Friday, 28th December, 2012
Lionel Messi has been named the top striker of the year by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
The accolade is yet another one for the Argentine, who recently broke Gerd Muller’s record for the number of goals scored in a calendar year. Messi has finished 2012 with 91 strikes to his name, six more than the 85 Muller scored in 1972.
Now Messi has been crowned by the IFFHS as the top goalscorer out of the world’s top 60 leagues.
The IFFHS has also saluted Messi for having a strike rate of 1.37 goals per game, better than Cristiano Ronaldo’s 1.21.
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Messi is expected to bag another honour early in the new year, when the result of the 2012 Ballon d’Or is announced.
The Argentine is the strong favourite to win what would be his fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or accolade.
His rivals for the prize are club team-mate Andres Iniesta and eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony on 7th January.
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