Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi
"Messi" redirects here. For other uses, see Messi (disambiguation).
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Messi and the second or maternal family name is Cuccittini.
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini[note 1] (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾez ˈmesi] ( listen);[A] born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time,[6][7][8] Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards,[note 2] four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European Golden Shoes. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won 33 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and six Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (387), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), El Clásico (26), as well as those for most assists in La Liga (150) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 600 senior career goals for club and country.

Lionel Messi

Messi with Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini[1]
Date of birth
24 June 1987 (age 31)[2]
Place of birth
Rosario, Argentina
Height
1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3]
Playing position
Forward
Club information
Current team
Barcelona
Number
10
Youth career
1994–2000
Newell's Old Boys
2001–2004
Barcelona
Senior career*
Years
Team
Apps
(Gls)
2003–2004
Barcelona C
10
(5)
2004–2005
Barcelona B
22
(6)
2004–
Barcelona
421
(387)
National team‡
2004–2005
Argentina U20
18
(14)
2008
Argentina U23
5
(2)
2005–
Argentina
128
(65)
Honours
Men's football
Representing Argentina
Olympic Games
2008 Beijing Team
FIFA World Cup
2014 Brazil
Copa América
2007 Venezuela
2015 Chile
2016 United States
FIFA U-20 World Cup
2005 Netherlands
South American U-20 Championship
2005 Colombia

• Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 September 2018
  ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 June 2018
  Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child. At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona, who agreed to pay for his medical treatment. After a fast progression through Barcelona's youth academy, Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. Despite being injury-prone during his early career, he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award, a feat he repeated the following year. His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins.

Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning three consecutive FIFA Ballons d'Or, including an unprecedented fourth. His best campaign statistically to date was the 2011–12 season, in which he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer in official competitions in March 2012. The following two seasons, Messi finished twice second for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, his perceived career rival. Messi regained his best form during the 2014–15 campaign, breaking the all-time goalscoring records in both La Liga and the Champions League in November 2014,[note 3] and led Barcelona to a historic second treble.

An Argentine international, Messi is his country's all-time leading goalscorer. At youth level, he won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Champions