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Lionel Messi – Wiki | Golden

Lionel Messi is a record-holding Argentine professional football player. Messi played for the Argentine national team, played for La Liga team FC Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, and signed onto Champions League team PSG (Paris Saint-Germain F.C.) in 2021. Messi is one of the highest-paid professional football players and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team in 2020. Messi holds citizenship in both Argentina and Spain.

Lionel Messi was born in 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. He began playing football as a young child and joined the local club, Grandoli, at the age of four. Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of eleven, potentially jeopardizing a professional career. In 2000, at the age of thirteen, Messi and his family relocated to Barcelona, Spain. He joined join Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy in 2000 and enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in 2002. Messi made his professional debut for FC Barcelona in 2004 at the age of seventeen, assumed captaincy of Barcelona in 2018, and played for the club until 2021. In 2021, Messi signed a two-year $104 million contract with club Paris Saint-Germain.

During his tenure at FC Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, Messi won a club-record thirty-five trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions League titles. Messi scored over 750 career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club. Messi held the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most goals in a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga season (21) and the Copa América (17). Messi held the record for most international goals by a South American player (80).

Lionel Messi played for Argentina’s national team and is the country’s highest appearance-maker and all-time leading goalscorer. Messi was the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup in 2006, reached the final of the 2007 Copa América, won gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, was named team captain in 2011, led Argentina to three consecutive finals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, made a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa América, and won the 2021 Copa América.

In 2006, Lionel Messi entered an endorsement deal with sportswear company Adidas. Between 2009 and 2014, Messi was the world’s highest-paid footballer for five years out of six years. Time named Messi on its 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and 2012. Messi was ranked the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019. In February 2020, Messi was awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and that same year, became the second footballer (and second team-sport athlete) to surpass $1 billion in career earnings.

Life & Career Summary (2018) »

Football Player (1987-)

Lionel Messi is often considered not only the best active football player in the world but also one of the greatest of all time, alongside legends such as Maradona and Pelé. In addition to being awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or prize a record five times, Leo has become the all-time top goalscorer for both Argentina’s national team and FC Barcelona, the mega club he has helped to win more than 30 championships. While Messi is a household name across most of the globe, the superstar forward also surprises with his relatively low profile off the field.


«I prefer to win titles with the team ahead of individual awards or scoring more goals than anyone else. I’m more concerned about being a good person than being the best footballer in the world. Besides, in the end, when all this is over, what can you take with you? My hope is that, when I retire, I’m remembered for being a good guy.»  (Extract from interview with Spanish newspaper “El País” in 2012)

Lionel Andrés Messi (aka Leo, Lio, La Pulga [The Flea], La Pulga Atómica [The Atomic Flea], El Messías) was born on June 24, 1987 in the Argentine city of Rosario. He was raised with three siblings in a working-class neighbourhood known as Barrio General Las Heras. At the age of 5, he started playing for the Grandoli, a small local club in which his family was actively involved. By the time Leo turned 8, he was already playing for the youth academy of Newell’s Old Boys, a major professional squad based in Rosario.

Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Lionel Messi was eventually diagnosed as suffering from a growth hormone deficiency. His father unsuccessfully turned to several Argentine football clubs seeking financial aid for an expensive treatment, which almost jeopardized the promising career he envisaged for Leo.

In 2000, at age 13, Lionel Messi signed with Fútbol Club Barcelona and moved with his family to Spain, as the Catalan club agreed to pay for his hormone treatments as part of the contract. After a quick progression through Barcelona’s youth academy ‘La Masia’, Leo made his debut in the 2004–05 season, at age 17. Barça won the Spanish championship La Liga that season, and in the following it won a double of La Liga and UEFA’s Champions League. Messi’s first big success came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football, including Copa del Rey, La Liga and the Champions League.

Over the following years, Lionel Messi continued to break record after record to emerge as the top class player for Barcelona and the world at large. Messi’s personal best campaign statistically to date was the 2011–12 season, in which he set the Spanish and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barça’s all-time top scorer in official competitions. Following each appearance, the Argentine left-footed star proved to be versatile enough to play anywhere across the frontline and to mesmerize defenders with a mix of skill and pace.

Lionel Messi’s excellence at the field has been lauded by the world over through the numerous awards, honors and achievements that he has been bestowed with. Him and Portuguese star Cristano Ronaldo have been the only winners of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for the 2008–2016 period, Leo Messi taking the lead with five prizes in total. He also holds over 40 recognitions as best player of the year, top goalscorer and top assist provider, plus a considerable number of world records.

At the international level, Lionel Messi chose to represent homeland Argentina, rather than Spain, despite his dual citizenship. He made his debut with Argentina’s senior team in 2004 and has been the squad’s captain since 2011. Titles won include FIFA’s U-20 World Cup in 2005 and the Olympic Gold Medal in 2008. In June 2016, Leo became Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta’s previous mark of 54 goals.

While Argentina has one of the world’s finest national football teams, the squad has failed to win a major international title since Lionel Messi has been a part of it. Indeed, with him the albiceleste came as the runner-up in four instances: the 2007 Copa America, the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America, and the 2016 Copa America Centenario. After the latter defeat, a visibly frustrated Messi announced his retirement from international football, only to reverse his decision two months later in response to the outpouring demostrations of support from all across Argentina. In any case, because of Leo’s lack of titles with the national squad he also has quite a number of detractors in his home country.

Off the field, Lionel Messi has been actively involved in charitable efforts aimed at vulnerable children, partly in response to his own medical difficulties as a child. Apart from collaborating with UNICEF with funds and personally as a goodwill ambassador, he also runs the Leo Messi Foundation, which supports children in health care, education, and sport.

Lionel Messi is married to fellow Rosario native Antonela Roccuzzo. They have known each other since Leo was five years old, but only began going out in 2008. The couple has since had three sons: Thiago (2012), Mateo (2015), and Ciro (2018).

GAMES AND GOALS PER TEAM*

Argentina (2005-2018)
128 games 65 goals
Argentina U23 (2008)
5 games 2 goals
Argentina U20 (2004-2005)
18 games 14 goals
FC Barcelona (Spain, 2004-2018)
418 games 383 goals
FC Barcelona B (Spain, 2004-2005) 22 games 6 goals
FC Barcelona C (Spain, 2003-2004) 10 games 5 goals
TOTAL
601 games
475 goals

* As of 30 June 2018. Barcelona senior club games and goals counted for the domestic league only.

TITLES WON (34*)

2005 .
La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Supercopa de España (FC Barcelona)
FIFA U-20 World Cup (Argentina)
2006
La Liga (FC Barcelona)
UEFA Champions League (FC Barcelona)
Supercopa de España (FC Barcelona)
2008
Olympic Gold Medal (Argentina)
2009
La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
Supercopa de España (FC Barcelona)
UEFA Champions League (FC Barcelona)
UEFA Super Cup (FC Barcelona)
FIFA Club World Cup (FC Barcelona)
2010
La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Supercopa de España (FC Barcelona)
2011 La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Supercopa de España (FC Barcelona)
UEFA Champions League (FC Barcelona)
UEFA Super Cup (FC Barcelona)
FIFA Club World Cup (FC Barcelona)
2012 Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
2013 La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Supercopa de España (FC Barcelona)
2015 La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
UEFA Champions League (FC Barcelona)
UEFA Super Cup (FC Barcelona)
FIFA Club World Cup (FC Barcelona)
2016 La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
Supercopa de España (FC Barcelona)
2017 Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
2018 La Liga (FC Barcelona)
Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)

* As of 30 June 2018. With Argentina’s national team, Messi has also been the runner-up in four championships: Copa America 2007, FIFA World Cup 2014, Copa America 2015 and Copa America Centenario 2016.

MAIN AWARDS AND INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

Top goalscorer
Argentina national team all-time top goalscorer (since 2016)
FC Barcelona all-time top goalscorer (since 2012)
UEFA Champions League top goalscorer (2009/10/11/12/15)
La Liga top goalscorer (2010/12/13/17/18)
Copa del Rey top goalscorer (2009/11/14/16/17)
Guiness World Record as top goalscorer for club and country in a calendar year (91 goals, 2012)
Best player
Ballon d’Or * (2009 – France Footbal, 2010/11/12/15 – FIFA)
Golden Ball in Brazil’s World Cup (2014 – FIFA)
World Player of the Year (2009 – FIFA)
Golden Shoe (2010/12/13/17/18 – European Sports Media)
Golden Boy (2005 – European Sports Media)
Best Player in Europe (2011/15 – UEFA)
Best Player in Spain (2009/10/11/12/13/15 – La Liga)
Miscellaneous____ World Cup Dream Team (2014 – FIFA)
Copa America Dream Team (2007/11/15/16 – CONMEBOL)
Goal of the Season (2007/15/16 – UEFA)
Copa America Best Goal (2007 – CONMEBOL)
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador (since 2010 – UN)

* The Ballon d’Or (French for “Golden Ball”) is an annual football award presented by France Football magazine. It has been granted since 1956, although between 2010 and 2015 it temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and was known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Originally, only those players with European citizenship were in contention for the Ballon d’Or, but in 1995 it was expanded to include all players at European clubs and in 2007 to all players from around the world.

Best Lionel Messi Goals (2007-2017)


In Buenos Aires, Argentina

Statue in Recoleta (Av. Pres. Manuel Quintana 600, Recoleta, City of Buenos Aires) By the doorstep of iconic Porteño cafe La Biela lies a colorful Messi statue. He is depicted pointing his fingers towards the sky, Leo’s typical goal dedication to his grandmother.

Statue in Puerto Madero (Costanera Sur, Puerto Madero, City of Buenos Aires)  Lionel Messi’s statue was unveiled in 2016 in the so-called “Paseo de la Gloria” (Passage of Glory) along promenade Costanera Sur, in the Buenos Aires district of Puerto Madero. The passage pays homage to several of Argentina’s sporting greats. Unfortunately, some statues — including Messi’s — have been targeted by vandals.

In Rosario, Argentina

Murals in Rosario  Suprisingly enough, the city that is home to both Lionel Messi and Che Guevara lacks decent tributes to its prodigal sons. As refers to Leo there are some murals in his childhood neighborhood, including an artpiece by Paulo Consentino on a wall outside his school, as well as paintings close to his old house and on the walls of a soccer field where he used to play.

Restaurant in Rosario (Rioja 411, Rosario) Bar VIP Rosario is a well-known, well-located restaurant in Rosario, owned by Jorge Messi, Leo’s father. The place serves typical Argentine meals and features a couple of photomurals of el crack.

in barcelona, SPAIN

Mural in Barcelona (Parc de les Tres Xemeneies, Poble Sec, Barcelona)  In 2016, a colourful mural popped up in Barcelona in celebration of Lionel Messi’s fifth Ballon d’Or. A few years earlier, in 2012, another Messi-themed grafitti had been painted on the same wall on occasion of Leo’s third Golden Ball.

Restaurant in Barcelona (Enric Granados 86, Barcelona, Spain) A tribute brought by Messi and his siblings to their hometown, Rosario, “Bellavista del Jardín del Norte” is a beautiful restaurant that resembles a small village, with its own church, plaza, cinema, and barbershop. It serves up an interesting mix of international cuisines, from Spain’s most evocative tapas to Lionel Messi’s favorite Argentine dish, “milanesa napolitana a caballo” (breaded veal accompanied by ham, cheese, egg and tomato sauce).

International

Wax Statues  Lionel Messi has been immortalized in wax in several Madame Tussaud’s museums across the globe, including London, New York, Berlin, Amsterdam, Beijing, Tokyo and Wuhan.  In New York, Messi’s figure is placed in an interactive simulator where visitors can practice their best kick in a virtual soccer arena.

Cinema  Messi (2014 film) is a documentary about Leo’s life, directed by cult Spanish filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia. On the other hand, Messi (2017 film) is a movie by Bengali director Riingo Banerjee, in which Lionel Messi’s remembrance serves as a metaphor for the intense passions aroused by football.


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Best in history. Or not? How to perceive Messi’s career after World Cup gold

Trophy of a lifetime

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar at some point turned into a one-goal tournament. Lionel Messi became the center of the world forum. At some point, it seemed that everything revolves around the captain of the Argentina national team.

Everyone was waiting for him to crown his glorious and absolutely brilliant career with a victory at the World Championship, which he so lacked, although he was already at this tournament for the fifth time. And it was clear that at 39years in the USA, Canada and Mexico, it will be more difficult to achieve this title.

Triumph of a legend: Messi led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup

It is not at all a fact that Messi will play until the 2026 World Cup and is unlikely to be able to have such an impact on world football by that time as it is now. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo, at the age of 37, has frankly given up and not only failed to push Portugal through Morocco in the quarterfinals, but also generally lost his place in the start of the national team during the championship.

The fans wished Messi success, and not only Argentina, PSG and Barcelona, ​​to which he devoted almost his entire career. Commentators (at least Russian ones) cheered for him on the air without hesitation, and active football players and stars of the past spoke about the need and somewhere even the inevitability of his victory, many of whom now act as experts.

At some point, it all started to get out of control – never before has the World Cup turned into an event that exists for the sake of one player.

But Messi (and Argentina) did win! He scored a double in the final against France, scoring in regular time from the penalty spot and in extra time from the field, and then converted another try in the post-match series.

And now Lionel Messi is not just a six-time winner of the Golden Ball, the winner of various club tournaments and the winner of the America’s Cup with the national team, but also the world champion.

Happy Argentina

For many, the question of Messi’s success in Qatar 2022 was that such a great career should not have been left without a major title in world football. Without the world championship, the exploits of the Argentine seemed to look somewhat inferior, leaving a feeling of awkwardness. And now no one can argue that Pele, Diego Maradona or Ronaldo took the gold of the main tournament in the world, but Leo did not. Fans of the Argentinean can safely call him the best player in the history of football, opponents are deprived of the main argument.

But is this title really that important? If we evaluate the player’s individual career, of course. For Argentina, as a country obsessed with football, yes. The Albiceleste team won the world championships in 1978 and 1986. The nation was led to the titles by Mario Kempes and Diego Maradona, and after that the country waited 36 years.

Messi was born when Argentina was the current world champion, but during his lifetime, gold was only a dream. I had to experience defeats, including in the finals: in 1990th under Maradona and in 2014, when Lionel was recognized as the best player in the tournament.

The captain and his teammates made the whole nation happy, which seemed to go crazy during this tournament and especially after the victory. It’s worth it.

Great career

Of course, the title of world champion is very important. For Messi himself, he was a real dream. Maybe even a fix idea, like chasing Wayne Gretzky’s record for goals in the NHL for Alexander Ovechkin.

The great Argentine striker himself may have felt a certain understatement without this gold. With him, his greatness became greater.

A genius did it: Argentina won the World Cup on penalties

The Argentina national team became the world champion for the third time in history, being stronger on penalties…

08 March 20:43

And yet it would not have been less if the team of Lionel Scaloni in Qatar had not reached victory. Such is the paradox.

Messi’s career must be looked at differently. First, football is a team sport. One person cannot win by himself. Now we are on the verge of a potentially great rivalry between Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, but the second one with his Norwegian citizenship will be doomed from the start if you demand trophies in the national team for evaluation.

Yes, Messi was born as a representative of the football nation and he was lucky in this. As well as the fact that he ended up in Barcelona, ​​where he was raised and treated by prescribing growth hormone injections, which helped to overcome the problem of the natural underdevelopment of the body.

But after all, those who consider the Argentinean the best in football history do not do this because of his individual and team trophies. Those are just some kind of confirmation. And the main thing here is the magic of the striker’s game.

And no one will take her away from her talent admirers. It cannot be devalued. Messi has already left a rich legacy, naturally rewriting many records along the way.

Even without the title of world champion, he would have six Golden Balls, the America’s Cup, the Olympics, the Finalissima, four Champions Leagues, ten Spanish championships, the French championship and much more.

A sheet of A4 size would not be enough to list his individual trophies if printed in standard size, and he set even more records of all kinds.

To realize the greatness of Lionel Messi, gold won in Qatar is not needed. It is just the icing on the cake in his career.

The greatest in history?

But with the status of the greatest in history, which many experts call Messi now, everything is far from being so simple. Here you need to understand that it is very difficult to compare football players from different eras, especially those who played in different roles.

Football is changing, but there have always been difficulties in the game. Would that Pele be a superstar in modern football? It seems so, but who really knows? Like the Argentine, most likely he would have been a star if he had been born in the old days. They, like Maradona, and the Brazilian Ronaldo, and the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, were given a huge football talent.

But there were others. Franz Beckenbauer, Lev Yashin, Johan Cruyff, Manuel Neuer – these players, for example, generally changed their idea of ​​their roles in football. And how many more were great!

And how much will it be. Even now, when Messi received the title of MVP of the 2022 World Cup, this decision looks the only right emotionally, but rather controversial in fact.

How the cost of football players affected the final result of the 2022 World Cup

On December 18, the 2022 FIFA World Cup ended. In the final match, victory…

March 29 17:09

The Argentine captain scored four of his seven goals in the tournament from the penalty spot, while the French leader Kylian Mbappe scored eight times, putting six goals from the field. From the penalty mark, he differed only in the final match, where he became the second author of a hat-trick in the history of world forums after Jeff Hurst! 56 years later!

At the same time, Mbappe outperformed everyone at this World Cup, including Messi, in many statistical indicators and gave out space-level football, being definitely no less significant player for his team.

In the end, Messi won the 2014 World Cup MVP title after losing the final, although in the playoffs he could not score a single goal at all. But this time, Mbappe had no chance – it was the Leo tournament.

Nevertheless, the French striker from PSG is already a world champion and a finalist at the age of 23 (the same achievements as Messi). For two world forums, he scored one goal less than the Argentine for five, and before the record holder Miroslav Klose – only four accurate hits.

In addition, Mbappé already has more goals in the Champions League than both Messi and Ronaldo had at his age, and these two have broken all performance records in their careers.

So don’t call Messi exactly the best of all time. Especially because of the victory at the World Cup. Many people have won the World Football Forum. Pele, for example, did it three times.

Messi is an absolute hero of his time, but definitely not the last hero in the world. There will be more. And already there.

Messi is the world champion: fate has finally paid tribute to the great football player

Fresh issue0005

Union

Fresh number

ChampionArgentina

2nd placeFrance

3rd placeCroatia

12/18/2022

9005 9005 Sport

Text:

Maxim Makarychev

Lionel Andres “Leo “Messi, the Argentinean” ten “, the heir to the famous Diego Maradona, the owner of all kinds of records and titles, received his most coveted and long-awaited pearl for the crown.

The title of world champion, which remained unconquered by him for the previous four championships.

And this happened almost at the end of my career. At 35 years old. He played in the final of the World Cup, knowing the incredible pressure of Argentina praying for him and the millions of people who wanted him to either succeed or fail.

“Don’t cry for me, Argentina!” – is sung in the famous song from the film about Evita Peron. “Rejoice for him, Argentina!” – now sings the same country that for many years considered him more of a European, cut off from his roots, who is able to bring joy from victories to Barcelona fans.

In this unfair and sometimes cruel world, there is still room for a fairy tale. This article is a tribute to Lionel Messi, football player and man.

***

A quiet, shy, shaggy, short teenager, Messi left his homeland at the age of 13, and for a long decade and a half, from the beginning of his brilliant career in Europe, in Argentina they really treated him with jealousy. “He is a Catalan and does not sing the anthem of our country,” some compatriots said about Leo. “What are you, he just does not know his words!” – added others. Although Messi himself, a reserved person who does not respond to backbiting, once said: “Argentina is my homeland, my family. I would exchange all my records for making people in my country happy.”

Many Argentinean fans have traveled back home to the rare “Our man in Barcelona” games, to international matches and tournaments, just to watch Leo return soccer Argentina to its former glory. The one that forged the departed Maradona and his teammates. But whenever “albiceleste” (the nickname of the Argentina national football team) failed, and Messi missed and shot outside the frame, not just in the most important, but in decisive ones, as against the Germans in the 2014 World Cup final, segments of the game, some of these most dedicated fans tore their hair out of desperation. Leo – as the captain of not just a national team, but a “dream that they believe in” – could not give his country those high-profile and glorious victories that Maradona accustomed Argentina to.

But from denial to adoration, as from love to hate, there is only one step.

Argentine fans forgave him everything quite recently. Last year, after the triumph at the America’s Cup, when the Argentina national team finally won the first major trophy in a long time, and Messi, like a real Leo, justifying his name given by his parents at birth, fought with the “sworn Brazilians”.

***

Let’s leave aside goals, passes, records… It’s about something else.

Messi in human terms is a complete antipode to the national Argentinean idol – Maradona, under whose leadership he managed to play in the Argentina national team at the 2010 World Cup. The same Diego, with his talkativeness, revelry, scandals, drug addiction, a tomboy who got out of the cruel criminal slums of Buenos Aires, to whom the country forgave all his antics and erected a church in his honor during his lifetime.

Born into a large family of a steelworker and cleaner, Messi is an exemplary family man. monogamous He met his future wife Antonella as a child, in his native Rosario, at the age of five. They have three sons. As they say, he was not noticed in connections discrediting him.

A man of a kind soul, he does not like it when his charity is advertised. In terms of public PR, statements, and even with a dubious odor, this is clearly not for him. The only sporting scandal can be considered last year’s gap with the “Barcelona” that brought him up, and, as evil tongues said, leaving “for the long euro” in the French “Paris Saint-Germain”. Near-football – an accusation, to him and his father, of tax evasion in 2013. But this story also has its pitfalls. Yes, and that’s not what it’s about.

***

“Messi’s main question is: How can something incredibly complex be made so simple?” – rightly writes a columnist for the New York edition of The Athletic. Messi has become the best in the world in at least three things that can be done with the ball on the football pitch: the art of dribbling, passing and phenomenal vision of the field.

He convinced the football world that you can play practically with one left, not be a classic striker, and at the same time beat every conceivable record in performance.

Nobody but Messi, even his football antipode Ronaldo (a film will probably be made about this confrontation), has not been playing at such a high level for seventeen years now.

Leo is not just able to get around several opponents, it seemed, looking only at the ball, to score himself, very close to the bar, or, as in the semi-final at the World Cup in Qatar, manage to “on the ribbon” to give an assist to his partner. Taking the ball in his own half of the field, Messi circles five or six or seven opponents in a situation where another player would have been easily stopped at the beginning of his journey. Messi is often referred to as an “alien”. His many moves on the field are inexplicable football logic. As if not him, but the ball itself is looking for him. It is as if Providence itself is leading him along the football lawn . ..

***

He still remained the same boy from Rosario. Speaking of Messi, they remember how the future hero of millions carried balls in a shopping bag after training with older comrades in his hometown. Or the memory of Andoni Zubizarreta, the famous former goalkeeper and sporting director of Barcelona: “After the game against Arsenal, the second leg of the quarter-finals of the 2009-2010 season, when Leo scored four goals, he left the field with the ball under his arm like a boy leaving the school playground. Leo has no competition as a player on the field. But when he leaves the field, he becomes that boy who brings the ball home.”

In today’s football, fixated on rational coaching schemes, Messi is a freelance artist. The one whose creativity knows no bounds. What pleases the eye on the same school playground, during the battles on which there are no coaching installations, and you are free to play from dawn to dusk.

Lionel Messi gives fans the joy that a son who is grateful to his parents brings home. He is an example of the fact that a genius from a simple boy who escaped to distant lands from his father’s house makes not only talent, but also incredible work. All the great athletes in history have been like that. Like the boy from Rosario who became the king of football.

Messi’s opinions

Michel Platini, former captain of the French national team, one of the best football players in the history of the world:

– Messi is the star of the stars.

Lothar Matthäus, former captain of the German national team:

– For me, Messi is the player of the millennium.

Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca (November 2022):

– He is an incredible player. Magic. Top. As individuals we shared the football scene for 16 years. Imagine – 16 years old. So I have a great relationship with him.

Gianluigi Buffon, former Italy goalkeeper:

– I touched Messi to make sure he was from our planet.