Battle for Lionel Messi: Why every club in the world would want him - the Barcelona stats and pictures

Season by season, what the Argentine genius has brought to Barca

Lionel Messi's shock announcement that he wants to leave Barcelona looks like the opening salvo in negotiations around the fine details of his contract and the all-important get-out clause.

The 33-year-old Argentine has announced his wish to leave the club whose academy he joined at the age of 13, beginning a glittering career which has soured over the past 12 months under the management of president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

If Messi does leave - and that is far from certain - there is not a club on the planet that wouldn't want him in their side.

Every season his stats have proved what a great player he is, as the gallery above shows.

In total, he has played 731 times for Barcelona, scoring an incredible 634 goals and contributing 285 assists.

Above is a picture gallery of his amazing record. To move through the seasons, simply swipe or click on the arrows.