as intended as one of the venues for the 2004 UEFA European Championship. The name Dragão, which is also a nickname for the club, refers to the dragon on Porto's crest.

Barcelona were accommodating visitors for the opening match, conceding goals to Porto strikers Vanderlei Silva and Hugo Almeida. The match remains notable for the Catalan club, however, as the first-team debut for 16-year old winger Lionel Messi.

Unfortunately for Porto, problems with the pitch prevented them from moving into the new stadium full-time until February 2004. Nevertheless, the new venue proved good luck for Porto, who went on that season to claim their 20th league title and their second Champions League trophy.

27 September 2008 - Barça Makes Every Second Count

On 27 September 2008, Barcelona defeated Espanyol 1-2. Barça winger Lionel Messi scored the winning goal with a controversial penalty kick in the 14th minute of stoppage time.

The home side received an early gift in the 19th minute when Barça keeper Victor Valdes failed to secure a high ball and spilled it to the feet of Espanyol forward Ferran Corominas, who tapped it home. Their fortunes turned, however, when winger Anderson Nene was sent off right before the break. Nene, who had been carded earlier in the match, was booked a second time for elbowing Barça midfielder Sergio Busquets in the 45th minute.

Down to ten men, Espanyol defended bravely in the second half, with keeper Carlos Kameni making several brilliant saves. In the 70th minute, the referee halted the game and the players were taken off the field due to incidents in the stands. After a break of approximately seven minutes, the match resumed.

In the 84th minute, Kameni parried a shot from forward Thierry Henry, but it rebounded off a defender and back to Henry, who claimed the second-chance goal. The teams were deadlocked deep into stoppage time when Barça substitute forward Samuel Eto'o was tripped in the penalty area by Espanyol defender Nicolas Pareja in the 13th minute of added time. Although the contact appeared minimal, Barça were awarded the penalty, which Messi easily converted. The whistle blew almost immediately afterward.

The win was a landmark victory in a season that saw Barça claim both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

15 January 2012 - Barcelona Gets The Better Of Betis

On 15 January 2012, Betis ended Barcelona's Spanish-record home clean sheet streak, but still lost 4-2.

The streak started the previous season when Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 on 23 April, then carried through the first half of the 2011-12 season, reaching a total of 12 games with a 5-0 victory over Levante on 3 December.

But that's where it ended, as Barça's next home league match was against Betis. Despite going down 2-0 to goals from Xavi (9') and Lionel Messi (11'), Rubén Castro scored in the 31st minute, to cut the deficit to 2-1 and end Barcelona's run of shut-outs.

Down 2-1 at the break, Betis drew level in the 50th minute through Roque Santa Cruz. It stayed level until late, when Alexis (73') put the hosts back ahead, then Messi added another for security (80').

Although they were denied the win, Betis could have taken some comfort in breaking the spell of Barcelona's home form, as they went on to concede goals in their next four home games.

7 January 2013 - Congratulations, Now About That Suit ...

On 7 January 2013, Lionel Messi won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or.

The Barcelona forward first won the honor in 2009, before it merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, then won the combined award, the FIFA Ballon d'Or, in 2010 and 2011. The three trophies matched the previous record, reached by only three other people—Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974), Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), and Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992).

Then, in 2012, Messi scored an incredible 91 goals for Barcelona and Argentina, beating the previous European record of 85 goals in a calendar year, set by Gerd Müller in 1972. Although he suffered a slight trophy drought that year, with Barcelona winning only the Copa del Rey after taking five pieces of silverware the previous year, including the La Liga and the Champions League titles, Messi's individual accomplishment saw him get 41.60% of the Ballon d'Or vote, almost doubling the tally of second-place finisher Cristiano Ronaldo (23.68%).

Other winners at the ceremony that day included the USA's Abby Wambach, the Women's World Player of the Year, and Vicente del Bosque (Spain) and Pia Sundhage (USA) as the men's and women's Coaches of the Year.

9 December 2012 - Still An Impressive Record By Any Measure

On 9 December 2012, Lionel Messi scored twice to beat Gerd Müller's record for goals in a calendar year. But it turned out not to be quite the record everyone thought it was.

Going into Barcelona's away match against Real Betis, Messi was sitting on a total of 84 goals scored in 2012 for his club and Argentina, putting him one behind the mark of 85 set by Gerd Müller in 1972 for Bayern Munich and Germany. But he scored twice in the first half (16', 25') to surpass Müller's record and Barcelona went on to win 1-2.

Afterward, several post-match reports referred to Messi's achievement as a world record. But the Football Association of Zambia claimed that one of their players, Godfrey Chitalu, scored a massive 107 goals in 1972, the same year that Müller reached his own record. FIFA refused to recognize either accomplishment, citing issues of proof, so they remain unofficial for now, with Messi having the European record and Chitalu having the overall world record.

Messi went on to score another five goals before the end of the year, taking his number to 91.

23 August 2008 - Argentina Finds A Way To Beat The Heat

On 23 August 2008, Argentina won their second straight Olympic gold, beating Nigeria 1-0 with a goal from Ángel di María.

The two teams met previously in the 1996 gold medal game, won by Nigeria 3-2 with a 90th-minute strike from Emmanuel Amuneke. Argentina failed to qualify for the tournament in 2000, but went on to win it in 2004 over CONMEBOL rivals Paraguay.

Defending their title in 2008, they got off to a perfect start by winning all three of their group stage matches, then advancing over the Netherlands and Brazil in the knockout rounds to reach the final. Nigeria, meanwhile, also topped their group and made it into the final with wins over Ivory Coast and Belgium.

They played the final at noon at the National Stadium in Beijing, where the temperatures reached 107° F/42° C. The heat was so oppressive that officials twice stopped the match so that the players could rehydrate. The Nigerians tightly marked strikers Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero, but that allowed enough space for di María to exploit for the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute—he chipped the Nigerian keeper after receiving the ball from Messi.

It was only his second goal of the tournament, but it was the only one of the match as Argentina won 1-0.

6 April 2010 - Messi Hits A New Mark

On 6 April 2010, Lionel Messi did something he had never done before, scoring all four goals for Barcelona in a 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Champions League.

Only 23 years old at the time, Messi had already established himself as one of the world's elite players, winning the 2009 Ballon d'Or after a season in which he won six trophies with Barcelona. But he still faced accusations of disappearing in big games, both with Argentina and Barça, including the latter's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal meeting in which the forward failed to score or do much of anything of note.

That changed in the second leg, however. Playing in front of a crowd of over 93,000 at Camp Nou, Arsenal took the lead with a goal from striker Nicklas Bendtner in the 18th minute to go up 3-2 on aggregate. But after that, it was all Messi.

He scored his first goal in the 21st minute and had completed a hat-trick by the break, with additional strikes in the 37th and 42nd minutes, effectively ending the contest. But Messi wasn't done; he added a fourth goal in the 88th minute, marking the first time in his career he had scored four times in one game. (He was also just the sixth player to do it in the Champions League).

Unfortunately for Messi and Barcelona, they were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champions Inter, but they did repeat as La Liga champions and, at the end of the year, Messi won a second Ballon d'Or.

16 January 2010 - Messi's Milestone

On 16 January 2010, Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal for Barcelona, becoming the youngest person in club history to hit that milestone.

The goal came in a home league match against Sevilla. The two teams had already met twice that month in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, with Sevilla advancing on away goals after drawing 2-2 on aggregate. In the second leg, which Barcelona won 1-0, Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop repeatedly frustrated Messi, denying him in several one-on-one attempts and preventing him from scoring.

In the league match on 16 January, Palop got off to another good start, keeping the game scoreless through the first half. But shortly after the start of the second half, Barcelona took the lead with a 49th-minute own goal from center back Julien Escudé. A chip from Barça striker Pedro doubled their lead in the 70th minute.

Then Messi struck. In the 84th minute, he scored his record 100th club goal from just outside the six-yard box. At 22 years, six months, and 22 days old, he was the youngest player in club history to score a century. But he didn't stop there, adding another in the first minute of stoppage time to extend the final score to 4-0.

Now three years later, he is close to tripling that number with a current total of 290 goals.

17 August 2011 - Barça Gets Off To A Super Start

On 17 August 2011, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 to take their 10th Supercopa de España (and the first one over their Clásico rivals).

The competition, which kicks off the Spanish season, pits the reigning La Liga champions against the Copa del Rey holders in a two-legged series, home and away. Real Madrid and Barcelona had met there four teams previously, in 1988, 1990, 1993, and 1997, with Real Madrid claiming the honors each time. But Barça had the recent edge, carrying a six-match unbeaten streak against Madrid in the league (with five wins), as well as eliminating them in the previous season's Champions League. (Madrid, however, had beaten Barcelona in the 2011 Copa del Rey Final).

The two teams met at the Bernabéu on 14 August for the first leg, where they drew 2-2, then reconvened at Camp Nou three days later. There, Andres Iniésta opened the scoring in the 15th minute after an incisive through pass by Lionel Messi left him one-on-one with keeper Iker Casillas, who fell victim to a chip. Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from short range five minutes later, but Messi restored the lead just before the break.

Real Madrid drew level again in the second half through an 82nd-minute goal from striker Karim Benzema, but Messi had the last word with the match-winner in the 88th minute.

That season, Real Madrid went on to win the league, while Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, setting up another Supercopa meeting in 2012.

24 June 1987 - And He's Only 24

On 24 June 1987, Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina. He has since become one of the world's best players, winning three straight Ballons d'Or.

After initially playing for a local club managed by his father, Messi joined the youth program at Newell's Old Boys in 1995. There, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. The costs of treatment, reported to be approximately $900 per month, proved a barrier for a rumored move to River Plate, but Barcelona were interested and agreed to cover the expenses as part of a deal that brought Messi to Spain in 2003.

He joined the Barcelona youth team, but made his senior team debut in 2004 at the age of 17 and tallied a total of nine appearances that season, followed by 25 in 2005-06. The next season, he secured a regular place in the first team, but his breakout season came in 2008-09, when he made a total of 51 appearances and scored 38 goals as Barcelona won their first La Liga title in three years and also lifted the Champions League trophy. That led to his first Ballon d'Or (and FIFA World Player of the Year award) in 2009.

Playing with a perfect blend of balance and ball control, his scoring continued to improve, with 47 goals in 2009-10, 53 in 2010-11, and an amazing 73 in 2011-12 as Barcelona won two more league titles (2010, 2011) and one more Champions League trophy (2011), while Messi claimed the 2010 and 2011 FIFA Ballons d'Or (a new award that combined the previous Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards).

Along the way, he has also earned 70 caps for Argentina, providing 26 goals.

1 May 2005 - Pelé Remained Unimpressed, However

On 1 May 2005, Lionel Messi notched his first goal for Barcelona in a 2-0 win over Albacete. He has since become the club's all-time leading scorer.

The forward made his league debut for the first team the previous October at the age of 17 years and 114 days, making him the youngest player to appear for the club in La Liga (though that record was subsequently broken by Bojan Krkić in 2007). He went on to make a total of seven league appearances that season, but scored only a single goal.

That goal came late in the match against Albacete, as manager Frank Rijkaard made a late substitution, putting Messi on for forward Samuel Eto'o in the 87th minute. Barcelona were already leading 1-0 and  Messi nearly doubled the lead in the  89th minute when he received a short lobbed pass from Ronaldinho, then chipped the keeper from inside the box. The referee disallowed the goal as offside, even though replays confirmed that Messi had been onside when Ronaldinho made the pass.

But just one minute later, the pair executed a nearly-identical move. Although Messi was under more pressure from the defense, he again sent a left-footed chip over the Albacete keeper from inside the box to push the final score to 2-0.

Barcelona proceeded to win the league that year for the first time since 1999. Messi, meanwhile, has since scored a total of 245 goals in 325 appearances, making him the top scorer in club history.