Lionel Andrés Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi] (listen); born 24 June 1987), additionally called Leo Messi, is an Argentine expert footballer who performs as a ahead for Ligue 1 membership Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina country wide crew.  Often taken into consideration the high-quality participant withinside the international and extensively seemed as one of the finest gamers of all time, Messi has gained a file seven Ballon d'Or awards, a file six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 become named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.  Until leaving the membership in 2021, he had spent his whole expert profession with Barcelona, in which he gained a membership-file 35 trophies, along with ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and 4 UEFA Champions Leagues.  A prolific goalscorer and innovative playmaker, Messi holds the information for maximum dreams in La Liga (474), a La Liga and European league season (50), maximum hat-hints in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and maximum assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga season (21) and the Copa América  He additionally holds the file for maximum global dreams through a South American male (86). Messi has scored over 750 senior profession dreams for membership and us of a, and has the maximum dreams through a participant for a unmarried membership.

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Born and raised in principal Argentina, Messi relocated to Spain to enroll in Barcelona on the age of 13, for whom he made his aggressive debut elderly 17 in October 2004.  He hooked up himself as an crucial participant for the membership withinside the subsequent 3 years, and in his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09 he helped Barcelona attain the primary treble in Spanish football; that year, elderly 22, Messi gained his first Ballon d'Or.  Three a success seasons followed, with Messi triumphing 4 consecutive Ballons d'Or, making him the primary participant to win the award 4 instances and in a row. During the 2011–12 season, he set the La Liga and European information for maximum dreams scored in a unmarried season, even as setting up himself as Barcelona's all-time pinnacle scorer.  The following  seasons, Messi completed 2d for the Ballon d'Or at the back of Cristiano Ronaldo (his perceived profession rival), earlier than regaining his high-quality shape in the course of the 2014–15 campaign, turning into the best-ever pinnacle scorer in La Liga and main Barcelona to a anciental 2d treble, and then he become presented a 5th Ballon d'Or in 2015.  Messi assumed captaincy of Barcelona in 2018, and in 2019 he gained a file 6th Ballon d'Or. Out of contract, he signed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021.

An Argentine global, Messi holds the country wide file for appearances and is likewise the us of a's all-time main goalscorer. At kids level, he gained the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, completing the event with each the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and an Olympic gold medal on the 2008 Summer Olympics.  His fashion of play as a diminutive, left-footed dribbler drew comparisons together along with his compatriot Diego Maradona, who defined Messi as his successor. After his senior debut in August 2005, Messi have become the youngest Argentine to play and rating in a FIFA World Cup in 2006, and reached the very last of the 2007 Copa América, in which he become named younger participant of the event.  As the squad's captain from August 2011, he led Argentina to a few consecutive finals: the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which he gained the Golden Ball, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, triumphing the Golden Ball withinside the 2015 edition.  After saying his global retirement in 2016, he reversed his selection and led his us of a to qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a third-region end on the 2019 Copa América, and gained the 2021 Copa América, even as triumphing the Golden Ball and Golden Boot award for the latter.  This fulfillment could see him acquire a file 7th Ballon d'Or in 2021.

Messi has recommended sports clothing business enterprise Adidas on account that 2006. According to France Football, he become the international's highest-paid footballer for 5 years out of six among 2009 and 2014, and become ranked the international's highest-paid athlete through Forbes in 2019 and 2022.  Messi become amongst Time's one hundred maximum influential human beings withinside the international in 2011 and 2012. In February 2020, he become presented the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, for this reason turning into the primary footballer and the primary crew recreation athlete to win the award.  Later that year, Messi have become the second one footballer (and 2d crew-recreation athlete) to surpass $1 billion in profession earnings.