Lionel
Messi has mesmerised the world with his magical abilities for nearly two
decades en route to establishing himself as arguably football’s greatest ever player. And
apart from his talents on the pitch, it has been his consistency over
the years that have made him stand apart from the mere mortals of the sport.

Messi’s dribbling
is aided by his low centre of gravity – which helps him better control his
momentum and change directions instantaneously – and his incredible burst of
acceleration over short distances – allowing him to leave defenders in his wake.
He is the greatest exponent of the ‘body fake’, throwing defenders off by
faking his movement in one direction before going the other way.

Also Read | Lionel Messi turns 34: Lesser-known facts about the star Argentina footballer

Although it
is hard to pick out the best from the Argentine wizard’s 745 goals for club and
country, on his 34th birthday, let’s take a look at five of the most
iconic goals from his career.

Brazil 3-4 Argentina,
international friendly, 2012

This goal
is from the year Messi broke all goal-scoring records, going on to net a
mind-boggling 91 times in the calendar year. And he was in that menacing form
during an international friendly against Brazil, scoring a hattrick in
Argentina’s 4-3 win.

The last of
those goals was the pick of the lot, as he cut in from the right wing in signature style and curled his effort into the top corner.

Barcelona
vs Getafe, Copa del Rey, 2007

This goal
drew instant comparisons with Diego Maradona’s ‘goal of the century’ against
England in the 1986 World Cup. Receiving the ball just beyond the half-line,
Messi went on a slaloming run to beat the entire Getafe defence on his own,
before rounding the keeper and scoring into an empty net.

Also Read | ‘God of football’, ‘alien’: How Lionel Messi has been described over the years

Barcelona
vs Real Madrid, Champions League semi-final, 2011

Messi
scored this iconic goal against Barcelona’s eternal rivals from the Spanish capital
as the Catalans went on to win their fourth Champions League crown. Messi
played a one-two with Sergio Busquets before unleashing another incredible solo
run to beat the Madrid defence and slot past a hapless Iker Casillas in goal.

Athletic
Bilbao vs Barcelona, Copa del Rey final, 2015

For the opening
goal of the 2015 Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, Messi scored what
is one of the greatest goals of a cup final. After receiving the ball from Dani
Alves just inside the Bilbao half, he beat three players on the right wing, cut
back inside and unleashed a pinpoint shot to find a narrow gap at the keeper’s
near post.

Also Read | Is Copa America 2021 Messi’s last chance to win an international trophy?

Barcelona
vs Bayern Munich, Champions League semi-final, 2015

Messi
scored a brace in Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Bayern Munich en route to
winning the Champions League in 2015. For his second goal, he left Jerome Boateng
for dead, ‘breaking his ankles’ with a body fake before chipping the ball over an onrushing Manuel
Neuer to score.