Lionel Messi Biography

December 15, 20242

Lionel Messi Biography

Lionel Messi is one of the best and most exciting football talents in the world. He had all the signs of a promising football career ahead of him, but at the age of 11 he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency. Messi holds the Guinness World Record for the most goals scored in a single year, scoring 91 goals.

A brief biography of Lionel Messi:

Full name: Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
Date of birth: June 24, 1987 (1987-06-24)
Place of birth: Rosario, Argentina
Height: 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Occupation: Footballer
Position: Forward
Shirt number: 10
Guinness World Record for the highest goalscorer for club and country in a calendar year: 91 goals in 2012

Lionel Messi is an Argentine footballer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of the modern generation. He plays for club and country Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award five times (2009–12 and 2015). He is often considered the successor to Diego Maradona due to his goalscoring record and ability to dribble past opponents.

Diego Maradona said:

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

His potential is limitless and I think he has everything it takes to become the best player Argentina has ever had.

Lionel Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, to a working-class family. His father was a steel mill worker and his mother was a cleaner.

He started playing as a child and his talent was evident early on. However, at the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). This was a condition that stunted his growth and required expensive medical treatment, including the use of human growth hormone medication.

His local club, River Plate, was interested in signing Messi, but did not want to pay for his treatment. However, Messi went on trial with Barcelona, and coach Carles Rexach was impressed – offering Messi a contract (written on a napkin!) that included paying for Messi’s treatment in Spain. Messi moved to Barcelona with his father and joined the Barcelona youth academy.

Lionel Messi said:

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

Lionel Messi progressed through the ranks, making his debut in the 2004/05 season and becoming the youngest player to score in the league. In 2006, Messi was part of the double-winning team that won both La Liga (Spanish league) and the Champions League. The following season, (2006–07) at the age of 20, Messi was the first striker and an important part of the Barcelona team – scoring 14 goals in 26 league games.

In the 2009–10 season, Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling Ronaldo’s record for Barcelona. As the seasons went by, Messi continued to improve and break records. In 2012, he broke the world record for most goals scored in a single year. His final goal tally in 2012 was 91 goals – beating the previous record of 85 by Germany’s Gerd Müller and 75 by Pele in 1958.

Gerd Müller said:

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 happy for him. He’s an incredible player, a giant.”

International career

Since Messi was raised in Spain, he has held Spanish nationality since the age of 11. In 2004, he was offered a place on the Spain under-20 team, but Messi chose to play for his native Argentina. He led Argentina to victory in the 2005 FIFA Youth Championship. Messi made his full international debut in August 2005 in a friendly against Hungary. Messi was sent off in his debut for elbowing a player. The decision was controversial and did not fit with Messi’s generally clean and fair-play style. He has rarely been accused of diving.

He competed in the 2006 World Cup, becoming the youngest Argentine player to play in a World Cup. Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals. He won the Olympic gold medal for Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Initially, Barcelona did not allow him to play, but new manager Pep Guardiola gave him a leave of absence.

At the 2010 World Cup, Messi wore the number 10 shirt and played well as Argentina reached the quarter-finals, but Messi struggled to score as Argentina were disappointingly defeated 4–0 by Germany in the quarter-finals. Messi admitted that he was desperate to play in the World Cup final. Messi’s success in the World Cup would be the ultimate test of greatness. In contrast, Pelé was part of the Brazilian team that won the World Cup three times, in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Messi is widely regarded as one of the most exciting players of the modern era – indeed, of any age. He has an unrivalled ability to dribble and tackle opponents. Maradona described his ball control as being very good. The ball sticks to his feet. “I have seen great players in my career, but I have never seen anyone who controls the ball like Messi.” Messi has said he wants to preserve the joy of playing football as a child.

Lionel Messi has said:

I haven’t changed anything, my style of play is still like a child’s. I know that above all it is my job and I have to approach it differently, but we must not lose sight of the fact that football is a game. It is essential to play to have fun, to be happy. That is what children do and that is what I do.”

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

“To be honest, it is unbelievable. The fourth award I have received is too great for words.

Messi and Ronaldo

Messi is often compared to Real Madrid’s prolific goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo, but both have been keen to downplay the rivalry.

Cristiano Ronaldo said in September 2011:

“Messi has his own personality and I have my own personality. He has his own game and I have my own game. I play at a big club like him. We are different in every way. But at the moment, he is the best.”

Messi’s goalscoring record
By any standard, Messi’s goalscoring record is exceptional. As of June 2019, he has scored 419 goals in 445 official matches for FC Barcelona.

In the 2012/13 season, Messi set a world record for scoring in 21 consecutive matches (33 goals in 21 matches).

He holds the Guinness World Record for most goals in a calendar year – 91 goals in 2012.

Lionel Messi’s personal honors:

– Best Young Player in the World (2006, 2007 and 2008)

– Top scorer at the U-20 World Cup (2005)

– Best player at the U-20 World Cup (2005)

– Best player in La Liga (2009, 2010 and 2011, 2012)

– Best scorer in La Liga (2010 and 2012)

– European Golden Shoe (2010 and 2012 and 2013)

– World Footballer of the Year (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012)

– Top scorer in the Champions League (2009, 2010, 2011)

– Top scorer in the history of Barcelona club

– Most goals scored in a year with 91 goals

– Alfredo Di Stefano Award: (2009, 2010 and 2011)

– World Cup Best Player (2014)

– La Liga 2015 – 2014

– Copa América 2015

– Ballon d’Or 2015

Messi’s major honours:

Barcelona

– 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

– Spanish Super Cup (*6)

– European Champions League ( *4): 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15

– UEFA Super Cup ( *3)

– European Club Cup FIFA World ( 3 )

Argentina

– Olympic Gold Medal: 2008

– FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005

– FIFA World Cup 2006 – QF

– FIFA World Cup 2010 – QF

– FIFA World Cup 2014 – Runner-up

– FIFA World Cup 2018

– FIFA World Cup 2022

Messi’s wealth and income:

Messi has been the target of other football clubs with huge transfer budgets on several occasions, but he has remained loyal to Barcelona. He is one of the highest-paid footballers in the world. His base salary is estimated at €40 million per year. His total income from all sources in 2018 was €126 million. According to Forbes, this made him the highest-paid sports star. As of 2018, his weekly salary from Barcelona is $667,000 per week.

Messi’s private life:

By modern football standards, Messi lives a relatively private and modest lifestyle. He tries to maintain a connection with his hometown of Rosario. He has an Argentine girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo, and they have two children. Their first child, Thiago, was born in November 2012.

Messi serves as a UNICEF ambassador and also runs his own charity foundation – supporting children’s access to education and sport. Due to his expensive treatment, he has also helped Argentine hospitals pay for similar medical expenses.

2014 World Cup:

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 Cups, Argentina were eliminated 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 at the highest level. In the opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Messi scored a brilliant goal to give Argentina a winning start. He scored four goals to take Argentina to the World Cup final. In the final, Argentina lost 1–0 to Germany. Messi was awarded the Ballon d’Or as player of the tournament, although the decision was not universally supported. After the tournament, Messi responded:

“I don’t care about the Ballon d’Or. I’m just upset about the missed opportunities. We had the best chances. We knew we couldn’t dominate the game, but we knew what we wanted to do. Right now, I don’t care about my award. I just wanted to lift the trophy and bring it to Argentina. The pain is too much.”

In June 2016, Messi announced his retirement from international football after missing a penalty in Argentina’s elimination from the Copa América final. However, Messi later changed his mind, stating that he loved playing for Argentina too much and that he saw that there were many problems in Argentine football and that he did not want to create any more problems.

However, Messi returned to international football and captained Argentina to the 2018 World Cup. The World Cup was a huge disappointment, despite bearing the weight of a nation’s expectations. However, in the 2018/19 season, Messi returned to his usual brilliant form for Barcelona.

2022 World Cup:

After a disappointing first match, when Argentina unexpectedly lost to Saudi Arabia, Lionel Messi was the key to Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Mexico, scoring a superb goal. If Messi has lost some of his pace and fitness, he remains just as potent in front of goal, with the potential to be a match-winner. The goal took his tally to eight World Cup goals, second all-time, level with Diego Maradona.