These Messi goals are legendary! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most incredible goals ever scored by soccer icon Lionel Messi.
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00:00 Magisterio, Leona!
00:02 Magnifico!
00:03 Extraordinario!
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most incredible goals
00:10 ever scored by soccer icon, Leona Messi.
00:12 He's literally playing the tambourine on his knee when he dances past the defenders
00:16 emasculating each of them again!
00:20 Number 20.
00:21 Argentina vs USA
00:22 In the 2016 Copa America semi-final in Houston, Messi added another collector's item to
00:27 his extensive list of unstoppable free-kick goals.
00:30 Messi with a record-breaking goal to nothing Argentina!
00:34 USA goalkeeper Brad Gusan was planted slightly towards his left post.
00:39 His wall was set up close to the top of the box, lined up with his right post.
00:43 Messi sent a rocket the other way and it blistered into the top corner.
00:46 The technique, the power, the placement, everything was impeccable.
00:50 This work of art also happened to place Messi at the top of the list of most goals scored
00:53 by a player for the Argentina men's national team.
00:57 Number 19.
00:58 Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao
01:00 As part of the 4-0 Copa del Rey victory for Barca, Messi picked up the ball in his own
01:04 half and played a 1-2 combination with right-back Serginho Dest.
01:09 Then after several exquisite touches down the right flank, the Argentine combined beautifully
01:13 with teammate Frankie de Jong.
01:15 After running onto the pass played into the right side of the penalty area, Messi decelerated,
01:19 wiggled his way past the defender onto his left foot before coolly slotting home a precise
01:24 finish.
01:25 A mix of excellent movement, passing, dribbling, and composure by Messi.
01:33 Number 18.
01:34 Barcelona vs Celta Vigo
01:35 In the first half of Barcelona's La Liga match vs Celta Vigo, midfielder Serginho Busquets
01:41 spotted Messi with some room in the middle of the pitch, so he passed the ball with some
01:44 serious speed to find his teammate's chest.
01:46 With the defender on his back, Messi brought it down to his feet exceptionally.
01:50 He then turned with a few quick left-footed touches and began to dart toward the goal.
01:54 Another Celta Vigo defender approached Messi as he glided closer, but he had no answer.
02:03 The Argentine cut past him with ease and finessed the ball into the bottom corner.
02:07 The goal had announcer Ray Hudson producing some of his linguistic magic as he praised
02:11 Messi's brilliance.
02:12 Right on, Ray.
02:13 Number 17.
02:25 Barcelona vs Malaga
02:27 In the 2009 La Liga match vs Malaga, the Argentine gave soccer fans an indisputable reason to
02:32 think of him when thinking of the number 10.
02:40 Xavi Hernandez lofted a ball toward Messi on the right flank.
02:44 He beat the defender to it, chesting the ball into the space ahead of him.
02:47 Dribbling with intentful acceleration into the penalty area, he swiftly took two lightning-fast
02:52 left-footed touches past the defender to free up space for a right-footed poke past the
02:56 goalkeeper.
02:57 The pace, the intricate touches, the strike are absolutely fantastic.
03:02 Number 16.
03:03 Sevilla vs Barcelona
03:05 After picking the ball up in the center of the pitch, Messi guided it past a teammate
03:08 Andres Iniesta on the left.
03:11 Iniesta returned the favor by sliding the ball inside to an onrushing Messi.
03:15 After controlling the ball in stride, he took a stylish second touch through the legs of
03:18 a Sevilla defender.
03:20 His very next contact to the ball was a delicate chip over the goalkeeper and into the side
03:24 netting.
03:29 Pure genius by Messi.
03:30 This very goal was in fact one of his record-breaking 91 goals in the calendar year.
03:35 Number 15.
03:36 Barcelona vs Real Sociedad
03:39 There are times when Messi makes it look as if the defenders aren't even there.
03:42 This is one of them.
03:47 First he received the ball on the right side of the box.
03:50 Next he cut inside the defender, who lunged to no effect.
03:53 With a chance to shoot, Messi instead utilized a deceptive hesitation move and then another.
03:58 Instead of unleashing a strike, he kept dribbling across the box and around multiple defenders.
04:01 Finally, after gliding all the way across, he cushioned the ball past the goalkeeper
04:06 and into the side netting with extreme composure.
04:08 This goal was pure trickery and pure genius by Messi.
04:11 Number 14.
04:12 Sevilla vs Barcelona
04:14 In Barcelona's 2019 La Liga fixture in Sevilla, some great ball movement and player movement
04:19 eventually led to the ball reaching Ivan Rakitic on the wing.
04:22 With Messi patiently waiting, he used his intelligence and spatial awareness to find
04:26 some space between defenders.
04:28 And to create a better angle, he drifted back just a smidge to make himself available for
04:32 the cross from Rakitic.
04:41 When the ball came toward him in the air, Messi adjusted his body superbly to set himself
04:45 up for a first time volley into the top corner.
04:48 It was an absolute firecracker from the Argentine.
04:57 Number 13.
04:58 Argentina vs Brazil
04:59 During this international-friendly game, after receiving the ball on the wing just
05:03 past a halfway mark, Messi skated past left-back Marcelo.
05:07 He then took off dribbling toward the goal.
05:09 Before any Brazilian defender could impede his progress, the Argentine cut in on his
05:12 celestial left foot and hit a banger from outside the box to complete his hat-trick
05:16 and give his side the 4-3 edge.
05:18 The crowd inside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey erupted.
05:37 Number 12.
05:38 Barcelona vs Arsenal
05:39 During a 2011 Champions League Round of 16 match at home against Arsenal, midfielder
05:44 Andres Iniesta chopped a short through ball into the box.
05:47 It was utter wizardry from that point on.
05:49 Messi controlled the bouncing ball with his left foot as the goalkeeper rushed out toward
05:53 him to try to close him down.
05:55 But Messi readily dinked the ball over him, waited for it to come down to a reasonable
05:58 height and smashed a volley into the net.
06:00 The quick thinking and the ability to execute with such elegance had everyone inside the
06:04 camp now spellbound.
06:06 Number 11.
06:07 Barcelona vs Valencia
06:09 Once Messi received the ball in a pocket of space outside the box, he turned, accelerated
06:13 and sent warning signals to Valencia's defense.
06:16 After breezing past a couple defenders, another defender approached.
06:19 It was time for Messi to take him to school, just as the defender came running across toward
06:23 him.
06:24 Messi decelerated and sliced by him with ease.
06:26 From there, there was only one thing left to do.
06:29 Score.
06:31 And the Argentine did just that with a smooth finish inside the near post.
06:40 The goal exemplified Messi's otherworldly dribbling ability and precise finishing.
06:45 Number 10.
06:46 Real Betis vs Barcelona
06:48 After a pass to midfielder Ivan Rakitic on the left, Messi positioned himself well enough
06:52 to receive the ball.
07:03 On its way, Messi immediately chipped the ball over the outstretched goalkeeper off
07:07 the crossbar and into the net to complete his hat trick.
07:10 The goalkeeper was seemingly positioned well, but it didn't matter.
07:13 Bravo, Leo!
07:14 When the opposition's fans are cheering for you after you score in their stadium,
07:18 you must be doing something right.
07:30 Number 9.
07:31 Barcelona vs Bayern Munich
07:33 On their way to the 2015 Champions League final, Barcelona faced Bayern Munich in the
07:37 semifinals.
07:38 As part of that victory, Messi got many fans around the world out of their seats with one
07:42 of his most memorable moments of magic in the 80th minute.
07:45 Leo, positioned slightly inside from the right wing, received a splitting forward pass outside
07:50 the box.
07:51 In front of him was Bayern Munich's centre-back, Jerome Boateng.
07:54 The Barca man went straight at him.
07:56 He deceived Boateng, convincing him that he was cutting inside.
07:59 Instead, he swiftly went right, making the defender fall.
08:03 Messi then chipped the ball over goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and into the net.
08:06 He made them look silly, and it was just silly good.
08:09 Number 8.
08:10 Barcelona vs Eibar
08:11 Late in Barcelona's 2017 La Liga match vs Eibar, Barcelona striker Luis Suarez's shot
08:17 was saved, and the ball was then booted toward midfield.
08:20 But the danger wasn't totally clear.
08:22 Messi settled the ball from the sky, superbly chopped it past his opponent, and accelerated
08:26 forward.
08:27 He then proceeded to dance past a defender.
08:29 Three others couldn't stop him either.
08:31 The Argentine dribbled inside and slotted home a right-footed shot past the goalkeeper.
08:43 This was an instance of Messi taking matters into his own hands, skating past multiple
08:47 defenders on his way to a tremendous solo goal.
08:50 Number 7.
08:51 Barcelona vs Liverpool
08:52 During the first leg of the 2019 Champions League semi-final, Barca had a free-kick opportunity
08:57 from a significant distance outside the box.
09:00 But for Messi, it was certainly within shooting range.
09:02 The Argentine stepped up and sent a sizzler around the wall and into the top corner.
09:06 The curve, the power, and the placement were all impeccable.
09:09 It was Messi's 42nd free-kick goal for Barcelona, and perhaps his most impressive of the bunch.
09:14 It was also his 600th club goal for FC Barcelona, and it was a thing of beauty.
09:19 Number 6.
09:20 Real Zaragoza vs Barcelona
09:23 After battling for the ball and ultimately taking it from an opponent in the midfield,
09:27 Messi shrugged off the contact and accelerated forward.
09:30 He tickled the ball past a sliding defender and continued dribbling toward the left side
09:34 of the box.
09:35 Another defender approached, but Messi cut inside, spinning the opponent around before
09:39 cutting back the other way onto his left foot.
09:41 Finally, to cap it off, he slid home a shot in the right corner.
09:44 Utterly unpredictable.
09:45 A natural-born goalkeeper, Messi was the first to score a goal in the first half of the season.
09:56 Utterly unpredictable, announcer Ray Hudson called Messi.
09:59 That unpredictability, the way Messi twisted and turned the defender, and the decision-making
10:03 to do what he did when he did it was spectacular.
10:08 Number 5.
10:09 Getafe vs Barcelona
10:10 Against Getafe in a 2014 Copa del Rey match, Messi picked up the ball in midfield with
10:15 plenty of green grass ahead of him.
10:17 So he calmly dribbled forward, and when the first defender finally approached him, Messi
10:21 went right around him.
10:22 Then two more defenders approached, but a genius long touch through the traffic led
10:25 himself into the penalty box.
10:27 He quickly accelerated to the ball.
10:29 With the goalkeeper running out to try to close the angle, Messi coolly dribbled around
10:33 him before sliding the ball into the empty net.
10:40 It was a quintessential example of Messi making this extremely difficult maneuver look effortless.
10:45 Number 4.
10:46 Real Madrid vs Barcelona
10:48 At the 2011 Champions League semi-final between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, Messi made his
10:53 mark by producing one of his most iconic goals ever.
10:56 After passing the ball to teammate Sergio Busquets in the midfield, Messi ran toward
11:00 him to pick up the ball again.
11:01 He then sped forward and raced past a few Real Madrid defenders with a series of exceptional
11:06 touches.
11:07 To finish it off, he slid and guided the ball with his right foot into the side netting.
11:24 Messi displayed his incredible acceleration and skill with this legendary piece of art.
11:29 Number 3.
11:30 Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
11:31 With very little space to operate, Messi defied the odds with a jaw-dropping piece of skill
11:36 in a 2013 La Liga match versus Athletic Bilbao.
11:39 After first receiving the ball and evading one defender, Messi slowed down and cut back
11:43 inside.
12:00 He then hesitated and teased three defenders slicing past him with supreme elegance.
12:05 Once he opened up a sliver of space for a shot, he guided the ball past the goalkeeper
12:08 with incredible composure.
12:10 This goal was an archetypal example of Messi showing that the use of raw speed isn't
12:14 always necessary to dribble past defenders in tight areas.
12:18 Number 2.
12:19 Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
12:20 During Barcelona's 2015 Copa del Rey final match against Athletic Bilbao, Messi illuminated
12:25 the stadium with an extraordinary moment.
12:28 After a tricky pause while standing with the ball close to the halfway mark, he darted
12:31 to his right past a defender.
12:33 He got close to the sideline, three defenders tried to corral him.
12:36 But the lack of space didn't faze the Argentine.
12:39 He cut in and then caressed the ball around the left side of his opponent and ran past
12:42 him on the right.
12:43 Messi picked up steam toward the right side of the box.
12:46 Another defender approached, but he quickly cut inside and fired home a near post golazo.
13:00 This solo run by Messi was absolutely superhuman.
13:04 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
13:07 Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
13:09 Because Messi made getting by the defender and finishing look so effortless.
13:20 Tenerife vs Barcelona
13:21 Because Messi chipped it over the goalkeeper with amazing precision.
13:25 Argentina vs Mexico
13:26 Because Messi smoothly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper from a tough angle.
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13:54 Barcelona vs Getafe
13:57 Early in his career at just 19 years old, Messi gave the world a glimpse of his immense
14:01 talent with a magical solo goal against Getafe.
14:04 After settling the ball on the right flank in Barcelona's own half, he danced past an
14:08 onrushing opponent.
14:09 He then nutmegged the next man before accelerating forward.
14:12 With a group of defenders ahead, he skipped inside and poked the ball past a sliding defender.
14:17 Darting into the box, Messi pretended as if he would shoot but instead smoothly dribbled
14:21 around the goalkeeper before ultimately putting the ball in the net.
14:25 This magnum opus vs Getafe encapsulated Messi's otherworldly ability.
14:30 Let us know in the comments what your favorite Messi goal is that you saw!
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14:57 (upbeat music)