13 years ago today on October 16, 2004, Lionel Messi made his Barcelona debut. He came on as a substitute against Espanyol for Deco in the 82nd minute while 1-0 up. At just 17 years, 3 months, and 22 days old, he was Barcelona’s youngest player to debut at the time. Messi only totaled 77 minutes during that first season.
In the last 13 years, Messi has 595 Barcelona appearances and scored 521 times. He has won the Ballon d’Or a record five times, cementing the fact that he is one of, if not the, best player to ever play the game.
A small corner of Messi’s personal trophy cabinet contains:
- La Liga x8 (2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16)
- Copa del Rey x5 (2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17)
- UEFA Champions League x4 (2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15)
- FIFA Club World Cup x3 (2009, 2011, 2015)
- Ballon d’Or x5 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015)
