Lionel Messi is making a mockery of claims that his 2020/21 season has been poor.

Sure, Barcelona haven't been covering themselves in glory throughout the 2020/21 campaign, trailing by ten points in the La Liga title race and losing the Spanish Super Cup final.

But give or take his first red card for the Catalans, Messi has been bucking the trend of his club with a series of superb performances that have undercut the criticism towards him in mid-2020.

Messi's remarkable statistics

Truth be told, Messi's lack of goals from open play after the restart were certainly concerning, but his placement amongst Europe's best for statistics suggested he was still thriving in other departments.

However, now that the non-penalty goals have returned in tandem, Messi has been able to dial down the volume of his haters and remind everybody why he's one of the best players in the world.

But even if Messi's form really did fall off a cliff - I don't know, God forbid, say he suffered a serious injury or completed a botched transfer - it would still do little to tarnish his astonishing legacy.

One of the greatest of all time

In other words, Messi would hang up his boots tomorrow and he would still be kissing the beautiful game goodbye with one of the greatest records that the sport has ever seen.

Now, don't get us wrong, this isn't us nailing our colours to the mast of the GOAT debate because Messi is by no means lightyears clear of, say, Cristiano Ronaldo or Diego Maradona.

However, regardless of whether you consider him to be the undisputed number one or not, it's simply impossible to argue that he's not in the conversation because the evidence speaks for itself.

Brilliant Messi Twitter thread

Sceptical? Well, as someone who has waded through their fair share of Twitter threads about Messi in my time, I can vouch for the fact that one of the very best of them has emerged this week.

That's because Twitter user @MessiCav10i - take from that username what you will - has compiled a fascinating thread outlining: "Why it’s impossible to replicate Lionel Messi’s career..."

It's a bold premise, I'm sure you'll agree, but we're inclined to think that it sticks the landing, so be sure to check out the full thread down below:

Just imagine scoring 40 goals every season for a decade and a half and still finishing more than 100 strikes behind Messi's career total. It's beggar belief.

Messi's incredible legacy

And while it's easy to become numb to Messi's overall goal tallies given how often his statistics are circulated, it's their overall impact on the wider footballing world that really puts them into context.

As the Twitter thread highlights, Messi has contributed to 10% of every Barcelona goal scored in their 122-year history, while his brilliance is also sending ripples through wider European history.

And those facts alone are enough to make you think that Messi's career will never be replicated because as much as future legends will come and go, it's hard to see there being another Messi.