Lionel Messi Biography
On this page you will find concise, useful information on Messi’s early life, club career, and international career. A section has also been devoted to Messi’s personal life, his charitable work and some controversial issues.
Messi's start in life
Today, Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of football, but he did not have one of the most promising starts in life. On 24 June 1987, our hero was born into a working class family who lived in Rosario, Argentina. His father was a steel worker who rose to become the manager of a local factory, and his mother worked in a manufacturing workshop and as a cleaner to boost the family’s income. Messi joined the local Newell’s Old Boys football team at the age of six and scored nearly 500 goals during his six years with the club. At the age of eleven Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, which stunted his growth and threatened the possibility of a professional footballing career. The Buenos Aires club River Plate considered signing Messi, but could not afford the treatment necessary for his medical condition. FC Barcelona came to the rescue by offering Messi a player contract and also agreeing to pay those medical bills.
“I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi. Messi is a genius, and he can become an even better player.” His potential is limitless, and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player.”
Messi’s club career
Messi’s career with FC Barcelona (FCB) started at the age of thirteen when he attended a trainee trial. He impressed coach, Carles Rexach, who offered our hero his first contract, which was written on a paper napkin. Messi and his father moved to Barcelona so that Messi could become a member of the prestigious FCB youth academy. Messi’s devotion to football meant he and his family had to make many sacrifices.
“I made a lot of sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. But everything I did, I did for football,to achieve my dream. That’s why I didn’t go out partying, or do a lot of other things” - Lionel Messi.
In the 2004/2005 season, after some time playing for the Barcelona junior and B teams, Messi, aged seventeen, was in the first team. During this season he became the youngest player to score a league goal for FCB, a record he still holds today. During the 2005/2006 season, Messi was a member of the FCB team that won both the Spanish League and Champions League Cups. By the next season, Messi was an established FCB star who, as the first choice striker, scored fourteen goals in twenty six League games. The 2008/09 season was also memorable for Messi played his part in ensuring that Barcelona won,for the first time, the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League Cups.There was great news during the 2009/10 season when Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling the record set by his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was then Real Madrid’s star striker. It was during this season that he also became Barcelona’s all time highest scorer in the Champions League.The young Messi simply got better and better. During the 2011/2012 season he scored a record breaking 73 goals and was responsible for 29 assists in all club competitions. Spectacularly, it was during this season that Messi broke Cesar Rodriguez’s record by becoming Barcelona’s all time top scorer in La Liga. It was in the 2012/2013 season that he first wore the captains armband. Messi achieved another record in 2012 for he scored 91 goals in a calendar year surpassing the previous record of 85 goals achieved by German, Gerd Muller. Muller was generous in his praise of Messi
“My record stood for 40 years ... and now the best player in the world has broken it, and I’m delighted for him. He is an incredible player, gigantic” - Gerd Muller
The 2014-2015 season was notable for it saw Messi become the all time highest scorer in La Liga by beating Telmo Zarra’s record of 251 league goals. On 13 January 2019, Messi achieved another massive record by scoring his 400th goal in 435 league appearances.
Player loyalty is not a big feature in club football, but Messi has been loyal to Barcelona, for example, in 2012 he turned down a lucrative offer from a Russian club so that he could stay with FCB. Barcelona fans, known as the “clues”, love Messi for his skill and for his loyalty to them.
Messi’s international career
As a young player Messi was eligible to play football for either Spain or Argentina, he chose the country of his birth. He was a member of the Argentinian team that won the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2005, and was awarded the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe for his performance during the competition. Messi made his debut with the senior national team in a friendly match against Hungary in 2005. Another milestone was reached in 2006 when he became the youngest Argentinian player to play in the World Cup, although Argentina were eliminated in the quarter finals. The national team reached the final of the Copa America competition in 2007, but failed to win the cup. Messi and his national colleagues were more successful at the Beijing Olympic Games of 2008, when they won gold medals for their footballing skills. He had the honour of being made the Argentinian captain from 2011, and since then led the national team to the final of the 2014 World Cup. Messi's great regret is that, to date, he has failed to lift the World Cup or the Copa America Cup for his country. Whereas, Argentinian football star Diego Maradona, as part of Argentinian teams, did win the World Cup in 1986 and the Copa America Cup in 1991 and 1993. Argentinians have criticised Messi for his performances at international matches, although his supporters put the blame on the weak Argentinian squads over the past fifteen years. This criticism of Messi is unfair for objectively speaking he has scored 70 international goals, which is an Argentinian record, surpassing the record of 54 goals scored by his compatriot Gabriel Batistuta.
Messi's Personal life
Messi enjoys living in Barcelona, where he is considered by many to be a regional institution and hero. He is a private man who enjoys spending time with his wife, three young children and his parents. Indeed his mother’s face is tattooed on one of his hands. The Messi family can afford the luxuries of life,for, according to Forbes magazine, FCB pay him $80 million annually. Additionally, he benefits from numerous endorsement deals which boosted his annual income to about $127 million in 2018. However, his financial affairs have been surrounded by controversy for some years. In 2016 a Spanish court convicted him and his father, who acts as his agent and adviser, of tax fraud. He received a 21 months suspended prison sentence and paid a $250,000 fine. In his favour, Messi is a UNICEF ambassador who has established the Lionel Messi Foundation to care for vulnerable children throughout the world, for example it worked with UNICEF to finance the building of classrooms in war torn Syria.
