Lionel Messi | Biography, trophies, discs, golden ball, inter miami, & fats

Early life

Messi started playing football like a boy and in 1995 joined the youth The Newell Old Boys team (a high -level football club based in Rosario). Messi’s phenomenal skills have drawn the attention of prestigious clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. At 13, Messi and his family moved to Barcelona, ​​and he started playing to FC BarcelonaTeam under 14. He scored 21 goals in 14 games for the junior team, and quickly graduated in the higher level teams until at 16, he had his informal debut at FC Barcelona in a friendly match.

Club game

During the 2004-2005 season, Messi, then 17, became the youngest official player and scorer of the Spanish Liga (the highest football division in the country). Although only 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 meters) high and weighing 148 pounds (67 kg), it was strong, well balanced and versatile on the ground. Naturally from the left foot, fast and precise to control the ball, Messi was a passionate passes distributor and could easily make his way through the packaged defenses. In 2005, he obtained Spanish citizenship, an honor welcomed by feelings mixed by the Forter Catalan supporters of Barcelona. The following year, Messi and Barcelona won the Champions League title (the European Club Championship).

Messi’s game continued to improve quickly over the years, and in 2008, he was one of the most dominant players in the world, finishing second Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo During the vote for the 2008 Golden Ball. At the beginning of 2009, Messi crowned a spectacular 2008-2009 season by helping FC Barcelona to capture the first “triple” of the club (winning three main European club titles in one season): the team won the Liga championship, COPA Del Rey (the main national Spanish cup) and the title of Champions League. He scored 38 goals in 51 games during this season, and he beat Ronaldo in the ballot for the Ballon d’Or and Fifa World player of the year by a record margin. During the 2009-2010 season, Messi scored 34 goals in national matches while Barcelona repeated as the La Liga champions. He won the Golden Shoe Award as top scorer in Europe, and he received another Ballon d’Or (the prize was known as Fifa Ballon d’Or in 2010-2015).

Messi led Barcelona to La Liga and the titles of the Champions League the following season, which helped him capture a unprecedented Third prize of the world consecutive player of the year. In March 2012, he scored his 233rd goal for Barcelona, ​​becoming the top scorer of all time of the club at La Liga, at only 24 years old. He finished the 2011-2012 season of Barcelona (which included another victory by Copa del Rey) with 73 goals all competitions, Breaking Gerd Müller39 -year -old record for goals in a single season in a major European football league. His historic season led to be appointed the world player of 2012, which made Messi the first player to win the honor four times. His 46 Liga goals in 2012-2013 led the League, and Barcelona won another national first division division championship this season. In 2014, he set the record for Barcelona’s global goal when he scored his 370th goal as a member of the team. The same year, he also broke the career score records to play in the Champions League (with 72 goals) and La Liga (with 253 goals).

Messi helped Barcelona to capture another triple during the 2014-2015 season, leading the team with 43 goals scored during the campaign, which led to his fifth world player in the year Honor. He scored 41 goals in all competitions for Barcelona in 2015-2016, and the club won the Liga title and COPA Del Rey during this season. Messi dominated it with 53 goals for Barcelona in 2016-2017, leading the team to another title of Copa del Rey. In 2017-2018, he scored 45 goals and Barcelona won the Douy Douy again from La Liga – Copa del Rey. Messi scored 51 goals in all national competitions in 2018-2019 while Barcelona won another La Liga championship. At the end of 2019, he won his sixth Ballon d’Or in a career and was appointed the best male player of the FIFA year. During the 2020-20121 season, Barcelona won the title of Copa del Rey, the seventh of Messi’s career. He became a free agent in 2021, and financial problems – some of which were the result of the Liga rules – prevented him with great re -signal with Barcelona. He left the club after establishing a certain number of records; He was notably the top scorer in the history of the League (474).

Later in 2021, Messi signed with Paris St.-Germain (PSG), where he joined the Superstars Kylian Mbappé And NeymarAnd this year he received Again Another Ballon d’Or. He helped PSG win Ligue 1 Title in each of his two seasons with the team. In 2023, Messi joined Inter Miami of Major League Soccer. He scored 20 goals during the 2024 season and was appointed MVP of the League.

International career

Despite his dual citizenship and his professional success in Spain, Messi’s bonds with his homeland remained strong, and he was a key member of various Argentinian national teams in 2005. He played on the Squad of the 2005 world youth championship of Argentina, represented the country of the 2006 World Cup, and scored two goals in five games while Argentina Gulse Cup gold medal 2008 Beijing Olympics. Messi helped Argentina reach the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup, where the team was eliminated by Germany for the second consecutive period of the World Cup game. During the 2014 World Cup, Messi put a dazzling Display, scoring four goals and almost alone propeling a team of Argentina deficient in violation through the group phase and in direct elimination tours, where Argentina then qualified for the World Cup final for the first time in 24 years. Argentina lost this 1-0 competition against Germany, but Messi nevertheless won the Golden Ball Award as the best player in the tournament. During 2016 American copa Centenario tournament, he marked his 55th international objective to break Gabriel BatistutaArgentine score record.

After Argentina was beaten in the COPA final – the third consecutive defeat of the consecutive team in a major tournament – Messi said he was leaving the national team, but his short -term “retirement” lasted less than two months before announcing his return to the Argentine team. During the 2018 World Cup, he helped an Argentinian team that was outdated to reach the direct elimination scene, where they were eliminated by the possible France champion in their first match. After a third place at the 2019 American COPA, Messi led Argentina to victory in the tournament two years later, and he received the Golden Ball Award. Its success continued at 2022 World Cup. There he guided Argentina to the final, where he scored two goals – and kicked penalty during the shooting – to help defeat France. Messi won the golden ball of the World Cup, becoming the first male player to receive this award twice. In addition, his exceptional game in the tournament played a decisive role in Messi winning his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023. In 2024, he led Argentina to a record title of the 16th Copa America.

Other legal activities and problems

Outside the field, Messi was one of the largest sports stars in the world. In addition to winning a football salary that was frequently, with Ronaldo, one of the two largest wages of athletes in all professionals sportyIt was an extremely successful product product, especially for the sportswear Adidas. In 2013, Messi and his father (who managed his son’s finances) were accused of tax fraud And accused of having used bus companies abroad to avoid paying 4.2 million euros in Spanish taxes on the benefits of approval. Although he later paid 5 million euros in the Spanish state, the couple was nevertheless sentenced to be tried in 2016. In July of the same year, Messi and his father were each sentenced to prison sentences suspended from 21 months (the first delinquents in Spain were sentenced to suspension if the duration is less than two years) and was sentenced to a fine of 2 million euros and 1.5 million euros, respectively.

In 2025 US Pres. Joe Biden rewarded in Messi the Presidential Freedom Medal.