Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, who built his career at FC Bar…
At the age of ten, Lionel Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency that would have permanently stunted his development without expensive monthly injections c…
In September 2000, then-Barcelona sporting director Carles Rexach watched Messi train and was so immediately convinced of his talent that he wrote an initial agreement o…
On 16 November 2004, manager Frank Rijkaard introduced Messi as a substitute in a La Liga fixture against local rivals Espanyol — making him, at 17 years and 114 days, t…
The 2008–09 season was the year Messi announced himself as the best player on the planet without any room for argument. Under Pep Guardiola — appointed head coach in the…
In calendar year 2012, Messi scored 91 goals across all competitions for club and country — shattering the previous record of 85 goals in a calendar year set by German l…
On 13 July 2014, Argentina reached the World Cup final at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, with Messi having been their driving force through the knockout rounds. Germany…
On 5 August 2021, FC Barcelona announced that Messi would not be renewing his contract — not because of any sporting disagreement, but because the club's financial liabi…
On 10 July 2021 — just weeks before his Barcelona exit — Messi finally lifted a senior international trophy when Argentina defeated Brazil 1–0 in the Copa América final…
On 18 December 2022 in Lusail, Qatar, Lionel Messi won the FIFA World Cup in a final widely described as the most dramatic in the tournament's 92-year history. Argentina…
On 21 July 2023, Messi was officially unveiled at Inter Miami CF in a spectacle that drew comparisons to the Beatles' arrival in America. He had rejected offers from Al-…
On 30 October 2023, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Messi received his eighth Ballon d'Or — two more than his nearest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds six. At 36…
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