2006/2007

After the disappointment of the World Cup, Messi was back with Barcelona in what would prove to be his breakthrough season. Early in the campaign he established himself as a regular first team, not least after impressing against both Chelsea and Real Madrid.

However, as has been a career issue for Leo forever, on 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months. After receiving treatment from medical teams back in his home country of Argentina, he returned to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February.

One month after his return, on 10 March, he played his first full league match since the injury against Real Madrid. This El Clásico saw Messi in top form, scoring a hatrick to earn 10-man Barcelona a remarkable 3-3 draw, with Barcelona equalising three times, with the last of which coming in injury time. In doing so he became the first player since Iván Zamorano and the first Barcelona player since Romário to hit a hat-trick in El Clásico. Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture, let alone a hatrick.

Without a doubt, Messi’s finest moment to came came on 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe. The first of which was very similar to Maradona’s famous goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Statisticians show that he ran about the same distance, 62 metres, beat the same number of players – five, scored from a very similar position, falling over in the process, before he ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in the Mexico World Cup 21 years before him.

Despite performing well as a team through the season, Lionel’s Barcelona would end this season trophyless, finishing as runners up in La Liga, and losing in the latter stages of the both the Copa Del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.