Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi relocated to Spain from Argentina at the age of 13 to join Barcelona, making his competitive debut for the club at 17 in October 2004. Within the next three years, he established himself as an integral player, contributing significantly to Barcelona's success. In the 2008–09 season, Messi played a key role in helping Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. At the age of 22 that year, he earned his first Ballon d'Or.


Following this, Messi went on to win four consecutive Ballons d'Or, making him the first player to achieve this feat. In the 2011–12 season, he set records for the most goals in a single season in La Liga and Europe, solidifying his position as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. Despite finishing second to Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d'Or standings for the next two seasons, Messi regained his top form in the 2014–15 campaign, becoming La Liga's all-time top scorer and leading Barcelona to a historic second treble. In 2015, he was awarded his fifth Ballon d'Or.

Messi took on the captaincy of Barcelona in 2018 and secured a record sixth Ballon d'Or in 2019. After his contract with Barcelona ended, Messi joined French club Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, where he spent two seasons, winning Ligue 1 twice. In July 2023, Messi made a move to the American club Inter Miami, and in August of that year, he helped secure victory in the Leagues Cup.


Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Santa Fe, as the third of four children to Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. His heritage includes Italian and Spanish roots from his father's side, tracing back to immigrants from the Adriatic Marche region of Italy. On his mother's side, Messi primarily has Italian ancestry. Growing up in a close-knit family that shared a deep love for football, Messi, affectionately known as "Leo," developed a passion for the sport at an early age.


He played regularly with his older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, as well as his cousins Maximiliano and Emanuel Biancucchi, who both went on to become professional footballers. At the age of four, Messi joined the local club Grandoli, where his father coached him. However, his initial influence as a player came from his maternal grandmother, Celia, who accompanied him to training and matches. Messi experienced a significant loss with her passing shortly before his eleventh birthday. As a devout Roman Catholic, he honors her memory by celebrating his goals with a gesture of looking up and pointing to the sky.



In his quest for additional match experience, Lionel Messi played a crucial role for Barcelona C, contributing significantly to their salvation from the relegation zone in the Tercera División by scoring five goals in ten games. To formalize his commitment to the club, Messi signed his inaugural professional contract on February 4, 2004. This contract, initially set to expire in 2012, included an initial buyout clause of €30 million.


Notably, this clause automatically escalated to €80 million upon Messi's debut for Barcelona B on March 6 of the same year. Although he played five games with the B team during that season, he did not manage to find the net. Given his relatively smaller stature compared to often older and taller opponents, Messi recognized the need to enhance his physical strength to outmaneuver defenders. Despite the physical challenges, he concluded the season with an impressive total of 36 goals across all official competitions.


Under the guidance of new manager and former captain Luis Enrique during the 2014–15 season, Lionel Messi enjoyed a notably injury-free period, enabling him to achieve three remarkable milestones towards the end of the year. On November 22, a hat-trick against Sevilla elevated him to the status of the all-time top scorer in La Liga, surpassing Telmo Zarra's 59-year record of 251 league goals. Another hat-trick, this time against city rivals Espanyol on December 7, allowed Messi to surpass César Rodríguez as the all-time top scorer in the Derbi barceloní with a total of 12 goals. Despite these remarkable accomplishments, Messi found himself in second place in the FIFA Ballon d'Or standings, trailing behind Cristiano Ronaldo. This outcome was largely influenced by Messi's second-place finish with Argentina at the World Cup, which played a role in determining the final rankings.


On February 4, 2017, Lionel Messi achieved a significant milestone by scoring his 27th free-kick for Barcelona in a 3–0 home victory against Athletic Bilbao in the league. This accomplishment surpassed Ronald Koeman's record, making Messi the all-time top-scorer for Barcelona from free-kicks. Another standout moment occurred on April 23 when Messi netted twice in a 3–2 away triumph over Real Madrid. The game-winning goal, scored in stoppage time, marked his 500th goal for Barcelona. In a memorable celebration, Messi took off his Barcelona shirt and held it up to the disgruntled Real Madrid fans, displaying his name and number to the crowd.


On May 27, Messi continued his stellar performance by scoring a goal and providing an assist for Paco Alcácer in the 2017 Copa del Rey final. Barcelona secured a 3–1 victory over Alavés, with Messi earning the Man of the Match title. The 2016–17 season concluded with Messi tallying an impressive total of 54 goals, and his 37 goals in La Liga earned him both the Pichichi and European Golden Boot Awards for the fourth time in his illustrious career.



On August 10, Lionel Messi officially joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The transfer saw him signing a two-year deal that extended until June 2023, with an additional option for another year. Messi made the decision to adopt the squad number 30 at PSG, the same number he wore during his teenage years when he made his senior debut for Barcelona. This move marked a significant chapter in Messi's career as he embarked on a new footballing journey with Paris Saint-Germain.


On June 7, Inter Miami generated anticipation by posting a video on their social media, dropping hints about the imminent signing of Lionel Messi. On the same day, Messi, in a joint interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, confirmed his intention to join Inter Miami. However, he mentioned that the deal had not been finalized completely, stating that they "haven't closed it 100 percent." Despite La Liga accepting his return to Barcelona, Messi highlighted various pending matters, including the need to lower salaries and sell players, which he did not want to go through again or be responsible for. Messi also disclosed that although other European clubs approached him, Barcelona was the only European team he desired to play for.


Following Diego Maradona's departure, Sergio Batista took over as the coach of the Argentina national team. Batista, who had previously led Argentina to Olympic victory, publicly declared his intention to build the team around Lionel Messi. He employed Messi as a false nine in a 4–3–3 system, a strategy similar to the one successfully used by Barcelona.


Despite Messi's outstanding performance with Barcelona, where he scored a record 53 goals during the 2010–11 season, he had not found the net for Argentina in an official match since March 2009. This goal drought continued during the 2011 Copa América, which was hosted by Argentina. The team's initial matches against Bolivia and Colombia ended in draws. Critics observed a lack of chemistry between Messi and striker Carlos Tevez, who enjoyed greater popularity among the Argentine public. Messi faced unprecedented booing from his own team's supporters for the first time in his career.


In the subsequent crucial match, with Tevez on the bench, Messi delivered a well-received performance, assisting two goals in a 3–0 victory over Costa Rica. However, despite Messi's efforts, Argentina was eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-final against Uruguay. The match ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time, and Argentina was eventually defeated 4–5 in the penalty shootout by the eventual champions.


In March 2023, Lionel Messi made a triumphant return to Argentina as a world champion, participating in two friendlies in his home country. In the first match against Panama, Messi achieved a significant milestone by scoring his 99th international goal with a free-kick, contributing to Argentina's 2–0 victory. This goal also marked Messi's 800th senior career goal for both club and country. In the subsequent match against Curaçao, Messi delivered a stellar performance by scoring a hat-trick, which was his ninth for Argentina, and providing an assist in a dominating 7–0 win. The first goal of this hat-trick allowed Messi to reach 100 international goals, placing him in the esteemed company of being the third player in history to achieve this milestone. Messi's return to international duty showcased his continued excellence on the football pitch and added another chapter to his illustrious career.

References

1.  "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: List of Players: Argentina" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
2. ^ "Profile: Lionel Andrés Messi". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
3. ^ Jump up to:
4. a b Balagué 2013, pp. 32–37.
5. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 10 June 2014. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
6. ^ Marsden, Sam (2 November 2017). "Messi donates to charity after libel case win". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
7. ^ Lacombe, Rémy (11 January 2016). "Messi, le Cinquième Élément". France Football (in French). Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
8. ^ "Messi, Lloyd, Luis Enrique and Ellis Triumph at FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015". FIFA. 11 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
9. ^ "Lionel Messi wins The Best FIFA Men's Player Award". FIFA. 15 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024. Lionel Messi has been crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023, retaining the title he won in 2022 [...] Messi also won the 2019 Best FIFA Men's Player award and was recognised by FIFA as the leading player in the men's game on five occasions prior to that - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 - making this his eighth individual award in total.
10. ^ "Ballon d'Or 2023 : Lionel Messi sacré pour la huitième fois" (in French). L'Equipe. 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
11. ^ "Incredible Messi destroys Arsenal". ESPN. Retrieved 15 May 2022. now I feel completely different about my La Liga medal and my Champions League medal (in 2006)
12. ^ "Players with most Champions League titles: Benzema, Carvajal, Modrić and Cristiano Ronaldo". UEFA. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
13. ^ "Messi | Ficha del jugador 20/21 | Delantero". FC Barcelona (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 June 2021.