Lionel Messi hits 30 goals for 13th consecutive season

Lionel Messi will turn 34 in just over two months, but the Barcelona star’s incredible level shows no sign of relenting as he has netted a 30-goal season for the 13th successive campaign.

Messi achieved the feat in the Copa del Rey final, with his first of the night – Barcelona’s third on the way to a 4-0 win – bringing up the mark. It was a goal typical of what Barca have been producing in recent weeks, as he exchanged passes with Frenkie de Jong before dispatching his shot into the corner.

Four minutes later, Messi underlined his brilliance with his 31st of the season. This time it was Jordi Alba who supplied the pass that allowed the Argentine to fire into the near post.

Messi has now scored at least 30 clubs each season since the 2008/09 campaign, when he first achieved the mark by netting 38 times.

Since then, he has achieved incredible numbers for the Camp Nou side, with his tally of 31 last season, achieved in 44 games, his poorest return since 2007/08.

Remarkably, he hit at least 40 goals a campaign for 10 successive campaigns and even managed more than 50 in three successive seasons when he was at his absolute peak.

Indeed, Messi’s 2011/12 campaign will go down in history was one of the great individual seasons ever as he scored 73 times in just 60 matches, including hitting 50 goals in 37 La Liga games.

Messi’s achievement does not just highlight his outstanding ability as a footballer, but also his incredible fitness levels. As well as scoring goals by the barrowload, he has also needed to be available regularly, and this is his 14th season in succession in which he has played at least 40 matches.

Lionel Messi’s goalscoring record at Barcelona

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