Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as Leo Messi, has been known for playing professional fútball for Argentina. Messi has won many awards and achievements as an individual and on the many different teams he has played on. One of the recents awards and achievements he has won this year was the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in a row. The Ballon d’Or is an annual soccer award celebrating the best players in the men’s and women’s game.
Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina on June 24, 1987. Messi started playing football as a boy and joined a youth team of Newell’s Old Boys. Due to many of his skills, he brought much attention to clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. Around the age of 13, Messi and his family moved to Barcelona. He began playing for the under 14 FC Barcelona team, then graduated through higher-level teams giving him the opportunity to start his debut in the Spanish La Liga playing with FC Barcelona, the country’s highest division football. Messi was left-footed, quick, and precise in control of the ball. His attribute to the team helped Barcelona win the Champions League title (the European club championship) in 2005-06.
In early 2009, Messi helped FC Barcelona with their first “treble,” winning three major European clubs, as they won the La Liga championship, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League title. With the record of 38 goals, he bested Cristiano Ronaldo for both the Ballon d’Or and Federation Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) world player of the year.
Messi finished the 2010-11 season breaking records for himself, making him an inspiration to many of those who aspired to do the same as him. With 73 goals in all competitions of the year, he broke Gerd Müller’s record for single-season goals in major European football leagues. Messi’s landmark led him to be named the 2012 world player of the year, which made him the first player to win the honor four times. Then again in 2014, he set the overall Barcelona goal record with his 370th goal and broke career scoring records for both the Championship League (72 goals) and La Liga (253 goals).
Despite all that Messi has done with FC Barcelona, his success allowed him to be a part of various Argentine national teams since 2005. He represented the country in the 2006 World Cup, as Argentina swept to the gold medal at Beijing 2007 Olympic Games. Messi helped Argentina in 2010 to reach the World Cup quarterfinal, but was beaten by Germany. There were many times where Argentina were continuously close to winning, but not enough that Messi felt that his presence was not helping the team at all and left. Until in the season of 2021, Messi and Argentina have won the Copa America – Argentina’s first major title in 28 years. Messi at the time was captain and was named player of the tournament alongside Colombia’s Luiz Diaz. Again in 2022, the trophy was awaiting for them at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Argentina took hold of the trophy that ended the game with France in a penalty shootout. Messi was then named the Best FIFA Men’s Player for a second time and broke the record of appearances – 26 games – for the World Cup.
Messi is now signed with Inter Miami and settled with his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, and his three kids. He is not only a role model to his own kids, but to many others who dream of going into FIFA.
For more information about his life visit, www.britannica.com/biography/Lionel-Messi, and to keep up with many of his famous awards and events visit, messi.com/.
