Lionel Messi is one of the greatest legends in sports history, with more awards than any other footballer and a unique career. All information.
Paris – Superlatives are not stingy when it comes to Argentine footballer Lionel Messi. He has been awarded the Ballon d’Or as World Footballer of the Year a total of seven times and for his fans he is still The GOAT – The Greatest Of All Time.
Lionel Messi: CV and childhood
Lionel Messi grew up as the son of Italian immigrants under modest circumstances in the Argentine city of Rosario. At the age of four, the boy, named Leo, joined the local Grandoli football team, where his father Jorge was a coach. Two years later he moved to the youth department of the Newell’s Old Boys professional team.
A hormonal growth disorder almost ended his football career prematurely. His parents have decided to emigrate to Barcelona, Spain, to allow 13-year-old Messi to undergo hormone treatment and at the same time escape the ongoing economic crisis in Argentina. Messi convinced FC Barcelona so much during a practice session that he was not only accepted into the youth academy, but the club also paid for the costs of treatment.
Lionel Messi: career and club of the football player
At FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi has been part of the so-called Baby Dream Team since 2002, the club’s most successful youth team of all time. At just 16 years, four months and 23 days, the player made his first team debut in a friendly against FC Porto. It was the beginning of a relationship that will last almost a lifetime. On 24 June 2008, his 18th birthday, Messi signed his first professional contract with FC Barcelona and would remain with the Catalans for a total of 13 years. During that time he has won the Spanish League ten times and the Champions League four times with them.
The hype was equally great when Lionel Messi announced his departure from FC Barcelona in 2021 after a total of 778 competitive matches. At the age of 34 he moved to the top French club Paris Saint-Germain.
Lionel Messi and the Argentine national team
In 2005 Messi made his debut with the Argentine national team in a match against Hungary and in 2006 he took part in his first World Cup in Germany. He has since established himself as a regular player and with his goal threat as an important pillar of the team. His greatest achievements were the 2008 Olympic gold medal in China and the 2021 Copa America in Brazil.
The biggest prizes
No other footballer has been honored with as many awards over the course of his career as Lionel Messi. An extract of the most important awards:
- 7x World Player of the Year (Golden Ball)
- 6 times FIFA World Player of the Year
- 11 times Argentine Footballer of the Year
- 6 times best player in the Spanish league
- Various awards as world athlete of the year
In addition, he is the record player with 672 goals in 778 official matches and also the record top scorer of FC Barcelona and with 90 goals in 164 games he is the record top scorer in Argentina and all of South America.
The footballer’s family and personal life
In 2017 Lionel Messi married his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo in his hometown of Rosario, with whom he has three children. He is committed to social issues and runs his own foundation for children in need, the Leo Messi Foundation. Since 2010 he is UNICEF ambassador.
He was at the center of the documentary film “Messi”, which chronicles his unique career as a football player, and the Canadian Cirque du Soleil dedicated his circus show to him with “Messi 10”, which obviously premiered in Barcelona.
