Biography, Records, Stats & Facts about Lionel Messi the Goat

Early life

Lionel Messi is an Argentine former professional footballer counted amongst the best players in the world in football history. The only player in history to win five FIFA Ballons d'Or, he was also the first player to win three European Golden Shoes. During his playing career, he shattered many world records and currently holds the records for most goals scored in La Liga, a La Liga season (50), a calendar year (91), a single season (73), and a Champions League match (5), among several others. Born into a football-loving family in central Argentina, he developed a passion for the sport at an early age and spent his childhood playing football with his brothers. He joined the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys as a young boy and began playing for FC Barcelona’s under-14 team when he was 13. Having made his competitive debut as a 17-year-old, Messi quickly established himself as an integral player for the Barcelona club. His first big success came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. Over the ensuing years, he proceeded to establish himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer in official competitions and is also Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer with 55 goals in 112 matches. He retired in 2016 following Argentina's loss to Chile in the Copa América Centenario final. But, soon a campaign began to urge him to change his mind, and Messi, later on, reversed his decision.

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 started playing football as a boy and in 1995 joined the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys (a Rosario-based top-division football club). Messi’s phenomenal skills garnered the attention of prestigious clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. At age 13 Messi and his family relocated to Barcelona, and he began playing for FC Barcelona’s under-14 team. He scored 21 goals in 14 games for the junior team, and he quickly graduated through the higher-level teams until at age 16 he was given his informal debut with FC Barcelona in a friendly match.

A career at FC BARCELONA 

June 24, 1987 — Messi is born in Rosario, Argentina.

Dec. 14, 2000 — After his start at Newell's Old Boys as a child phenom, Messi crosses the Atlantic to try out for a spot at Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy. Club official Charly Rexach writes and signs his first contract with Barcelona on a napkin after sharing a beer with an intermediary representing Messi.

Nov. 16, 2003 — Frank Rijkaard gives Messi his debut at age 16 in a friendly against a Porto side coached by Jose Mourinho.

Oct. 16, 2004 — Messi plays the first official match for Barcelona at the age of 17.

May 17, 2006 — Messi wins first Champions League title even though he misses the final against Arsenal due to injury. During the 2005-06 season, he earned a spot in Barcelona’s attack alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o.

March 10, 2007 — Messi scores first hat trick for Barcelona in a 3-3 draw against Real Madrid.

May 27, 2009 — Messi wins his second Champions League after scoring to beat Manchester United 2-0 in the final. With the departure of Ronaldinho and the hiring of Pep Guardiola as coach, Messi has become the undisputed start of Barcelona. He has joined forces with Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández to drive Barcelona to a rare treble of European Cup, Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles.

Dec. 1, 2009 — Messi wins his first of a record six Balon d’Or awards for the best player in soccer. He will win the award again in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019.

May 28, 2011 — Messi wins his third Champions League to complete a season double with his fifth Spanish league title. He scores from outside the area to take the winning goal in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the European final.

March 7, 2012 — Messi becomes the first player to score five times in a Champions League match to fuel a 7-1 rout of Bayer Leverkusen.

March 20, 2012 — Messi becomes Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer at age 24 after surpassing Cesar Rodriguez’s 232 goals. He will go on to score 672 goals for Barcelona.

Dec. 9, 2012 — Messi surpasses Gerd Mueller’s 1972 record of 85 goals for club and country in a single year. He finishes 2012 with 91 goals for Barcelona and Argentina.

Nov. 22, 2014 — Messi becomes the Spanish league’s all-time scorer after surpassing Telmo Zarra’s 251 goals. He goes on to score 474 goals in La Liga.

June 6, 2015 — Messi wins the Champions League for a fourth and final time after Barcelona beats Juventus 3-1 in the final.

July 6, 2016 — Messi and his father Jorge Messi are found guilty of defrauding Spain’s Tax Office of 4.1 million euros (then $4.6 million) in undisclosed revenue from image rights. Messi and his father, who serves as his agent, are sentenced to 21 months in prison, but the sentence is waived by a judge because they are first-time offenders.

Nov. 25, 2017 — Messi signs his last contract with Barcelona, a five-year deal lasting through June 30, 2021. Spanish newspaper El Mundo reveals years later that the deal earns Messi 138 million euros ($168 million) per campaign, making him the highest wage-earner in world sports.

April 27, 2019 — Messi wins the Spanish league for the 10th and final time.

Feb. 5, 2020 — Messi lashes out at Barcelona sports director Eric Abidal for his questioning of the team's effort with it struggling following the firing of coach Ernesto Valverde.

July 17, 2020 — Messi calls his team “weak and erratic” after it loses the league title.

Aug. 25, 2020 — Messi sends Barcelona to board fax saying he wants to leave following the club's first season without a title in over a decade. His request is denied and he later says that he will play out the final year of his contract before deciding on his future.

Dec. 23, 2020 — Messi surpasses Pelé’s milestone of 643 goals scored for one club.

April 17, 2021 — Messi scores twice to lead Barcelona to a 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey. Messi’s seventh domestic cup takes his club record to 35 titles for Barcelona.

A career at Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

Lionel Messi has been a PSG player for nearly a full season now and we can already catalog some highs and quite a number of lows for the Argentina superstar.

The soccer legend stunned the entire sport last summer when La Liga rules made it impossible for Barca to renew the player’s contract and as such Messi was forced to move to PSG on a Bosman transfer.

Messi made his PSG debut as a second-half substitute against Reims on August 29, 2021, and it was a quiet beginning as his new team eased to a 2-0 win.

The 34-year-old was then handed his first PSG start in the Champions League trip to Brugge on September 15, his side suffering frustration in a disappointing 1-1 draw where he did not score.

Trophies

Trophy	No. of titles
La Liga, Ligue1	11
Copa del Rey	7
Spanish Super Cups	8
Champions League	4
European Super Cups	3
Club World Cups	3
Total	46

Individual awards

Award	Years
Golden Ball	2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019,2021
UEFA Men's Player of the Award	2009, 2011, 2015
European Golden Shoe	2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019
Pichichi Trophy	2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Champions League top scorer	2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019
Best striker in Champions League	2019
La Liga Player of the Year	2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
Best Player in Club World Cup	2009, 2011
Club World Cup Golden Boot	2011
FIFA The Best	2019
Total	41

Lionel Messi Argentina Career:

• Messi's first appearance for the Albiceleste (White and Sky blue) came against Hungry on August 17, 2005, but he was sent off within two minutes of coming on for elbowing an opponent.
• He was featured at the 2006 World Cup in Germany but coach Jose Pekerman was reluctant to hand him free rein and he started just one match.
• Barcelona did not want Messi to play in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing but an agreement was reached and he duly helped his country win the gold medal.
• There was a perception among some critics that Messi underperformed at the 2010 World Cup, as Argentina reached the quarter-finals. He did not score (doing everything but) but demonstrated his sublime talents against Nigeria and South Korea in the group stages. He may not have been at his very best, but the 2010 World Cup was by no means a write-off for Messi who often shone in his position behind the strikers.
• Messi performed better at the 2014 World Cup, where he guided Argentina to the final, before losing agonizingly to Germany in extra-time.
• Finishing joint-third top scorer alongside Neymar and Robin van Persie, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball for the outstanding player of the tournament, which triggered much debate given the performances of James Rodriguez, Arjen Robben, and several of the German team. But Messi created more chances than any other player, with only Andrea Pirlo completing as many through-balls.
• Messi scored just once in the 2015 Copa America but helped his side through to the final only to suffer more heartbreak in the form of a penalty shoot-out defeat to hosts Chile.

Stats at FC BARCELONA 

Lionel Messi - FC Barcelona
Competition	GP	W	D	L	Goals	Assists	G+A
La Liga	520	383	86	51	474	193	667
Champions League	149	87	39	23	120	35	155
Copa del Rey	80	55	13	12	56	30	86
Super copa	20	9	4	7	14	5	19
UEFA Super Cup	4	3	0	1	3	2	5
FIFA Club World Cup	5	5	0	0	5	1	6
TOTAL	778	542	142	94	672	266	938

        

Stats with individual managers at FC BARCELONA

Lionel Messi - FC Barcelona
Manager	GP	Goals	Assists	Goals per game
Pep Guardiola	219	211	79	0,96
Luis Enrique	158	153	66	0,97
Ernesto Valverde	124	112	46	0,90
Frank Rijkaard	110	42	18	0,38
Tito Vilanova	50	60	15	1,20
Ronald Koeman	47	38	12	0,81
Gerardo Martino	46	41	14	0,89
Quique Setién	24	15	16	0,63
TOTAL	778	672	266	0,86

Facts 

• Lionel Messi is the LaLiga Top Scorer ever (474 goals). Only Cristiano Ronaldo (476) has been the player to have scored more than the Argentinian player in the Top 5 European Leagues ever.
• Lionel Messi has scored 672 goals for Barcelona in all competitions. Since the 2008/09 season, he scored more than 30 goals in each of his last 13 seasons, being 2011/12 his best season (73 goals).
• Lionel Messi is the only player to have scored more than ten goals in a single LaLiga season for 15 different campaigns, netting 50 goals in the 2011/12 season. This is the best record for a LaLiga player in a single season ever.
• Lionel Messi scored during 21 league games in a row between November 2012 & May 2013, the longest run for a player in the competition ever.
• Lionel Messi has scored against 38 different teams in his LaLiga career, more than any other player in the competition ever.
• Lionel Messi is the Top Scorer in “El Clásico” (26 goals) & in the Catalonian derby vs Espanyol (25).
• Lionel Messi has scored 15 goals at Santiago Bernabéu in all competitions, more than any other venue as a visitor for Barcelona.
• Lionel Messi is one of the only two players to reach 100 goals in the Champions League (120), after Cristiano Ronaldo (134).
• Lionel Messi was the first player to score five goals in a single UCL game (vs Bayern 04 Leverkusen in March 2012 at Camp Nou).
• Lionel Messi is one of the six players to have scored +50 goals in Copa del Rey ever, and the only one to have scored in six different Copa del Rey finals.

Skills

1. SKILLS.
   1. Messi's skills affect confidence and creativity.
   2. Confidence: The Foundation of Messi’s game is supreme ball mastery. Once a player masters the ball their confidence can grow. Ball Mastery, as Messi shows each week, is essential for; 1 v 1, running with the ball, as well as shooting and first touch receiving.
   3. Creativity: Players who are creative do unexpected things in a game, like Messi's skills. They can make a difference at crucial deciding moments in the game. Without ball mastery, it is difficult to lead creatively.
2. SPEED.
   1. For this skill to be effective in a game, players need to “marry” skill with speed. Each week Messi demonstrates this with his ability to change pace and direction with the ball.
3. SENSE.
   1. This mean’s making the right decision at the right time, in the right place. This can only come from focus and concentration as well as a lifelong practice. Being able to read the field intuitively as he does, also requires players to take responsibility in the game. All of which are displayed weekly by Messi.
4. STRENGTH.
   1. This mean’s a high level of physical fitness.
   2. Which requires dedication and hard work. Messi is an example of a player consistently performing well due to his dedication to hard work in training and diet. He is one player that plays in every minute, early in every game.
5. SPIRIT.
   
   1. Means a winning combination of Respect, Sportsmanship, and Courage. Winning & losing graciously. Always try your best. Messi’s career and behavior are models of these qualities.
   2. No one can play like Messi, he is unique and one of a kind. But you can definitely learn from him and apply his attributes to how you approach your game.

Messi's skills have been the key factor in many of Barcelona’s victories this season. Now we all can’t do perfect Messi Skills but he can certainly inspire us all to practice harder and improve.

Leo Messi's Family and relationships

Since 2008, Messi has been in a relationship with Antonella Roccuzzo, a fellow native of Rosario. He has known Roccuzzo since he was five years old, as she is the cousin of his childhood best friend, Lucas Scaglia, who is also a football player. After keeping their relationship private for a year, Messi first confirmed their romance in an interview in January 2009, before going public a month later during a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona–Espanyol derby.

Messi and Roccuzzo have three sons: Thiago (born 2012), Mateo (born 2015), and Ciro (born 2018). To celebrate his partner's first pregnancy, Messi placed the ball under his shirt after scoring in Argentina's 4–0 win against Ecuador on 2 June 2012, before confirming the pregnancy in an interview two weeks later. Thiago was born in Barcelona on 2 November 2012, with Messi attending the birth after being given permission by Barcelona to miss training. Thiago's name and handprints are tattooed on his left calf. In April 2015, Messi confirmed that they were expecting another child. He missed training ahead of a match against Atlético Madrid to attend the birth of his second son, Mateo, on 11 September 2015 in Barcelona. On 30 June 2017, he married Roccuzzo at a luxury hotel named Hotel City Center in Rosario with about 260 guests attending the wedding. On 15 October 2017, his wife announced they were expecting their third child. On 10 March 2018, Messi skipped the match against Málaga after Ciro was born.

Messi enjoys a close relationship with his immediate family members, particularly his mother, Celia, whose face he has tattooed on his left shoulder. His professional affairs are largely run as a family business: his father, Jorge, has been his agent since he was 14, and his oldest brother, Rodrigo, handles his daily schedule and publicity. His mother and other brothers, Matías, manage his charitable organization, the Leo Messi Foundation, and take care of personal and professional matters in Rosario. Since leaving for Spain at age 13, Messi has maintained close ties to his hometown of Rosario, even preserving his distinct Rosario accent. He has kept ownership of his family's old house, although it has long stood empty; he maintains a penthouse apartment in an exclusive residential building for his mother, as well as a family compound just outside the city. Once when he was in training with the national team in Buenos Aires, he made a three-hour trip by car to Rosario immediately after practice to have dinner with his family, spent the night with them, and returned to Buenos Aires the next day in time for practice. Messi keeps in daily contact via phone and text with a small group of confidants in Rosario, most of whom were fellow members of "The Machine of '87" at Newell's Old Boys. He currently lives in Castelldefels, a village near Barcelona. Although considered a one-man club, he has long planned to return to Rosario to end his playing career at Newell's. He was on bad terms with the club after his transfer to Barcelona, but by 2012 their public feud had ended, with Newell's embracing their ties with Messi, even issuing a club membership card to his newborn son.

Social Media of the GOAT

https://www.instagram.com/leomessi

https://www.facebook.com/leomessi

https://www.themessistore.com

https://twitter.com/WeAreMessi