Understatement alert: Lionel Messi had a pretty good year in 2012.
The soccer superstar opened the calendar year by scoring against Osasuna on Jan. 4. He brought 2012 to a close by scoring against Valladolid. Sandwiched in between those moments was a once-in-a-lifetime goal-scoring spree.
Messi scored 91 times in 2012, setting a new record for most goals in a calendar year. The previous high of 85, which belonged to German great Gerd Muller, stood for 40 years until Messi passed it earlier this month.
He scored 79 goals for his club, FC Barcelona, and 12 for Argentina’s national team. He played against 37 opponents in 2012 and only failed to score against six of them.
While there is some dispute over the legitimacy of Messi’s record — Zambian legend Godfrey Chitalu reportedly scored 107 in 1972 — there is no denying that the Argentina and Barcelona forward is a rare gem of a player.
Let’s take a few minutes and relive each and every one of those 91 goals. It’s easier than fishing for new superlatives to describe a player whose excellence is beyond compare.
Watch all 91 of Messi’s 2012 goals in the video below.
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