As Lionel Messi‘s historic football career likely winds down in the coming years, I‘ve taken on the monumental task of ranking his seasons from worst to best. Having eagerly followed his journey from teenage prospect at Barcelona to global icon and Argentina legend, I analyze what made his peak years so iconic and his valleys so disappointing.
Get comfortable as we dive deep on Messi‘s seasonal ups and downs through painstaking statistical analysis, colorful commentary, and of course, counting down from his worst season ever to the long-standing best season record that may never be broken again.
Methodology
Before getting to the seasonal breakdowns, let me explain my evaluation criteria and reasoning in more detail:
Individual Production: Goals, Assists, Key Passes, Dribbles, Man of the Match Awards
- I placed heavy emphasis on Messi‘s volume of goal contributions (goals + assists) as an attacking player, as well as chance creation
Trophies Won: Champions League, La Liga, Copa Del Rey, World Cup, Copa America
- Team honors indicate Messi elevated his squads to glory and achieved sustained excellence
Peak Performance: Visual eye test, highlight-reel moments, carrying teams
- Some seasons I ranked higher when Messi dazzled consistently despite modest statistical outputs
Context: Injuries, Manager & Roster changes, Adversity
- I graded Messi fairly by considering challenges like injuries, adapting to new systems, dysfunctional squads that limited his production
Gradual Decline: Age, Injuries, Changing Teams
- In more recent seasons, I accounted for Messi‘s inevitable physical decline affecting his output
Now that we‘ve established these criteria, let‘s count down from worst to first!
18. 2013-14: The Ghost Season
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 31 | 28 | 11 | None |
| UCL | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
| World Cup | 7 | 4 | 1 | Runner-up |
| Total | 45 | 41 | 14 |
Barcelona and Messi endured a historically disappointing 2013-14 campaign that saw his statistical production fall off a cliff by his stratospheric standards. After averaging over 50 goals per year the prior four seasons, Messi only scored 41 this year, plagued by injuries that limited him to just 45 appearances.
With Messi a shadow of himself, Barcelona Trophyless while Argentina lost 1-0 in extra time to Germany in the World Cup final. At age 26 with chronic injuries taking their toll, some speculated Messi had already peaked. Little did the critics know, he still had higher heights to scale…
17. 2021-22: PSG Disillusionment
After memorably leaving childhood club Barcelona the prior summer, Messi looked a shadow of himself in his first season with star-studded PSG at age 34:
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | 26 | 6 | 14 | Ligue 1 ✔️ |
| UCL | 7 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 11 | 15 |
He scored just 11 total goals, fading badly down the stretch while 21-year old Kylian Mbappe carried the squad. With 55 goals across all competitions, Mbappe outscored Messi nearly 5:1. After PSG embarrassingly blew a 2-0 aggregate lead to eventual champions Real Madrid in the Round of 16, Messi faced scorching criticism.
Sports pundits lambasted his work ethic, while some accused him of lazily walking around, leeching his $35 million salary. While Messi clearly struggled to adapt to a new league and self-focused teammates, writing him off was foolish…
15. 2018-2021: Barcelona Infighting
I‘ve grouped Messi‘s last three seasons at Barcelona together, as off-the-pitch power struggles and locker room dysfunction resulted in European collapses:
2018-19
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 36 | 36 | 13 | La Liga ✔️ |
| UCL | 10 | 12 | 3 | |
| Total | 50 | 51 | 16 |
Barcelona infamously blew a 4-1 aggregate lead in the Champions League semifinal to eventual winners Liverpool. Despite Messi‘s 51 goals and yet another domestic double, the season is remembered for failure on the big European stage.
2019-20
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 33 | 25 | 21 | La Liga ✔️ |
| UCL | 8 | 3 | 4 | |
| Total | 44 | 30 | 25 |
This was a transition year as Barcelona moved on from Ernesto Valverde midseason. Setien took over as manager but the squad chemistry turned toxic. They embarrassingly surrendered 8 goals to Bayern Munich in a UCL quarterfinal defeat.
2020-21
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 35 | 30 | 9 | Copa del Rey ✔️ |
| UCL | 6 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 38 | 11 |
Koeman took charge as Setien‘s replacement, but Barcelona still struggled, as Messi pushed to leave the club. He stayed but continued feuding with club executives. However, Barcelona did win the Copa del Rey domestic cup at least.
13. 2022-Present: World Cup Redemption
After the aforementioned nightmare debut season at PSG, Messi took drastic action – leaving for Arsenal in the Premier League at 35 years old:
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 35 | 23 | 13 | |
| World Cup | 7 | 7 | 3 | 🏆 |
While Arsenal narrowly missed out on the league title and he posted his lowest domestic goal contribution, Messi inspired Argentina to a long-awaited World Cup triumph. He dug deep physically to deliver awe-inspiring performances, as international glory >> club success for Messi‘s legacy.
12. 2005-06: Superstar Arrival
The 2005-06 campaign marked Messi‘s transition from scrawny teenager to global superstar despite being only 18 years old. He announced himself with standout performances in Barcelona‘s 2006 Champions League triumph:
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 22 | 8 | 5 | Champions League, La Liga |
| UCL | 8 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 30 | 9 | 6 |
When injury struck talisman Ronaldinho during the Champions League Round of 16 clash vs Chelsea, Messi stepped up mightily by scoring a late winner despite playing just 49 minutes. This seminal moment gave Barcelona belief Messi could carry them to glory.
10. 2008-2012: Barça‘s Golden Age
From 2008-2012, Messi spearheaded Barcelona‘s all-conquering dynasty under Pep Guardiola winning 14 trophies including two treble seasons. It marks the sustained prime peak of his powers, highlighted by these historic campaigns:
2008-09
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 31 | 23 | 11 | La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League |
| UCL | 12 | 9 | 5 | |
| Total | 52 | 38 | 16 |
This record-breaking treble winning season laid Barcelona‘s foundation for greatness. Messi transitioned fully into a right-winger role from his early days as a midfielder playmaker. He adapted by scoring more himself while still leveraging his elite passing vision, forging a deadly ‘MSN‘ trident with Samuel Eto‘o and Thierry Henry combining for over 100 goals.
2009-10
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 35 | 34 | 13 | La Liga ✔️ |
| UCL | 11 | 8 | 5 | |
| Total | 53 | 47 | 18 |
Messi produced arguably his most well-rounded statistical season, flirting with 50 goals while adding double-digit assists. He carried the scoring load with Eto‘o sold to Inter Milan, proving himself as the world‘s most dominant offensive force. Though they disappointingly exited the Champions League in the semis, their domestic double and Messi‘s individual brilliance earned him his first Ballon d‘Or trophy.
9. 2010-11: The Magical 50 Milestone
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 33 | 31 | 18 | Champions League, La Liga, Supercopa |
| UCL | 13 | 12 | 3 | |
| Total | 55 | 53 | 21 |
By the 2010-11 season, the soccer world realized witnessing history each week in Messi was becoming routine rather than special. Yet he still found ways to astonish with new records. On May 7, 2011, Messi broke a La Liga record that stood for 60 years by scoring 50 league goals in a season, despite missing several weeks injured. The prior record holders had been Hugo Sanchez and current Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti with 38. Let that sink in – Messi broke a 60-year record by 50%!
And he was still just 23 years old…the greatest season ever still awaited during his peak age 24-27 stretch…
7. 2014-17: MSN Magic
| Season | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 58 | 28 | La Liga, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Supercup |
| 2015-16 | 41 | 23 | La Liga 2x, Copa Del Rey, Supercopa |
| 2016-17 | 54 | 16 | Copa Del Rey |
The summer 2014 arrivals of Luis Suarez and Neymar to combine with Messi in the legendary ‘MSN’ attacking trident catalyzed the most prolific scoring outburst of his career. Their telepathic chemistry and breathtaking combination play shattered records and left defenders cowering in fear trying to contain them.
Over this three-year stretch, the MSN trio averaged over 100 goals per season. Opponents simply couldn’t handle Barcelona’s firepower and Sorare-esque pace throttling them on fast breaks with surgical scoring finishes. Table-topping dominance would be an understatement of Messi and Barcelona‘s tour de force during this peak MSN era…
While failing to lift the Champions League despite their embarrassment of riches, MSN left behind a treasure trove of iconic highlights and fantasy roster memories that deserve their own dedicated article…look out for that!
4. 2011-12: The Greatest Season Ever
Finally we‘ve arrived – the magnum opus season cementing Messi‘s legacy as the greatest of all-time during his peak age 25 form. Bars set sky-high coming off that 50-goal campaign? Challenge accepted, Leo seized all three Ballon d‘Or crowns in emphatic fashion:
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 37 | 50 | 16 | |
| UCL | 11 | 14 | 5 | |
| Copa Del Rey | 6 | 3 | 4 | 🏆 |
| Supercopa | 2 | 3 | 1 | 🏆 |
| Club World Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 🏆 |
| Total | 60 | 73 | 29 | 102 Goal Contributions 🤯 |
Not only did Messi shatter his own La Liga record set the prior season by scoring an unprecedented 50 goals again, he racked up 73 total goals across all competitions combining with 29 assists. That‘s over 1 goal contribution per match…I still shake my head in disbelief multiplying those video game statistics!
While Barcelona did fall short domestically to arch-rivals Real Madrid and saw their Champions League defense ended by a resilient Chelsea in the semis, Messi‘s personal hardware haul was overflowing. His record-smashing individual production and triumphant return from several injuries made this a season for the ages.
The media ran out of new superlatives and vocabulary to describe these herculean feats never witnessed previously in football history. Simply labeling this season as anything but the greatest seems insulting to what the sport experienced that fateful 2011-2012 campaign.
Closing Thoughts
If you‘ve made it this far reading my magnum opus reliving Messi magic, I appreciate you! Compiling this definitive career retrospective showcasing the exhilarating highs and gut-wrenching lows was a labor of love from a lifelong fan.
We‘ve cherished the blessing of witnessing transcendent, divine artistry on the pitch so many matches since his 2004 debut growing up beside our own maturation journeys. Through leaked transfer rumors, managerial turmoil, World Cup heartbreaks, changing leagues, fighting age and injuries, Leo‘s sustained excellence and consistency near the summit of football remains engraved in history.
While statistics and trophies partially reflect success, they fail to fully capture sentimental emotions. No metric quantifies the adrenaline of a tight match flowing to stoppage time with Messi carrying Argentina‘s hopes rounding a keeper 1v1 for 1994 redemption…but that signature left-footed finesse finish unleashing bedlam in Qatar sealed his legacy.
That long-awaited World Cup victory lap with his countrymen epitomized the poetic culmination of a movie script career 18 years writing himself. Undisputed GOAT status validated. What an unforgettable ending this is, as the credits perhaps roll on Leo‘s fairytale…