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Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi, a forward for Inter Miami CF, is one of the world’s greatest soccer players and helped the Argentina national team win its third FIFA World Cup in 2022.

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1987-present

Lionel Messi News: Soccer Star Is the Subject of a New Apple TV+ Docuseries

Messi, now playing for Inter Miami CF of the MLS, helped his home country win soccer’s biggest event for the first time since 1986, scoring two goals in the final and leading Argentina to a 4-2 win over Kylian Mbappé and France on penalties. Argentina’s captain was also named the tournament MVP.

The new series follows up Messi Meets America , Apple’s 2023 look at the star striker’s arrival and first season in the MLS. Inter Miami begins the 2024 regular season also on February 21 with a match against Real Salt Lake.

Quick Facts

Early life of a soccer prodigy, club teams: barcelona, psg, and inter miami, argentina national team, tax fraud scandal, wife and children, charity and unicef, who is lionel messi.

Lionel Messi is an Argentinian soccer player who has played for FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and currently, the MLS club Inter Miami CF as well as the Argentina national team. As a teenager, Messi moved from Argentina to Spain after FC Barcelona agreed to pay for medical treatments related to his growth hormone disorder. At the club, he earned renown as one of the greatest players in history, helping FC Barcelona win more than two dozen league titles and tournaments. In 2012, he set a record for most goals in a calendar year and, a decade later, helped the Argentina national team win its third FIFA World Cup. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, and in July 2023, he joined Inter Miami.

FULL NAME: Luis Lionel Andres Messi BORN: June 24, 1987 BIRTHPLACE: Rosario, Argentina SPOUSE: Antonella Roccuzzo (2017-present) CHILDREN: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Luis Lionel Andres “Leo” Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. As a young boy, Messi tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, unintimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-based club.

Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth. Messi’s parents, Jorge and Ceclia, decided on a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved impossible to pay several hundred dollars per month for the medication.

So, at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi’s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain. Although he was often homesick in his new country, Messi moved quickly through the junior system ranks.

Ultimately, Messi’s short stature—5 feet, 7 inches—combined with his speed and relentless attacking style, has drawn comparisons to another famous Argentinian footballer, Diego Maradona .

Messi played for FC Barcelona for 17 seasons before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 for two seasons. In July 2023, he joined the MLS club Inter Miami.

FC Barcelona

At age 13, Messi signed with FC Barcelona. His first appearance for the team was when he was 16. On May 1, 2005, Messi put himself in the record books as the youngest player to ever score a goal for the franchise.

Messi steered Barcelona to a wealth of success, most notably in 2009, when the left-footer’s team captured the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. That same year, after two consecutive runner-up finishes, he took home his first FIFA World Player of the Year honor, as well as his first Ballon d’Or award, the top European individual honor in football.

Messi became the first Argentinian player to win the Ballon d’Or. Even the great Maradona gushed about his fellow countryman. “I see him as very similar to me,” the retired player told the BBC. “He’s a leader and is offering lessons in beautiful football. He has something different than any other player in the world.”

Amazingly, the soccer wizard continued to improve, discovering new ways to elude defenders while leading Barcelona to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as the ’11 Champions League title.

Messi embarked on an all-out assault on the record books in 2012. He became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match in early March, and a few weeks later, he surpassed Cesar Rodriguez’s club-record 232 goals to become Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. By the end of the year, Messi had accumulated an astounding 91 goals in club and international play, eclipsing the 85 netted in a single calendar year by Gerd Muller in 1972. Fittingly, he broke another record when he was named the Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth consecutive time.

In 2013, the soccer great came back to earth somewhat due to the persistence of hamstring injuries, but he regained his record-breaking form by becoming the all-time leading scorer in La Liga and Champions League play in late 2014.

After helping Barcelona achieve a historic second treble in 2015, he was honored with his fifth Ballon d’Or trophy. Four years later, following another La Liga title, Messi again established a new standard for excellence by claiming his sixth Ballon d’Or.

On August 5, 2021, FC Barcelona announced it couldn’t resign Messi due to the team’s budget constraints and La Liga restrictions. Despite having voiced his desire to leave the club the prior season, Messi bid a teary farewell after 17 seasons: “This is really difficult for me after so many years spent here, being here my entire life. I’m not ready for this.”

Paris Saint-Germain

Four days after the shocking news from FC Barcelona, Messi signed with Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old inked a two-year contract with the French club. The move saw him reunite with former teammate Neymar as well as the talented Kylian Mbappé.

Messi made his debut for the club on August 29, 2021, and scored his first goal that September. PSG won two Ligue 1 titles with Messi but twice failed to advance beyond the round of 16 in the Champions League finals.

Although his contract allowed for an optional third year at PSG, the team announced it would release Messi as a free agent when the deal expired on June 30, 2023. Earlier in the year, the club suspended and fined Messi after he visited Saudi Arabia on an unauthorized trip. This all but sealed fate on the soccer legend’s widely expected move.

Messi’s last game for PSG was June 3, 2023. In total, he started in 72 games, notching 32 goals and 34 assists.

Inter Miami CF

On June 7, 2023, Messi told two Spanish media outlets he planned to play for the MLS club Inter Miami CF, which is partially owned by former soccer player David Beckham . “I have made the decision that I am going to Miami,” Messi said at the time, per ESPN . Messi later told Time he strongly considered joining a Saudi Arabian team before deciding on Inter Miami.

A little over a month later, on July 16, the team officially welcomed him on a 2.5-year contract that runs through the 2025 season. The deal was reportedly worth around $150 million , including an annual salary between $50 million and $60 million , a signing bonus, revenue sharing with the league’s media partner, and team equity upon retirement.

Inter Miami immediately benefitted on and off the field from their new team captain’s presence. The club went on a 12-match winning streak and captured the Leagues Cup, an annual tournament between teams from the MLS and Liga MX. Messi wound up scoring 11 goals in 14 games overall. However, with Messi injured late in the season, Inter Miami went winless in seven straight and failed to qualify for the playoffs. He was named the club’s 2023 MVP in November.

Messi has directly boosted revenue for the team, as well. Attendance at home games spiked 40 percent , the most in the MLS. According to The Athletic , the least expensive Inter Miami season ticket prices rose from $485 to $884 per seat from 2023 to 2024. Even with the price jump, Inter Miami announced 2024 season tickets sold out at the end of November, two months out of the start of the preseason. Not surprisingly, his jersey became the top seller in the MLS .

Messi and Inter Miami open the 2024 MLS regular season on February 21.

In summer 2005, Messi quickly made a name for himself on his native country’s under-20 squad. He led Argentina to the title in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring on a pair of penalty kicks to propel the team over Nigeria. Less than two months later, he made his pro debut with Argentina in an August friendly match against Hungary but played less than two minutes before receiving a red card and being ejected from the game.

For all his success with Barcelona, Messi repeatedly came under fire for his inability to help Argentina’s national team win a major title. In the 2014 World Cup, Argentina lost to Germany in the final, though Messi was named player of the tournament that year. In 2016, following Argentina’s second consecutive loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America tournament, Messi announced he was ending his run with the national team.

The soccer great eventually reversed his decision, but his participation in the 2018 World Cup did not bring that elusive title, as hoped. After Messi scored an early goal in a 2-1 win over Nigeria that helped his team advance from the group stage, he was largely kept in check by France, his two assists not enough to stave off a 4-3 defeat that sent Argentina packing.

The following year, after Messi heavily criticized the referees in the wake of a 2-0 loss to Brazil in the Copa America semifinals, the Argentine captain was slapped with a three-game ban by the South American Football Confederation.

At last, in 2021 and 2022, Argentina and Messi found enough traction to bring home trophies that had long evaded them. First, the team won the Copa America—Argentina’s first major title in 28 years—in August 2021, besting Brazil in the final. Captain Messi tied for top goal scorer, alongside Colombia’s Luis Diaz, and was named player of the tournament. The next year, greater glory awaited at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Argentina captured the World Cup trophy on December 18, 2022, after a thrilling game against France that ended in a penalty shootout. Messi was named the Best FIFA Men’s Player for a second time and broke the record for most World Cup appearances with 26 games. Six jerseys that Messi had worn during the victorious championship run later sold for more than $7.8 million at auction.

In fall 2023, Messi scored three goals in qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup. However, as he nears the twilight of the his career, the soccer legend has adopted a realistic attitude about his future. “As long as I feel that I am fine and I can continue contributing, I am going to do it. Today, the only thing I think about is getting to the Copa America well and being able to compete in it,” Messi said of the 2024 tournament. “Then time will tell if I am [at the World Cup] or not. I’m going to be at an age (39) that normally doesn’t allow me to play in the World Cup.”

Messi won FIFA’s World Player Trophy five times, including four consecutive wins between 2009 and 2012, and has collected its contemporary the Best FIFA Men’s Player three times, in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

The soccer legend has won Europe’s Ballon d’Or a record eight times. When he won the Ballon d’Or in October 2023, Messi became the first active MLS player to do so. He’s also won the European Golden Shoe for top scorer six times, two more than his nearest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo .

In 2023, Time magazine named Messi its Athlete of the Year, pointing to his remarkable impact on soccer’s growing popularity in the United States.

In July 2016, Messi suffered a blow off the soccer field when a Barcelona court found him and his father guilty of three counts of tax fraud. During a four-day trial, Messi and his father denied breaking the law and claimed they were unaware of any tax illegalities they had committed.

However, they were both sentenced to 21 months in prison. Under Spanish law, first offenses under two years are suspended so they did not go to jail, but Messi was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million euros. His father was required to pay 1.5 million euros.

On June 30, 2017, Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo, his longtime girlfriend and the cousin of his best friend and fellow soccer player Lucas Scaglia. Messi met Roccuzzo in their hometown of Rosario when he was 5 years old. Their marriage, a civil ceremony dubbed by Argentina’s Clarín newspaper as the “wedding of the century,” was held at a luxury hotel in Rosario, with a number of fellow star soccer players and Colombian pop star Shakira on the 260-person guest list.

Messi and Roccuzzo have three children together: Thiago, born in November 2012; Mateo, born in September 2015; and Ciro, born in March 2018.

Although famously private off the field, Messi has quietly helped others in need. In 2007, he formed the Leo Messi Foundation to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youths. In early 2010, UNICEF named him a goodwill ambassador, with a focus on fighting for children’s rights across the globe.

• Every time I start a year, I start with the objective of trying to achieve everything, without comparing it to how I’ve done in other seasons.
• Whether it’s a friendly match, or for points, or a final, or any game—I play the same. I’m always trying to be my best, first for my team, for myself, for the fans and to try and win.
• I am competitive, and I feel bad when we lose. You can see it in me when we’ve lost. I’m in a bad way. I don’t like to talk to anyone.
• I made sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream.
• I have fun like a child in the street. When the day comes when I’m not enjoying it, I will leave football.
• I’ve never stopped being Argentine, and I’ve never wanted to. I feel very proud of being Argentine, even though I left there. I’ve been clear about this since I was very young, and I never wanted to change.
• Something deep in my character allows me to take the hits and get on with trying to win. I’ve always had this ability to get up and get on with it.
• I wasn’t teased as a child for my size. In fact, I think I had more affection because I was small.
• I am lucky, I live by my passion, and there are a lot of people who work, doing what they don't like and are badly paid for that.

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Lionel Messi Biography

Lionel Messi is an Argentinian footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest players of the modern generation. He plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He has won FIFA world player of the year five times (2009–12 and 2015) . He has often been described as Diego Maradona’s successor because of his prolific goal scoring record and ability to dribble past opponents.

“I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi. Messi is a genius, and he can become an even better player.”

His potential is limitless, and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player.”

– Diego Maradona

Short Biography Lionel Messi

He began playing from an early age, and his talent was soon apparent. However, at the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). This was a condition that stunted growth and required expensive medical treatment, including the use of the drug Human growth hormone.

His local club, River Plate were interested in signing Messi but didn’t want to pay for his medical treatment. However, Messi was given a trial with Barcelona, and coach Carles Rexach was impressed – offering Messi a contract (written on a paper napkin!) which included paying for Messi’s treatment in Spain. Messi moved to Barcelona with his father and became part of the prestigious FC Barcelona youth academy.

“I made a lot of sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream. That’s why I didn’t go out partying, or do a lot of other things.”

– Lionel Messi

In the 2009-10 season, Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling Ronaldo’s record total for Barcelona. As the seasons have progressed, Messi kept improving and breaking his own records. In the calendar year of 2012, he broke the all-time world record for most goals scored in a calendar year. His final total of goals in 2012 was 91 – beating the previous record of 85 by German Gerd Muller, and Pele’s milestone of 75 in 1958.

“My record stood for 40 years – 85 goals in a year – and now the best player in the world has broken it, and I’m delighted for him. He is an incredible player, gigantic.”

– Gerd Muller

At the start of 2013, in club football, Messi has scored 292 goals from a total of 359 appearances, and in international football, 31 goals from 76 appearances.

At the end of 2012, Messi turned down a very lucrative offer to play for an unnamed Russian side. It would have given Messi a salary of €20 million a year and made Messi the most expensive player in the world (Barcelona would have been paid €250 million). He turned down the offer because he was unsure if he would be playing in major European championships and the difficulties in moving to Russia. Instead, he signed a contract with Barcelona until the end of 2018. When asked about moving to the English Premier League, Messi revealed his sense of commitment to Barcelona.

“ Barcelona is my life. They have brought me to where I am today. I could not leave, I don’t want to leave. I know the Premier League is very good. But I cannot see myself playing in England because my heart is with Barcelona, always.”

International Career

Because Messi was brought up in Spain, since he was 11 years old, he has Spanish nationality. In 2004, he was offered the chance to play for Spain’s Under 20 side, but Messi decided to play for Argentina, the country of his birth. He led Argentina to victory in the 2005 FIFA Youth Championship. Messi made his full international debut in August 2005, during a friendly against Hungary. In his first game, Messi was sent off for allegedly elbowing a player. The decision was contentious and not in keeping with Messi’s style of play which is generally clean and in the spirit of fair play; he has very rarely been accused of diving.

In 2006, he participated in the World Cup, becoming Argentina’s youngest player to play in the world cup. Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals. In 2008, he won an Olympic gold medal for Argentina in football at the Beijing Olympics. Initially, Barcelona had not allowed him permission to play, but new coach Pep Guardiola allowed him time off.

In the 2010 World Cup, Messi wore the number 10 shirt and played well to help Argentina reach the quarter-finals, but Messi struggled to score, and Argentina disappointingly lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-final. Messi has admitted he is desperate to play in a world cup final. Success for Messi in the World Cup would be the last test of greatness. Pele , by contrast, was part of Brazil’s three times winning World Cup side ’58, ’62 and ’70.

Messi is widely regarded as one of the most exciting players of the modern age – in fact, any age. He has a peerless ability to dribble and take on opponents. Maradona has described his ball control as supremely good. “ The ball stays glued to his foot; I’ve seen great players in my career, but I’ve never seen anyone with Messi’s ball control.” Messi has said he wishes to retain the joy of how a child plays football

“I have changed nothing, my style of play is still that of a child. I know that above all it is my job and that I should approach it in another way, but one must not lose sight of the fact that football is a game. It is imperative one plays to amuse oneself, to be happy. That is what children do and I do the same thing.” (total Barca)

After winning the Ballon d’Or for the fourth time in January 2013, Messi said:

“To tell you the truth this is really quite unbelievable. The fourth award that I have had is just too great for words. ” ( BBC )

Messi and Ronaldo

Messi has often been compared to prolific Real Madrid goalscorer Christiano Ronaldo, but both have been keen to downplay the rivalry.

“Messi has his personality and I have mine. He has his game and I have mine. I also play in a big club like him. We are different in every aspect. But right now, he is the best.”

— Christiano Ronaldo , in September 2011

Messi’s goalscoring record

Source: Christopher Johnson, Barcelona FC. CC-SA-2.5

By any standards, Messi’s goal scoring record is exceptional. By June 2019, he has scored 419 goals in 445 official matches for Barcelona FC.

• In 2012/13, Messi set an all-time world record of scoring in 21 consecutive games (33 goals from 21 games)
• He holds the Guinness World Record for most goals in a calendar year – 91 goals during 2012.
• He is the only player to score in four consecutive Champions League campaigns.
• His international record for Argentina is 68 goals from 133 appearances.

Messi major honours

• Spanish La Liga title (*10) : 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16
• Spanish Cup (*6) – Copa del Rey
• Supercopa de España (*6)
• UEFA Champions League ( *4 ) : 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014-15
• UEFA Super Cup ( *3 )
• FIFA Club World Cup ( 3 )
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2008
• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
• 2006 World Cup – QF
• 2010 World Cup – QF
• 2014 World Cup – Runners-up.
• 2018 World Cup

Wealth and income

Messi has frequently been the target of other football clubs with big transfer budgets, but he has remained loyal to Barcelona FC. He is one of the highest paid footballers in the world. His base salary is estimated at €40 million per year. His combined income 2018 from all sources was €126m. This made him the highest paid sports star – according to Forbes. From 2018, his weekly salary from Barcelona is $667,000 per week.

Private life

By the standards of modern football, Messi has a relatively private and modest lifestyle. He makes efforts to keep links to his hometown of Rosario. He has an Argentinian girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo, and they have two children. His first child Thiago was born in November 2012.

Lionel Messi – Real Bios at Amazon by Marie Morreale.

Messi acts as an ambassador for Unicef, and also runs his own charitable foundation – supporting access to education and sport for children. Because of his own expensive medical treatment, he has also helped Argentinian hospitals with paying for similar treatment to his own.

World Cup 2014

Many commentators have stated that Lionel Messi has performed at his best in all competitions, except the World Cup. In both the 2006 and 2010 World Cup, Argentina were knocked out in the quarter-finals, with Messi not at his best.

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is an opportunity for Messi to make an impact on the highest stage of them all. In the opening game against, Bosnia – Herzegovina, Messi scored a great goal to give Argentina a winning start. He scored four goals to help Argentina reach the World Cup Final. In the final, Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany. Messi was awarded ‘Golden Ball’ player of the tournament, though the decision was not universally supported. After the tournament, Messi replied:

“I do not care about the Golden Ball. I am just upset by the wasted chances. We had the best chances. We knew we could not dominate the game but we knew what we wanted to do. Right now I do not care about my prize. I just wanted to lift the cup and bring it to Argentina. The pain is very great.”

In June 2016, a very disappointed Messi announced his retirement from international football, after missing a penalty as Argentina got knocked out of the Copa America final. However, Messi later reversed his decision, saying he loved playing for Argentina too much, and “I see there are many problems in Argentinian football and I don’t intend to create another one.”

However, Messi returned to international football and led Argentina in the 2018 World Cup. Despite carrying the weight of expectation of a nation, the World Cup was considered a great disappointment. However, in the 2018/19 season, Messi returned to his usual scintillating performance with Barcelona.

World Cup 2022

After a disappointing first game, when Argentina unexpectedly lost to Saudi Arabia, Lionel Messi was key to firing Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Mexico, with Messi scoring an excellent goal. If Messi has lost something of his speed and top level fitness, he remains just as potent in front of the goal, with the capacity to make match winning contributions. The goal took him to 8 world cup goals, 2nd overall and level with Diego Maradona.

Published 10 January 2018. Last updated 30 November 2022

• Full name Lionel Andrés Messi
• Date of birth 24 June 1987 (1987-06-24)
• Place of birth Rosario, Argentina
• Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
• Playing Position: Forward
• Total club appearances 684. Total Goals 578 (Dec. 2018)
• Total international appearances 151. Total Goals 81 (Dec. 2018)
• La Liga titles with Barcelona (9)
• UEFA Champions League (4) 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
• FIFA Ballon d’Or/Ballon d’Or (5)
• Guinness World Record as top goalscorer for club and country in a calendar year: 91 goals in 2012

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Lionel Messi”, Oxford, UK.  www.biographyonline.net . First published 26 June 2012. Last updated 26 June 2019.

The Amazing Story of Leo Messi

The Amazing Story of Leo Messi at Amazon

Lionel Messi: The Rise to Stardom. at Amazon

Related pages

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External links

• Lionel Messi at Amazon.com

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Super biography

• February 03, 2019 2:09 PM
• By V.sukumar

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Leo Messi 's footballing career started in 1995 at Newell's Old Boys, where he played until the year 2000. At the age of 13, Lionel Messi crossed the Atlantic to try his luck in Barcelona, and joined the Under 14s. Messi made spectacular progress at each of the different age levels, climbing through the ranks to Barça C, followed by Barça B and the first team in record time.

From a young age Messi stood out due to his vision and his goalscoring ability, especially with his left foot, an endless source of magical inspiration. 

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Do Dragao stadium.

The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1). 

That very season Messi became a regular member of Frank Rijkaard's first team squad. However, it was in the 2005/06 campaign that the Argentine really came to centre stage as he helped the team to their second Champions League victory and their 18th league title. With the departure of Ronaldinho in 2008, Messi became the focal point of the Barça forward line. 

Getting better every season, Messi and Barça won 35 trophies during the Argentine's time at the Club, including the six won in 2009 and the treble in 2015. 

Leo Messi and the treble trophies from 2009: Copa del Rey, Champions League and Liga

Messi’s individual achievements are also unprecedented: six Ballon d’Or awards, six times Champions League top scorer, six times Golden Shoe winner, eight times ‘Pichichi’ (top scorer) in La Liga, Ballon d’Or winner at the 2014 World Cup, FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009 and FIFA The Best winner in 2019. 

On an individual level Messi began to set records as a youngster and never looked back. The Argentine has made more appearances than anyone, 778, scored more goals, 672, provided most assists, 305 and won most trophies, 35. 

Other records included 91 goals in a calendar year, beating Gerd Müller's record from 1972 as well as surpassing Pelé's record for one club total of 643 goals.  

With the Argentina national side Messi played in four World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) as a Barça player, losing in the final in 2014 in Brazil against Germany. He has also played in six Copa Américas (2007, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021), losing in the final in both 2015 and 2016 to Chile on penalties before finally claiming a major honour for his country with the win over Brazil in the 2021 final. In the summer of 2008 he also played at the Beijing Olympics, and came home with a gold medal.

In the summer of 2021 the love affair between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi came to an end and the Barça number 10 brought an end to his career which has been him become a life long legend for FC Barcelona. 

• Seasons at the Club: 2003-2021
• Appearances: 778

Honours with FC Barcelona

• 3 FIFA Club World Cups (2009, 2011, 2015)
• 4 UEFA Champions League (2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2014/15)
• 3 UEFA Super Cups (2009/10, 2011/12, 2015/16)
• 10 Spanish leagues (2004/05, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2017/18, 2018/19)
• 7 Copas del Rey (2008/09, 2011/12, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2020/2021)
• 8 Spanish Super Cups (2005/06, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2013/14, 2016/17, 2018/19)
• 4 Catalan Cup (2004-05, 2006-07, 2012-13, 2013-14)
• 2 Catalan Supercup (2014-15, 2017-18)

Honours with Argentina

• 1 Olympic gold (2008)
• 1 Copa América (2021)

Individual awards

• 1 Laureus (2020)
• 1 FIFA World Player (2009)
• 1 The Best FIFA Football Award (2019)
• 2 UEFA Player of the Year (2010/11, 2014/15)
• 1 World Soccer Award Best Player (2015)
• 6 Ballons d'Or (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019)
• 4 Golden XI (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018)
• 6 Golden Shoe (2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19)
• 8 La Liga top scorer (2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21)
• 6 Top scorer UEFA Champions League (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 i 2018/19)
• 9 MVP LaLiga (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19)
• 1 Golden Boy (2005)
• 1 Bravo Trophy (2007)

Most important individual records 

• Only player to win Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player, La Liga top scorer and Golden Shoe in same season (2009/10)
• Player with most Ballons d'Or 
• Player with most Golden Shoes
• Player with most Pichichi Trophies
• Top goalscorer in a season in official competition (73 goals in 2011/12)
• Top goalscorer in calendar year (91 goals in 2012)
• Top goalscorer at one club Club (672 goals)
• Longest scoring streak in La Liga (33 goals in 21 consecutive matches 2012/13)
• Player with most matches  for Argentina
• All time top goalscorer in La Liga (474 goals in 520 matches)
• Top goalscorer in a single La Liga season (50 goals in 2011/12)
• Player with most hat-tricks in La Liga (36)
• Player with most goals form a free kick in La Liga (39 goals)
• Player with most wins in official competition (542 wins in 771 matches)
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Lionel Messi: The evolution of the greatest footballer of all time

The way his first coach tells the story, the kid wasn’t even supposed to be on the pitch. It was his older brother’s game. They were a player short. Salvador Aparicio looked over at the stands and saw a small boy playing by himself, in private communion with the ball. When he asked his mother if he could borrow him, she said he didn’t know how to play football.

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The first time the game came his way, sure enough, the kid stood stock still and watched the ball roll by. Moms make the best scouts. But the second time — Aparicio remembered this many years later — the ball hit his left leg and something happened. Picture lightning shooting up a tiny spinal column, if you want. Unplumbed regions of the brain glittering like fireworks in the dark. Choirs of angels cranking a heavenly spotlight to shine on this one particular patch of dirt in a working-class neighbourhood in Rosario, Argentina. Whatever makes it make sense to you: the gift was just there .

“He controlled the ball and took off diagonally across the middle of the pitch, dribbling,” said Aparicio. “He dribbled past anyone in his path.”

There’s a video of the coach telling this story as an old man, fluttering his hand like a fish whipping through water. Then he stops talking and pulls a face that can only be described as a kind of shrug, as though even at the end of his life he was still struggling to accept the cosmic logic of what came next.

“I was screaming, ‘Shoot! Shoot!’” Aparicio said. “But he couldn’t do it. He was too small.”

The greatest player ever to kick a ball wasn’t ready to do the thing he was put on this Earth to do. The gift was there even before his left foot was.

• Lionel Messi profile: The life and times of Inter Miami’s World Cup winner

The Dribbling Winger

Next time you’ve got a minute to reconsider whether you’ve ever truly been good at anything, pull up some blurry youth academy footage from Messi ’s hometown club, Newell’s Old Boys. Watch a skinny eight-year-old with short sleeves down to his elbows take off dribbling and you’ll know right away who it is.

It’s not just that he blows through four or five opponents straight from kick-off. It’s the quick, choppy steps, the light kiss of the ball with the outside of his left boot to send a defender sprawling in the dirt before skipping around him. He’s running at the speed of the ball, letting it roll under his body so that every little half-stride is a threat to slice sideways or burst forward. The style is unmistakable.

Even back then, he refused to go down. Most dribblers will stop and start, lean, lunge, twist, turn and, sooner or later, get knocked off balance. The better the dribbler, the more risks they take in tight spaces; the greater the risk, the harder defenders punish them for it. Messi just kept running. He stayed low to the ground, using those quick little steps for control and windmilling his forearms for balance. By age 12, he was dragging would-be tacklers behind him like an NFL running back.

You know who else dribbled like that? Diego Armando Maradona, the manic Argentine god of football mischief, the most beloved player ever to wear his country’s blue and white. Off the pitch, the shy kid from Rosario couldn’t have been more different from the brash Buenos Aires idol, but on it their similarities were uncanny: two short, sturdy, left-footed dribblers with shaggy hair and the same driving style, the delicate close control, slaloming through thickets of violence to create impossible goals.

In the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals against England, the year before Messi was born, Maradona scored a goal that’s widely considered the best ever. He picked up the ball in Argentina’s own half, just outside the centre circle, and finished some 70 yards and five humiliated opponents later when he rounded the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into the open net. Any football fan can close their eyes and run the tape: the spin move, the long dash, the weaving in and out, the shot a split-second before his legs were swept out from under him. A fever dream of a goal. Nobody had seen anything like it.

And then, improbably, everyone did. In the spring of 2007, Messi — still a teenager but already a star, enjoying a breakout season with Barcelona — pulled off a goal against Getafe that felt like a shot-for-shot remake of the Maradona original. He eviscerated two defenders in his own half. Took off at a dead sprint without ever losing control of the ball. Cut inside, swerved outside, rounded the ’keeper, the whole shebang. Imagine picking up a paintbrush one weekend and accidentally recreating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Aparicio, the youth coach who once borrowed a boy from the stands and witnessed his first miraculous dribble, watched him come of age on TV. “The other day I saw him score this goal — they say it was like Maradona,” he told an interviewer. “I think he is better.”

He looked away for a moment and his voice started to quaver: “When I watch him play like that, I cry. You understand?”.

The False Nine

Some players are born to score goals. Others set them up. Most play further back, passing and moving to help get their team upfield. Every once in a while you’ll see a prodigy who can do it all, dreaming up attacking moves they are good enough to construct and finish themselves. Check the back of that player’s shirt and chances are they’ll be wearing the No 10.

Back when football squad numbers were first assigned by position, the No 10 belonged to the inside left forward — the natural slot for a right-footed playmaker. Formations evolved over decades, but the No 10’s role stayed more or less the same: he worked behind the striker, between the opponent’s lines, creating and scoring in the most crowded part of the pitch. Due to the sheer difficulty of the job, the shirt itself came to be a sort of honour. Pele wore it by accident, after Brazil forgot to assign kits at the 1958 World Cup, but he helped seal the No 10’s association with greatness. Maradona, with Argentina, refused to wear anything else.

Messi didn’t get the No 10 when he joined Barcelona. That belonged to the reigning best player on the planet, Ronaldinho, a Brazilian playmaker who lined up as a winger but led the attack with so much verve and imagination that it would have felt wrong to see the shirt on anyone else. The teenage Messi’s job was to be a dribbling, goalscoring gremlin on the opposite wing, the electric guitar punctuating Ronaldinho’s lead vocals. His first professional goal came from an ingenious Ronaldinho scoop over the back line that Messi brought down in the box, then lobbed over the goalkeeper’s head to complete a double rainbow.

In 2008, the summer Messi turned 21, Ronaldinho left Barcelona and a new coach named Pep Guardiola gave the No 10 shirt to his young right winger. It was a turning point in Messi’s career. Otherworldly highlights wouldn’t be enough anymore — he needed to be the star around whom the whole system would spin.

At first, Messi interpreted the playmaker role as the wing-like Ronaldinho did, cutting inside behind the centre-forward Samuel Eto’o to undo defences. He had a stellar first season under Guardiola, scoring and assisting more goals than all but two players in Europe’s top five leagues — and one of those two was Eto’o, enjoying a career year thanks to Messi’s largesse.

But in May 2009, the night before Barca travelled to Madrid for El Clasico, football’s biggest rivalry, Guardiola decided to change things up.

Messi and Eto’o were told to start in their regular positions, but eight minutes into the game they would switch places: the centre-forward out wide to the right, the playmaker into the middle. The idea was to scramble Real Madrid ’s central defenders, who couldn’t just sit deep to protect the goal but would now have to decide when to follow Messi into midfield. This unusual attacking role — neither a traditional No 9 in the box nor a No 10 behind a striker — was known as a “false nine”.

The gambit worked better than anyone could have hoped.

Messi assisted Barcelona’s first goal in that Clasico by luring a centre-back out of the back line and shovelling a pass to Thierry Henry in the space behind him. He scored two more himself and generally terrorised the Madrid defence up the middle en route to a 6-2 win. Guardiola was so pleased that he tried the position swap again a few weeks later in the Champions League final against Manchester United , and Messi — the shortest player on the pitch — secured the trophy with a striker’s header in the box.

His false-nine era had begun.

As he gradually became a full-time centre-forward over the next few years, Messi went supernova. We’re talking absolutely bonkers. In the first eight decades of La Liga to that point, its record for goals scored in a season was 38, shared by Telmo Zarra in 1950 and Hugo Sanchez in 1990. From 2009 to 2013, Messi averaged — averaged! — more than 40 league goals per season, peaking at 50 in 2011-12, while at the same time assisting the second-most goals in the top five European leagues. He won the Ballon d’Or, the award for the best player in the world, four years running.

After taking home every trophy they competed for in 2008-09, Barcelona won La Liga three out of the next four seasons, topping things off with another Champions League in 2011. Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager unlucky enough to go up against Barca in both those Champions League finals, called them the best side he’d ever faced.

The secret to all this success was that Messi was holding down two jobs at once. Barcelona’s “tiki-taka” possession game was led by a telepathic midfield trio — Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets — who had been practising the same pass-and-move principles since childhood in the club’s academy. When Messi dropped off the front line, he made a natural fourth midfielder at the tip of a diamond, just as intuitive as the other three at pinging short passes around in tight spaces. Together, these four outnumbered and outclassed opposing midfields, passing their way straight up the heart of the pitch and swarming to recover lost balls so quickly that it felt like the other team were just there to watch.

The reason most teams don’t use their centre-forward as a spare midfielder, of course, is that they need them to be in the box, scoring goals. Messi’s genius was that he could do both. He played like a midfielder in the build-up, accounting for eight per cent of Barcelona’s pass attempts in open play, but somehow always found a way to finish moves around the penalty spot, scoring up to 50 per cent of the team’s open-play goals at his false-nine peak.

He scored every way you can imagine, plus a few you probably couldn’t, but two finishes in particular became signatures during Messi’s false-nine years. One was the running chip, which usually happened when he dropped off and centre-backs pushed up behind him, leaving naked grass in front of goal. One way or another — sometimes on the dribble, sometimes running in behind for a through-ball — Messi would break free and run right up to the goalkeeper, waiting for him to get low to try to smother the ball before flipping it insouciantly over his head and running off with two fingers pointed to the sky.

His other favourite kind of shot, carving through the middle with a one-two, was the purest expression of what a false nine could be.

These moves started in midfield, where he would swap a pass or two and turn to dribble at the defence. That got people’s attention. When someone stepped out to stop him, it would open a lane for Messi to play a pass. Then, suddenly, he would vanish. This part is a little hard to explain. For a second or two after he released the ball, everyone would lose track of the best player on the pitch, and the next thing you knew he had teleported into the box to collect the return pass and score.

How did he keep pulling it off? It didn’t hurt that the team-mates he played those one-twos with were very good themselves. A line-breaking pass to a player like that has a way of causing panic, like a shoe on an anthill. But the main thing was that Messi was always arriving in space, not occupying it. His wandering meant nobody could be quite sure who was responsible for him, and the moment defenders turned their head to follow a pass he would dart into somebody else’s zone and get the ball back before they even knew he was there.

Like most magic, Messi’s game worked by simple misdirection. He was a playmaking No 10. He passed. You looked away. Abracadabra, he was a goalscoring No 9. “Don’t write about him, don’t try to describe him,” Guardiola once advised journalists. “Just watch him.”

His gift was that nobody could even do that.

The Wide Playmaker

Looking back, it’s fair to say nobody has had a bigger impact on Messi’s career — if not always in the way they might have hoped — than Neymar . The Brazilian phenom arrived at Barca in 2013 as his heir apparent, electric in much the same way the young winger Messi had been. His dribbling style was a little different (flashier, more delicate, more… Brazilian) but all the skills were there to become the world’s next great wide playmaker.

As scintillating as Neymar was, though, it didn’t suit false-nine Messi to have a ball-to-feet winger drifting in from the left, slowing down the game and crowding him in the middle. Their first season together was Messi’s worst in years: a mere 28 goals and 11 assists, the third-most in the top five leagues. So Barcelona went out and signed the guy with the most, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez , and Messi moved back to the right wing.

A Messi-Suarez-Neymar front line was hilariously unfair, like releasing hungry orcas in a fish farm. Barca swept to a second treble in 2014-15, playing looser, more direct football than in the tiki-taka days, letting their superstar front three run wild. Messi resumed regular service torching dudes from the wing. That spring, he scored two of his most famous goals a few weeks apart: the one in the Champions League where he turned Jerome Boateng, Bayern Munich’s best centre-back, into a puddle, and the marathon dribble in the Copa del Rey final where he made the entire left side of Athletic Bilbao’s defence disappear.

But even as Barcelona’s attack reached new heights, the ground was shifting beneath them in midfield.

Xavi, the team’s long-time orchestrator, left in 2015 at age 35, and Iniesta followed him out the door three years later, aged 34. They were replaced by athletic midfielders whose job was more manual labour than art, doing Messi’s running and defending for him while he took on more and more responsibility as the team’s creative focal point.

Grown-up wide playmaker Messi wasn’t like his chaotic young winger self. He was becoming more orderly with age — more predictable, really, but in some ways more dangerous. You know that Bruce Lee line about fearing the man who’s practised 10,000 kicks less than the one who’s practised one kick 10,000 times? This was kung fu master Messi, distilling his game to moves he had perfected.

He would receive the ball on the right, sometimes all the way out on the sideline, where he could start the attack in space, facing play. He would dribble. He would cut inside. Everyone in the stadium knew the cut was coming, but his timing was so sharp that the only way to stop it would have been to defend at his nine o’clock and leave a lane straight to goal.

So in he would go, angling across the back line, choosing from a menu of ways to break their hearts. The killer move was a quick one-two to shake loose and curl a shot from the top of the box. But if a centre-back stepped out to intercept him, he’d slip a little dagger to put Suarez in on goal or shovel a sideways pass to an open midfielder on the left.

One of his favourite plays was to draw the defence toward him before bending a left-footed diagonal over everyone’s heads into the path of a team-mate streaking in behind from the far wing. Left-back Jordi Alba became one of Barcelona’s assist leaders by learning to time his runs onto Messi diagonals and slide the ball to a runner in front of goal — often this was Messi himself, materialising at the other end of a long-distance one-two.

As Neymar developed into Messi’s not-quite mirror image on the left, he got tired of playing the protege. In 2017, he made a record-breaking move to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Barcelona with a pile of money that they promptly squandered on expensive players who didn’t fit. For the next four years, while Messi aged into his thirties, their crumbling squad grew increasingly reliant on him to do everything — a condition Spanish media called “Messidependencia”.

To the extent that Barcelona’s attack still worked, it was because Messi could produce goals out of thin air. His quick feet and uncanny ability to read defenders’ movement allowed him to get shots off in situations where not many players could, but the shots were getting more difficult: further from goal, with more opponents packed in behind the ball. He kept scoring them anyway, winning the Pichichi trophy for the most goals in Spain every year from 2016 to 2021 and topping Europe in three of those five seasons.

Most elite scorers are volume shooters: although they’re extraordinarily good at getting on the end of high-quality chances, they tend to finish them at a fairly ordinary clip. Messi is very good at finding chances, but he’s a freak at converting them. He can pick his moment to catch the goalkeeper off guard and aim a hard, low shot precisely in either bottom corner, where it’s hardest to save. In the back half of his career, he’s become just as deadly at free kicks, which he likes to curl over the wall into the top-right corner.

According to Statsbomb’s expected goals model, he scored 44 per cent more goals over the course of his career in the top five leagues than an average shooter would have produced from the same chances — a virtually unimaginable stat.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Barcelona’s spending spiral that started when Neymar left became a full-blown financial crisis that cut short Messi’s career at the only club he’d ever known. In 2021, he said an abrupt, teary goodbye and followed Neymar to Paris.

Though nobody had known it was anything historic at the time, his final goal for Barcelona had been a header against Celta Vigo that he placed neatly in the far bottom corner, out of the goalkeeper’s reach.

The Quarterback

The less said about Messi’s past two seasons playing in France the better, probably, except for this: he got really good at through balls.

Legs get heavy in your mid-thirties. Even though Messi still dribbles more and better than almost anyone in the world, his take-ons are short bursts to find space now, not a runaway train towards goal. As he has slowed down, he has learned to compensate by dropping deeper into midfield and scanning for runners in front of him, deploying his laser-guided left foot at range.

Luckily for quarterback Messi, PSG had Kylian Mbappe , his successor as the world’s best player, lined up at left wing — and he likes to run. Three seconds into one game last season, Messi took a ball from kick-off and launched it over Lille’s entire team into the path of Mbappe, who lobbed the goalkeeper on one bounce. They did stuff like that for fun. If any of PSG’s front three played any defence, they might have been a pretty decent team.

But Messi had nothing left to win at club level. What he wanted more than anything — what he had always wanted — was to win with Argentina, like Maradona had done. They came achingly close in 2014, losing to a Germany goal in the 113th minute of the World Cup final, but after years of disappointment it looked like Messi might never win an international trophy. Argentina’s talent had never quite fit together in a system and style that suited him.

Finally, in the twilight of his career as a midfield creator, the pieces clicked into place. In what are likely to be the last two international tournaments of his career, the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup, Argentina had an enforcer to protect him in right midfield, a passing pivot to get him the ball, young strikers in front of him and runners on the left. All Messi had to do was run the show — or, often, walk it.

For years, Messi had stuck out for the way he strolled around the pitch whenever he didn’t have the ball. Coaches explained that this wasn’t just laziness: he was conserving energy to dribble and score goals, sure, but he was also watching how the defence reacted as he wandered around. When the play moved away from him, Messi would shuffle behind, out of sight and mind, and arrive in the space where he wanted to be exactly when he needed to be there.

Maybe he had also been saving himself for the two best tournaments of his life. At the Copa America, a 34-year-old Messi conquered South America with the most goals, most assists, and second-most successful dribbles after Neymar, whose Brazil team Argentina beat in the final to win the first title of Messi’s senior international career.

Then, at the World Cup last winter, they did it again.

His performances in Qatar felt like a career retrospective, pulling together highlights from all the best versions of himself.

There was Messi the dribbler, carrying the ball from deep on the right sideline, not far from where Maradona once took off against England, all the way to the six-yard box for an outlandish assist, beating the young Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol at every touch and turn; Messi the false nine, swapping short, quick passes to break through the middle of France’s defence and score in extra time of the final; the wide playmaker, cutting inside to curl the ball into Australia’s net or placing a perfect shot into the corner against Mexico; the quarterback, dribbling across the Netherlands’ midfield and slipping Nahuel Molina a through-ball at an angle no one else could have dreamed of, much less pulled off.

The final came down to penalties — the one part of Messi’s game that had always remained average, strangely human, like a vestigial reminder of the child who had once been too tiny to even shoot at goal. This time, he didn’t miss. He slid the ball into the bottom left corner, just beyond the diving Hugo Lloris’ fingertips, and a few minutes later Argentina were champions.

For a moment amid the celebration, Messi was a small boy again, hoisted on his team-mates’ shoulders, being paraded around the stadium with the World Cup trophy in his hand and pure childish delight on his face.

His gift was that, watching him, you couldn’t help but smile too.

Inter Miami offseason guide: Priorities and how to make the most of Messi in 2024

(Images — photos: Getty Images; design: Sam Richardson)

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John Muller is a Senior Football Writer for The Athletic. He writes about nerd stuff and calls the sport soccer, but hey, nobody's perfect. Follow him at johnspacemuller.substack.com.

Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend

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A confident Argentina arrive at Qatar ’22, seeking the coveted crown that has eluded Messi. But their Cup kicks off with a shocking twist.

The shadow—and glow—of Diego Maradona lingers over Messi’s every move as he drives Argentina’s effort to stay in World Cup contention.

As Argentina face a formidable quarterfinal foe, Leo’s painful past in World Cup and Copa América finals looms over the team’s tournament run.

Messi, his teammates, and Argentina’s supporters put the hopes of a nation into an unforgettable Cup final against Mbappé’s mighty French squad.

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Lionel Messi

20 moments that defined barcelona maestro.

Words by Ben Church and Calum Trenaman, CNN

H e’s one of the world’s greatest ever players, who appeared destined to be a one-club man. But now Lionel Messi’s relationship with Barcelona looks to be irreparably fractured. CNN looks at 20 defining moments in the career of the football superstar, who mesmerized, broke records and transcended his sport.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona: The highs and lows 0:59

October, 2004

La liga debut.

At just 17 years, three months, and 22 days old, Lionel Messi makes his official league debut for Barcelona, coming on as a substitute late in the game. against Espanyol. At the time, he becomes the youngest player to represent the club in an official game after joining the club’s famed La Masia academy in 2000, moving from Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys as a 13-year-old.

August, 2005

International debut.

Messi makes his debut for Argentina in a friendly against Hungary at the age of 18, coming on in the 63rd minute but receives a red card and is sent off just two minutes later for a perceived elbow against defender Vilmos Vanczak.

December, 2005

There’s no doubt Barcelona has something special on its hands and the world is starting to take notice as well when he’s named the Golden Boy -- the award for the best young player in Europe.

March, 2006

First international goal.

After a rocky start to his international career, Messi scores his first goal for Argentina with a signature run and curled left-foot effort in a friendly defeat to Croatia.

World Cup debut

Coming on in the 74th minute against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi becomes the youngest-ever player to represent Argentina at the World Cup. He scores the final goal in a 6-0 win, becoming the youngest scorer at the tournament and the sixth-youngest goalscorer in tournament’s history. However, host Germany knocks Argentina out of the tournament in the quarterfinals.

March, 2007

First club hat-trick.

Messi is gaining a reputation for being one of the hottest teenagers in world football by now and his three goals against Real Madrid in 2007 turned him into a household name. It’s his first hat-trick for the club and certainly not his last.

April, 2007

His greatest goal.

Few goals in the history of football can compare to this one. Messi slaloms his way past multiple Getafe defenders to score perhaps the greatest goal of his career. It strangely mirrors a goal scored by compatriot Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

August, 2008

Olympic gold.

Barcelona initially bans Messi from taking part in the tournament before new club coach Pep Guardiola steps in to allow his participation. Lining up in an all-star Argentina side, featuring fellow youngsters Sergio Aguero and Angel di Maria, Argentina wins every match on their way to securing the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Champions League success

Messi had already won the Champions League in 2006 when making his way into the first team but he is the star man in 2009. He finishes the campaign as the tournament's top scorer and nets in the final against Manchester United in a 2-0 win at Rome’s Olympic Stadium. He’s won a career total of four European titles to date.

December, 2009

First ballon d’or.

Having inspired Barcelona to an historic treble in the same year -- it won the league, domestic cup and Champions League -- Messi is officially named the best player in the world for the first time.

More World Cup agony

Mirroring the 2006 World Cup, Germany defeats Argentina in the quarterfinals in 2010, this time by a 4-0 margin. Messi is still named in the Team of the Tournament, though coach and Argentina legend Diego Maradona is sacked after the World Cup. Failing to replicate his performances for Barcelona, and Maradona’s 1986 World Cup heroics, Messi suffers accusations of caring more about club than country.

August, 2011

Argentina captain.

After a dismal 2011 Copa America tournament held in Argentina, Messi is made captain of the national team under new manager Alejandro Sabella. The appointment surprises many as Messi had come under criticism for what some saw as sub-par performances at the tournament.

March, 2012

Barcelona scoring record.

Goals just keep coming for the magician at club level and, at just 24, he breaks Barcelona’s scoring record previously held by Cesar Rodriguez. His first goal against Granada pulls him equal on 232, before his second and third break it.

World Cup defeat

Argentina loses 1-0 to Germany in the World Cup final after a Mario Götze winner in extra-time. Messi begrudgingly accepts the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament.

November, 2014

La liga scoring record.

Records keep falling at the feet of Messi. He breaks Telmo Zarra's La Liga record of 251 goals. Once again, Messi produces a hat-trick against Sevilla to pull ahead in the all-time rankings. He currently has 444 goals and 10 league titles to his name.

Copa America defeat

Messi’s goal in the Copa America Centenario quarterfinals establishes him as Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 54 goals. However, having lost the previous year’s Copa America final to Chile, the 2016 edition finishes the same way. Messi announces his international retirement.

August, 2016

Retirement reversal.

After a short campaign for Messi to reverse his decision to retire, which included pleas from Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri and a newly unveiled statue of Messi by Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, the Barca star chooses to continue playing for La Albiceleste, saying: “My love for my country and this shirt is too great.”

August, 2019

After a forgettable 2018 World Cup, Argentina finishes third in the following year’s Copa America. However, Messi is sent off in the 37th minute of the third-place playoff. He blames his dismissal on his previous criticism of the tournament’s pitches and refereeing. He refuses to accept his third-place medal, and receives a three-month ban from international football as well as a $50,000 fine.

December, 2019

Record ballon d’or wins.

Messi’s club statistics over his career can only be challenged by one man, Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair practically share the Ballon d’Or award for a decade but, in 2019, Messi wins it for a record sixth time. Ronaldo is still on five.

August, 2020

Barca humiliated.

A tumultuous season for Messi reaches boiling point in the Champions League quarterfinals against Bayern Munich. He’s part of Barca team embarrassingly beaten 8-2 in what could be his last game in a Barcelona shirt.

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Messi's World Cup: The Rise of a Legend

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Messi narrates the ultimate story of his career with Argentina's national soccer team, providing an intimate and unique look at his quest for a defining World Cup victory. Messi narrates the ultimate story of his career with Argentina's national soccer team, providing an intimate and unique look at his quest for a defining World Cup victory. Messi narrates the ultimate story of his career with Argentina's national soccer team, providing an intimate and unique look at his quest for a defining World Cup victory.

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Lionel Messi Biography Facts, Childhood, Career, Life

Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini (born June 24, 1987) is an Argentine professional football player, who despite the odds against him, turns things around and brings out a miracle when it’s least expected. He captains and plays forward for Barcelona (Spanish club) as well as the Argentina national team. Ever since he was a kid, he has entertained many with his prodigious skills, amazing dribbles, astounding swiftness and powerful shots. Now a global icon, he still adds to the thrill of the beautiful game of football. We discuss the life of Lionel Messi, fondly referred to as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in our Lionel Messi biography facts, childhood, career and personal life. 

Our analysis includes Messi’s rise from being a football enthusiast at a tender age to now becoming the modern-age face-of-the-game, and how he overcame the seemingly insurmountable challenges that stood between him and his dreams.

Table of Contents

Lionel Messi Biography Quick Facts, Age

Here are some quick biography facts you should know about the Argentine professional football player.

Lionel Messi Childhood & Early Life

Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini was given birth to on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina, to a steel factory manager, Jorge Messi and his wife Celia Cuccittini. Messi was the third of four children they gave birth to. He grew up in a family where the game of football was adored.

At a tender age, he played with his elder brothers before joining a local club, Grandoli, before moving on to Newell’s Old Boys. At Grandoli, Messi was coached by his father, but his grandmother accompanied him to his matches as well as training. He was thus affected by her. His unique style of celebration which involves looking up and pointing to the sky is a tribute to his late grandmother.

Messi’s dream of becoming a professional footballer was threatened when he clocked 10 years. He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. As a result of his family’s inability to bear the expense of his treatment, they resorted to football clubs who saw Messi as a potential to bear the cost. After several setbacks, Messi’s treatment cost was paid for by Barcelona. After his transfer to Barcelona, he did not make appearances regularly in matches due to transfer issues with Newell as well as the unusual signing of foreign plays by European Clubs. After joining the Royal Spanish Football Federation, he began playing for Barcelona. Upon completion of his growth hormone deficiency treatment, he became a force to reckon with in the Barcelona youth team.

Lionel Messi Club Career

Fc barcelona.

Messi progressed through the ranks of Barcelona’s junior team, leading to his move to the senior team. He debuted for five teams in a season. During the international break, Messi was among the few players who helped strengthen the first team in the absence of the players. Messi finally debuted for the senior team at the age of 16. Messi’s wondrous performance earned him the friendship of Barcelona’s star Ronaldinho, who enabled him to have a smooth transition into the first team. His remarkable antics earned him a juicy contract in 2004 set to expire in 2012, the first professional contract he signed, had a buyout clause of 30 million euros which increased to 80 million euros.

In the 2004–2005 season, he became a regular starter in Barcelona’s B-team. However, he was a substitute player in the A-team, debuting for them in the league on October 16 against Espanyol. Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona as a senior team player on his 18th birthday. The contract was set to expire in 2010, with a buyout clause of 150 million euros. Messi caught the attention of European top clubs, one of such Inter Milan indicated interest in Messi, offering to triple his wages as well as pay his 150 million euros’ buyout clause. However, Messi opted to stay. In September of that season, his contract was updated and was set to expire in 2014. After acquiring Spanish citizenship Messi began playing alongside Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho forging a powerful attacking trio.

During the 2006–2007 season, at the age of 19, Messi became one of the best players in the world. Despite suffering injuries, Messi proved his similarity to Argentina’s legend Diego Maradona after several comparisons. A notable event which speaks of this truth was the 2006–2007 Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe, where he scored a goal similar to Maradona’s 1986 FIFA World Cup goal dubbed as the Goal of the Century. Following the decline of Ronaldinho, Messi became Barcelona’s new star, with Spanish media calling him “Messiah”. He emerged second third in the 2007 Ballon d’Or and second in the FIFA World Player of the Year Award. Following the departure of Ronaldinho, Messi was given the no.10 jersey and signed a new contract with an annual salary of 7.8 million euros, Barcelona’s highest.

In 2008, he came second in the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year Award.

He However won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the year in 2009, at the age of 22. That season Messi had a successful campaign, winning the second consecutive La Liga title.

In 2010, Messi won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d’Or despite his failure at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Messi finished the 2010–2011 season as Barcelona’s all-time single-season highest scorer and the first player in Spain to pass the 50-goal benchmark. Thanks to his wonderful performance, Messi created a reputation for himself as a creator (no. 8), a scorer (no. 9) and an assistant (no. 10). He received the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or award as well as the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Due to his numerous achievements, Messi was regarded as one of the best in the history of the game.

Messi’s incredible form continued, in 2012, he was bestowed with the Guinness book of record title for most goals scored in a calendar year as well as the FIFA Ballon d’Or Award.

In the 2013–2014 season, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona which will see him at Camp Nou until 2018. After Messi sustained an injury and deemed unfit for Barcelona’s champions league match against Bayern Munich, the Catalan Giant were defeated 7-0 on aggregate. Barcelona was heavily criticized for their dismal performance which shows their dependence on the Argentine star. His campaign that season was the worst he had in five years. He signed a new contract with Barcelona which saw his salary increase from 20 million euros to 36 million euros. Under the leadership of new coach, Luis Enrique. Messi became La Liga’s all-time top-scorer. He came second in the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or awards for the second time in a row. Messi established an attacking trio with teammates Suarez and Neymar which prove to be deadly to opponents. At the end of the season, he received the UEFA Best Player in Europe.

In the 2015–2016 season, Messi became the youngest person to make 100 appearances in the champions league. Messi also helped Barcelona claim the 2015 Club World Cup Final, where he was awarded the tournament’s Silver Ball. Messi emerged a runner-up to Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2016 Ballon d’Or award as well as the 2016 Best FIFA Men’s Player Award, he also claimed the Pichichi and European Golden Boot.

Messi also had a spectacular and incredible performance in the 2017–2018 season, but not spectacular enough to earn him the Ballon d’Or award. Messi was handed the captaincy in the 2018–2019 season following the departure of Andres Iniesta.

Lionel Messi National Team Career

The ace footballer has scored 65 goals in 128 appearances for the Argentina National team. He, however, has failed to extend his successful run with Barcelona to the La Albiceleste. Though he has always put up a good performance, every time he leads the La Albiceleste to a tournament, they end up crashing out in the quarter-final, semi-final or final.

In the 2006 World Cup, Messi who was pretty young was part of the Argentine squad who were knocked out in the quarter-final. Eight years later, on South-American soil, Messi led the La Albiceleste to a wonderful run in the world Cup before seeing his World Cup dream dashed after a late lone strike by their German opponents. The Copa America tournament has also been the same, emerging runners-up successively.

Lionel Messi Family & Personal Life

Lionel Messi is known to be an introvert as well as a reserved individual.

He began his relationship with his wife who he had known since the age of 5, at the age of 20. They got married in Rosario, in 2017. They gave birth to their first son Thiago in 2012, their second Mateo in 2015 and last Ciro in 2018.

Messi has a tight-knitted relationship with his mother, Celia whose face he tattooed on his hand. Messi’s father has been his agent since the age of 14, while his elder brother manages his daily schedule and publicity, his mother and brother, Matias runs his charitable organization, The Lionel Messi Foundation. Since 2010, Messi has been a goodwill ambassador for the UNICEF.

Messi also supports grassroots football. He has an investment with youth football team Sarmiento, based in Rosario.

Messi has also had his fair share of tax evasion charges. In 2013, he was investigated for benefiting in a network of offshore companies to evade taxes. Despite pleading ignorance for the tax evasion charges, Messi was found guilty of tax evasion along with his father and was sentenced to a suspended 21-month prison term and fined 1.7 million euros and 1.4 million euros.

Lionel Messi Highlights, Achievements & Awards

Tournaments won.

• U-20 World Cup champion (2005)
• Spanish Super Cup (Supercopa) (2005/06, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2013/14, 2016/17, 2018/19)
• Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) (2008/09, 2011/12, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17,2017/18)
• FIFA Club World Cup (2009, 2011, 2015)
• UEFA Supercup (2009/10, 2011/12, 2015/16)
• Olympics Medalist (2008/09)
• Spanish Champion (La Liga) (2004/05 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2017/18)
• UEFA Champions League (2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2014/15)

Individual Awards

• Golden Boot (2016/17)
• Striker of the Year (2014/15)
• Player of the Year (2014 World Cup, 2014/15 La Liga, 2015 Copa America)
• UEFA Best Player in Europe (2009, 2011, 2015)
• Top-scorer (2008/09, 2010/11 & 2013/14 Copa del Rey, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2013/14 & 2014/15 UEFA Champions League, 2009/10, 2010/11 & 2011/12 Supercopa, 2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13 & 2016/17 La Liga, 2011 FIFA Club World Cup)
• Top-10 Highest-Paid Football/Soccer Players 2019
• Top-20 Best Football Academies In The World 2019

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Messi: the definitive biography fully updated to include messi's first season at psg audible audiobook – unabridged.

'I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi' Diego Maradona FULLY UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 2022 WORLD CUP TRIUMPH & MESSI'S TRANSFER TO INTER MIAMI As Lionel Messi raised the World Cup triumphantly into the air, the world watched on in awe. Messi's final peak conquered; his final dream achieved. It was the fairy tale ending to a glittering career. Yet despite delivering Argentina their third World Cup, Messi's time at Paris Saint-Germain came to a dramatic conclusion, and Miami awaited the Argentinian legend. Guillem Balagué has had unprecedented access to Messi's inner circle including the player himself: his coaches, team-mates and family. From tracing the origins of Messi's precocious talent in Rosario, Argentina, to chronicling his peerless seventeen-season career at Barcelona, and his tumultuous Parisian adventure, Guillem takes us behind-the-scenes of Messi's World Cup triumph and his long-desired move to the MLS. This is an epic, authoritative and compelling account of an enigmatic footballing genius. 'I can tell my grandkids one day that I coached Lionel Messi' Pep Guardiola

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

• Listening Length 27 hours and 53 minutes
• Author Guillem Balague
• Narrator Peter Kenny
• Audible release date June 25, 2020
• Language English
• Publisher Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• ASIN B088ZVFFTZ
• Version Unabridged
• Program Type Audiobook
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Meet Messi, the dog from 'Anatomy Of A Fall' who stole the spotlight at Cannes 2024 red carpet

A dding some cuteness to the 77th edition of Cannes, Messi the dog from the Oscar-winning film 'Anatomy Of A Fall' graced the red carpet right before the opening ceremony on May 15. Messi arrived before stars including Meryl Streep, Greta Gregwig, Juliette Binoche, and others arrived. Many photographers dressed in tuxedos called out his name as the popular Border Collie climbed the stairs to the Cannes Film Festival and posed for the cameras. This made Messi the first dog in the history of the Cannes Film Festival to walk at the red carpet at the French Riviera.

Messi stole the show at Cannes 2024 by sitting on stairs and posing with his front paws in the air, as if waving to the crows like a star. He also carried a selfie-stick in his mouth to record videos. Messi was accompanied by Laura Martin Contini, his trainer, on the red carpet.

While Messi created history by becoming the first pet dog to walk the red carpet at Cannes, this was his comeback to the film festival. In 2023, 'Anatomy Of A Fall' was premeired at Cannes and the movie was awarded the top prize called the Palme d'Or. Messi too was awarded the Plam Dog Prize, a journalist-created award for being the best dog at the festival.

Messi's 20-minutes appearance on the red carpet won everyone's hearts. He is at Cannes 2024 where the festival is shooting short one-minute videos of his every day for TikTok.

Isn't that paw-dorable!

Meanwhile, the world's biggest film festival-- Cannes at French Riviera starting on May 14th and will go on till May 25th. Many renowned celebs from across the world are attending the 77th edition of the festival this year. From India, the celebs that will be seen at Cannes 2024 include Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kiara Advani, Sobhita Dhulipala, Namita Thapar, RJ Karishma, among others. Eight Indian or India-themed films will be showcased at Cannes in 2024 in each category, and for six major awards. This year all the Indian films are either by Indian filmmakers or are women-centric, except one-- which makes them all the more interesting.

READ ALSO: Opening day of Cannes 2024: Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, and Greta Gerwig shine on the Red Carpet

READ ALSO: Sobhita Dhulipala makes a shimmery statement at Cannes

READ ALSO: Shark Tank India judge Namita Thapar makes her Cannes debut in chic high-slit ruched gown

READ ALSO: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Sharmila Tagore and others: Indians who've served as Cannes Film Festival jury members

For more news like this visit TOI . Get all the Latest News , City News , India News , Business News , and Sports News . For Entertainment News , TV News , and Lifestyle Tips visit Etimes

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Messi the dog comes to Cannes for an encore

The first star to arrive on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival came on four legs. Messi, the dog from the film “Anatomy of a Fall,” walked up and down the Cannes carpet on Tuesday ahead of the opening ceremony. Justine Triet’s murder mystery “Anatomy of a Fall” last year premiered in Cannes where it went on to win the festival’s top award, the Palme d’Or. Messi — Snoop in the film — won the Palm Dog, a journalist-created prize for the festival’s top dog. (May 14)

Messi the dog poses for photographers upon arrival at the awards ceremony and the premiere of the film ‘The Second Act’ during the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Photo by Andreea Alexandru/Invision/AP)

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Messi the dog poses for photographers upon arrival at the awards ceremony and the premiere of the film ‘The Second Act’ during the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Photo by Daniel Cole/Invision/AP)

CANNES, France (AP) — The first star to arrive on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival came on four legs.

Messi, the dog from the film “Anatomy of a Fall,” walked up and down the Cannes carpet on Tuesday ahead of the opening ceremony. Lines of tuxedo-clad photographers called out “Messi! Messi” while the border collie strolled past and climbed the stairs to the Palais des Festivals. There, he sat and held his front paws up in the air, like a movie star waving to the crowd.

For some 20 minutes, Messi had Cannes’ complete attention while frolicking on the carpet. His bark echoed down the Croisette. The red carpet went unsoiled.

For Messi, it was a kind of return to the scene of the crime. Justine Triet’s murder mystery “Anatomy of a Fall” last year premiered in Cannes where it went on to win the festival’s top award, the Palme d’Or. Messi — Snoop in the film — won the Palm Dog, a journalist-created prize for the festival’s top dog.

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival is underway. Here’s what to know:

• Festival diaries: AP Film Writer Jake Coyle is in Cannes, France, reporting on the festival . Follow along with his behind-the-scenes diaries .
• How it all works: We broke down the festival’s unique landscape , lineup , prizes and what’s up with those long standing ovations.
• What to expect: #MeToo upheaval in France , potential strikes and protests, George Miller’s “Furiosa” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “ Megalopolis, ” all have Cannes buzzing.
• The Palm Dog: Messi is in attendance . But who will win the coveted (but unofficial) Palm Dog?
• Photos: See red carpet highlights from week one.

And as “Anatomy of a Fall,” in which the dog’s perspective holds certain keys to the whodunit, continued through awards season, Messi emerged as Hollywood’s favorite new pooch and a particularly cuddly Oscar campaign prop. He attended both the academy luncheon of nominees and the Oscar ceremony . “Anatomy of a Fall” won best original screenplay.

Messi isn’t in Cannes just for an encore bow/bone. The festival is shooting daily one-minute videos of Messi for French television that will be collected for a TikTok video. On Tuesday, he carried a camera stick in his teeth.