STATS
Appearances
989
Goals
781
Assists
339
Trophies
44
BALLON D'OR
8x
VIDEOS
PHOTOS
×
GOD OF FOOTBALL
LIONEL MESSI
Age as on 2023 (36 Years)
Lionel Messi, in full Lionel Andrés Messi, also called Leo Messi, (born June 24, 1987, Rosario, Argentina), Argentine-born football (soccer) player who was named Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) world player of the year six times (2009–12, 2015, and 2019).
- Messi
is the only player to top-score in four consecutive Champions
League seasons,
and also holds the record for the most hat-tricks scored in the
competition with five. In March 2012 he made Champions League
history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one
match.
- He also matched José Altafini's record of 14
goals in a single
Champions League season. In the 2011–12 season,
Messi set the European record for most goals scored in a season
with 73 goals,
set the goalscoring record in a single La Liga season with 50
goals,
and became the first player ever to score and assist in six
different official competitions in one season. In February 2013
he scored his 300th Barcelona goal. On 30 March 2013,
Messi scored in his 19th consecutive La Liga game,
becoming the first footballer in history to net in consecutive
matches against every team in a professional football league. He
extended his record scoring streak to 21 consecutive league
matches.
- In March 2014,
with a hat-trick against Real Madrid,
Messi became the player with the most goals and most hat-tricks
in the history of El Clásico. In October 2014,
Messi,
aged 27,
became the youngest player to score 250 goals in La Liga. In
November 2014,
Messi scored a hat-trick against Sevilla to reach 253 La Liga
goals,
becoming the all-time top scorer in La Liga. Later that month,
he scored his 74th Champions League goal to become its all-time
leading scorer.
Messi was born to play
football. Everyone knew he was going to be the best footballer.
-Rodolfo Borell(FC Barcelona Youth Team Coach)
Messi won 2005 FIFA U-20 World cup
Messi won 2022 FIFA World cup
.webp)
Barcelona
won 6 trophies in single
calender year
Messi has won 8
Ballon d'or,
more than any footballer
Messi has scored most goals
in a calender
year
FACTS
- Messi had growth hormone deficiency, which was stopping his normal growth rate at a tender age of
11. Most importantly, his parents couldn’t afford his treatment of $900 per month.
- Through their relatives in Catalonia, Messi’s family arranged a trial with Barcelona in September
2000. Secondly, he impressed the first team director and he wanted to sign him immediately. Having no
paper at hand, he wrote Messi’s first contract on a paper napkin.
- Messi pursued by the Royal Spanish Football Federation to join the Spanish Football Team. However,
Lionel Messi declined the offer.
Here are some: More facts about
Messi
Messi replicated two of Maradona's most famous goals in a span of three weeks. In the Copa Del Rey semi-final, he scored a goal similar to Maradona's 1986 FIFA World Cup goal which is known as the Goal of the Century. He scored another in a similar fashion to Maradona's “Hand of god” goal against Espanyol in a league fixture.
Where is Messi?
Goals Scored by Messi All around the world
Hover around the countries to see more
Goals Scored by Messi All around the world
Hover around the countries to see more
Timeline
Take a glimpse of the memorable events in Lionel's path to become the greatest
-
Lionel Messi is born
Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, the third of four children of Jorge Messi and his wife Celia Cuccittini.
-
Messi joins Newell's Old Boys
A lifelong supporter of Newell's Old Boys, Messi joined the Rosario club when he was six years old. During the six years he played for Newell's, he scored 234 goals in 176 games (according to Rosario Football Association).
-
The Trial with Barcelona
An ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their commitment, and Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered a contract to Messi on a paper napkin.
-
La Masia & RFEF
Messi enrolled at Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, when he was 13. After a year at Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, Messi was finally enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in 2 February 2002.
-
First Professional Contract
Messi signed his first professional contract on 4 February 2004, which lasted until 2012 and contained an initial buyout clause of €30 million.
-
First appearance in an official match
After being called up to the senior team, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, against Espanyol in La Liga, coming on the field in the 82′ minute.
-
First Goal in an official match
Messi scored his first goal on May 1, 2005, against Albacete, assisted by Ronaldinho, becoming the youngest ever goalscorer for the club at that time.
-
First La Liga Trophy
Messi won his first La Liga trophy on the season 2004/05. Messi played in 7 games that season all as subtitute, scoring 1 goal.
-
FIFA World Youth Championship
Messi led Argentina to trophy in the 2005 FIFA Youth Championship. He was awarded the Golden Ball. He scored twice in the final against Nigeria (2-1) winning the championship for Argentina and finishing the tournament as the top scorer with 6 goals.
-
Argentina Debut
Messi made his first-team international debut in August 2005, during a friendly game against Hungary. Messi was sent off just one minute after he entered the field. There are still debates on whether he actually deserved the red card.
-
First Goal in Champions League
On 2 November 2005, Messi scored his first Champions League goal in his 4th appearance, against the Greek team Panathinaikos in a 5-0 win at Camp Nou.
-
First Goal with Argentina
In his sixth appearance with national team, Messi scored his first international goal in a friendly game against Croatia.
-
First Champions League Trophy
Messi won his first Champions League trophy at age of 18. Messi didn't play in the final against Arsenal (2-1) because he was injured in the return leg against Chelsea in round of 16. He played 6 games having 1 goal and 1 assist.
-
First Hat-trick
On March 10, in El Clasico against Real Madrid, Messi scored his first hat-trick in a 3-3 draw. Messi became the first player to score a hat-trick in El Clasico, since Ivan Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 94–95 season).
-
Solo goal vs Getafe
During a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe on 18 April, Messi scored the best goal in Barcelona’s history (according to fans) and one of the best in football ever. Messi collected the ball on the right side near the halfway line, ran 60 metres (66 yd), and beat five defenders before scoring with an angled finish.
-
Copa America 2007 Lost Final
In a surprise defeat, Argentina lost the 2007 Copa America final 3–0 to a Brazil squad that lacked several of the nation's best players. Messi, who was voted as the best young player of the tournament, played in all 6 games having 2 goals and 1 assist.
-
Gold Medal at Olympic Games
Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 with an assist from Messi at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing to win Olympic gold. Argentina became the first team to win back-to-back Olympic titles since Uruguay did so in 1964 and 1968. Messi scored twice and assisted twice in the tournament.
-
First Ballon d'Or
At the age of 22, Messi won his first Ballon d’Or and FIFA Award for Best Player of the Year, both awards with the largest voting margin in the history of each trophy at that time.
-
First Golden Shoe
Messi won his first Golden Shoe as the top scorer of season 2009/10 with 34 goals. He helped Barcelona win La Liga trophy for the second year in a row, with just one loss.
-
Five Goals in a single Champions League Game
On 7 March, Messi scored five goals in a Champions League last 16-round game against Bayer Leverkusen, an unprecedented achievement in the history of the competition at that time.
-
Barcelona's All-time Top Scorer
On 20 March 2012, Messi became the top goalscorer in Barcelona's history at 24 years old, overtaking the 57-year record of Cesar Rodriguez's 232 goals with a hat-trick against Granada.
-
A Record Breaking Year
Messi ended the season as the top scorer in Spain and Europe with 50 goals, a record in La Liga, while his 73 goals in all competitions surpassed 67 goals from Gerd Muller in the 1972-73 Bundesliga season, making Messi the best scorer in European football history in a single season.
-
4 Ballon D'or in a Row
On 7 January 2013 become the first and only player in football history to win the Ballon d'Or four times in a row easily outpacing Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Andres Iniesta in voting.
-
FIFA World Cup 2014 Lost Final
Substitute Mario Götze scored in the 113th minute and Germany won the game 1-0 to win the FIFA World Cup. At the conclusion of the final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player with 4 goals and 1 assist.
-
All-Time Top Scorer in La Liga
Messi scored a hat-trick against Sevilla on November 22 which made him the top scorer in La Liga after surpassing the 59-year record of 251 goals held by Telmo Zarra.
-
Copa America 2015 Lost Final
Chile defeated Argentina 4-1 on penalties after the 0-0 final score on the 2015 Copa America. Messi, who scored the only penalty (Higuain, Banega missed) won the player of the tournament award with 1 goal and 3 assists.
-
Top Scorer with Argentina National Team
At Copa America 2016, in the quarter-final against Venezuela, Messi performed another great performance by assisting two goals and scoring another in a 4-1 victory, which made it equal to the 54-goal record held by Gabriel Batistuta. That record was broken three days later, when Messi scored a free-kick in a 4-0 win against USA in semifinals.
-
Copa America 2016 (Centenario) Lost Final
The Copa America 2016 was a celebration of the centenary of CONMEBOL and the Copa America. Argentina reached the final once again but after another 0-0 , Chile won the game 4–2 on penalties. Messi, who missed the first penalty, scored 5 goals and assisted 4 times in 5 games.
-
500 goals with Barcelona
On April 23, Messi scored twice in a 3-2 win over Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabeu. The goal he scored in overtime and gave Barcelona the win was the 500th goal with Barcelona in all competitions, celebrating it in a special way by showing the jersey to the fans of the stadium.
-
6th Ballon d'Or
Leo Messi won for the sixth time the Ballon d’Or, a record in the history of competition, beating top contenders Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to lift the most prestigious individual football trophy. Messi scored 50 goals and assisted 18 times in 59 games.
-
Top Goalscorer with a Single Club
Messi surpassed Brazilian legend Pele record for most goals with a single club, scoring his 644th goal in all competitions for Barcelona. Pele scored 643 with Santos in his native country, a record that stood for 46 years until Messi broke it in the 0-3 victory over Real Valladolid.
-
1st Title with Argentina (Copa America 2021)
Argentina won against Brazil 1-0 in Copa America final 2021 to secure the national team’s first title in 28 years and Messi’s first major international trophy. Messi was named the player of the tournament, best goalscorer with 4 goals (shared with Luis Diaz) and most assists given (5).
-
PSG Transfer
After joining Barcelona at age 13 and 35 trophies won, Messi completed a free transfer at French club Paris Saint-Germain, following the expiration of his contract at Barcelona. Messi chose 30 as his squad number, which was the number he wore on his Barcelona debut in 2003.
-
Seventh Ballon d'Or
On 29 November 2021 Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or. He helped the Argentina win the 2021 Copa America and he scored 40 goals for club and national team in all competitions.
-
2022 Finalissima
Argentina won against Italy with 3-0 in the 2022 Finalissima at Wembley. This final, which pitted the winner of the European championship against the winner of the Copa America, Messi was once again decisive, with two assists and was named player of the match.
-
FIFA World Cup 2022 Trophy
Messi made his record 26th World Cup finals appearance at Lusail Stadium. Tied 3-3 after extra-time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Messi scored Argentina's first goal in the shoot-out, with Argentina eventually winning 4-2, ending the nation's 36-year wait for the trophy.
-
MLS & Inter Miami Transfer
Lionel Messi signed for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent. Messi signed a two-and-a-half seasons contract, with an option to extend for a further year in the 2026 season.