Career assets & trophy cabinet
Major titles
League & cup titles
Individual awards
Clubs & teams
- FC Barcelona2004–2021 · 672 goals — club record
- Paris Saint-Germain2021–2023
- Inter Miami CF2023–present
- Argentina2005–present · World Cup 2022
Total career numbers
- Career appearances
- 1,090
- Career goals
- 879
- Career assists
- 383
- Goals per 90
- 0.79
- Team trophies
- 46
Category profile
- Dominance
- 98
- Peak
- 99
- Longevity
- 92
- Honours
- 97
- Statistics
- 99
Career timeline · Form index per season
Editorial season form index (0–100), not raw goals or points. Raw season-by-season statistics are shown only where fully verified.
| Season | Form index per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8 | |
| 2006 | 17 | |
| 2007 | 16 | |
| 2008 | 38 | |
| 2009 | 47 | |
| 2010 | 53 | |
| 2011 | 73 | |
| 2012 | 60 | |
| 2013 | 58 | |
| 2014 | 41 | |
| 2015 | 54 | |
| 2016 | 45 | |
| 2017 | 51 | |
| 2018 | 31 | |
| 2019 | 38 | |
| 2020 | 41 | |
| 2021 | 35 | |
| 2022 | 21 | |
| 2023 | 27 | |
| 2024 | 29 | |
| 2025 | 46 |
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-14
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Lionel Messi ranks #1 in Football
Lionel Messi ranks #1 in Football and #1 of 5087 across all sports. The verified GOAT Score is 97.0/100.
The verified career covers 2004–present and 21 documented seasons. Peak is 99/100, with Peak the strongest category at 99/100 (20% weight). Key metrics: Career goals 879, Career assists 383, Ballon d'Or 8, World Cups 1.
Nearest context: ahead —; behind Cristiano Ronaldo (95.5). Rankings update whenever verified records change.
Lionel Messi GOAT Score explained
- Dominance98/100 · weight 25%
- Dominance: 98/100, based on the verified career record.
- Peak99/100 · weight 20%
- Peak: 99/100, based on the verified career record.
- Longevity92/100 · weight 20%
- Longevity: 92/100, based on the verified career record.
- Honours97/100 · weight 20%
- Honours: 97/100, based on the verified career record.
- Statistics99/100 · weight 15%
- Statistics: 99/100, based on the verified career record.
Top Messi comparisons
Lionel Messi — frequently asked
- Is Lionel Messi the GOAT?
- According to GOAT Rank's current data model, Lionel Messi ranks #1 in Football with a GOAT Score of 97.0/100 and #1 of 5087 across all sports.
- What is Lionel Messi's GOAT Score?
- 97.0/100, calculated from the verified career record: Dominance 98 (25%), Peak 99 (20%), Longevity 92 (20%), Honours 97 (20%), Statistics 99 (15%).
- Where does Lionel Messi rank all time?
- #1 of 5087 eligible athletes across all sports and #1 in Football.
- Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: who ranks higher?
- Lionel Messi ranks higher at 97.0 versus Cristiano Ronaldo at 95.5, a margin of 1.5 points.