Inter Miami-bound Lionel Messi turned 36 on Saturday and to help him celebrate The Athletic has compiled 36 different stats, facts and pieces of trivia about one of the greatest footballers of all time.
How many hat-tricks has the Argentinian scored? Has he ever been sent off? How many trophies has he picked up during his glittering career?
We have got all that and more covered right here…
1) Messi scored 672 goals for Barcelona — more than anyone has ever scored for a single club. The previous record had been held by Pele who scored 643 times for Brazilian side Santos from 1956 to 1974. Like Messi, Pele moved to the U.S. in his mid-30s (he joined the old NWSL’s New York Cosmos).
2) Messi has scored 807 goals in his career so far (672 for Barca, 32 for Paris Saint-Germain and 103 for Argentina). The breakdown of those goals by body part is left foot: 676, right foot: 103, head: 26, chest: 1 and hand: 1. His very own ‘Hand of God’ goal came against Espanyol in June 2007.
3) Messi scored 91 times for club and country in 2012, which is the most goals ever scored in a calendar year by a top-level player. He surpassed German great Gerd Muller’s total of 85 from 1972.
4) Messi has scored more goals in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues than anyone else in history. His goal…
