Lionel Messi has flown slightly under the radar recently. This is likely because of two things: Argentina's poor World Cup campaign - and Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus stealing the limelight.
And so we thought it would be a good idea to remember that period of his career where he was just off the charts, a time when no one came close to his talent.
It was when in 2012, Messi scored 91 goals and provided 29 assists in 69 games. It's an unprecedented amount. Those stats that are simply unheard of today. Even though Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still playing, with their ridiculous goal to game ratio intact, this period, the peak Messi years, is almost too good to be true.
Messi has blown the rest of the greats out of the water with his unique footballing talent. His goals, assists and individual and club trophies record are unmatched, with only Ronaldo offering any sort of rivalry.
Now, at 31-years-old, Messi is past his peak and so we may never a player perform to that standard ever again.
The striker almost helped Barcelona go through an entire season without losing a single game, but the La Liga giants collapsed at the final hurdle. Messi's ventures in Europe last season didn't go too well, either. Barcelona fell victim to a massive comeback from AS Roma, losing 3-0 in the away leg, after 4-1 win at the Nou Camp.
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Even still, Messi and Barca earned another La Liga title last season.
Will we ever have another player as good as Messi in football again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Football, Man United, Newcastle United
