1. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi set numerous records for individual accolades won throughout his professional footballing career such as eight Ballon d'Or awards and eight times being named the world's best player by FIFA.
Lionel Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional football having won 45 team trophies, including twelve Big Five league titles, four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas, and one FIFA World Cup.
Lionel Messi holds the records for most European Golden Shoes, most goals in a calendar year, most goals for a single club, most goals, hat-tricks and assists in La Liga, most assists and goal contributions in the Copa America, most goal contributions in the World Cup, most international appearances and international goals by a South American male, and the second-most in the latter category outright.
Lionel Messi assumed Barcelona's captaincy in 2018 and won a record sixth Ballon d'Or in 2019.
Financial difficulties at Barcelona led to Lionel Messi signing with French club Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, where he would win the Ligue 1 title during both of his seasons there.
Lionel Messi joined Major League Soccer club Inter Miami in July 2023.
An Argentine international, Lionel Messi is the national team's all-time leading goalscorer and most-capped player.
Lionel Messi then led Argentina to win the 2022 Finalissima, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup, his country's third overall world championship and first in 36 years.
Lionel Messi was among Times 100 most influential people in the world in 2011,2012, and 2023.
Lionel Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, the third of four children of Jorge Lionel Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop.
Lionel Messi was greatly affected by her death, shortly before his eleventh birthday; since then, as a devout Catholic, he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute to his grandmother.
Lionel Messi was then one of several youth players called up to strengthen a depleted first team during the international break.
At 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, Lionel Messi made his first-team debut when he came on in the 75th minute during a friendly against Jose Mourinho's Porto on 16 November 2003.
Lionel Messi's performance, creating two chances and a shot on goal, impressed the technical staff, and he subsequently began training daily with the club's reserve side, Barcelona B, as well as weekly with the first team.
Lionel Messi helped save them from the relegation zone of the Tercera Division, scoring five goals in ten games, including a hat-trick in eight minutes during a Copa del Rey match while man-marked by Sevilla's Sergio Ramos.
Lionel Messi played five games with the B team that season but did not score.
Lionel Messi finished the campaign having scored for four of his five teams with a total of 36 goals in all official competitions.
Lionel Messi made his La Liga debut for Barcelona on 16 October 2004 against Espanyol, and scored his first senior goal on 1 May 2005 against Albacete, from an assist by Ronaldinho, becoming at that time the youngest-ever scorer for the club.
Lionel Messi played as a false nine for the first time in a Clasico against Real Madrid, setting up his side's first goal and scoring twice in the team's greatest-ever score at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Lionel Messi played his first final, winning the Copa del Rey.
Lionel Messi finished as the Champions League top scorer, the youngest in the tournament's history.
Lionel Messi finished the season as top scorer in the Champions League, and La Liga, winning his second consecutive league trophy and earned his first European Golden Shoe.
Lionel Messi was the top scorer in the Champions League, for the third consecutive year, and the league's top scorer and assist provider.
Lionel Messi became Barcelona's all-time single-season top scorer with 53 goals.
Lionel Messi became the top goalscorer in Barcelona's history at 24 years old, overtaking the 57-year record of Cesar Rodriguez's 232 goals with a hat-trick against Granada.
Lionel Messi finished the season as league top scorer in Spain and Europe for a second time, with 50 goals, a La Liga record, while his 73 goals in all competitions made him the single-season top scorer in the history of European club football excluding regional and local competitions.
Lionel Messi again won the FIFA Ballon d'Or, becoming the first player in history to win the Ballon d'Or four times.
Lionel Messi signed a new contract committing himself to the club through 2018, and wore the captain's armband for the first time in a league match against Rayo Vallecano.
Lionel Messi finished the campaign with his worst output in five seasons, though he still managed to score 41 goals in all competitions.
Lionel Messi capped off the year by winning the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup final over River Plate in Yokohama, collecting his fifth club trophy of the calendar year.
On 11 January 2016, Lionel Messi won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for a record fifth time in his career.
Lionel Messi finished the season as the top scorer in La Liga, with 34 goals, which saw him win his fifth European Golden Shoe award.
Lionel Messi helped Barcelona clinch the La Liga title, his tenth but first as captain.
Lionel Messi became a free agent after his contract expired, with negotiations on a new deal complicated due to Barcelona's financial issues.
Lionel Messi chose 30 as his squad number, the same he wore as a teenager when he made his senior debut for Barcelona.
Lionel Messi would make his debut with the club against Reims, made his first start and Champions League debut for the club against Club Brugge, and made his home debut in a match against Lyon Lionel Messi scored his first goal for the club in a Champions League group stage win over former manager Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
Lionel Messi finished his debut season with PSG with 11 goals and 14 assists across all competitions, helping the club win their 10th Ligue 1 title.
Lionel Messi made his 2023 debut for the club in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul, scoring with a free-kick in stoppage time for a victory.
Lionel Messi made his MLS debut against the New York Red Bulls.
On 30 October 2023, following his World Cup win with Argentina and Ligue 1 trophy with PSG, Lionel Messi was awarded a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or.
Lionel Messi was named Time Athlete of the Year, the first footballer to ever win the award.
Lionel Messi would be named the MLS Most Valuable Player following the conclusion of the regular season.
Lionel Messi debuted for Argentina in 2004 for Argentina's U20 team against Paraguay, and was included in the squad for the 2005 South American U-20 Championship, where they would finish third.
Lionel Messi would make his debut with the senior national team in 2005, at age 18, coming off the bench in a friendly against Hungary.
Lionel Messi would have his first start in 2006 against Peru, and would score his first international goal in a friendly against Croatia.
Lionel Messi would represent Argentina again for the 2007 Copa America, where they would ultimately lose in the final.
Lionel Messi was named the best young player of the tournament, having scored two goals and provided one assist.
Lionel Messi registered two goals and three assists throughout, and was singled out by FIFA as the stand-out player from the tournament's best team.
Argentina were ultimately eliminated in the quarterfinals against Germany during that tournament, but Lionel Messi was identified as one of the tournament's 10 best players due to his pace and creativity, despite failing to register a single goal and only having one assist.
At the close of the tournament, Lionel Messi was reportedly selected to receive the Golden Ball award, having scored one goal and provided three assists, but he rejected the honour.
Lionel Messi would have five goals and four assists throughout the tournament.
Argentina were in jeopardy of missing the tournament on the last game of the qualifiers against Ecuador, but a hat-trick from Lionel Messi dramatically secured their entry.
Argentina defeated Brazil in the final, and Lionel Messi was named the player of the tournament having been directly involved in nine out of the 12 goals scored by Argentina, scoring four of them and assisting five.
Lionel Messi captained Argentina to win another international trophy in the 2022 Finalissima against UEFA Euro 2020 winners Italy, where he was named player of the match after providing two assists.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi led Argentina to its first World Cup victory in 36 years, scoring twice in the final to defeat France.
Later that year, a goal against Peru resulted in Lionel Messi becoming the all-time top goalscorer in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
Argentina eventually won the final against Colombia for their second consecutive Copa America title, with Lionel Messi contributing one goal and assist overall while setting a new record for most appearances at Copa America.
Lionel Messi has often been described as a magician; a conjurer, creating goals and opportunities where seemingly none exist.
Lionel Messi is widely considered to be one of the greatest dribblers of all time.
Tactically, Lionel Messi plays in a free attacking role; a versatile player, he is capable of attacking on either wing or through the centre of the pitch.
Lionel Messi's favoured position in childhood was the playmaker behind two strikers, known as the enganche in Argentine football, but he began his career in Spain as a left-winger or left-sided forward.
Under Guardiola and subsequent managers, he most often played in a false nine role; positioned as a centre-forward or lone striker, he would roam the centre, often moving deep into midfield and drawing defenders with him, in order to create and exploit spaces for passes, other teammates' attacking runs off the ball, Lionel Messi's own dribbling runs, or combinations with Xavi and Iniesta.
Under manager Ernesto Valverde, Lionel Messi played in a variety of roles.
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the two best players of his generation, alongside Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi is considered one of the greatest footballers in the history of the sport.
Four years later, after Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d'Or by a record margin, the public debate regarding his qualities as a player moved beyond his status in contemporary football to the possibility that he was one of the greatest players in history.
An early proponent was his then-Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who, as early as August 2009, declared Lionel Messi to be the best player he had ever seen.
Lionel Messi would receive dismissals by critics throughout his career based on the fact that he had not won an international tournament at senior level with Argentina.
Lionel Messi is lauded for his combination of dribbling, playmaking, passing and goalscoring, while Ronaldo has received praise for his exceptional speed and athleticism, goalscoring skills, and performance under pressure.
Ronaldo himself declared a year later that his rivalry with Lionel Messi was over and "gone", after 36 official fixtures and 15 years of "sharing the stage".
Also unlike Maradona, Lionel Messi never played in the Argentine Primera Division, therefore depriving his countrymen a chance to watch him develop and prove himself, and through no fault of his own would do this overseas in La Liga instead.
Argentines identified more with the fiery, extroverted and controversial Maradona who came from the slums, character traits that they felt aligned with their national values, as opposed to the reserved, introverted and unassuming Lionel Messi who had a comparably unremarkable upbringing in Rosario.
Lionel Messi was among the Time 100, an annual list of the world's most influential people, in 2011,2012 and 2023.
World Press Photo selected "The Final Game", a photo of Lionel Messi facing the World Cup trophy after Argentina's final defeat to Germany, as the best sports image of 2014.
Lionel Messi has over 500 million Instagram followers, the second highest for an individual and sportsperson after Ronaldo.
On 20 March 2023, during a return to Buenos Aires following his World Cup victory, Lionel Messi was mobbed by hundreds of adoring fans when he and his family were out to dinner.
In December 2023, a set of shirts Lionel Messi had worn during the 2022 World Cup was sold at auction for $7.8 million.
Lionel Messi established himself as their leading brand endorser; from 2008, he had a long-running signature collection of Adidas F50 boots, and in 2015, became the first footballer to receive his own sub-brand of Adidas boots, the Adidas Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi is a global brand ambassador for Gillette, Turkish Airlines, Ooredoo, and Tata Motors, among other companies.
Lionel Messi was the face of Konami's video game series Pro Evolution Soccer, appearing on the covers of PES 2009, PES 2010, PES 2011 and PES 2020.
Lionel Messi subsequently signed with rival company EA Sports to become the face of their series FIFA and appeared on consecutive covers from FIFA 13 to FIFA 16.
In June 2021, Lionel Messi signed a five-year deal to become an ambassador for the Hard Rock Cafe brand.
In May 2022, Lionel Messi was unveiled as Saudi Arabia's tourism ambassador.
Lionel Messi has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since his appointment in March 2010, completing his first field mission for the organisation four months later as he travelled to Haiti to bring public awareness to the plight of the country's children in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Lionel Messi has since participated in UNICEF campaigns targeting HIV prevention, education, and the social inclusion of disabled children.
Lionel Messi has invested in youth football in Argentina: he financially supports Sarmiento, a football club based in the Rosario neighbourhood where he was born, committing in 2013 to the refurbishment of their facilities and the installation of all-weather pitches, and funds the management of several youth players at Newell's Old Boys and rival club Rosario Central, as well as at River Plate and Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires.
Lionel Messi stepped in and paid the salaries of the three members.
In January 2025, Lionel Messi was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States, by President Joe Biden for his contributions in supporting healthcare and education programs for children around the world.
Lionel Messi would be unable to attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts, but sent a letter expressing his appreciation for the honor and his hopes of meeting President Biden at a later date.
Street art and public murals depicting Lionel Messi are regularly painted around the world.
On 4 June 2024, Lionel Messi announced the release of Mas+, an American brand of sports and energy drinks.
Lionel Messi created the drink because he couldn't find a flavorful and healthy hydration option that suited his needs.
Later that year, on 19 September 2024, Lionel Messi announced that he would be launching a production company called 525 Rosario, named after his hometown.
Since 2008, Lionel Messi has been in a relationship with Antonela Roccuzzo, who he eventually married on 30 June 2017 in their hometown of Rosario.
Lionel Messi has known Roccuzzo since he was five years old, as she is the cousin of his childhood best friend, Lucas Scaglia, who is a football player.
Lionel Messi enjoys a close relationship with his immediate family members, particularly his mother, Celia, whose face he has tattooed on his left shoulder.
Since leaving for Spain aged 13, Lionel Messi has maintained close ties to his hometown of Rosario, even preserving his distinct Rosarino accent.
Lionel Messi 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.
Lionel 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.
Lionel Messi 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.
Lionel Messi has long planned to return to Rosario to end his playing career at Newell's.
Lionel Messi holds triple citizenship, as he is a citizen of Argentina, Italy, and Spain.