Messi map: How Argentine maestro conquered the world
By Tom McGowan, CNN
updated 10:57 AM EST, Tue December 4, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Lionel Messi has scored 84 goals so far in 2012
- The Barcelona star has scored 72 goals for the Catalan club and 12 goals for Argentina
- The Barcelona star needs just two more goals to break Gerd Muller's all-time record
- Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker Muller scored 85 goals in 1972
(CNN) -- Lionel Messi has dominated the football landscape in 2012 scoring goals for club and country at a rate unparalleled by any of his peers.
The Argentina and Barcelona star has 84 goals this calendar year and needs just one more to equal the record set by German World Cup winner Gerd Muller in 1972 and the three-time World Player of the Year could potentially equal and break Muller's landmark against Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.
To celebrate the iconic No. 10's annus mirabilis, CNN has charted every single goal scored by Messi during an incredible 12 months for Barcelona and Argentina.
Explore the map above to learn more, clicking the icons to see when and where Messi found the back of the net.
Part of complete coverage on
Be part of CNN's coverage of European Champions League matches and join the social debate.
updated 10:34 AM EDT, Wed April 24, 2013
Luis Suarez's biting of Branislav Ivanovic is the latest episode of moments of madness when soccer stars behave badly.
updated 5:38 AM EDT, Fri March 29, 2013
Sunderland's partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation is part of its bid to woo the African market.
updated 11:58 AM EDT, Thu March 28, 2013
Each year as many as 700 Cameroonian young footballers leave Africa in search of a professional career abroad.
updated 8:01 AM EDT, Mon May 6, 2013
Referees across Europe are feeling the heat. Insulted, threatened, chased off the field, attacked, hospitalized and, tragically, killed.
updated 8:45 AM EST, Wed March 6, 2013
A red card for Manchester United's Nani during Tuesday's loss to Real Madrid sparks huge social media reaction.
updated 7:25 AM EST, Tue February 26, 2013
Footballers have a battery of physios, fitness trainers and doctors all striving to fine-tune their physique -- but are they missing a trick?
updated 9:24 AM EST, Tue February 26, 2013
No Englishman has won the EPL title in over 20 years, while a leading manager reveals that English coaches are now "not respected abroad."
updated 5:33 AM EDT, Mon May 13, 2013
Hardcore Italian football "ultra" Federico is a Lazio supporter who happily admits directing monkey chants at black players.
updated 6:23 AM EST, Tue March 5, 2013
When Jupp Heynckes made his Bundesliga debut as a player in 1965, the name of Bayern Munich was a new one for the nascent German league.
updated 2:02 PM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
Football's world governing body FIFA has confirmed it will use goal-line technology at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
updated 9:03 AM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
Match-fixing has become a worldwide issue, with hundreds of matches under investigation -- but how do you actually fix a football game?
updated 12:00 PM EST, Mon February 18, 2013
U.S soccer star Robbie Rogers has "come out" as gay on the day he retired from the game, making the announcement on his blog.
updated 5:31 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
The wealth of owners like Chelsea's Roman Abramovich often fuels success, but for other clubs such backers prove a mixed blessing.
updated 12:40 PM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
Brand Beckham is moving from the "City of Angels" to the "City of Light" as the football icon signs a short-term deal and offers to give away his pay.
updated 7:47 AM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
Fireworks inside his own house, a car crash in his first week at Manchester City, that iconic t-shirt -- the EPL will miss Mario Balotelli.
updated 8:42 AM EST, Wed January 30, 2013
The Secret Footballer reveals the complex issues surrounding racism in the English Premier League.
updated 10:43 AM EST, Wed January 30, 2013
The death of 73 football fans in Port Said tragedy continues to haunt Egypt.