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  4.  > 2012
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  6.  > Lionel Messi
 

2012 UEFA Best Player in Europe nominees
2012
The nominees

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Season's achievements

• The winner of the 2011 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award scored 73 goals in 60 club appearances.

• Won the ESM Golden Shoe with a record-breaking 50 league goals, a total which included six hat-tricks and two four-goal hauls. In March 2012 he surpassed César Rodríguez as FC Barcelona's all-time leading scorer, taking his tally to 234 in all competitions with a treble in a 5-3 home win against Granada CF.

• Finished as the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League for the fourth successive season, five of his record 14 goals coming in the 7-1 victory against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the round of 16 second leg.

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Year in numbers

apparances

48

11 in UEFA competitions

37 in domestic competitions

Minutes played

4258

990 in UEFA competitions

3268 in domestic competitions

Goals

64

14 in UEFA competitions

50 in domestic competitions

Assists

21

5 in UEFA competitions

16 in domestic competitions

Goal attempts

278

76 in UEFA competitions

202 in domestic competitions

Passes completion %

85.55%

86.9% in UEFA competitions

84.2% in domestic competitions

Matches won

30

3 in UEFA competitions

27 in domestic competitions

Matches drawn

8

1 in UEFA competitions

7 in domestic competitions

Matches lost

4

1 in UEFA competitions

3 in domestic competitions

UEFA competitions: Matches in UEFA's own competitions e.g. UEFA EURO 2012, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Non-EURO international matches are not included.
Domestic competitions: Matches in the player's domestic league. (Figure does not include cup matches.)

What they said

“
Lionel has hogged the limelight all season, I can't be envious. I hope that in the future he continues doing as well.
Josep Guardiola on Messi stealing the show with all the goals as Barcelona defeated local rivals RCD Espanyol 4-0 in his final home game in charge (May 2012)
”
“
I tried to hold off on the second penalty until the keeper committed himself but that was tricky because he [Christian Abbiati] is huge. He waited for me and I knew he could get to either side of the goal by diving full length – as he did when he got a touch to the first one.
Messi talks UEFA.com through his second successful spot kick against AC Milan – a strike with which he matched José Altafini's 14-goal European Cup best for a single season (April 2012)
”
“
It's not easy to score five goals in a single game and that's coming from someone who scored 11 in his entire career. If he wants to, he'll score six one day.
Guardiola lauds Messi after the Barcelona No10 scored five times against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg (March 2012)
”
“
Xavi, you deserve the trophy just as much as me. Without you I wouldn't have won and I want to thank you for being such a good friend.
Messi pays tribute to team-mate Xavi Hernández after receiving the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the third year in succession (January 2012)
”
  1. UEFA.com
  2.  > UEFA
  3.  > UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
  4.  > 2012
  5.  > The nominees
  6.  > Lionel Messi
 
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