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Lionel Messi’s Top 10 Barcelona Moments

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Lionel Messi's Top 10 Barcelona Moments

Lionel Messi
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It's hard to believe, but Lionel Messi celebrates 10 years as a Barcelona player, leaving a myriad of magical memories and records in his wake. Narrowing down his best moments from a decade of being a Catalan champion and a mesmerizing Blaugrana playmaker might well be a tough task, but it's fun to look back in any case. With that, let's reflect on 10 of his finest moments.

10. First League Appearance

Lionel Messi celebrates
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10. First League Appearance

Lionel Messi celebrates
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Coming on as a late substitute for Deco against Espanyol, Lionel Messi may not have had much to celebrate in the 10 minutes he was on the field, but it was the beginning of one of the most successful careers in the world of football. Just over 17 years of age at the time, anyone watching would have known he must have had something special to get a run out in such a phenomenal side.

9. First Goal Against Albacete

Lione Messi
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9. First Goal Against Albacete

Lionel Messi
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Introduced as a replacement for Samuel Eto'o at half-time in a La Liga tie against Albacete, the diminutive Argentine didn't take long to net his first goal. Putting the ball in the net twice, Messi's first goal was incorrectly ruled offside. But that didn't deflate him, as just moments later he was played through once again by Ronaldinho to gracefully chip past the 'keeper. Thus, a beautiful romance between club and player began to bloom.

8. Hand Of God At Espanyol

Lionel Messi
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8. Hand Of God At Espanyol

Lionel Messi Barcelona
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As if in an effort to confirm his celestial superpowers, Lionel Messi took yet another step to shadowing Argentina's controversial and outspoken legend, Diego Maradona. When a cross was floated in from the right hand side, their central playmaker did his best to get on the end of it -- using all his might, and a bit of underhandedness to punch the ball past an infuriated defense; yet another snapshot of his genius.

7. His Champions League Final Goals

Messi scores header
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7. His Champions League Final Goals

Messi scores header
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Scoring one goal apiece in Barcelona's Champions League triumphs in 2009 and 2011, he couldn't score when they defeated Arsenal as he was injured. It's a huge testament to his character that he's managed to take the chances when they've come -- after all, it's not every day you get to play in Europe's premier club competition final, even if your name is Messi.

6. Zaragoza Goal in 2010

Messi vs Zaragoza
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6. Zaragoza Goal In 2010

Messi vs Zaragoza
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Yet another fantastic individual golazo, this time he displayed not just his fancy footwork, but also a steely determination, raw strength and sheer drive to boot. Dashing past the defenders with a lung-bursting pace, Messi turned them inside out before smashing his strike low, hard and into the bottom corner of the goal. It left his opponents reeling and once again reminded us all exactly what he's capable of.

5. El Clasico Triple

Lionel Messi Ballon D'Or
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5. 2007 El Clasico Triple

Lionel Messi Ballon D'Or
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Undoubtedly one of the most dramatic battles of all time between Barca and Real, Lionel Messi was still a fresh-faced teenager when he smashed home a trio of wondrous strikes in his first-ever El Clasico. It was one of the many stepping stones he traversed on his way to greatness.

4. Shades Of Maradona vs. Getafe

Messi vs Getafe
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4. Shades Of Maradona vs. Getafe

Messi vs Getafe
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In the 2007 Spanish Cup semi-final against Getafe, Barca's No. 10 again stole the headlines with a show-stopping display. Not only did he tuck away a fantastic solo goal that had press boxes with their jaws stuck to the floor, but he did it in a manner only legends could. In fact, it was pretty much a carbon-copy of Diego Maradona's goal. In its own right, however, it was a thing of beauty and one of the best goals you're ever likely to see.

3. All-Time El Clasico Scorer

Lionel Messi
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3. All-Time El Clasico Scorer

Lionel Messi
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Messi moved past Real Madrid legend and one of the best players in history, Alfredo Di Stefano, with his hat-trick in the El Clasico from earlier this year, as they ran out 4-3 winners. He also became the player to score the most amount of goals in the biggest derby in the game. With 21 goals to his name, and still many years left at the top, his is a record that should stand the test of time.

2. Messi Breaks 400

Lionel Messi scores
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2. Messi Breaks 400

Lionel Messi scores
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Back in September, it was Granada who fell victim to his superhuman skills as he hit a brace in their 6-0 win. Continually striving to get better, his will to improve is just absolutely boundless. Four centuries of goals and the former Newell's Old Boys star has not yet reached his peak, according to some statisticians.

1. All-Time La Liga Top Scorer?

Lionel Messi celebrates
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1. All-Time La Liga Top Scorer?

Lionel Messi celebrates
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Chasing down another massive record -- arguably the greatest number game he's ever played -- the 27-year-old is on the brink of something truly special, even by his incredibly lofty standards. With 249 La Liga goals to his name, he's just two behind current leader and former Athletic Bilbao hero Telmo Zarra. What a dream it would be if he could hold off until their showdown with Los Merengues in Week 9 -- wouldn't that be something special?

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