Lionel Andrés Messi (nicknamed “Leo Messi”) was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina, and he plays football professionally. He holds the record for most FIFA World Player of the Year awards with six (2009–12, 2015, and 2019).

The year was 1995 when Messi initially suited up for Newell’s Old Boys, a youth soccer team in Argentina. (the name of a top-flight Argentinean football team headquartered in Rosario). As word spread of Messi’s extraordinary skills, numerous A-list clubs on both sides of the Atlantic competed to sign him. When Messi was 13 years old, he moved to Barcelona with his family, where he quickly joined the FC Barcelona youth team. He made his first team debut for FC Barcelona in a friendly at the tender age of 16 after scoring 21 goals in 14 games for the minor team.

One of the highest honors a soccer player can receive is to be considered a legend of the game. It’s difficult enough to get there on your own, but it’s far more difficult when other people, especially those from your own nation, have already accomplished it.

Certainly, Lionel Messi surpassed everyone’s expectations and accomplished all that. No one in Argentina expected a boy from Barcelona, who nobody had heard of, to surpass Diego Maradona. Leo Messi is destined to become as legendary a player for Argentina as Diego Maradona. Right now, let’s try to learn more about him.

About Lionel Messi

Born on June 24, 1987, Lionel Andres “Leo” Messi Cuccittini is the captain of the Argentine national team and a professional footballer for FC Barcelona.

Messi had already made it onto the shortlists for the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award before he turned 21. At the age of 21, he became the youngest player in history to win the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards in the same year. After that, he went on to win the first ever FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010 and the next two as well. The UEFA’s Best Player in Europe title for the 2010–11 season was another trophy he brought home.

Even at the young age of 24, Messi has already become Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer in official club competitions. By September of 2014, at the tender age of 27 years old, he had already scored 400 goals for his club and country. Before the end of the 2014–15 season, Messi had already established himself as the league’s all-time top scorer and the UEFA Champions League’s all-time leading scorer.

Messi won the European Golden Shoe three times and the FIFA/Ballons d’Or four times in a row, becoming the first footballer to accomplish this feat. He is universally regarded as the greatest player of all time. The fourteen trophies Messi has won with Barcelona include six La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, six Supercopas de Espaa titles, three UEFA Championships in the Champions. Three major international club competitions are represented: the English Premier League, the European Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Messi has scored the most goals in the Champions League in a single season for the past four years in a row. He holds the record with five hat tricks in the competition. When he scored five goals against Real Madrid in March of 2012, he set a new record for most goals ever scored in a Champions League game. He scored 14 goals in the Champions League, matching the record held by José Altafini.

Messi broke multiple records in the 2011–12 season, including the European record for most goals scored in a season (73), and the La Liga record for most goals scored in a season (40). (50). (six). By the beginning of 2013 February, he had scored 300 times for Barcelona. On March 30, 2013, Messi became the first footballer in history to score in consecutive games against every team in a professional football league when he scored in his 19th consecutive La Liga game. He now holds the league record with 21 straight games in which he scored at least once. As of the meeting in March of 2014 against Real Madrid, Messi had scored the most goals and hat tricks in El Clásico history.

The October 2014 goal was Messi’s 250th for La Liga, and he was 27 years old at the time. With his hat trick against Sevilla in November 2014, Messi became the all-time leading goalscorer in La Liga with 253 goals. With his 74th goal in the Champions League at the month’s end, he became the competition’s all-time leading scorer.

Parents of Soccer Star Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer superstar, was born and reared in the working-class neighborhood of Rosario. Her mom, Celia, had a magnetic oil workshop and cleaned houses on the side, while her dad, Jorge, was a section manager in the steel industry. Leo’s family consists of his younger sister Maria Sol, older brother Rodrigo, and younger brother Matas.

Leo’s successes in business were a major factor in the shifts that took place. Jorge has represented Messi as his agent ever since he was a young player at the Barcelona academy, and in recent years, Messi’s brothers have assumed responsibility for the family business and Messi’s professional reputation. Despite their son’s stardom, the Argentine footballer’s parents, Jorge and Celia, have never sought attention for themselves.

An Early Stage in Lionel Messi’s Professional Career

Soccer has been the center of Lionel Messi’s upbringing from an early age. He picked up the game as a child in Rosario, Argentina, from his older brother and his pals. In spite of being the youngest and shortest of the group, he held his own fairly well against the bigger and older lads in any sporting event.

At the tender age of five, he began playing the game “officially,” with his father serving as his coach for the local team Grandoli. After a few years of hard work, Messi was invited to join the academy of Rosario giants Newell’s Old Boys, a famous football club.

Expensive Medical Care

Messi has accepted his smaller stature in comparison to his contemporaries. That, however, stood out as he got older and became the center of conversation.

After being told he lacked growth hormone when he was 11 years old, Messi has worked tirelessly to prove his doubters wrong. This potentially treatable growth-limiting illness has high treatment costs.

A Chance to Change His Life

The trial with FC Barcelona that Leo attended would be the beginning of a brilliant career. When coach Carles Rexach saw him play, he was so impressed that all the big teams in Spain wanted to sign him immediately. Messi’s first contract with Barca was completed so hastily that it was written on a napkin. What’s more, the Catalans paid for all of his intensive medical care.

When Messi was only 13 years old, he enrolled at Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy. Leo can always count on his dad, Jorge, to back him up. He followed him to Spain, abandoning his loved ones back in Rosario. While playing in a different country, Messi had little trouble adjusting to his new club. He quickly rose through the ranks and in 2005 made his debut with the team.

A Career in Football for Lionel Messi in Argentina

After making his debut for the Albiceleste (White and Sky blue) on August 17, 2005 against Hungary, Messi was immediately sent off for elbowing an opponent.

Coach Jose Pekerman didn’t put much faith in him, so he only started one game at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Messi was able to help his country win gold at the 2008 Olympics despite receiving criticism from Barcelona.

Even though Argentina made it to the World Cup semi-finals in 2010, some people said Lionel Messi didn’t perform up to par. In the group stage matches against Nigeria and South Korea, he did not score, but his exceptional talents were on full display. Messi was not at his peak in 2010, but he still had a productive World Cup. His best work came when he was moved to the defensive half of the field, behind the attacking squad.

The 2014 World Cup was Messi’s breakthrough year, as he guided Argentina all the way to the title game before losing in overtime to Germany.

Some were surprised that Lionel Messi, who finished equal for third in scoring with Neymar and Robin van Persie, was named the tournament’s greatest player and awarded the Golden Ball. Some of the best performances came from James Rodriguez, Arjen Robben, and the rest of the German team. Even though Andrea Pirlo completed as many through balls as Messi, he was unable to equal Messi’s number of chances to score.

Messi only scored once in the 2015 Copa America, but his team still made it all the way to the championship game, when they were defeated by host nation Chile in penalty shootout.

2003 to 2005: Setting Records for Barcelona’s Youth Team

Messi has made a record-setting five appearances for Barcelona’s youth team, all of which came during his fourth year with the club (2003-04). In four international preseason competitions, he led the Juveniles B to MVP honors; after being promoted to the Juveniles A, he promptly scored 18 goals in 11 league games. During the international break, the first team, short on players, called in a number of young players, including Messi, to fill in.

French winger Ludovic Giuly recalled that young Leo impressed Frank Rijkaard’s first squad during a training session. They were kicking this kid all over the place, afraid he would become a joke. Instead of stopping the performance, he simply got to his feet and kept going. A skilled ball handler, he could dribble past four defenders and score from wherever on the court. All of the starting central defenders were nervous. Clearly, he did not belong among the human race.”

2005–2008: Making it into the Starting Eleven

Upon turning eighteen on June 24th, Messi signed his first professional contract. It added two years to his stay with Barcelona (2010 instead of 2008), but his buyout clause was raised from €100 million to €150 million. Almost two months later, on August 24th, at the Joan Gamper Trophy, a preseason game for Barcelona, he finally broke through.

The Camp Nou supporters cheered in pleasure after his debut appearance, in which he easily defeated Fabio Capello’s Juventus. Capello proposed sending Messi out on loan to another team, but Inter Milan countered with a €150 million (about three times his annual salary) offer to acquire him. This was the only time, according to the club’s then-president Joan Laporta, that Messi’s departure from the club was really discussed. His contract was extended to 2014 on September 16th, the second time in three months that it has been changed.

2006: First FIFA World Cup

Despite this setback, Messi made it onto Argentina’s roster for the 2006 World Cup, where he became his country’s youngest player to ever play in and score at the World Cup. It was a 5-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro in the group stage when he scored his first World Cup goal. Argentina’s semi-final loss to Germany has not resolved Jose Pekerman’s decision to bench Lionel Messi.

‍2008: Achievement at the Olympics

Still, from that point on, Messi was an ever-present starter for Argentina. In spite of his team’s heartbreaking loss in the 2007 Copa America final, the young star from Barcelona led his country to Olympic gold in 2008. What happened at the Olympics had a profound impact on Messi’s club career.

2009: ‍Progression to Fame and Fortune

Even though Messi was a key member of the Barcelona side that won the double in 2005–06 and a regular starter the next two seasons, he didn’t truly come into his own until the 2008–09 season. Messi is now Barcelona’s main attraction instead of Ronaldinho.

During Messi’s tenure as captain, Barcelona achieved the club’s first “treble” victory. That’s like winning the three most prestigious club contests in the world at the same time. Leo was an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning club, widely considered the best team in history.

Where does Lionel Messi Rank Among All-Time Greats?

Messi has won the World Player of the Year award more times than any other soccer player in history. Although some have likened him favorably to Cristiano Ronaldo, others will not even consider him in the same league. Messi has been compared to legends like Pele and Maradona, but the Argentine’s biggest supporters insist he stands in a class all by himself.

A large number of famous soccer players and coaches have gushed over Lionel Messi. Josep Guardiola serves as an example here: “No one is allowed to eat at Messi’s table. Every three days he’s on the court, and he averages 60-70 points every season, with most of those coming in the postseason. He has total command of his bodily functions. I still believe he is the greatest athlete I have ever seen.” But the acclaim for Messi stands on its own.

Conclusion

Comparisons will continue to be made, whether or not they are appropriate. Regardless, Lionel Messi has established himself as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

The featured image at the beginning of this post is from YaNiS2017 of PixaBay.