Lionel Messi Biography

Born: June 24,Rosario, Argentina
Nick Name : Leo, La Pulga, Atomic Flea, La Pulga Atomica, Messidona,LM10.
Height: 1.7 m
Spouse: Antonella Roccuzzo (m. 2017)
Salary: 40 million EUR (2016)
Current teams: FC Barcelona (#10 / Forward), Argentina national football team (#10 / Forward)

LIONEL MESSI (LEO MESSI) BIOGRAPHY

Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini, known as Lionel Messi,LM10 or simply “Lio”, is an Argentinian footballer who was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 24, 1987, and plays as a forward or right winger. He comes from a family with scarcely any economic resources, made up of his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory worker and his mother, Celia María Cuccittini. His maternal grandmother, Celia Olivera, was the one who motivated him to play football as afull-time. For that reason, in 1992, when he was 5 years old boy he began his training as a soccer player in the club.

Abanderado Grandoli which was one of the Rosario’s beloved teams. In 1994, Lionel Messi took his step through the lower cleaving of Newell’s Old Boys where he began to show his skill with the ball and won several national titles. At the age of 11, Lionel would be diagnosed with a deficiency in growth hormone, which made him look less attractive for the soccer clubs despite the great talent he had. However, this was not hindrance for Messi to continue with his aspirations to be a professional footballer.

Disease

At the age of 11, Lionel was detect an extremely unpleasant disease - growth hormone deficiency. The disease affected the growth of the guy; he had low height compared to other children. The treatment was costly the family spent about 900 dollars per month on hormone injections. That is why “River Plate” decline to purchase a promising footballer.
But this fact did not stop the world famed football club "Barcelona", and they persuaded Messi's father to send the boy to Spain for casting. Thus, the 13-year-old footballer went to Barcelona with belief. Charly Rexach, the Catalan club sporting director, was glad with Lionel’s first training and not only agreed to take him under the wing of the football team, but also fully paid for the boy's treatment.

club Football career

“Barcelona is my life. They have brought me to where I am today. I could not leave, I don’t want to leave. I know the Premier League is very good. But I cannot see myself playing in England because my heart is with Barcelona, always.”
– Lionel Messi
In 2000 Messi proceed to Spain and started playing in the youth team of the Catalan "Barcelona". In his first match, Lionel made poker, scoring 4 goals, and during the next thirty games he directedto score 37 goals .He influenced not only the owners of the Spanish team, but also the coach of the Italian club "Juventus". The management of the "Old Lady" (nickname FC "Juventus") even offered to “lend” the guy for one season, but the young sportsman put on a T-shirt of FC Barcelona.
Lionel Messi continued to play for Barcelona. Three years later made his debut in professional football in a friendly match towards the Portuguese club Porto. Journalists perceive Messi and forecast him a great sporting future. In 2004, the Argentinean played his 1st official match for FC Barcelona. The Catalans played towards their compatriots from Espanyol, but the forward failed to score goal .
A year later Messi scored his 1st goal at the gates of Albacete, and became the youngest player in the history of the Catalan club, who managed to hit the opponent's gate in the main Spanish championship. At that time, the he was almost 18 years old.
Messi's career in Barcelona got better and better. Almost every year the footballer collect personal awards, becoming the best player, the author of the best goal and the owner of other prestigious titles.
In the 2006/07 season, Messi begins to show magnificent results. At the end of the season, the striker was nominated for several prestigious awards. The best performance the sportsman will show in 2012, when he will hit the gates of his opponents for 50 times. In the 2011-2012 season, the forward achieved double in the match against Betis and scored his 86th goal in 66 games, breaking 40 years record of German striker Gerd Müller.
2010 to 2012 is appraised the best in Lionel Messi's career, as he becomes the world's second player who received four Golden Balls. The procurement of Messi are truly impressive, and the directors even thought about making a new film about the player. In 2014 films about the popular footballer were shot in Spain. Also the film "Messi" was publish, where his best goals are presented, as well as a story of his success.

In 2014, "Barcelona" signed a new commitment with the famous forward, according to which he will earn 20 million euros a year after taxes, the cooperation will last until 2018.

The Argentina football national team

In the team, Messi did not show tremandus results. The footballer didn’t win any title.Initially, Lionel Messi received an invitation from the Spanish team, but he refused it and since 2005 plays for the national team of Argentina. It should be noted that his debut match in the national team against the national team of Hungary was not successful – because the player got a red card.
As a member of Argentine team, Messi played at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in China. He won the tournament, becoming the Olympic champion.

At the World cup in 2010 the national team played in the quarterfinal, where the Germans beat the Argentineans with a score of 0: 4. In 2014 world cup messi played a great role to rich his team to final stage but in final they lost against Germany in additional time.
In 2016, in the final of the Cupa America's cup, which was held in the US, the team lost in a penalty shootout with Chile - 2: 4, and he miss the ball from the penalty spot. After the match, he decided that he finished his career in the national team.
In the world cup 2018 messi was in great form but the team combination was not up to the mark that’s why they lost at round 16 against France.

TITLES SUMMARY

Spanish League: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016. • Super Cup of Spain: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016.

Copa del Rey: 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017.

UEFA Champion League: 2006. 2009, 2011, 2015.

Europe Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015.

FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015.

World Cup U-20: 2005.

2008 Olympic Games.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

FIFA Golden Ball: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015.

FIFA World Player, The Best: 2009.

FIFA Youth Player: 2006.

Best player in Europe: 2009, 2011, 2015.

UEFA Forward of the year: 2009.

UEFA’s best goal of the year: 2007, 2015, 2016.

UEFA team of the year: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016.

Top scorer in the Spanish league: 2015, 2016.

Golden Ball in the FIFA World Cup: 2014.

Golden Ball FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005.

Golden Ball FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011

Spanish league Top Scorer: 2016-2017

FIFA / FIFPro World XI: 207, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

Named the best player in the history of the Spanish league in 2017.

Golden Boot: 2009-2010, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2016-2017.

Few images

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Barcelona C	2003–04	Tercera División	10	5	—		—		—		10	5
Barcelona B	2003–04	Segunda División B	5	0	—		—		—		5	0
	2004–05	Segunda División B	17	6	—		—		—		17	6
	Total		22	6	—		—		—		22	6
Barcelona	2004–05	La Liga	7	1	1	0	1	0	—		9	1
	2005–06	La Liga	17	6	2	1	6	1	0	0	25	8
	2006–07	La Liga	26	14	2	2	5	1	3	0	36	17
	2007–08	La Liga	28	10	3	0	9	6	—		40	16
	2008–09	La Liga	31	23	8	6	12	9	—		51	38
	2009–10	La Liga	35	34	3	1	11	8	4	4	53	47
	2010–11	La Liga	33	31	7	7	13	12	2	3	55	53
	2011–12	La Liga	37	50	7	3	11	14	5	6	60	73
	2012–13	La Liga	32	46	5	4	11	8	2	2	50	60
	2013–14	La Liga	31	28	6	5	7	8	2	0	46	41
	2014–15	La Liga	38	43	6	5	13	10	—		57	58
	2015–16	La Liga	33	26	5	5	7	6	4	4	49	41
	2016–17	La Liga	34	37	7	5	9	11	2	1	52	54
	2017–18	La Liga	36	34	6	4	10	6	2	1	54	45
	2018–19	La Liga	34	36	5	3	10	12	1	0	50	51
	2019–20	La Liga	33	25	2	2	8	3	1	1	44	31
	2020–21	La Liga	35	30	5	3	6	5	1	0	47	38
	Total		520	474	80	56	149	120	29	22	778	672
Paris Saint-Germain	2021–22	Ligue 1	26	6	1	0	7	5	—		34	11
	2022–23	Ligue 1	29	15	1	0	7	4	1	1	38	20
	Total		55	21	2	0	14	9	1	1	72	31
Career total			607	506	82	56	163	129	30	23	882	714