Lionel Messi continues to hold one of the most impressive records in European soccer history. During the 2012-13 season with FC Barcelona, the Argentine scored in 21 consecutive La Liga matches, netting 33 goals and becoming the first player to score against all opponents in a single campaign.

This streak, which remains the longest in the major European leagues, is still out of reach even for the best strikers today.

Lionel Messi's record-breaking goal streak that defined an era

Messi not only broke records, but redefined consistency in elite football. That season ended with 46 league goals and 100 points for Barcelona under Tito Vilanova. It was a period marked by four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards and historic figures such as 91 goals in a calendar year, cementing the Argentine as the most dominant player of his generation.

De los 21 goles marcados por Erling Haaland en lo que va de temporada, solo 1 ha sido de penalti.

Mientras tanto, Kylian Mbappé (17 goles) y Harry Kane (19 goles) han marcado 6 goles cada uno de penalti. pic.twitter.com/RRZhyiFwVm

— Futbol de Inglaterra (@Mercado_Ingles) October 11, 2025

To put it into context, in the Premier League the record for consecutive games scoring is 11, set by Jamie Vardy in 2015-16, exactly half of Messi's mark. Even Gerd Muller, the Bayern Munich legend, was stuck on 16 matches more than half a century ago.

Haaland, Mbappe and Kane fall short next to Lionel Messi

In 2025, three stars tried to come close to the feat without success. Erling Haaland saw his run of 12 games end in Manchester City's 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, despite scoring a goal that was ruled out for offside. Kylian Mbappe, with 11 consecutive games scoring for Real Madrid and 43 goals in 44 games in the year, could not match the record either. Harry Kane, for his part, closed his best start to the season with 10 consecutive games scoring for Bayern, but was far from the record.

¡¡ESTÁN HOMENAJEANDO A LIONEL MESSI Y CRISTIANO RONALDO!!

➤ Erling Haaland: 23 goles y 3 asistencias en 13 partidos.
➤ Harry Kane: 22 goles y 3 asistencias en 14 partidos.
➤ Kylian Mbappé: 18 goles y 4 asistencias en 14 partidos.

Considerando su rendimiento a nivel de clubes… pic.twitter.com/9cDy1ejajU

— Invictos (@InvictosSomos) October 20, 2025

Three attempts, three failures. Messi's streak remains a monumental challenge, a test that his dominance in European football was unique and difficult to replicate. Will anyone be able to break it in the future? For now, the story still belongs to the Argentine.