100 Facts About Lionel Messi

1. In 2012, a 24 year old Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer for Barcelona in all club competitions.

2. Lionel Messi moved from Argentina to Spain with his father to join the youth academy.

3. Lionel Messi does not have the best reputation with the Argentinean national team, as many fans label him as a Spaniard, but he has impressed for his country and particularly in the 2014 World Cup, where he took home the Golden Ball.

4. Lionel Messi holds passports for both Spain and his native Argentina, and turned down an opportunity to play with the Spanish national team because he sees himself as Argentinian, despite spending many of his formative years in Spain.

5. Lionel Messi was born on the 24th of June, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina.

6. Lionel Messi has steered the Catalan giants to six La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three Champions League titles plus several other trophies.

7. Lionel Messi is, undoubtedly, one of the all time greats.

8. Lionel Messi is part of Barcelona's squad and is available for the game, but it's unclear if he'll play against Real Madrid.

9. Lionel Messi 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.

10. Lionel Messi opened a kids park for children living in the hospital at the University hospital Vall d'hebron In Barcelona.

11. Lionel Messi achieved victory in the under 20 World Cup in Argentina.

12. Lionel Messi began football at a young age and his potential was quickly seen by Barcelona.

13. Lionel Messi is the first and only player to become a top scorer in four consecutive Champions League campaigns.

14. Lionel Messi is the first football player in the World to win three European Golden Shoe awards.

15. Lionel Messi holds the record of scoring most consecutive league matches in a competitive league.

16. Lionel Messi received the prestigious FIFA World Player of the year nominations in 2008 when he was only 21 years old.

17. Lionel Messi played his Youth football career for Newell's Old Boys football club between the year 1995 and 2000 before being signed by FC club Barcelona in Spain.

18. Lionel Messi was born on 24th June 1987 in the Rosario region of Argentina.

19. Lionel Messi Is an Argentine Football player who is currently playing his professional football  at the Spanish Football club FC Barcelona.

20. Lionel Messi does not like to watch highlights of himself.

21. Lionel Messi ranked second behind Neymar in SportsPro magazine's 2013 list of the world's most marketable athletes.

22. Lionel Messi is a devout Roman Catholic and he met Pope francis at the Vatican in 2013.

23. Lionel Messi had the boy's name and handprints tattooed on his left calf.

24. Lionel Messi appeared in a 2012 television advert for Japanese face wash Scalp-D.

25. Lionel Messi is the founder of the organization, Leo Messi Foundation, which helps give children the best opportunities for education and health care.

26. Lionel Messi is the sixth youngest soccer player to score a goal in a World Cup games.

27. Lionel Messi inherited the No 10 Barca jersey from another great footballer Ronaldinho in the summer of 2008.

28. Lionel Messi made his debut in the Spanish First Division league.

29. Lionel Messi shares his birthplace with the Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevera.

30. Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina.

31. Lionel Messi is arguably the best footballer in the world at the moment.

32. Lionel Messi embarked on an all-out assault on the record books in 2012.

33. Lionel Messi became a father in November 2012 when Roccuzzo gave birth to a son, Thiago.

34. Lionel Messi met Roccuzzo in their hometown of Rosario when he was five years old.

35. On June 30, 2017, Lionel Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo, his longtime girlfriend and the cousin of his best friend and fellow soccer player Lucas Scaglia.

36. Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina.

37. Lionel Messi is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 72 kilograms.

38. At the age of 13, Lionel Messi moved from Argentina to Spain after FC Barcelona agreed to pay for his medical treatments.

39. Lionel Messi is the best player in the world, simple as that.

40. 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.

41. Lionel Messi currently lives in Castelldefels, a village near Barcelona.

42. Lionel Messi missed training ahead of a match against Atletico Madrid to attend the birth of his second son, Mateo, on 11 September 2015 in Barcelona.

43. Lionel Messi has known Roccuzzo since he was five years old, as she is the cousin of his best friend since childhood, Lucas Scaglia, who is a football player.

44. Lionel Messi stepped in and paid the salaries of the three members.

45. Lionel Messi was greeted by fans with signs like "Don't go, Leo" when the team landed in Buenos Aires.

46. Lionel Messi was included in the squad for the South American Youth Championship, held in Colombia in February 2005.

47. Lionel Messi finished the year with 51 goals, making him Europe's top scorer, one ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

48. Lionel Messi recovered in time for the last 16 round of the Champions League against Liverpool, but was effectively marked out of the game; Barcelona, the reigning champions, were out of the competition.

49. Lionel Messi 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.

50. Lionel Messi played five games with the B team that season but did not score.

51. Lionel Messi would dribble past four players and score a goal.

52. Lionel Messi was scouted by Buenos Aires club River Plate, whose playmaker, Pablo Aimar, he idolised, but they were unable to pay for his treatment due to the country's economic collapse.

53. Lionel Messi Is an Argentine Football player who is currently playing his professional football at the Spanish Football club FC Barcelona.

54. Lionel Messi lists fours signings for Barcelona to complete in 2019.

55. Lionel Messi has taken a break from the national scene since the World Cup, and there's no clear idea of when he is expected to return.

56. Lionel Messi is better than Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo in one area—BBC journalist.

57. Lionel Messi has revealed what he really thinks about Wayne Rooney—and England fans are loving it.

58. Lionel Messi reveals what he really thinks about Wayne Rooney.

59. Lionel Messi is taking advantage of the FIFA international break spending a few days with his family in Dubai.

60. Lionel Messi responds to whether he can do it on a 'cold night in Stoke'.

61. Lionel Messi has brilliantly answered the 'can he do it on a cold night in Stoke' question.

62. Lionel Messi is definitely returning to international football, says Argentina general manager.

63. Lionel Messi returns to Barcelona starting line up against Real Betis.

64. Lionel Messi has ended up on the losing side after bagging a brace for the first time in his stunning Barcelona career.

65. Lionel Messi adds unwanted first to remarkable record as Barcelona brace counts for nothing.

66. Lionel Messi returns from injury but can't stop Barcelona from losing at home.

67. Lionel Messi scored twice on his return to the starting XI, but he and his team-mates.

68. Lionel Messi is set to return to action for Barcelona in Sunday's La Liga match against Real Betis after recovering from his fractured arm.

69. Lionel Messi is ready to play against Real Betis on Sunday.

70. Lionel Messi made the trip with Barcelona but is unlikely to play as he continues to recover from a fractured arm.

71. Lionel Messi is in line to make his return from a broken arm on Sunday against Real Betis after being named in Ernesto Valverde's squad.

72. Lionel Messi is back in the Barcelona squad for Sunday's match against Real Betis, but there is no Ousmane Dembele after reports of disciplinary trouble involving the Frenchman.

73. Lionel Messi returns as Barca take on Real Betis but Ousmane Dembele misses out.

74. Lionel Messi will decide whether he plays against Betis or not.

75. On 7 June 2016, Lionel Messi won a libel case against La Razon newspaper and was awarded €65,000 in damages, which he donated to the charity Doctors without Borders.

76. 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.

77. Since leaving for Spain at age 13, Lionel Messi has maintained close ties to his hometown of Rosario, even preserving his distinct Rosarino accent.

78. On 10 March 2018, Lionel Messi skipped the match against Malaga after Ciro was born.

79. In April 2015, Lionel Messi confirmed on Facebook that they were expecting another child.

80. Since 2008, when he was 20, Lionel Messi has been in a relationship with Antonella Roccuzzo, a fellow native of Rosario.

81. Lionel Messi is a global brand ambassador for Gillette, Turkish Airlines, Ooredoo, and Tata Motors, among other companies.

82. For the last five years, Lionel Messi has been the Maradona of the World Cup in Mexico.

83. Throughout his career, Lionel Messi has been compared with his compatriot Diego Maradona, due to their similar playing styles as diminutive, left-footed dribblers.

84. Lionel Messi had just 49 touches of the ball and only two inside the Croatia penalty area.

85. On 28 March 2017, Lionel Messi was suspended for four international games for insulting an assistant referee in a game against Chile on 23 March 2017.

86. On 12 August, it was confirmed that Lionel Messi had reversed his decision to retire from international football, and he was included in the squad for the national team's upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

87. Just a week after Lionel Messi announced his international retirement, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported that he was reconsidering playing for Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September.

88. Lionel Messi is the greatest thing we have in Argentina and we must take care of him.

89. President of Argentina Mauricio Macri urged Lionel Messi not to quit, stating, "We are lucky, it is one of life's pleasures, it is a gift from God to have the best player in the world in a footballing country like ours.

90. At the conclusion of the final, Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.

91. Along with Riquelme, Lionel Messi was singled out by FIFA as the stand-out player from the tournament's best team.

92. Lionel Messi was reportedly found weeping in the dressing room after his sending-off.

93. Lionel Messi declined the offer, having aspired to represent La Albiceleste since childhood.

94. On 23 October, Lionel Messi finished as the runner-up behind Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 Best FIFA Men's Player award for the second consecutive year.

95. Lionel Messi became only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to reach this century milestone, but accomplished it in 21 fewer appearances than the Portuguese counterpart.

96. On 12 November, Lionel Messi placed second in the 2016 Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who claimed the award for the fourth time.

97. Lionel Messi sent Muller a number 10 Barcelona shirt, signed "with respect and admiration", after breaking his 40-year record.

98. Lionel Messi helped the team achieve 16 consecutive league victories, a record in Spanish football, concluding with another hat-trick against Atletico Madrid on 5 February 2011.

99. On 24 June 2005, his 18th birthday, Lionel Messi signed his first contract as a senior team player.

100. Born and raised in central Argentina, Lionel Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child.