Lionel Messi's season for Barcelona helping secure best player ever status:-

For years now, Lionel Messi has been considered one of the best footballers ever to play the game. Although comparing the Argentine genius to legends such as Diego Maradona, Pele or  Cruyff seemed outrageous at first, his impressive stats in terms of Ballon d'Ors won (five), collective titles conquered (26) and goals scored (439) at only 28 years of age prove that he truly deserves to be considered in such high calibre company.While Messi's innate skill is unquestionable, it is the way in which he has constantly adapted to his teammates and evolved into a much more complete player with time which is the most impressive.Football experts generally agreed that Messi had reached his peak in 2012, when he found the net a jaw-dropping 91 times to beat Gerd Muller's previous record (85) of most goals scored in a calendar year. At the time, the diminutive No.10 was thriving in his role as a false striker and showcasing his lethal goal-scoring instinct week in week out.ssi