Happy Birthday GOAT: Lionel Messi reaches 250 assists, a look at his incredible stats this season

Widely seen as the “Greatest Of All Time”, Lionel Messi has turned a year older today. On the occasion of his 33rd birthday, a look at his mind-blowing stats from this season.

Considered as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) by many, Lionel Messi, celebrates his 33rd birthday on June 24, 2020. The superstar footballer was in action for his boyhood club FC Barcelona on the eve of his birth anniversary and once again played an instrumental role in his side’s 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. In the match, Messi went on to register his 250th assist for Barca as the club dethroned Real Madrid at the top of the league standings.

It’s been a strange season for Barcelona, with the club struggling to impose their dominance in the league, unlike the past few seasons. The Champions League has been no different where Barcelona have taken narrow wins and rode their luck to avoid defeats in order to progress to the Round of 16. Despite it being a topsy-turvy battle for the top honours this season, one man who has continued to shine for the club is Lionel Messi.

In the La Liga this season, Messi has:

• Most goals (21)
• Most assists (15)
• Most chances created (67)
• Most take-ons completed (147)
• Most big chances created (28)
• Most fouls won in the final third (28)
• Most hat-tricks (3)
• Most goals from outside the box (8)

Only two players have completed 10+ take-ons in a single game in LaLiga this season

• Barcelona’s Lionel Messi
• Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard

Messi, however, has done this thrice already.

The Argentine is the first player in Europe’s top 5 leagues to complete 10+ take-ons and create 5+ chances in a single game this season.

It is also the 5th consecutive season that Messi has 15+ goals and 15+ assists for Barcelona. Since the 2006-07 season, only four other players have managed to do so in a single campaign.

• Eden Hazard – Twice
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Luis Suárez 
• Jadon Sancho

Messi, however, has already done it 5 times.

An astounding stat highlighting Messi’s brilliance is that since the 2006-07 season, the Barcelona forward has been either first or second in terms of successful dribbles in leagues all across the world. He averages 4.6 successful dribbles a game while the player occupying the second spot sits at 4.0.

Against Atheltic Bilbao, Messi could also have gotten his 700th career goal for Barcelona and Argentina but that couldn’t happen. With Barca set to play Celta Vigo in La Liga on Saturday, Messi could be celebrating another huge milestone in his illustrious career.

source: timesnownews.com