Barcelona’s Undisputed Forward

Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina, as the fourth child of a family of Italian origin. His father, Jorge Messi, was a factory worker and also served as the coach of a local football club called Grandoli. His mother, Celia Maria Cuccittini, worked as a part-time cleaner. The family’s ancestry traces back to the Italian city of Ancona, from where an ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883. Lionel Messi has two older brothers, Rodrigo Messi and Matias Messi, and a sister named Maria Sol Messi. He began his football journey at the age of five by playing for Grandoli, the team coached by his father.

In 1995, Lionel Messi transferred to Newell’s Old Boys. While playing there, he received an offer from Argentina’s first-division club River Plate. However, it was discovered that he suffered from a growth hormone deficiency and required medical treatment. River Plate was unable to cover the weekly treatment cost of 900 dollars, placing Messi’s football career in serious jeopardy.

During that period, FC Barcelona’s sporting director Carles Rexach, who was scouting young talents in Argentina, recognized Messi’s extraordinary football ability. He offered Lionel Messi the opportunity to join FC Barcelona’s youth academy in Spain, with the club agreeing to cover his medical treatment expenses.

When Lionel Messi first appeared in a Barcelona jersey in the Porto–Barcelona match, he was only 16 years old. On October 16, 2004, at the age of 17, he played in the Espanyol–Barcelona match and became the youngest footballer to appear in Spain’s First Division, La Liga. On May 1, 2005, he added another record by scoring against Albacete, becoming the youngest goal scorer in La Liga history.

In the 2005–2006 season, Barcelona revised Messi’s contract, allowing him to remain at the club until 2014 with improved financial terms. On September 26, 2005, Lionel Messi obtained Spanish citizenship. He played in 17 league matches that season and scored six goals, but a muscle tear in his right thigh forced him to leave the pitch on March 7 and end the season prematurely.

At the beginning of the 2006–2007 season, Lionel Messi secured a solid place in the starting eleven. Despite his young age, he scored 14 goals in 26 matches and strengthened his position within the team. However, misfortune followed him once again, as he fractured his metatarsal bone and was sidelined for nearly three months. After recovering, he returned to the pitch in the Barcelona–Real Madrid match and scored three goals, becoming the youngest player in Spanish league history to score a hat-trick. His performance led fans and commentators to refer to him as the “New Diego Armando Maradona.”

During the 2007–2008 season, Lionel Messi scored five goals in a single week, achieving a remarkable feat. In the same season, he was selected as the best forward in the FIFPro World XI and won a poll conducted by the Spanish newspaper Marca with 77 percent of the public vote. Unfortunately, injuries continued to trouble him, and a muscle tear toward the end of the season kept him off the pitch for six weeks, marking his fourth injury in three years.

At the start of the 2008–2009 season, following the departure of Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi inherited the iconic number 10 jersey. That season, he recorded the highest scoring figures of his career up to that point, scoring 23 goals and providing 11 assists in 31 league matches. Barcelona won the 2009 UEFA Champions League, and Messi finished the tournament as the top scorer with nine goals, also earning the 2009 UEFA Player of the Year award.

Lionel Messi won a gold medal with the Argentine Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Argentina was eliminated in the quarterfinals, with Messi completing the tournament with three assists. He also competed in the 2011 Copa América hosted by Argentina, where the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals. On December 9, 2012, he equaled the record of 84 goals scored in a single calendar year by Gerd Müller.

On the international stage, Lionel Messi has represented the Argentina national team. He scored a total of 88 goals, including 59 in league matches, 11 in cup competitions, and 18 in European tournaments. Throughout his career, he made 172 appearances, including 115 league matches, 19 cup matches, and 38 European matches, while also providing 42 assists.

Lionel Messi continued to wear the Barcelona jersey and had an Argentine partner named Antonella Roccuzzo, whom he planned to marry in 2010. Messi and Roccuzzo have two children, Thiago Messi and Mateo Messi. On June 30, 2017, Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo, the mother of his children.

Sponsored by Adidas, Lionel Messi also appeared in the opening videos of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and the 2010 version of the same game, further expanding his global recognition.

Lionel Messi has also signed endorsement deals with Adidas, Gilette, Samsung, Gatorade, and many other well-known brands.

At the end of the 2013–2014 season, when his contract with Barcelona expired, Lionel Messi signed a new contract with the Catalan club on May 16, 2014. Barcelona set his release clause at 340 million dollars for potential transfers.

As of July 1, 2021, his contract with Barcelona ended, and on August 10, 2021, Lionel Messi transferred to France’s Paris Saint-Germain on a two-plus-one-year contract. He left the club after his contract expired on June 3, 2023.

On June 5, 2013, Lionel Messi signed a two-and-a-half-year agreement with the American club Inter Miami, where he would play for the club co-owned by David Beckham.

Youth Career
1995–2000 – Newell’s Old Boys
2000–2004 – Barcelona

Professional Club Career
2003–2004 – Barcelona C
2004–2005 – Barcelona B
2004–2021 – Barcelona
2021–2023 – Paris Saint-Germain
2023–Present – Inter Miami

International Career
2004–2005 – Argentina U-20
2007–2008 – Argentina U-23
2005–Present – Argentina

Source: Biyografiler.com