6 Messi Records That Will Not Be Broken After Winning Eighth Ballon d'Or

• Lionel Messi was announced as the winner of the 2023 Ballon d'Or award this week
• The Argentine veteran fended off challengers in Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe
• The Inter Miami star leaves behind numerous records for the football history books

Lionel Messi secured his eighth Ballon d'Or award in Paris on Monday (October 30), adding another accolade to his extensive list of awards.

The golden ball, which has been associated with his name ever since Argentina triumphed in the FIFA World Cup on December 18 last year, was the missing piece from his remarkable collection, completing his enviable record.

However, Messi is aware that - having moved away from the prominent stages of the major leagues - his era in the awards has come to an end.

"I think yes, this is going to be my last Ballon d'Or," he said in an interview, per Europsport.

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When even the Argentine maestro himself acknowledges things must come to an end, we must now contemplate whether there will ever be someone who can win more Ballon d'Or awards in the future.

However, that's not the sole Pulga record that appears 'impossible' to surpass. Sports Brief, per a report by Marca, delves into seven more.

91 goals in a calendar year

We're discussing the combined total of goals from club and national team matches. To grasp the magnitude of this achievement, which Messi accomplished in 2012, consider some prominent names of the time.

Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo, both prolific goal machines, reached a maximum of 69 goals in a single calendar year. The Polish striker achieved this feat in 2021 while playing for the dominant Bayern Munich, while the Portuguese superstar accomplished it during his tenure with Real Madrid in 2013.

Here are a few more examples: Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have netted 44 and 40 goals in 2023 thus far, with two months of competition remaining for both. It's evident to all of us that the Norwegian has had an outstanding year, yet he still lags behind Messi's record by 47 goals.

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82 goals in a season (73 for his club)

The two statistics, which encompass both total goals (combining national team and club level) and those scored at the club level alone during the 2011/12 season, stand as unparalleled records.

To further illustrate the difficulty of achieving this milestone, consider that Ronaldo, during his most prolific goal-scoring season, reached 61 goals with Real Madrid (2014-2015) and 66 including those for Portugal.

Per Bleacher Report, Gerd Muller netted a total of 67 goals in 1972/73, and Pele scored 66 in 1957/58. Comparatively, Messi's tally in the 2011/12 season truly seems otherworldly.

50 goals in a league season

For two decades, a prevailing question in La Liga revolved around the possibility of someone surpassing the shared scoring record of 38 goals, held by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sanchez, achieved during the 1950/51 and 1989/90 seasons, respectively.

Since 2010, Ronaldo breached this milestone three times, Messi replicated it another three times, and Luis Suarez did so once.

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Of those, it was the Argentine who pushed the furthest, setting a remarkable record of no less than 50 goals in a single league season (his famed rival managed 48 in the 2014/15 season).

19 consecutive matchdays with at least one goal

The sheer magnitude of this record is highlighted when we consider the second and third positions, which were held by Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldo (CR7), each accomplishing scoring streaks that spanned 10 consecutive matchdays.

In contrast, Messi elevated this streak to 19, effectively finding the back of the net in every single team encounter throughout the 2012/13 season. What makes this record even more remarkable is that it was briefly interrupted by an injury, underscoring the potential for an even more remarkable achievement.

Remarkably, after recovering from his time on the sidelines, he resumed his scoring streak in the subsequent two games, further solidifying his record for the most consecutive games played and scored in, extending it to an incredible 21 matches.

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474 goals in La Liga

Before the emergence of Messi and Ronaldo, La Liga's top goal scorer was Telmo Zarra, who continues to occupy the third position with an impressive tally of 252 goals to his credit.

In sharp contrast, the Argentine accumulated 474 goals, surpassing the Portuguese second-highest scorer by 163 goals, and leaving the third-placed scorer trailing by 224 goals.

For added perspective on this achievement, let's consider the leading goal scorers in the other five major leagues compared to Messi in La Liga:

In the Premier League, it's Alan Shearer with 260 goals - a substantial 214 fewer than Messi; in Serie A, Silvio Piola holds the record with 274 goals - 200 goals fewer than Messi; in the Bundesliga, Gerd Muller leads with 365 goals - 109 goals short of Messi; and in Ligue 1, Delio Onnis tops the list with 299 goals, trailing Messi by 175 goals.

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Messi's wife celebrates Ballon d'Or win

Sports Brief also reported on Messi's wife, Antonella Roccuzzo being filled with joy after his latest Ballon d'Or win.

She tearfully watched her husband and their three sons on stage after Messi received his eighth top football prize.