Messi has scored 838 career goals against 357 goalkeepers across his glittering career. Claudio Bravo and Iker Casillas are among the Argentinian's most-affected victims of such a devastating goalscoring record. Alves is the keeper who let in the most goals but received 21 beers from Messi, acting as somewhat of a silver lining.
Lionel Messi's illustrious career is marked by numerous records and unforgettable moments, with his prolific goal-scoring prowess being a standout feature in a playing tenure that has seen him win pretty much everything the beautiful game has to offer. Over the years, many goalkeepers have faced the daunting task of trying to stop the Argentine World Cup winner. Some have been more successful than others, but a select few have found themselves repeatedly at the mercy of Messi's brilliance, exacerbating a footballing example of 'you can run, but you cannot hide'.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: At the time of writing, Lionel Messi has scored 838 career goals for club and country, resulting in 357 total goalkeepers. Former Real Madrid , Manchester City and AC Milan stars are among the 10 goalkeepers who have conceded the most goals to Messi – arguably the greatest player of all time – and each entry adds to the narrative of his spellbinding career, with stories to be told about every encounter. The list is technically 11 goalkeepers long with Antonio Rodriguez Martinez and Andres Palop both having let in 12 goals each vs Messi.
Goalkeepers to have conceded the most goals to Lionel Messi Rank Goalkeeper Goals conceded 1. Diego Alvez 21 =2. Iker Casillas 18 =2.
Gorka Iraizoz 18 4. Andres Fernandez 17 5. Claudio Bravo 15 6.
Diego Lopez 14 =7. Roberto Jimenez 13 =7. Ivan Cueller 13 =7.
Pau Lopez 13 =10. Antonio Rodriguez Martinez 12 =10. Andres Palop 12 The 30 greatest footballers of all time have been named but who comes out on top; Messi, Ronaldo or Maradona? 5 Claudio Bravo At club level, Claudio Bravo stuck by the notion that, 'if you can't beat them, join them,' when he spent two years playing alongside Messi at Barcelona to win two La Liga titles together between 2014 and 2016.
However, on the international stage, avoiding the Argentine talisman proved a lot trickier. Nine of the 21 games that former Man City 'keeper, Bravo, played against Messi have taken place on the international stage as Argentina have regularly played Chile over the years, and his overall tally of conceding 15 goals in 21 games means he has let in an average of 0.71 Messi goals-per-game.
4 Andres Fernandez One can only begin to imagine the sort of horrible thoughts that ran through Andres Fernandez's mind before every encounter he had with Messi. Although the former Osasuna goalkeeper only faced the legendary forward on nine occasions, he managed to let slip a calamitous 17 goals against the Barcelona marksman. Throughout his time in Spain, Messi scored four separate hat-tricks against Fernandez, including a game where he bagged four goals against him in 2013.
As a result, the Spaniard's ratio of 1.8 goals-per-game is the worst of any goalkeeper who has played against Messi at least five times. 3 Gorka Iraizoz Continuing the theme of Messi's despotic rule over La Liga and its doomed-to-begin-with goalkeepers, it’s justifiable to suggest the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner had fun when it came to facing former Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao glove-bearer, Gorka Iraizoz.
The pair faced each other on 27 occasions and Messi managed to score 18 goals during that time. Even more impressively, Messi has managed to score five direct free-kicks against Iraizoz, which is more than he’s scored against any other goalkeeper. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Lionel Messi has scored 65 free-kick goals in his career, which is the fifth-highest of any player in history, level with David Beckham.
2 Iker Casillas Although he might not top this list of goalkeepers to have conceded the most goals to Messi, in a ranking of his ultimate goalkeeper rivals, there's hardly any question that Iker Casillas would be head and shoulders above the rest. The duo were - and still are - defining faces in El Clasico history, but there's certainly a great degree of respect between the two. “I faced Messi many times, and you simply cannot stop him," the former Real Madrid show-stopper told reporters.
“A week before facing Barcelona, we only think about how to stop Messi and the correct way, but in the end, we fail." A particular highlight in this tit-for-tat battle came in the 2010-11 Champions League semi-final when Messi produced a moment of magic to bypass the entire Los Blancos' defence before slotting the ball beyond Madrid legend Casillas . The players who played with both stars have decided who the GOAT is.
.. 1 Diego Alves Although Diego Alves might now famously be recognised as the goalkeeper to have let in the most Lionel Messi goals, some might suggest he was able to get the last laugh.
After the Argentinian broke the record for most goals scored at a single club - achieving the feat at Barcelona in 2020 by notching his 644th against Real Valladolid - Budweiser decided to give goalkeepers Messi had beaten bottles of beer. The full list of every goalkeeper who received one or more of Lionel Messi's special Budweiser beers This meant Alves, who conceded 21 goals against him, was awarded 21 bottles of beer. The goalkeeper appreciated the gesture, uploading to his Instagram: "Thanks Messi for reaching 644 goals.
I won 21 bottles, it seems like I've got my own record." But while the tally itself isn't exactly one to smile at, ALves' only other saving grace is the fact he did also manage to keep the Catalan icon out on seven occasions, too. Data via Planet Football (as of 06/08/24),.
