2012 was a very rich year from a sporting point of view, full of important events, images, feats, protagonists, champions, but if you really have to choose a face to put on the cover, you can't not include Lionel Messi's, just 25 years already among the greatest sportsmen ever, not only for the world of football. The year began with the Argentine number 10 who lifted his third consecutive Ballon d'Or and ended with the blaugrana phenomenon very fast on his historic conquest of his 4th, which in all probability will be delivered to him on 7 January in Zurich, beating competition from Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Iniesta, and with all due respect to three monuments of football history such as Cruyff, Platini and Van Basten, the "mortals", in comparison with the extraterrestrial Leo, capable of winning the prize in three occasions. La Pulce enjoyed 12 memorable (and perhaps unrepeatable) months from a personal point of view in which he scored without interruption, closing, thanks to his last goal for Valladolid, with the crazy record of 91 goals scored during the year solar, surpassing by six lengths the previous record of Gerd Muller (85) which had lasted for 40 years, despite an injury at the beginning of December that seemed to be able to hinder his run-up. The frightening final figure of 91 goals, 79 scored for Barcelona (44% of the 178 total goals scored by the Catalans) and 12 for Argentina, was reached by taking the field 69 times, with an average of 1,3. 24 goals per game, to which Messi added XNUMX assists, just to please.
The impressive thing about this feat, which gives the measure of what the Barça striker managed to do, is rendered by the parallel with some statistical numbers of some "normal" (but not too normal) players or teams, to which Leo holds the comparison alone counting exclusively the last 12 months: Messi has in fact scored more goals than those seen at the last European Championships (76), he has scored more goals than those Pelè has scored in his career with the Brazil shirt (77), exceeded by 11 lengths the total number of goals (80) served by Inter in 2006/2007 to win the championship with 97 points (record for our Serie A), scored one more center than the sum of goals in 2012 by Cavani (44), Milito (29) and El Shaarawy (17) with their respective club teams, who together reach 90, 90 is also the total number of goals scored so far with club teams (Lyon and Real Madrid) from the French peer Karim Benzema (not the least of the forwards), went on goal 10 times more than Maradona's total in his adventure at Napoli (81, in six seasons), finally scored only 4 fewer goals than those of AC Milan in its official matches in 2012 (95).
Furthermore, for Messi in his fantastic 2012 also the recognition of the Golden Boot (50 goals), the title of top scorer in the last Champions League for the fourth consecutive edition and the absolute record for goals in a season between club and national team (82 in 2011/2012, better than Pele who had stopped at 75 in 1958), overshadowing his lifelong rival Cristiano Ronaldo (for him this year "only" 63 total goals, 58 out of 58 appearances for Real) and also the sensational numbers of Falcao. In the space of 7 and a half years, from the first goal for Barcelona on May 1, 2005 against Albacete, Rosario's "Pulce" has shattered every type of record, improving every year and rewriting records that had lasted for decades and are now hardly surmountable, with many years of his career still ahead he has already guaranteed himself a place in the legend of the sport. It had been clear for some time that no one could hold a candle to him, perhaps only Cristiano Ronaldo could be compared to Leo for what he has shown in recent years, with the Portuguese considered by some to be even stronger by analyzing some specific characteristics, such as the headers or set pieces to make him more complete, but also from this point of view the Argentine has further expanded his infinite technical baggage, starting to score continuously even directly from a free kick (jokes in perfect Maradonian style). Speaking of Diego, in the last year Messi has also greatly improved his performance with the Albiceleste shirt, with which in the past he was unable to perform like in Barca and were the only source of criticism against him . Now that he has finally become decisive, with his plays and his goals, even in the national team, the last exclusive piece missing from his endless palmares is the conquest of the World Cup, the last bulwark to which Pele and Maradona remain strenuously clinging to contend for him. still the throne of god of football, even if by now there are more and more and in a clear majority those who already consider him the strongest footballer of all time. Yet, in this 2012 full of personal successes, with Barcelona he only lifted the Copa del Rey, leaving La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup to Mourinho's Real and being sensationally eliminated in the Champions League semifinal by Chelsea, then winner of the trophy, at the end of an incredible return match.
But Lionel, who has now reached his native Argentina for the end of 2012 for the holidays and a well-deserved rest after a season always at the top, declared that he was working with his team-mates precisely to make up for the disappointment of the last edition and that he wanted to reach all cost the Wembley final to take back the cup. The number ten, who has not yet digested the elimination of a year ago, has also already warned Milan, the blaugrana's next opponent in the round of 2013, and underlined once again that in the end only the outcome and the importance of the match count. collective, considering his goals less important if they don't lead to titles in the end. But surely Messi and his companions will have the opportunity to make up for this 16, which will start with a Liga practically in their pocket, with a XNUMX-point lead over their rivals Real.
To confirm the greatness of the Argentine talent, which this year more than ever has made all fans and insiders rub their eyes, the rumor (unconfirmed) of a monstrous offer arrived from a Russian team (probably the Anzhi of Eto'o) equal to 30 million a year for the player for three seasons and 250 million immediately in Barca's coffers. Proposal, true or not, kindly and promptly declined by Messi, fresh from his contract renewal until 2018 with the Catalan club, to which he has sworn eternal love and among whose ranks he wants to end his career, also linked to the memory of what this club did for him when he was a kid and helped him solve a serious malformation problem, which could have robbed us of the wonders of this phenomenon. Although many would not mind quenching their curiosity to see him at work with another shirt. Lionel Messi, inimitable, unique, eternal, but also a father, yes because this magical 2012 of his also gave him the greatest joy of all, namely the birth of little Thiago, in comparison with whom even the records, Golden Balls and Champions League they are little stuff.
