PEAK PRIME PERFORMANCES

The peak season series.

Football is a team sport, but sometimes individuals stand out tall and provide exceptional performances. Over the years, certain footballers have been at their blistering best, and this new series aims to show some love to players’ seasons which mesmerized me.

1. LIONEL MESSI - FC BARCELONA 2018/19 SEASON

This is probably the most complete version of Messi I have ever seen, and that’s saying something. Messi had an air of inevitability about him that campaign. It was his first season as Barca’s captain, and he indeed took the team on his back. That season, Barcelona challenged for the quadruple but only ended up winning the league and the Spanish Super Cup. The Blaugrana lost out to Valencia in the Copa del Rey and crashed out of the Champions League in devastating fashion at Anfield against Liverpool. These incidents likely represent the only negative aspects of Messi's exceptional season. Despite Barca missing out on the quadruple, that was still the greatest carry job by any player I had ever seen. His records and awards speak volumes about how great his season was.

• Ballon d’Or

• European Golden boot winner

• Best playmaker award

• La Liga Pichichi winner (Top goal scorer)

• La Liga player of the season

• FIFA best men’s player

• UEFA Champions League top scorer

• UEFA Champions League forward of the season

• Player with the most hattricks that season; 4

• Most freekick goals that season; 8

• Most man of the match awards

• Most goal contributions that season; 71 (52 goals & 19 assists)

• Laureas Sportsman of the year

Some of the key performances from Messi that season included:

1. Barcelona vs Manchester United UCL Quarter-final 2nd leg

2. Barcelona vs Liverpool UCL Semi- final 1st leg

3. Real Betis vs Barcelona La Liga matchday 28

4. Sevilla vs Barcelona La Liga matchday 25

5. Barcelona vs Valencia Copa del Rey final

Snapshots of Messi's stellar 2018/19 season (Pictures courtesy of Getty Images)

If you get a chance, kindly feast your eyes on the videos that showcase the brilliance Messi brought that season.