Lionel Messi
Early life in Rosario
Luis Lionel Andres (Leo) Messi is a pro soccer player. He was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. When he was a young boy, he played soccer with his two older brothers and their friends, unintimidated by the older and bigger boys. When he was 8, he got recruited to join the Rosario-based club system of Newell’s old boys. He was noticeably smaller than the kids in his age group and was eventually diagnosed with a hormone deficiency which restricted his growth. His parents, Jorge and Ceclia decided on nightly growth hormone injections for their son but realized that it would be impossible to pay the several hundred dollars a month for the medication. When he was 13, he got recruited to train at FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, while also having his medical bills covered by the team. Messi’s family gladly moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain. Even though he was often homesick in his new country, he quickly advanced through the junior system’s ranks. With his being 5 foot 7 inches and his relentless attacking style, he has even gotten compared to the pro soccer player Diego Maradona. Messi has only ever played for FC Barcelona, where he has played with them since he was 13.
Messi’s Pro Teams
He also plays for the national team of Argentina. By the time he was 16, he had made his first appearance for Barcelona as he put himself in the record books on May 1, 2005, by being the youngest player to score a goal for the franchise. During the same year, he led Argentina to the Under 20 World cup by scoring on a pair of penalty kicks to put the team ahead of Nigeria. In 2009 he led Barcelona to win the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. During that year, he also earned his first FIFA ” World Player Of The Year” trophy. In 2010 and 2011, he led Barcelona to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup and the ’11 Champions League titles. In 2012, Messi went on an assault on the record books when he became the first player to score five goals in a champions league match in early March and a few weeks later, passed Cesar Rodriguez’s club record 232 goals which put him as Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. By the end of 2012, Messi had accumulated 91 goals in club and international games, which surpassed the previous number of goals scored in one year which was 85 goals, and was held by Gerd Muller in 1972. In January 2013, he broke another record when he was named FIFA Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth time in a row. Messi broke another record in late 2014 when he became the all-time leading scorer in La Liga and Champions League play. In 2015 after helping Barcelona achieve a second treble, he was given his fifth Ballon d’Or trophy. In another four years, Messi had gained another La Liga title and was given his sixth ballon d’Or trophy soon after that. In 2016 after Argentina’s second loss to Chile in the finals of the Copa America tournament. Very soon after that, he announced that he was done being with the team which was a decision that he soon went back on. As of 2019, Messi had 687 appearances and 603 goals scored during his career with Barcelona. On August 10, 2021, Messi left Barcelona and joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain.
You can learn more at https://www.biography.com/athlete/lionel-messi.
