Messi, the king of the finals

Messi, the king of the finals

The Argentine has won his last six finals with Barcelona

Before a final the same things are always said: it's a one-off game, anyone can win it, form is irrelevant...etc.  All those things are true. As true as the fact that the presence of Lionel Messi is an underlying factor in the fact Barcelona have won 14 of the 17 finals the Argentine has played in. With the boy from Rosario in the team, you can always feel more optimistic, and if the going gets tough, you can always count on him pulling off something special.

Messi has been playing in finals for Barcelona for 12 years. He has played 17 single-game finals and won 14 of them, losing only three. He has also played nine two-legged finals, winning six and losing three. In total, 26 finals, 20 victories and six disappointments. His success rate in finals is a highly satisfying 77 percent,

TROPHY NUMBER 31

Messi, the king of finals, has won six one-game finals in a row, beating Athletic Bilbao, Juventus, Sevilla, River Plate, Sevilla and Alaves. And in each of those showpiece games he has scored a goal or provided an assist.

In Madrid, Messi will go for one more final victory, which would take him to 31 trophies with Barça.