Considered one of the best players in the world and one of the greatest players of all time, Messi holds the record of winning the Golden Ball 7 times, winning the European Golden Shoe 6 times and in 2020 placed in the Ballon d’Or Dream Team. Before leaving the club in 2021, he devoted his entire career to Barcelona, ​​where he won a record 34 club titles, including 10 La Liga, 7 Copa del Rey and 4 UEFA Champions League. With his country, he won the Copa América 2021 and FIFA World Cup 2022 titles. A skilled goalscorer and excellent playmaker, Messi holds the record for scoring the most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and UEFA Champions League (8), most assists in La Liga (192) and Copa América (17), and also holds the men’s record The player with the most international goals in South America (103). He scored more than 800 career goals for club and country, and is the player with the most goals ever for a single club (672).

1. Overview 

Messi started playing football at an early age and his talent was discovered by the Barcelona club. He left his hometown team Newell’s Old Boys in 2000 and moved with his family to Spain after Barcelona offered to support him with treatment costs for growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004-2005 season, he broke the record for the youngest player to appear in La Liga and became the youngest player to score in this tournament at that time. The titles that came to Barca right in Messi’s first season were the La Liga championship, and they won the double when winning both La Liga and the C1 Cup in the 2006 season. 2006-07 was the breakthrough season of he: became an important player in the I squad, scoring a hat trick in El Clásico and ending the season with 14 goals in 26 matches. The 2008-09 season was Messi’s most successful season when he scored 38 goals and became a key factor in the Catalan team’s six-peat. This record was later broken in the 2009–10 season, when Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equaling Ronaldo’s record at Barcelona. He continued to surpass this achievement again in the 2010–11 season with 53 goals in all competitions. In the 2011-12 season, he set a record for becoming the player to score the most goals in a La Liga season with 50 goals, and also set a record for the player to score the most goals in a La Liga season with 50 goals. all competitions, with 73 goals.

Since he started playing for Barcelona in 2005, he has always been a key factor in every victory of the Catalan giants. With Barcelona, ​​Messi has won many different big and small titles, including 10 La Liga championships, 4 Champions League championships, and 6 Spanish King’s Cup championships. He scored 2 goals in the 2009 Finals and the 2011 Finals against rival Manchester United. He is currently the record holder for scoring the most goals in a season for Barcelona with 73 goals. He is also the first person to win the UEFA Champions League top scorer award three times in a row since the tournament was renamed. 

Messi is the first player in football history to receive the Golden Ball 5 times (counting both before and after merging the two FIFA Player of the Year awards and the European Golden Ball into the FIFA Golden Ball in 2011), ranked above legends such as Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten, who all received the Golden Ball three times and is the second player to receive the Golden Ball three times in a row, after Michel Platini. In 2012, Messi became the first player to score five goals in a UEFA Champions League match, in a 7–1 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Later that year, he broke the record for being the player who scored the most goals in a calendar year with 91 goals. Two years later, Messi finished second in the race to win the Golden Ball, behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

By the 2014-15 season, Messi was the driving force that helped Barcelona win the treble for the second time in the club’s history. He continued to win 3 more La Liga titles with the team in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Messi currently holds the record for the player who scores the most goals and assists the most goals in La Liga, and is also the Top scorer in Barcelona club history. Messi also became the second player, after Xavi, to have 700 appearances in Barcelona’s shirt. Messi has scored 614 goals for the Barcelona club, only needs to score 30 more goals to break Pelé’s record, the player who scores the most goals for one club (643 goals).

Messi was the top scorer at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup with 6 goals, including 2 in the final. He was soon called up to the Argentina national football team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in a World Cup and finished second in the 2007 Copa América. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international title when he won the Olympic gold medal with the Argentina Olympic team. He is currently the player with the most goals for the Argentina national football team. As captain of the national team since August 2011, he has led Argentina to the finals of three consecutive major tournaments: the 2014 World Cup, for which he won the Ballon d’Or, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas.

After announcing his retirement from international football in 2016, he reversed his decision and led Argentina to qualification for the 2018 World Cup. With 70 goals for the Argentina national football team, Messi is the second South American player after Pelé to score the most goals in the Copa America (77 goals). On 31 July, Messi set a record for winning the Best FIFA Men’s Player award six times. On 2 December 2019, at the 64th Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, France. Messi won the Golden Ball for a record 6th time, becoming the first player to win 6 Golden Balls, more than his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo (5 times).

2. Childhood

Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina to father Jorge Horacio Messi (born 1958), a factory worker, and mother Celia Maria Cuccittini, a janitor. His paternal family originated from the city of Ancona in Italy and moved to Argentina in 1883. He had a younger sister named Maria Sol and two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matias. At the age of 5, Messi began playing football for Grandoli, a local team coached by his father.

In 1995, Messi moved to Newell’s Old Boys, a team located in his hometown of Rosario. At age 11, he was diagnosed with a problem with growth hormone. Club River Plate has shown interest in Messi, but does not have enough money to pay for his medical treatment, which costs about $900 a month. Carles Rexach, FC Barcelona’s sporting director, was interested in his talent because Messi had acquaintances in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father arranged a trial. Barcelona signed a contract with him after seeing him play, agreeing to pay for medical treatment and guarantee Messi’s family’s jobs if he moved to Spain. What is special is that the initial contract The agreement between him and the club was drafted on napkin with signatures of both parties. On December 14, 2000, his family moved to Europe and he began playing for the youth soccer team.

3. Club career

3.1. Barcelona

Lionel Messi made his unofficial debut for the Barca first team in a friendly match against FC Porto on 16 November 2003 (at the age of 16 years and 145 days). Almost a year later, Frank Rijkaard gave him his first La Liga debut against Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at the age of 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third youngest player to ever play for Barca and became the youngest player of a La Liga team (this achievement was later broken by Bojan Krkić in September 2007). When he scored his first official goal for the team against Albacete on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest player to ever score for Barcelona in La Liga until 1995. 2007 when this achievement was broken by Bojan Krkic with a goal from an assist from Messi.[35] Talking about former coach Rijkaard, Messi said: “I will never forget that he was the one who started my career. That he put his trust in me when I was 16 or 17 years old.

3.1.2. 2005–06 season

Messi, aged 18, playing with Málaga in 2005

On September 16, 2005, for the second time in three months, Barcelona provided updated information about Messi’s contract; This time it has improved and he is considered a member of the first team and his contract will last until June 2014. Messi was recognized as a Spanish citizen on September 26, 2005 and was then allowed to play his first match in La Liga. His first match in the C1 Cup was against Udinese on September 27 at Nou Camp. In this match, Messi, with his ability to control the ball and coordinate with Ronaldinho, made a big impression when Barcelona won 4-1 against the Italian club.

Messi scored 6 goals in 17 league appearances, and 1 goal in 6 Champions League appearances. However, his season ended on 7 March 2006 after he suffered an injury in the second leg of the Champions League knockout round against Chelsea. Frank Rijkaard and Barcelona finished the season as champions of Spain and Europe.

3.1.3. 2006–07 season

In the 2006–07 season, Messi established himself as a regular starter, scoring 14 goals in 26 appearances. On 12 November, against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a serious injury that kept him out for three months. Messi recovered from his injury in Argentina, and returned against Racing Santander on 11 February, in which he came on as a substitute. On 11 March, El Clasico saw Messi in top form as he scored a hat-trick to help 10-man Barça hold Real Madrid to a 3–3 draw, with the final goal coming in injury time. In doing so, he became the first player since Iván Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994–95 season) to score a hat-trick in El Clasico. Messi was also the youngest player to ever score in such a match (19 years, 8 months and 14 days). This led to him scoring more regularly towards the end of the season; 11 of his 14 La Liga goals came in his final 13 games.

Messi against Rangers in 2007

Messi also proved that people were not wrong to call him “the new Maradona” by scoring famous goals that Diego Maradona had scored. On April 18, 2007, he scored 2 goals in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to the goal considered the Best of the Century. The world of sports compared him to Maradona, and the Spanish press dubbed him “Messidona”. He ran the same distance, 62m, beat the same number of players (6 players including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran to the corner flag just like Maradona had done 21 years earlier. In a post-match interview, his teammate Deco said: “It was the most beautiful goal I have ever seen in my life”. Against RCD Espanyol, Messi scored a goal similar to the one Maradona scored against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup. Messi ran forward and used his hand to put the ball into the net of goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. Although the Espanyol players reacted violently and the video footage showed that it was a handball, the goal was still allowed.

3.1.3. 2007–08 season

In the 2007–08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week as Barça finished fourth in La Liga. On 19 September 2007, he scored a goal as Barcelona beat Olympique Lyonnais 3–0 at home in the Champions League. He scored twice against Sevilla on 22 September and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4–1 win over Real Zaragoza. On 27 February 2008, Messi played his 100th official match for Barça against Valencia CF.

He was named to the professional footballers association’s best team of the year for the striker position. An online vote was conducted by Spanish newspaper Marca and he was chosen as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the votes. Commentators for the newspapers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport said the European Ballon d’Or should be awarded to Messi, something supported by Franz Beckenbauer. Professional players like Francesco Totti said they consider Messi to be one of the best players in the world today.

Messi was sidelined for 6 weeks after an injury he suffered on March 4 in a match against Celtic in the C1 Cup. It was the 4th time in 3 seasons that Messi encountered the same type of injury.

3.1.4. 2008–09 season

After Ronaldinho left the team, Messi inherited the number 10 shirt. On October 1, 2008, in the C1 Cup match against Shakhtar Donestk, Messi, after coming on to replace Thierry Henry, scored 2 goals in the last 7 minutes. , helping Barcelona come back to win 2-1. The next match is against Athletico Madrid, a confrontation between close friends Messi and Sergio Agüero. Messi scored from a free kick and created another situation to help Barca win 6-1. Messi scored another impressive goal against Sevilla FC from a volley from 23 yards and then dribbled past the goalkeeper and scored another goal. On 13 December 2008, in the first El Clasico of the season, Messi scored the second goal to help Barcelona defeat Real Madrid 2-0. He was also elected Player of the Year for the second time with 678 points.

Messi scored his first hat trick in 2009 in the Copa del Rey in the match against Athletico Madrid to help Barcelona win 3-1. Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, after coming off the bench to help Barcelona come from behind to beat Racing Santander 2–1. The second of those two goals was Barca’s 5,000th goal in La Liga. In round 28 of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal in all competitions that season, helping the team win 6-0 against Málaga CF. On 8 April 2009, he scored 2 goals against Bayern Munich in the European Cup, setting a personal record of 8 goals in the competition. On 18 April, Messi scored his 20th goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Getafe CF, helping Barcelona extend their lead to 6 points over Real Madrid.

Messi faces Michael Carrick in the C1 Cup final

As Barcelona prepared to end the season, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to seal a 6–2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in Real’s heaviest defeat since 1930. After scoring each goal, he ran to the fans and lifted his shirt to reveal another T-shirt with the words Síndrome X Fràgil (Fragile X Syndrome), in support of children suffering from the disease. Messi also assisted Andrés Iniesta’s stoppage-time winner in the European Cup semi-final to send Barcelona into the final against Manchester United. He won the Copa del Rey for the first time on 13 May, scoring once and assisting twice in a 4–1 win over Athletic Bilbao. He helped the team complete a double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barca win the European Cup with a header that doubled the Catalans’ lead; he also finished as the top scorer in the competition. He was the youngest player in history to win the trophy with nine goals. Messi was also voted the best striker of the year: the best player in Europe after an incredible year. The victory meant that Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, the European Cup and La Liga in one season, and they were the first Spanish team to win the treble.

3.1.5. 2009–10 season

After winning the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola said Messi was the best player he had ever seen.

On 18 September, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, ​​running until 2016 with a buyout clause of €250 million, including a salary of €9.5 million per year, making him the highest-paid player in La Liga, along with teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Four days later, on 22 September, Messi scored two goals and assisted one in Barca’s 4–1 win over Racing Santander. Messi scored his first goal in European competition on 29 September in a 2–0 win over Dynamo Kyiv. Messi took his tally to six goals in seven La Liga games with a goal in a 6–1 win over Real Zaragoza and also scored a penalty in a 4–2 win over RCD Mallorca on 7 November. On 1 December 2009, Messi won the Ballon d’Or, beating Cristiano Ronaldo by a record 473 to 233. Afterwards, France Football magazine quoted Messi as saying: “I dedicate it to my family. They have always been there when I needed them and sometimes it feels like they are stronger than me.”

Messi in the Joan Gamper Cup match between Barcelona and Manchester City at Camp Nou Stadium

On 19 December 2009, Messi scored the winning goal in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Final against Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi. Two days later, he was named FIFA Footballer of the Year; beating Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Kaká and Andrés Iniesta to win the award. This was the first time he won this title, and also became the first Argentine to win this award. On 10 January 2010, Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2010 and first of the season in a 5-0 win over CD Tenerife. On 17 January, Messi scored his 100th goal for the team in a 4-0 win over Sevilla FC.

He then began an impressive scoring run with 11 goals in 5 matches. Starting with a goal in the 84th minute in a 2-1 win over Málaga CF, he then scored 2 goals in a 2-2 draw with UD Almería. He continued his impressive form with an excellent week in which he scored eight goals; starting with a hat trick in a 3-0 home win over Valencia CF, then scoring 2 goals in a 4-0 win over VfB Stuttgart that put Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the European Cup and finally scoring another hat trick in a win 4 -2 against Zaragoza, becoming the first Barcelona player to score 2 consecutive hattricks in La Liga. He played his 200th official match for Barcelona against CA Osasuna on 24 March 2010. On 6 April 2010, in the first time Messi scored 4 goals in a match, he scored four goals in the win 4-1 against Arsenal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. This also pushed him past Rivaldo to become the player who scored the most goals for Barca in this tournament. After that, Barcelona had to stop in the semi-finals of Europe’s most prestigious arena after losing to Inter Milan with a total score of 2-3 after 2 matches. On 10 April 2010, Messi scored his 40th goal of the season when he scored the first goal in a 2-0 El Clasico win over Real Madrid. He completed a quite successful season with a double against Valladolid in the final round, bringing the team to the La Liga championship with a record score: 99 points/38 matches.

3.1.6. 2010–11 season

On 21 August 2010, Messi started the season with a hat trick in a 4–0 win over Sevilla in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup (first leg lost 1–3), thereby helping Barcelona win the title. first of the football season. His opening goal in La Liga this season came in the first round against Racing Santander on August 29, 2010. Messi also had a perfect warm-up in the UEFA Champions League with a double. against Panathinaikos with 2 assists (he missed a penalty in Barcelona’s 5-1 win).

On 20 November, in Barcelona’s 8–0 win over UD Almería, Messi scored his second hat-trick of the season. The second goal of the hat-trick was his 100th in La Liga. He also set a personal record by extending his scoring streak for Barcelona to nine consecutive games (Messi also scored in a friendly against Brazil for Argentina shortly afterwards). That streak was halted when he failed to score in the El Clasico against Real Madrid on 29 November, although Messi was still a good player and made an important contribution to Barcelona’s 5–0 win, especially with two through balls for David Villa to score (a double). In the following rounds, Messi continued to play with excellent form with doubles against CA Osasuna and Real Sociedad. He has scored a total of 60 goals for his club and country in all competitions (including 58 goals/54 matches for Barcelona).

Messi in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League

Messi was included in the three-man shortlist for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or (along with Iniesta and Xavi). On 10 January 2011, at the gala ceremony to present the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or, the first award to be combined with the FIFA World Player of the Year and the European Footballer of the Year, Messi surprised the other two nominees by winning the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or, despite his disappointing performance at the 2010 World Cup.

Just two days after being awarded the award, he scored his first hat-trick of 2011 and his third hat-trick of the season against Real Betis. He began the second half of the season with a penalty kick against Racing Santander. After scoring, Messi ran towards the photographers at the end of the pitch, pulling up his shirt to reveal the words “Happy Birthday Mum” printed on his undershirt. He continued his scoring form with a brace against Almería in the 2010–11 Copa del Rey semi-final, and another brace less than a week later against Hércules CF. On 5 February, Barcelona broke the record for most consecutive wins in the competition with 16 wins after they defeated Atlético Madrid 3–0 at the Camp Nou.
After 2 matches without scoring any goals, he scored in Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao. The following week, he scored from a header for the first time of the season in a 3–0 away win over Mallorca. This victory equaled the La Liga record of 19 unbeaten away matches set by Real Sociedad in the 1979–80 season. Three days later, this record was broken when Messi scored the only goal in a victory over Valencia. On 8 March, Messi scored two goals against Arsenal in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, helping Barcelona win 3–1 and reach the quarter-finals of the tournament. After not scoring a goal for a month, he scored a double against Almería. The second goal also helped him equal the club record of 47 goals he set last season. He broke his record on 12 April 2011 by scoring the only goal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final against Shakhtar Donetsk, also entering the record books as top scorer in the competition. 1 season for Barcelona. With the goal that sealed the 1–1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, he scored 8 times in the super classic match.

Messi in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid

In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, he had a memorable performance when he scored two goals against Real Madrid, the second goal was a solo dribble past five players before deftly finishing past goalkeeper Casillas. In the final at Wembley, Messi scored the goal to make it 2-1 against Manchester United, thereby bringing Barcelona their third Champions League title in six years and the fourth championship in the club’s history. This was also Messi’s 12th goal in the Champions League this season, helping him equal Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s record of 12 goals in a European Cup season, since the tournament was renamed the UEFA Champions League in 1992. In the history of the European Cup, José Altafini is the player who scored the most goals in a season with 14 goals, although Messi also equaled this record the following season. At the end of the 2010-11 season, he had a total of 53 goals and 24 assists in all competitions.

3.1.7. 2011–12 season

In the 2011 Spanish Super Cup match, Messi scored a total of 3 goals and had 2 assists, helping Barca overcome Real Madrid with a total score of 5–4. With 3 goals against Real over 2 matches, Messi increased the number of times he conceded against this team to 13 and surpassed Raúl González (6 goals) to become the top scorer in the Super Cup (8 goals). table). He and Barca reaped another title when scoring from midfielder Fredy Guarín’s careless pass and assisting Cesc Fàbregas to set the score 2–0 in the European Super Cup match against Porto.

After two consecutive matches without a victory, Barcelona had a devastating 8-0 win over CA Osasuna, in which Messi scored a hat-trick and had a special celebration by clapping his hands repeatedly. thighs instead of pointing to the sky every time he scores a goal like usual. This is his way of celebrating Soufian, a 10-year-old Moroccan boy with Laurin Sandrow syndrome, a very rare disease that causes deformities in the limbs.

On 28 September, Messi scored his first two goals in the 2011–12 Champions League against BATE Borisov and became the club’s second-highest goalscorer in history, equalling László Kubala’s record of 194 goals in all official competitions. He surpassed this record by scoring twice against Racing Santander and is now second only to César Rodríguez on 232 goals. He is also Barcelona’s second-highest goalscorer in La Liga with 132 goals, one more than Kubala. He scored his 200th goal for Barcelona and added two more goals in a hat-trick in the following Champions League match against Viktoria Plzeň.
Messi scored twice against Santos FC in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final and was voted best player of the match as well as awarded the Golden Ball for his performance at the tournament. prize.

Messi and his teammates in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final

Messi is the first player to receive the UEFA European Footballer of the Year award, surpassing teammate Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. He continued to surpass these two players to receive the 2011 FIFA Golden Ball award. By winning the FIFA Golden Ball again, Messi became the 4th player to win 3 Golden Balls, after Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini. and Marco Van Basten and is the second player after Michel Platini to receive this award 3 times in a row. He also received the IFFHS international top scorer award, with 19 goals in 2011.

On 19 February 2012, Messi, in his 200th La Liga match, scored 4 goals in a 5–1 win over Valencia CF. On March 7, Messi set a record of becoming the first player to score 5 goals in a Champions League match since the tournament was renamed in 1992, helping the defending champion defeat Bayer Leverkusen 7 -first.

On 20 March, with a hat-trick in a 5–3 win over Granada CF, he surpassed the record of 232 goals set by legendary César Rodríguez to become the top scorer in official competitions for FC Barcelona.

On April 3, Messi scored his 14th goal in the Champions League when he successfully scored two penalties against Milan in the quarter-final second leg. This number of goals helped him surpass his own record as well as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of 12 goals in a UEFA Champions League season and match José Altafini’s record of 14 goals in a European Cup season ( 1962–63 season), before the tournament was renamed the UEFA Champions League in 1992. However, Messi was unable to score in the semi-finals even though he had a successful pass in the second leg, and he also Missed an important penalty when the ball hit the crossbar.

On April 11, Messi scored his 61st goal in the match against Getafe CF, and made 2 assists. On May 2, he scored a hat-trick against Málaga CF to surpass Gerd Müller’s record (67 goals in 1972-73 season) with 68 goals, thereby becoming Europe’s highest scoring striker in a single period. Season. He then scored four times in the match against RCD Espanyol on 5 May to increase his number of goals in all competitions this season to 72, becoming the second person to reach the 70-goal mark in a season after Archie. Stark of Bethlehem Steel in the American Soccer League in the 1924-1925 season.

Messi in the match against Real Madrid in the 2011–12 Copa del Rey

On 25 May, he scored again in the 2012 Copa del Rey final, helping Barcelona win their 26th Spanish Cup, and taking his goals tally for the season to a record 73 in all competitions. This was Guardiola’s final match as Barcelona manager, and Messi’s second Copa del Rey, after they lost the final a year earlier, and Barcelona’s 14th title under Guardiola. Despite failing to win a fourth consecutive La Liga title and finishing second behind arch-rivals Real Madrid, Messi finished the 2011–12 season with a record 50 La Liga goals and was the top scorer in La Liga for the second time. He was also the second-highest assist provider in La Liga that season with 16 assists, behind Mesut Özil (17). He also won the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot for the fourth consecutive time with 14 goals.[158] and was one of the tournament’s top assist providers with five assists. He finished the season with more goals and assists than any other player, with 73 goals and 29 assists in all club competitions.

3.1.8. 2012–13 season

In the first match of the season against Real Sociedad, Messi scored 2 goals in a 5-1 victory at the Nou Camp. Messi continued to score on the penalty spot in the 3-2 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on August 23. He scored a double to help Barca make a comeback away from home against Osasuna with the score 2-1 and scored another goal from a free kick in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. However, Barcelona, ​​with only 10 people on the field, were defeated by Real Madrid on the away goals rule. This is also Messi’s 15th goal in super classic matches between Real Madrid-Barcelona, ​​making him the top scorer for Barcelona in El Clásico matches, equal to Raúl’s achievement and only behind Alfredo Di Stefano (18 goals). Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both ranked second in the 2012 UEFA European Player of the Year election with only 17 votes, behind his teammate at Barcelona, ​​Andrés Iniesta. Messi scored 2 goals in a victory over Getafe on September 15 and scored twice in the opening match of the 2012-13 Champion League against Spartak Moscow on September 20, the match ended 3-2 in favor of Barcelona.

On November 11, with two goals against Real Mallorca and his 75th and 76th goals in 2012, Messi surpassed Pelé’s milestone of 75 goals in a year, and was just less than the all-time record. Gerd Müller’s era 9 more goals. His 77th and 78th goals came in the match against Real Zaragoza at Nou Camp, thereby narrowing the gap to 7 goals. On November 20, Messi scored his 79th and 80th goals of 2012 against Spartak Moscow, just 5 goals away from Gerd Müller’s record of 85 goals. On November 25, in round 13 of La Liga, he continued to shorten this number to 3 goals with another double to help Barca defeat Levante 4-0 and increase the gap with Real to 11 points. On December 1, Messi scored his 83rd and 84th goals in the match against Athletic Bilbao, meaning he was only 1 goal behind Müller. Two goals in this match also helped Messi equal César Rodríguez’s 190 goals for Barcelona in La Liga.

On December 5, he was injured after a collision with goalkeeper Artur Moraes and had to leave the field in the 84th minute in a 0 – 0 draw between Barcelona and Benfica. On December 9, after recovering from injury, he scored 2 more goals in the match against Real Betis, his 85th and 86th goals in 2012, to officially break the 40-year record of Gerd Muller and He also surpassed Rodriguez to become Barcelona’s top scorer in La Liga. Messi once again shined in La Liga when he scored a double against Cordobad to reach the mark of 88 goals/year. But his record is not recognized by FIFA. And FIFA itself has never recognized Gerd Müller’s record of 85 goals/year. However, after that, seemingly realizing the fierce criticism from public opinion, FIFA “cleverly” recognized Messi’s record by choosing the moment when Messi scored a double against Betis, thereby making it official. Breaking Gerd Muller’s record of 85 goals, was one of the memorable moments of world football in 2012.

Joy continued to come to Messi when entering the new year 2013, he set another record when he entered the new year 2013. won the FIFA Golden Ball for the fourth consecutive time with 41.60% of the votes, much higher than Cristiano Ronaldo, who only had 23.68% of the votes, and Andrés Iniesta, who had 10.91%. On February 16, 2013, Messi scored twice to surpass the 300-goal milestone for Barcelona in a La Liga match against Granada CF. On March 2, 2013, Messi scored in a 2-1 loss against Real Madrid. With that goal, Lionel Messi equaled the number of 18 goals scored in Alfredo Di Stefano’s classic matches. On March 9, 2013, Messi came on as a substitute in the match against Deportivo de La Coruña and broke the world record by scoring in 17 consecutive matches in one tournament (La Liga). His streak of achievements continued to reach 33 goals in 21 matches and only stopped when Barcelona met Atletico Madrid.

On 12 March, Messi scored twice and assisted the fourth goal of the match, helping Barcelona defeat AC Milan (4–0) in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. Messi’s opening goal against Milan received much attention and was compared to Diego Maradona’s famous goal against Greece at the 1994 World Cup. On 17 March 2013, in a home match against Rayo Vallecano, Messi captained the team for the first time in an official match after Andrés Iniesta was substituted. On 30 March, he extended his scoring streak to 19 consecutive La Liga matches, becoming the first player in La Liga history to score against the other 19 teams in consecutive matches.

On 2 April 2013, after opening the scoring against Paris Saint-Germain, Messi suffered a hamstring injury in his left leg and was substituted early in the second half. On 13 May 2013, Messi was forced off the pitch and missed the rest of the match against Atlético Madrid due to a recurrence of the left hamstring injury. The club later announced that he would miss the rest of the season due to the injury. In the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona were trailing and Messi, after coming on in the 62nd minute, combined with David Villa to set up Pedro to tie the score at 1–1 (3–3), thereby helping Barça reach the semi-finals on away goals. However, Barcelona were still eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champions Bayern Munich. In addition, the club was eliminated in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey by rivals Real Madrid. However, Barcelona still managed to win the La Liga title from Real Madrid, and re-achieved the 100-point mark they had achieved last season. Messi was once again La Liga’s top scorer for the second consecutive year with 46 goals and 12 assists. He finished the season with a total of 60 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.

3.1.9. 2013–14 season

Messi was nominated for the UEFA Best Player in Europe award along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribéry for the third consecutive year. Ribéry won the award with 36 votes. Messi finished second with 14 votes, while Ronaldo finished third with 3 votes. On 18 August 2013, Messi opened the 2013–14 La Liga season with a 7–0 win over Levante UD, in which he scored 2 goals and assisted 1. On 28 August, Barcelona won their 11th UEFA Super Cup after defeating Atlético Madrid on away goals.

On 1 September, Messi scored his 23rd career hat-trick in a 3–2 win over Valencia CF. With these goals, he became the player with the most away goals in the history of the competition with 100. He also became the sixth top scorer in La Liga history, surpassing Quini’s 219 goals. On 18 September 2013, Messi scored his 24th hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Ajax in the Champions League. This made him the second-highest goalscorer in the Champions League, behind Raúl, with 62, and the fourth-highest in all European leagues with 63. With this hat-trick, Messi also became the first player to score four hat-tricks in the Champions League. On 10 November, Messi suffered an injury in a 4–1 away win against Real Betis that kept him out until January 2014, his third injury of the season.

On January 8, 2014, Messi returned to the field and scored a double against Getafe at Copa del Rey. On 13 January, he ranked 2nd behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the voting for the 2013 FIFA Golden Ball. On 15 February, Messi scored 2 goals against Rayo Vallecano to surpass compatriot Alfredo di Stéfano and finish 3rd with Raúl in the list of the greatest strikers in La Liga history with 228 goals.

On March 16, 2014, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 7–0 win over Osasuna and surpassed Paulino Alcántara to become Barça’s top scorer in all competitions including friendly matches. On March 23, he scored another hat-trick in a 4–3 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu to become the player with the most goals in super classic matches.

Messi ended the season with the worst after five successful seasons with Barca, although he still scored 41 goals in all matches. For the first time in five years, Barcelona ended the season with nothing; they were defeated 1-2 in the Copa del Rey final by Real Madrid and were eliminated by Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Even in La Liga, Barca has been usurped by Atletico. This caused Messi to be booed by fans at Camp Nou. In the second half of the 2013-14 season, doubts continued to exist about Messi’s motivation, many people believed that he was keeping his strength for the 2014 World Cup finals. According to statistics, his contribution from Goals, shots and assists have decreased significantly compared to last season.

Messi signed a new contract on 19 May 2014, just a year after his last contract update; his salary increased to €20 million, or €36 million without tax, the highest salary of a football player.

3.1.10. 2014-15 season

Under new coach Luis Enrique, Messi enjoyed a good start to the 2014–15 season, breaking three records towards the end of the year. A hat-trick against Sevilla on 22 November made him La Liga’s top scorer as he surpassed Telmo Zarra’s 59-year-old record of 251 goals. Three days later, he scored another hat-trick against APOEL, surpassing Raúl Gonzalez’s record of 71 goals to become the all-time leading goalscorer in Champions League history. A third hat-trick, against city rivals Espanyol on 7 December, saw him surpass César Rodríguez as the all-time leading scorer in the Derbi barceloní with 12 goals. Messi finished second in the race for the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, largely thanks to his runner-up performance with Argentina at the 2014 World Cup.

Messi celebrates after scoring his second goal against Granada in September 2014

In early 2015, Barcelona’s performance suddenly declined, and the media reported that Messi was considering leaving the club after a conflict with coach Enrique. The situation became more serious when in the match against Real Sociedad, Enrique kept both Messi and Neymar on the bench. At that time, the club’s board even considered firing Enrique to keep Messi. The risk of this coach losing his job became more obvious when it seemed that president Bartomeu had found a new coach to replace Enrique, and would change the coaching position immediately if Barca continued to receive a bad result in the upcoming match against Atletico.

However, a turning point came on 11 January in a match against Atlético Madrid, where Barça deployed their first attacking trio of Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, dubbed “MSN”, each scoring in a 3–1 win, helping Luis Enrique retain his job and marking a successful start. After five years as a striker, Messi returned to his old position on the right wing at the end of the previous year, at the suggestion of his teammate Suárez. He has since regained his form – arguably his best form – while Suárez and Neymar have ended their dependence on the Argentine star for the team’s attack. With Messi’s 58 goals, the attacking trio scored a combined 122 goals in all competitions that season, a Spanish football record.

In round 37 of La Liga, Messi scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Atlético Madrid on 17 May to help Barça win the La Liga title. Among his 43 domestic goals was a hat-trick scored in 11 minutes against Rayo Vallecano on 8 March, which was his fastest hat-trick; it was Messi’s 32nd hat-trick for Barcelona, ​​allowing him to surpass Telmo Zarra as the player with the most hat-tricks in Spanish football history.

In addition, he was the player with the most assists in La Liga as the season’s top goal creator with 18, surpassing Luís Figo as the player with the most assists in La Liga, scoring a record 106th hat-trick against Levante on 15 February. Messi then scored twice as Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 3–1 in the Copa del Rey final on 30 May, completing the club’s sixth double. His opening goal was hailed as one of the greatest of his career; he collected the ball near the halfway line and beat four opponents, before rounding the goalkeeper to score from a tight angle. The goal was later voted as one of the three finalists for the 2015 FIFA Puskás Award.
Messi opened the 2015–16 season by scoring two free kicks in Barcelona’s 5–4 win (in extra time) over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup. However, a 1–5 aggregate defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup ended the team’s sextuple hopes, despite Messi scoring the only goal. On 16 September, he became the youngest player to make 100 appearances in the UEFA Champions League in a 1–1 draw with Roma.

On 26 September, Messi suffered an injury during Barcelona’s match against Las Palmas; subsequent tests confirmed that he had torn the medial collateral ligament of his left knee, and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. He finally returned to the pitch on 21 November, coming on as a substitute in Barcelona’s 4–0 victory over Real Madrid in El Clásico. Messi and his teammates won the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final on 20 December, collecting his fifth trophy of 2015 as Barcelona defeated River Plate 3–0 in Yokohama. Messi also won the Silver Ball of the tournament, despite missing the semi-finals. On 30 December, Messi scored his 500th goal for Barcelona, ​​in a 4–0 win over Real Betis.

On 6 January 2016, Messi scored twice as Barcelona beat Espanyol 4–1 at the Camp Nou, in the first leg of the 2015–16 Copa del Rey round of 16. Five days later, Messi won his fifth Ballon d’Or. On 3 February, he scored a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 7–0 win over Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals at the Camp Nou. With teammate Luis Suárez scoring four other goals in the same match, it was the first time two players had scored at least three goals at the Camp Nou. In the following match at the Camp Nou, a 6–1 win over Celta de Vigo, Messi was given the responsibility of taking a penalty but then passed it to Suárez to score. Some considered it “a show of favouritism”, while others criticised it as disrespectful to the opponent. Celta’s players, however, never complained and their coach had no qualms either, saying, “Barca’s striker deserves respect.”

On 17 February, Messi scored his 300th goal in a 3–1 win over Sporting de Gijón. A few days later, he scored both goals in Barcelona’s 2–0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, marking the club’s 10,000th goal in its history. However, Barca soon became former European champions after losing to Atletico in the quarter-finals. On 17 April, Messi scored his 500th career goal in a 2–1 loss to Valencia. Messi ended the 2015–16 season by setting up both goals in Barcelona’s 2–0 win over Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey final at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. Barca also successfully defended their La Liga title that season, finishing one point ahead of Real Madrid. In total, Messi scored 41 goals and provided 23 assists, as Barcelona’s MSN trio scored 131 goals throughout the season, breaking the record they set last season.

3.1.11. 2016-17 season

Messi opened the 2016-17 season by lifting the 2016 Spanish Super Cup. He became Barcelona’s captain in the absence of Andrés Iniesta due to injury; He assisted Munir’s goal in a 2–0 win over Sevilla in the second leg on 14 August, and then scored and assisted in a 3–0 win in the second leg on 17 August. The following day, he scored two goals and helped Barcelona win 6-2 against Real Betis in the opening match of the 2016-17 La Liga season. On 13 September 2016, Messi scored his first hat-trick of the season in the opening match of the Champions League campaign against Celtic in a 7–0 win; This is also Messi’s sixth hat-trick in the Champions League, more than any other player. A week later, Messi suffered a groin injury in a 1–1 draw with Atlético Madrid and was out for three weeks.

He marked his return with a goal, scoring three minutes after coming off the bench in a 4–0 win over Deportivo de La Coruna, on 16 October. Three days later, he scored scored his 37th hat-trick for the club as Barcelona beat Manchester City 4-0. On 1 November, Messi scored his 54th goal in Barcelona’s Champions League group stage matches in a 1–3 loss to Manchester City, surpassing Raúl’s record of 53 goals. On 12 November, Messi took second place in the 2016 Ballon d’Or race behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the title for the fourth time. He finished the year with 51 goals, making him Europe’s top scorer, ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimović.

After placing second in the Ballon d’Or race, on 9 January 2017, Messi also came in second place – behind Cristiano Ronaldo again – in the 2016 FIFA World Player of the Year award. On 11 January, Messi scored from a free kick in Barcelona’s 3–1 win over Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, allowing Barcelona to progress to the quarter-finals of the tournament. In his next match, on 14 January, Messi scored in a 5–0 win over Las Palmas; With this goal, he equaled Raúl’s record for the number of teams that have conceded a goal in La Liga (35).

On 4 February, Messi scored his 27th goal for Barcelona in a 3–0 win over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, surpassing Ronald Koeman to become the all-time top scorer from shots. free kick. In the Champions League, after sublimating in the group stage with 10 goals, he suddenly failed in the knock-out round when he only scored 1 more goal and Barca was eliminated in the quarterfinals of C1 against Juventus. On April 23, Messi scored two goals in a 3-2 win against Real Madrid, marking the first time he conceded the “White Vulture” goal after 3 years of failure. But at the end of the season, Barca failed to defend the La Liga title, trailing Real by 3 points. On May 27, Messi scored a goal and assisted Paco Alcunger in the 2017 Copa del Rey final, helping Barcelona win 3-1 against Alavés and was voted the best player of the match. In total, Messi completed the 2016-17 season with 54 goals and 16 assists, while his 37 goals in La Liga helped him win the Pichichi title and the European Golden Shoe for the fourth time in his career. mine.

3.1.12. 2017-18 season

Messi opened the 2017–18 season with a penalty in Barcelona’s 1–3 home defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. In doing so, Messi also increased his scoring record in El Clásico matches to 25 goals. On 27 August, Messi scored his first two goals of the 2017–18 La Liga season in a 2–0 win over Alavés. Messi’s first goal marked his 350th goal in La Liga, becoming the first player to ever reach this milestone. On 9

September, Messi scored his first hat-trick of the season against Espanyol in the Catalan derby, giving the Blaugrana a 5–0 win. Messi scored twice against goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on 12 September as Barça defeated Italian champions Juventus 3–0 at home in the UEFA Champions League group stage. On 19 September, Messi scored four goals in a 6–1 win over Eibar at the Camp Nou in La Liga. Three weeks later, on 1 October, Messi surpassed former teammate Carles Puyol to become the club’s third-most capped player, as he helped Barça defeat Las Palmas 3–0 by assisting Sergio Busquets’ opening goal in his 594th official match for the club; the match was played behind closed doors at the Camp Nou due to violence in Catalonia over the ongoing independence referendum.

On 18 October, in his 122nd European match, Messi scored his 97th goal in the UEFA Champions League, and his 100th in European competition, in a 3–1 win over Olympiacos. Messi became the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to reach this century-long milestone, but did so in 21 fewer games than his Portuguese rival. On 23 October, Messi finished second to Ronaldo in the 2017 Men’s Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. On 4 November, he made his 600th appearance for Barcelona in a 2–1 win over Sevilla in La Liga. After

receiving his fourth Golden Boot, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona on 25 November, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2020–21 season with a buyout clause of €700 million. On 23 December, Messi scored his 26th El Clásico goal from the penalty spot in a 3–0 win at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid. On 7 January 2018, Messi made his 400th La Liga appearance for Barcelona in a 3–0 home win over Levante, marking the occasion with his 144th assist and 365th goal for the club, equalling Gerd Müller’s record for most goals scored for the same club in a calendar year in Europe’s top five leagues. A week later, he broke Müller’s record, scoring his 366th La Liga goal from a free kick in a 4–2 win over Real Sociedad.

On 4 March, he scored his 600th career goal with a free kick in a 1–0 home win over Atlético Madrid, in La Liga. On 14 March, Messi scored his 99th and 100th Champions League goals in a 3-0 home win over Chelsea, becoming the second player after Ronaldo to reach this mark and to do so at his age. younger, fewer matches, fewer minutes and fewer shots than the Portuguese; His opening goal, after just two minutes and eight seconds, was also the fastest of his career. In the same match, he also assisted Ousmane Dembélé to score Barcelona’s first goal; the result helped Barcelona progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the tenth consecutive year. However, Messi failed in both quarterfinal matches against AS Roma, and Barca was bitterly eliminated after losing 0-3 to this opponent in the second leg at Olimpico Stadium (despite winning 4-1 in the first leg).

On 7 April, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win over Leganés, including his sixth goal scored from a free kick, equaling former teammate Ronaldinho’s record. On May 7, Messi scored another goal in El Clasico at home, but Barca only had a 2-2 draw. On 9 May, Messi scored as Barcelona defeated Villarreal 5-1 to achieve the longest unbeaten streak (43 matches) in La Liga history. At the end of the season, Messi and Barca regained the La Liga championship and successfully defended the Copa del Rey title for the fourth consecutive year, personally setting a record for the fifth time winning the European Golden Shoe title.

3.1.13. 2018-19 season

With the departure of former captain Andrés Iniesta in May 2018, Messi was named the team’s new captain for the new season. On 12 August 2018, he lifted his first trophy as captain of Barcelona, ​​the Spanish Super Cup, after a 2–1 win over Sevilla; with his 33rd title for the club, he also became the club’s most decorated player in history. In the first La Liga match of the season, Messi scored twice as Barça defeated Alaves 3–0. His second goal of the match, a direct free kick, was also the 6,000th goal in La Liga history.

On 18 September, Messi scored a hat-trick in Barça’s 4–0 home win over PSV Eindhoven in their opening Champions League group stage match, setting a record for most hat-tricks in the competition’s history (8 hat-tricks). On 20 October, Messi scored and assisted in a 4–2 home win over Sevilla, but was forced off in the 26th minute with a right arm injury that ruled him out for three weeks. On 8 December, Messi scored two direct free-kick goals – his ninth and tenth of 2018 – as Barça won a 4–0 away derby against Catalan city rivals Espanyol in La Liga.

On 13 January 2019, Messi scored his 400th La Liga goal in his 435th appearance, helping his team to a 3–0 win over Eibar. Messi became the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach this milestone. On 16 April, Messi scored twice in a 3–0 home win over Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, giving Barcelona a 4–0 aggregate win and advancing to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2015; these were also his first goals in a Champions League quarter-final since 2013.

On 27 April, Messi came off the bench to score the only goal in a 1–0 home win over Levante, which sealed Barcelona’s La Liga title. This was his 450th appearance in La Liga, and his first title as Barcelona captain. On 1 May, Messi scored twice in a 3–0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final; Messi’s second goal of the match was a stunning 35-yard free kick, his 600th goal for Barcelona. In the second leg six days later at Anfield, Barcelona suffered a 4–0 away defeat, with Liverpool advancing to the final 4–3 on aggregate. However, Messi was still somewhat comforted when he became the top scorer of the Champions League this season, with 12 goals.

On 19 May, in the final match of the season in La Liga, Messi scored two goals, helping the team to a 2-2 draw with Eibar (these were also his 49th and 50th goals in La Liga). all competitions this season), through which he won the title of La Liga top scorer in the 2018-19 season, with 36 goals in 34 appearances. Messi has officially equaled the record with Zarra for the number of times he has won the La Liga top scorer award, with six times. He also won the European Golden Shoe award for the sixth time in his career, and the third consecutively since the 2016-17 season. On 25 May, Messi scored his final goal of the season as Barcelona lost 1–2 to Valencia in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final.

3.1.14. 2019-2020 season

With the departure of former captain Andrés Iniesta in May 2018, Messi was elected the club’s new captain for the following season. On August 12, 2018, he won his first title as captain of Barcelona, ​​the Supercopa de España, after a 2–1 win over Sevilla. On 19 August, Messi scored twice as Barcelona beat Alavés 3–0 in their first match in La Liga, with his opening goal coming from a low free kick, his second. 6000 of Barcelona in La Liga. On 18 September, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over PSV Eindhoven in the opening match of the Champions League group stage, setting the record for the player with the most hat-tricks in the competition, with eight hat-tricks. On 20 October, Messi scored and assisted in a 4–2 home win over Sevilla, but was forced to leave the field in the 26th minute due to an injury to his right arm; Tests later confirmed that he had suffered a broken bone, ruling him out of action for approximately three weeks. On 8 December, Messi converted two free kicks – his ninth and tenth goals from set pieces that year – in a 4–0 away win against Espanyol at Derbi Barcelona in La Liga; This is the first time he has done this at the tournament. Messi’s ten goals also helped him become the first player to achieve this number in 13 consecutive La Liga seasons.
On 13 January 2019, Messi made his 435th La Liga appearance and scored his 400th goal in the competition in a 3–0 home win over Eibar, becoming the first player to reach this milestone in one of Europe’s top five leagues. On 2 February, Messi

scored twice in a 2–2 draw against Valencia, with the first goal coming from the penalty spot, his 50th in La Liga; in doing so, he became the third player in La Liga history after Cristiano Ronaldo and Hugo Sánchez to convert 50 penalties. Later that month, the club admitted that they had begun preparations for Messi’s eventual retirement. On

23 February, Messi scored his 50th career hat-trick and also assisted Suárez’s goal, as Barcelona won 4–2 away at Sevilla in La Liga; The goal was also his 650th career goal for club and country at senior level. On 16 April, Messi scored twice in a 3–0 home win over Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals to help Barcelona win 4–0 on aggregate and advance to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2015; these were also his first goals in a Champions League quarter-final since 2013.

On 27 April, Messi came off the bench and scored the only goal in a 1–0 home win over Levante, helping Barcelona win the league title; this was his 450th La Liga appearance and his first championship win as club captain.

On 1 May, Messi scored twice in a 3–0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals; His second goal of the match, a free kick from 35 yards, was the 600th club goal of his career, all scored for Barcelona. In the second leg six days later at Anfield, Barcelona suffered a 4–0 away defeat, allowing Liverpool to progress to the final 4–3 on aggregate.

On 19 May, in Barcelona’s final La Liga match, Messi scored twice in a 2–2 away draw against Eibar (his 49th and 50th goals in all competitions that season). , helping him win his sixth Pichichi title as the tournament’s top scorer, with 36 goals in 34 appearances; He equaled Telmo Zarra’s record of having the most top scorer awards in La Liga. He also won the Golden Boot for the sixth time and third consecutively since the 2016–17 season. On 25 May, Messi scored his final goal of the season in a 2–1 loss to Valencia in the 2019 Copa del Rey final.

3.1.15. 2019–20 season

On 5 August 2019, it was announced that Messi would miss Barcelona’s pre-season tour of the United States after sustaining a right calf injury. On 19 August, Messi’s goal from the edge of the box against Real Betis was nominated for the 2019 FIFA Puskás Award. Later that month, Messi suffered another calf injury, which kept him out of the opening match of the season; he was therefore sidelined and did not return to action for Barcelona until after the international break in September. On 2 September, Messi was named as one of the three finalists for the 2019 FIFA Puskás Award and the 2019 FIFA Men’s Player of the Year Award, the latter of which Messi won on 23 September.

Messi made his debut in the 2019–20 season on 17 September, and on 6 October, Messi scored his first goal of the season with a free kick in a 4–0 home win over Sevilla; this was his 420th La Liga goal, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 419 goals in the top five European leagues. On 23 October, Messi scored his first Champions League goal in a 2–1 away win over Slavia Prague, becoming the first player to score in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons (excluding qualifying rounds). He also equalled Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring against 33 different teams in a single calendar year. On 29 October, Messi scored and assisted two goals in a 5–1 home win over Real Valladolid in La Liga; His opening goal – a 35-yard strike – was the 50th successful free kick of his career. With a total of 608 goals, Messi surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s total of 606 goals at club level. On 9 November, Messi scored three goals (two from free kicks) in a 4–1 home win over Celta Vigo. This was his 34th hat-trick in La Liga, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. On 27 November, in his 700th appearance for Barcelona, ​​Messi scored once and assisted twice in a 3–1 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. Borussia Dortmund were the 34th team he had scored against in the competition, breaking the previous record of 33 held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raúl. On 2 December, Messi won his sixth Ballon d’Or. On 8 December, Messi scored his 35th La Liga hat-trick in a 5–2 home win over Mallorca.

On 22 February 2020, Messi scored four goals in a 5–0 home win over Eibar in La Liga. On 14 June, in a 4–0 win over Mallorca, Messi scored once and provided two assists, becoming the first player in La Liga to score 20 or more goals in 12 consecutive seasons. On 30 June, Messi converted a panelenka penalty in a 2–2 home draw against Atlético Madrid in La Liga, scoring his 700th career goal for Barcelona and Argentina. On 11 July, Messi assisted Arturo Vidal’s 20th of the season in a 1–0 away win against Real Valladolid, equaling Xavi’s record of 20 assists in a La Liga season. 2008–2009; With 22 goals, he also became the second player after Thierry Henry in the 2002–03 Premier League season with Arsenal (24 goals and 20 assists) to score at least 20 goals and provide 20 assists in a season in one of the top five European national championships. Following his brace in a 5–0 win over Alavés in the final match of the season on 20 May, Messi finished the season as La Liga’s top scorer and assist leader, with 25 goals and 21 goals. assist, helping him win his seventh Pichichi title, surpassing Zarra; however, Barcelona lost the championship to Real Madrid. On 9 August, in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 match against Napoli at Camp Nou, Messi scored the second goal and earned a penalty that led to the third goal, helping Barcelona win 3–1 on home and with an aggregate score of 4–2, Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich. On 15 August, Messi suffered his worst loss as a player when Bayern Munich defeated Barcelona 8–2 in Lisbon, once again eliminating Barca from the Champions League.

3.1.16. August 2020: Desire to leave Barcelona

“ I am not happy and I want to leave. I am not allowed to do this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get involved in legal disputes. Bartomeu’s management of the club is a disaster. My love for Barca will never change. ” – Messi spoke about changing his mind about leaving Barcelona in an interview with Goal on September 4, 2020.

After becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the way Barcelona’s board of directors operated both on and off the field, Barça announced that Messi had sent the club “a document expressing his desire to leave” on 25 August. 2020. The announcement attracted attention from the media, including current and former teammates (who supported Messi’s decision) and Catalan governor Quim Torra. On 26 August, Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes reiterated the club’s desire to “build a team around the best player in the world” and insisted Messi could only leave if it was right. €700 million buyout paid; Messi has the option to terminate his contract early (it allows him to leave the club freely), which can only be done if he communicates his decision to Barcelona before May 31, 2020. , although Leo’s representatives claim the deadline has been pushed back to August 31, as the 2019–20 season has been postponed. On August 30, La Liga released a statement saying Messi’s contract and buyout clause were still valid.

On 4 September, Jorge Messi, Leo’s father and agent, issued a statement in response to La Liga stating that the release clause “is not valid when the termination of the contract is due to the player’s unilateral decision from the end of the 2019–20 season”, as stated in Messi’s contract with Barcelona; La Liga subsequently issued a response reiterating their previous statement on 30 August. Later that evening, Messi stated in an interview with Goal that he would remain at Barcelona for the final year of his contract. During the interview, Messi revealed that he had informed Barcelona of his desire to leave on several occasions and that club president Josep Maria Bartomeu had said that Messi could decide whether to leave or stay at the end of each season, with Bartomeu only referring to the release clause. This left Messi with two choices: stay or go to court against the club, saying “I will never go to court against the club of my life”.

3.1.17. 2020–21 season: Final season at Barcelona

On 27 September, Messi opened the 2020–21 season by converting a penalty in a 4–0 home win over Villarreal in La Liga. Two days before the opening match, he again criticized the club, this time over the departure of Luis Suárez, saying, “at this stage nothing surprises me anymore”. On 20 October, Messi converted a penalty and assisted the fifth goal in a 5–1 home win over Ferencváros in the Champions League, becoming the first player to score in 16 Champions League seasons. League consecutively. On 25 November, Messi was nominated for the 2020 FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award, and was subsequently shortlisted for the final three candidates for the award. On 29 November, Messi scored the fourth goal in a 4–0 win over Osasuna. After scoring, he revealed a shirt of his former club Newell’s Old Boys, in memory of Diego Maradona, who had died four days earlier, and pointed with both hands at a screen displaying Maradona’s face. in the stadium. It is a replica of the shirt Maradona wore during his time with the club in 1993. On 17 December, Messi finished third at the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award behind Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo, and were placed in the FIFA FIFPro World XI for the 14th consecutive year.

On 23 December, Messi scored his 644th goal for Barcelona against Real Valladolid in La Liga, surpassing Pelé with Santos as the player with the most goals for a single club. To celebrate this achievement, Budweiser sent bottles of beer to every goalkeeper that Messi has ever scored against. On 17 January 2021, Messi was sent off for the first time in his club career for violent behavior (swinging his hand at Asier Villalibre’s head, initially missed by the referee but later reviewed via VAR) in the final minutes of the 2–3 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the 2020–21 Supercopa de España final. On 10 March, Messi scored from 35 yards in a 1–1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes Stadium in the Champions League round of 16 second leg. For the first time in 14 years, Barcelona was eliminated in the round of 16 with a total score of 2–5 after losing 1–4 at Camp Nou on February 16, Messi scored the only goal for Barcelona. in that match. On 15 March, Messi scored 2 goals and had an assist in a 4–1 win over Huesca. With his first goal, he became the first player to score at least 20 goals in 13 consecutive seasons in Europe’s top 5 national championships. On 21 March, he overtook Xavi as the player with the most appearances for the club with 768 appearances, he also scored a brace in a 6–1 away win against Real Sociedad. On 17 April, Messi scored twice in Barcelona’s 4–0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the 2021 Copa del Rey final. With his second goal, Messi broke the record of scoring 30 goals in 12 Gerd Müller’s consecutive seasons, setting a new record of 13. With his 35th title with Barcelona, ​​Messi also surpassed Ryan Giggs to become the player with the most titles for one club. As the top scorer in La Liga, Messi won the Pichichi title for the eighth time in his career. This is also his fifth consecutive top scorer title in La Liga, surpassing Alfredo Di Stéfano and Hugo Sánchez, both of whom won the title four times with Real Madrid.

On 1 July 2021, Messi became a free agent after his contract expired, with negotiations over a new contract at a standstill due to financial problems at Barcelona. On 5 August, Barcelona announced that Messi would not be staying at the club, despite both parties having reached an agreement and signing the contract that day. The club cited financial difficulties and unfavorable regulations from La Liga as part of the reasons for his departure. Three days later, in a tearful press conference held at the Camp Nou, Messi confirmed that he would be leaving Barcelona.

3.2. Paris Saint-Germain

3.2.1. 2021–22 season: Seventh Ballon d’Or and adjusting to life in Paris

On 10 August, Messi joined French club Paris Saint-Germain. He signed a two-year contract until June 2023 with an option for a further year. Messi chose to wear the number 30 shirt, the number he wore when he made his debut with the Barcelona first team.

Messi made his club debut on 29 August, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 away win over Reims in Ligue 1. He made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1–1 away draw against Club Brugge on 15 September. Four days later, Messi made his home debut for PSG in a 2–1 win over Lyon.

On 28 September, Messi scored his first goal for the club, a strike from outside the box after a one-two with Kylian Mbappé, in a 2–0 home win against Pep’s Manchester City. Guardiola in the UEFA Champions League group stage. On 21 November, Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 3–1 home win over Nantes. On 28 November, Messi scored his fifth career hat-trick of assists as PSG defeated Saint-Étienne 3–1 away from home. Scoring 40 goals at club and national team level in 2021 and helping Argentina win the Copa América the same year, on November 29, Messi received a record seventh Ballon d’Or.

On 2 January 2022, PSG announced that Messi tested positive for COVID-19, and he subsequently missed two league matches and one cup match. He returned for the Ligue 1 match against Reims on 23 January, where he came on as a second-half substitute and assisted PSG’s third goal in a 4–0 home win. On 13 March, after being eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid in the round of 16, Messi and teammate Neymar were booed by some PSG fans at the Parc des Princes Stadium during the match against Bordeaux in Ligue 1. On 23 April 2022, Messi helped PSG win their 10th Ligue 1 title after scoring from a long-range shot from outside the box in a 1–1 draw against Lens at Cong Stadium members of the Princes. Messi’s first season at the Paris team ended with 11 goals and 14 assists in all competitions. For the first time since the 2005–06 season, he failed to score 10 goals in the national championship with only 6 goals.

3.2.2.2022–23 season: Regaining form and final season in Paris

After adapting to his new environment and settling into life in Paris, under new coach Christophe Galtier, Messi returned to his preferred free-flowing attacking role; The playmaker position behind the two strikers, in an attacking trio alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, quickly regained his form from last season as he kicked off the new campaign on 31 July by scoring opening goal for PSG in a 4–0 victory over Nantes in the Trophée des Champions, winning his second title with the French capital team.

Due to disappointing form in the previous season, Messi was not nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2005. On 21 August, Messi assisted Mbappé’s fastest goal from distance. two Ligue 1 history in the 8th second, before scoring himself in a 7–1 win over Lille. The following matches, after contributing six goals, including one and five assists in September, Messi was named this month’s Ligue 1 Player of the Month. On 5 October , he scored in a 1–1 draw against Benfica in the Champions League, becoming the only player in the competition’s history to score against 40 different teams in the Champions League. On 25 October, he scored twice in a 7–2 home win over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League, setting a record for scoring the most goals from outside the box by any other player in the competition. hey, with 23 goals. Four days later, Messi scored and assisted PSG to a 4–3 win over Troyes to continue leading the Ligue 1 standings. This was his seventh goal in Ligue 1 of the 2022–23 season and the first twelfth overall for PSG this season, surpassing his tally of 11 goals in all competitions in the 2021–22 season in just 18 games.

On 26 February 2023, PSG defeated Marseille 3–0 at Le Classique, Messi scored his 700th club goal and assisted two of Mbappé’s goals. On 11 March, PSG defeated Brest 2–1, Messi assisted Mbappé’s winning goal in the last minute, reaching the milestone of 300 career assists. On 8 April, he scored and assisted in a 2–0 win over Nice in Ligue 1, allowing him to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time leading scorer in European club football with 702 goals; in the same match, he also reached the milestone of 1,000 direct goal contributions in his club career. On 2 May, Messi was suspended for two weeks and fined after taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia with his family as part of a commercial deal. He failed to show up for training the previous day following PSG’s 3–1 defeat to Lorient. As part of the suspension, Messi was also suspended from team training and was withdrawn from the starting lineup for the match against Troyes. On 28 May, Messi scored in a 1–1 draw against Strasbourg to help PSG win their 11th Ligue 1 title and his second consecutive.

On 1 June, Galtier confirmed that PSG’s home match against Clermont Foot on 3 June would be Messi’s last match for the Parisian side, and the club confirmed the departure of he two days later; the match ended in a 3–2 defeat. He finished the season with the most assists in the tournament with 16 and was also named in the UNFP Ligue 1 team of the year along with teammates Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Mbappé.

3.3. Inter Miami

After confirming his departure from PSG, Messi was linked with a return to former club Barcelona, ​​as well as a move to Saudi Arabian Super League club Al-Hilal, but his final decision to sign for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami was communicated to Barcelona president Joan Laporta on 5 June 2023. Barcelona were unable to sign him due to financial constraints.

On 7 June, Inter Miami posted a video on their social media pages suggesting that the club had signed Messi, although it was not confirmed whether he had signed an official contract. On the same day, Messi confirmed his intention to join Miami in a joint interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, in which he said that they were “not 100% done”; MLS also confirmed that the deal had not yet been finalised. He explained that although La Liga had accepted everything and agreed to let him return to Barcelona, ​​there was still a lot of work to be done such as salary reductions and player sales, and he did not want to go through it again or be responsible for it. He confirmed that other European clubs had approached him, but Barcelona was the only European team he wanted to play for.

4. International career 

In June 2004, he made his debut for the Argentina U-20 team in a friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005, he was a member of the Argentina U-20 team that won the 2005 U-20 World Cup held in the Netherlands. Also in this tournament, he won the title of World U20 Top Scorer and World U20 Best Player.

In April 2005, Messi was called up to the Argentina national team for the first time by coach José Pekerman. He made his debut for the team on 17 August against Hungary at the age of 18 years and 54 days, but it was a memorable one for him. Coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute, he was sent off by referee Markus Merk 40 seconds later, after he was deemed to have elbowed defender Vilmos Vanczák, who had pulled his shirt. The decision sparked controversy, and Maradona even suggested that it was a pre-arranged decision to ruin Messi’s debut. Messi made his first appearance for the starting line-up on 3 September, in Argentina’s 1–0 away loss to Paraguay in a 2006 World Cup qualifier. Before the match, Messi said: “This can be considered the first match. The first match was a bit short”.

4.1. FIFA World Cup 2006

An injury prevented Messi from playing the final two months of the 2005–06 season and threatened his chances of appearing in the World Cup. However, Messi was selected for Argentina’s squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentina under-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly against Angola starting in the 64th minute. He did not play in Argentina’s opening match against the Ivory Coast, remaining on the bench. In the next match against Serbia, Messi became Argentina’s youngest player to appear in a World Cup when he replaced Maxi Rodríguez in the 73rd minute. He assisted Hernán Crespo’s goal just minutes after coming on and also scored the winning goal in a 6–0 win, making him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest scorer in a World Cup. Messi started in a 0–0 draw with the Netherlands. In the next match against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He appeared and had the ball in the net once, but it was ruled offside and Argentina needed extra time to equalise. Manager José Pekerman left Messi on the bench for the quarter-final against Germany, which they lost 4–2 on penalties.

4.2. Copa America 2007

Messi made his debut in the 2007 Copa América on 29 June 2007, as Argentina defeated the United States 4–1 in their opening match. In this match, he showed his skills as a playmaker. He assisted a goal for striker Hernán Crespo and had several shots on target. Carlos Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored a few minutes later.

In his second match against the Colombia national football team, he won a penalty which Crespo converted to equalize the score at 1-1. He was also involved in Argentina’s second goal when he was fouled outside the box, allowing Juan Román Riquelme to score from a free kick, and giving Argentina a 3–1 lead. The final result was 4-2 in favor of Argentina and put them in the quarter-finals.

In the third match against Paraguay, the coach rested Messi. He came on for Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0–0. In the 79th minute, he assisted a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarter-finals, when Argentina played Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the match, from a pass from Riquelme in a 4–0 win. In the semi-final against Mexico, Messi made a lob over Oswaldo Sánchez to send Argentina to the final with a 3–0 win. Argentina later lost the final to Brazil 0–3.

4.3. Beijing Olympics 2008

After intending not to let Messi play for the Argentine Olympic team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, FC Barcelona agreed to allow him to play in this tournament after he had a talk with new coach Josep Guardiola. He played with the Argentine Olympic team and scored his first goal in a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast. He then scored the opening goal and assisted Ángel Di María’s second goal to help his team win 2-1 in extra time against the Netherlands. He also appeared in the match against Brazil, which Argentina won. 3-0 and into the final. In the gold medal match, Messi once again assisted Di María to score the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Nigeria.

4.4. FIFA World Cup 2010

Messi made his second World Cup appearance for Argentina under manager Diego Maradona. He also wore the number 10 jersey for the first time at the tournament. On 12 June 2010, he played the full 90 minutes in Argentina’s 1–0 win over Nigeria in Group B. He had several scoring chances but they were all denied by Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who was later named man of the match by FIFA. On 17 June, he played the entire match in Argentina’s 4–1 win over South Korea. Playing as an attacking midfielder and playing a more creative role under manager Maradona, Messi contributed to all four of the team’s goals and assisted Gonzalo Higuaín in a hat-trick in the match.

On 23 June, Messi was given the captain’s armband and played the full 90 minutes of the Greece 0-2 Argentina match (Group B). He was once again the nucleus of Argentina’s play, playing an important role in all of the team’s goals, and was voted man of the match.

On 28 June, in the Round of 16 match between Argentina and Mexico 3-1, coach Maradona still allowed Messi to play the full 90 minutes but he still failed to score. He often dropped back to find the ball, attracting the opponent’s defense and even made a controversial pass to Carlos Tévez. The 2010 World Cup ended with Argentina losing 0-4 to Germany in the quarter-finals.

4.5. Copa América 2011, World Cup 2014 qualifiers and friendly matches

Messi attended Copa América 2011 taking place in Argentina. In this tournament, he did not score any goals but had 3 assists. He was voted the best player in the matches against Bolivia (1–1) and Costa Rica (3–0). However, the Argentine team had to stop in the quarterfinals after losing to Uruguay on penalties (1-1 draw after 2 extra periods) even though Messi successfully completed the first penalty shootout.

After Argentina’s defeat at the Copa América, Sergio Batista was fired by the country’s football association and his replacement was Alejandro Sabella, former coach of the Estudiantes club. In August 2011, Sabella gave the team captain’s armband to Messi.

Messi’s first hat-trick for the Albiceleste came in a friendly against Switzerland on 29 February 2012, which ended in a 3–1 win for Argentina.

On June 9, 2012, Messi scored his second hat-trick in the team’s shirt in a 4-3 friendly win against rival Brazil and Messi was also voted the best player in the match. This result increased the number of goals he scored for Argentina to 26 goals in 70 matches, including 7 goals in 3 matches in 2012 and also helped him rank 4th in the list of top scorers for Argentina.

On 7 September, Messi scored his 28th goal in a 3–1 win over Paraguay in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. This was his fourth goal in the 2014 qualifiers and his 8th goal in World Cup qualifiers, Ranked 3rd among the top scorers for Argentina in qualifying matches. This is his 10th goal after 6 matches and also his 9th goal in 5 matches played in 2012 for the team. After scoring a double against Uruguay and a goal against Chile in October, Messi ended 2012 with 12 goals in 9 matches for Argentina.

On March 22, 2013, Messi scored his first international goal of 2013 on a penalty kick in a World Cup qualifying match against Venezuela. Also in this match, he also had 2 assists for teammate Gonzalo Higuaín, helping Argentina win 3–0. On June 14, 2013, Messi scored a hat-trick in a friendly match against Guatemala, surpassing Diego Maradona’s 34 goals and catching Hernán Crespo’s 35 goals. Messi continued to surpass Crespo after the World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay when he scored 2 penalty goals and assisted 1 goal for Sergio Agüero. The match ended with a score of 5-2 in favor of Argentina, helping this team win a ticket to Brazil two rounds early.

Messi finished the qualifying campaign with 10 goals, second on the list of South American scorers.

4.6. World Cup 2014

Before the World Cup in Brazil, doubts continued to exist about Messi’s form, as he ended the season unsuccessfully and suffered an injury at Barcelona. However, at the start of the tournament, he put in strong performances, being voted Argentina’s best player in their opening match of the match. In his first World Cup match as captain, he led the team to a 2–1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina; He left his boot mark on the opening goal and directly scored the second goal after passing the ball past three opposing players. This was his first World Cup goal since he debuted in the tournament eight years ago. In the second match against Iran, he scored a curling goal into the top corner in the 90th minute from 23 meters away to end the match with a 1-0 victory, ensuring Argentina qualified for the knockout round. out. He scored two goals in the team’s last match in a 3-2 victory over Nigeria, especially his second goal came from a beautiful free kick. Messi assisted Ángel Di María for a late goal in extra time (minute 116) for a 1-0 win over Switzerland in the round of 16. After a 1-0 quarter-final win against Belgium, Argentina reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990. After a 0-0 draw in extra time, the team eliminated the Netherlands 4-2 in the series. penalty shootout to reach the final against Germany

That year’s World Cup final was called Messi vs. Germany, the best player in the world against the best team in the world, the two teams meeting in the final since 1990. In the first half hour First, Messi scored a goal, but was caught offside. He missed many opportunities to open the scoring throughout the match, especially early in the second half, when his efforts left the German defense reeling. Not taking advantage of the opportunity to score, Argentina had to pay the price. Germany’s substitute Mario Götze finally scored in the 113th minute to seal the match. After the final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament as well as the silver medal for being runner-up. As well as being the third highest scorer, with four goals, he created the most chances, made the most off-the-ball movements, delivered the most deliveries into the box and created the ball throughout. this tournament. However, his selection caused much criticism as he did not have a goal in the playoffs. FIFA President Sepp Blatter expressed his surprise, while Diego Maradona said that Messi did not score in the knockout round because he had to sit deep to create.

4.7. Copa America 2015

Having failed to win the World Cup, Messi set his sights high at the 2015 Copa América, held in Chile. Under the management of former Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino, Argentina entered the tournament as the reigning World Cup runners-up. In their opening match against Paraguay, the team had two goals in the first half but conceded an equaliser in a 2–2 draw; Messi scored from a free kick, his only goal of the tournament. Following a 1–0 win over defending champions Uruguay, Messi earned his 100th cap for the national team in the final group stage match, a 1–0 win over Jamaica, becoming the fifth Argentine to reach the milestone. In his 100 appearances, he has scored a total of 46 goals for Argentina, including 22 in official matches.

As Messi led Argentina to the knockout stages as the team’s winner. In the quarter-finals, they created many chances, including a Messi header, but were denied by the Colombian goalkeeper, and the match ended goalless, with Argentina winning 5–4 on penalties. In the semi-finals, Messi was outstanding, providing three assists and helping to create three more goals in a 6–1 win over Paraguay. Argentina entered the final against hosts Chile as favourites, but were defeated 4–1 in a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw in regulation time. After the tournament, he was selected to receive the Player of the Tournament award but declined to accept it. With Argentina in the midst of a title drought since 1993, two defeats in the World Cup and Copa América once again brought harsh criticism of Messi from the media and Argentine fans.

4.8. Copa America Centenario 2016

Messi’s chances of playing in the Copa América Centenario were initially put at risk when he suffered a back injury in a 1–0 win over Honduras in a warm-up match ahead of the 2016 Copa América on 27 May 2016. It was later reported that he had suffered a bruised lower back, but Messi remained in Martino’s squad for the tournament, although he was later left on the bench for the opening match, a 2–1 win over Chile on 6 June due to concerns over his fitness. Although Messi was declared fit to play in the second match against Panama on 10 June, Martino left him on the bench again; he only introduced him in the 61st minute, where Messi scored a hat-trick in 19 minutes and the match ended in a 5–0 win for Argentina.

On 18 June 2016, in the quarter-final of the Copa América against Venezuela, Messi continued to shine, assisting two goals and scoring in a 4–1 win, which allowed him to equal Gabriel Batistuta’s record for most goals scored for the national team with 54 in official international matches. This record was quickly broken three days later when Messi scored in a 4–0 semi-final win over the hosts United States; he also contributed two assists in the match, Argentina reached the Copa America final for the second consecutive time and Messi was once again expected to continue his high performance in past matches to help his team end its title drought.
Meeting Chile in the final on 26 June, Argentina were held to a 0–0 draw after 120 minutes and won on penalties, resulting in Messi’s third consecutive defeat in a major tournament final against Argentina and his fourth overall. After the match, Messi, who missed a penalty in the final, announced his retirement from international football. Sources said that other Argentine players – such as Sergio Agüero, Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuaín, Lucas Biglia, Éver Banega, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Ángel Di María – could follow him into retirement. Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said after the match, “My generation cannot compare him to Maradona for my generation, because Maradona made Argentine football great, but I think he was the best player in the United States this summer.” Messi finished the tournament as the second-highest scorer, behind Chilean Eduardo Vargas, with five goals, and the top assist provider with four assists, and also won more Man of the Match awards than any other player in the tournament. But Messi ultimately missed out on the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament, which went to Chile’s Alexis Sánchez.

4.9. Don’t go, Leo

Following Messi’s announcement, a campaign began in Argentina to persuade Messi to reconsider his decision to retire from international football. He was greeted by fans chanting “Don’t go, Leo” as the team landed in Buenos Aires. Argentine President Mauricio Macri urged Messi not to give up, saying: “We are lucky, it is one of the joys of life, it is a gift from God to have the best player in the world in a country as passionate about football as ours… Lionel Messi is the best player we have in Argentina and we must take care of him.” Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta unveiled a statue of Messi in the capital to persuade him to reconsider his retirement from international football. On social media, NoTeVayasLeo became a global trending topic and even a playlist on Spotify. The campaign also continues on the streets and roads of the Argentine capital, with some 50,000 supporters expected to arrive at the Obelisco de Buenos Aires on July 2, using the same slogan.

4.10. Return to the national team

Just a week after Messi announced his retirement from international football, Argentine newspaper La Nación reported that he was considering returning to play for Argentina in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in September. On 12 August, it was confirmed that Messi had reversed his decision to retire from international football and was included in the national team’s squad for the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers. On 1 September 2016, in his first appearance back, he scored in a 1–0 home win over Uruguay in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.

On 28 March 2017, Messi was suspended for four matches in the World Cup qualifying match against Chile on 23 March 2017 for insulting the referee. He was also fined up to CHF 10,000. On 5 May 2017, Messi’s ban as well as his CHF 10,000 fine were overturned by FIFA after the Argentine Football Association appealed his suspension, which meant he could play. World Cup qualifying for Argentina. However, he performed poorly in the key matches of the qualifying round, affecting Argentina’s ranking. Argentina’s position is facing difficulties in the final match in the qualifying round when they are ranked 6th on the rankings while only the top 4 will win direct tickets to the World Cup and the 5th place must play. -off, meaning Argentina faces the risk of missing the World Cup for the first time since 1970 if they do not win the final match on the field located 2850 m above sea level in Ecuador.
However, on October 10, 2017, Messi shined at the right time in the final match of the World Cup qualifiers when he scored a hat-trick to help Argentina come from behind to defeat Ecuador 3-1, thereby helping Argentina jump to first place. 3rd and won direct tickets to next year’s World Cup. It is known that Argentina has not won against Ecuador in Quito since 2001. Messi’s third goal helped him become the top scorer in the history of South American World Cup qualifying with 21 goals, equaling Luis Suárez of Uruguay, surpassing the previous record set by compatriot Hernán Crespo.

4.11. World Cup 2018

With inconsistent form in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Argentina are expected to face many difficulties when they fall into Group D alongside very difficult opponents such as Croatia, Nigeria and Euro 2016 phenomenon Iceland. In a friendly against Spain in March 2018, a match in which Messi did not play due to injury, Argentina lost 1-6. After that match, Messi admitted: “At this point, we are not among the candidates to compete for the World Cup championship.” Before Argentina’s opening match, there were rumors about whether this would be Messi’s last World Cup.

In the first match of the group stage, Lionel Messi missed a goal when he failed to take a penalty in a 1-1 draw against Iceland. In the second match, Argentina lost 0-3 to Croatia, exactly 2 days before his birthday, when Messi only touched the ball 49 times the whole match. This was also the match where coach Jorge Sampaoli talked about the lack of quality in the team around Messi: “The reality of the Argentina squad highlighted Messi’s brilliance. We simply couldn’t pass to him to help him create the situations where he regularly scores. We tried to get the ball to him but the opponent also worked too well to stop him receiving the ball. Croatia midfielder Luka Modrić also said after the match, “Messi is an extraordinary player but he cannot do everything alone”. Having earned only 1 point after 2 matches, Argentina is at risk of being eliminated right from the group stage if they cannot beat Nigeria in the final match.

In Argentina’s final group stage match against Nigeria at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on June 26, Messi finally broke through in the World Cup when he scored the opening goal, contributing to the 2nd win. -1 for the home team. With this goal, Messi became the third Argentine player after Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta to score at three different World Cups. At the same time, he scored his 6th goal at the World Cups. The victory also helped the Argentine team slip through a narrow gap to pass the group stage, ranking second in the group behind Croatia.

In the round of 16 match against France (the eventual champions) on 30 June, Messi provided two assists for Gabriel Mercado and Sergio Agüero, but Argentina still lost 4–3 and had to pack their bags to go home on a day when France’s young star Kylian Mbappé was in the spotlight. With two assists in that match, Messi became the first player to provide assists in the last four World Cups, and also the first player to have two assists in a match for Argentina since Diego Maradona against South Korea in 1986.

After an unsuccessful World Cup, which ended in a round of 16 exit, Lionel Messi informed interim coach Lionel Scaloni that he would not play any matches for Argentina until the end of 2018. Messi’s absence from the national team and his repeated failures to win a title with Argentina fueled speculation in the media that Messi might retire from international football once again.

4.12. 2019–2020: Copa América third place, suspended and Superclásico champion

On 21 May 2019, Messi was called up to Lionel Scaloni’s final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa América. In Argentina’s second match of the tournament on 19 June, Messi scored equalized from the penalty spot in a 1–1 draw against Paraguay. After being criticized by the media for his performance following Argentina’s 2–0 win over Venezuela in the quarter-finals at the Maracanã Stadium on 28 June, Messi commented that it was not his best Copa América period, while also criticizing the poor quality of the playing field. Following Argentina’s loss to hosts Brazil in the semi-finals on 2 July, Messi criticized the match referee. In the third place match against Chile on 6 July, Messi assisted Agüero’s opening goal from a free kick in a 2–1 victory, helping Argentina win the bronze medal; however, he was sent off along with Gary Medel in the 37th minute of the match, after being involved in a brawl with the Chilean defender. After the match, Messi refused to accept his medal and implied in a post-match interview that his comments after the semi-final had gotten him sent off. Messi later apologized for his comments, but was fined $1,500 and banned for one match by CONMEBOL, meaning he will not feature in Argentina’s next World Cup qualifying match. On 2 August, Messi was banned from international football for three months and fined $50,000 by CONMEBOL for comments against refereeing decisions; This ban means he will miss Argentina’s friendly matches against Chile, Mexico and Germany in September and October. On 15 November, Messi featured in the 2019 Superclásico de las Américas match against Brazil, scoring a goal. Decisive win thanks to a rebound from a missed penalty. On October 8, 2020, Messi successfully converted a penalty in a 1–0 win against Ecuador, helping Argentina get off to a smooth start in the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

4.13. 2021–2022: Champion of Copa América and World Cup

On 14 June 2021, Messi scored from a free kick in a 1–1 draw against Chile in Argentina’s opening match of the 2021 Copa América in Brazil. The goal meant he surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s 56 direct free kick goals to become the player with the most successful direct free kicks. He also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta’s record of 38 goals in official matches for Argentina. In the second match, Messi assisted the winning goal against Uruguay, which Guido Rodríguez headed in to give Argentina all three points. On 21 June, Messi made his 147th appearance, tying Javier Mascherano’s record for most appearances for Argentina in a 1–0 win over Paraguay in the third group stage match. A week later, he broke Argentina’s record for most appearances in a 4–1 win over Bolivia in the final group match, assisting Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gómez’s opening goal and then scoring two more goals himself. On 3 July, Messi provided two assists and scored from a free kick in a 3–0 win over Ecuador in the quarter-finals. On 6 July, in a 1–1 semi-final draw with Colombia, Messi made his 150th appearance for Argentina and provided his fifth assist of the tournament, a reverse pass for Lautaro Martínez to score; Messi later converted his penalty kick in a 3–2 penalty shootout win that sent Argentina through to the final. On 10 July 2021, Argentina defeated hosts Brazil 1–0 in the final to win the 2021 Copa América, giving Messi his first major international title and Argentina’s first since 1993, taking Argentina’s total number of Copa América titles to a record 15. Messi was directly involved in nine of Argentina’s 12 goals, scoring four and assisting five; he was named the tournament’s best player for his performances, a title shared with Neymar. He was also the tournament’s top scorer with four goals, tied with Colombia’s Luis Díaz, but the Golden Boot was awarded to Messi as he had more assists.

On 9 September 2021, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Bolivia in a 2022 World Cup qualifier, helping him surpass Pelé as the region’s top male international goal scorer. South America with 79 goals. In Finalissima 2022, the third edition of the CONMEBOL–UEFA Intercontinental Super Cup, held at Wembley on 2 June 2022, Messi provided two assists in the 3–0 win over Italy and was awarded was honored as the best player of the match, bringing Argentina’s second title at the national team level. Messi then scored five goals for Argentina in a 5–0 friendly win over Estonia on 6 June, surpassing Ferenc Puskás to move into fourth place in the list of all-time top goalscorers at senior level. team.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Messi converted a penalty in Argentina’s opening match, a 2–1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, before scoring a 20-yard strike and assisting Enzo Fernández in a 2–0 win over Mexico. In the round of 16 match against Australia, Messi scored the opening goal in Argentina’s 2–1 win in his 1,000th career match, becoming the South American (CONMEBOL) male footballer with the most appearances of all time, breaking the record previously set by Ecuador’s Iván Hurtado, along with surpassing and equaling several other FIFA World Cup and national team-related records. In the quarter-final against the Netherlands, Messi assisted Nahuel Molina’s opening goal and then scored from the penalty spot to double Argentina’s lead, with the teams drawing 2–2 after extra time. Argentina won 4–3 in the penalty shootout, with Messi taking the first penalty. In the semi-final against Croatia, Messi made his 25th World Cup appearance, equalling the record of Germany’s Lothar Matthäus, scoring the opening goal with a penalty before assisting the third goal for Julián Álvarez in a 3–0 win for Argentina. Argentina went into the final against France, with Messi stating that this would be his last World Cup appearance.

In the 2022 FIFA World Cup final on December 18, Messi set a record of 26 appearances in the World Cup finals at Lusail Stadium. Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot for Argentina, thereby becoming the first player since the round of 16 was introduced in 1986 to score at all stages of the World Cup. After Argentina took a 2-0 lead, French striker Kylian Mbappé scored 2 consecutive goals in just 2 minutes to bring the match back to the starting line. Messi continued to score in extra time to restore the lead. first for Argentina, before Mbappé once again equalized for France. Tied 3–3 after extra time, the match went to a penalty shootout. Messi successfully made the first shot for Argentina, Argentina won the final 4-2, ending this country’s 36 years of waiting for the Golden Cup. Messi received the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament, becoming the first player to win this award twice. He finished second in the Golden Boot race with 7 goals in 7 matches, one goal behind Mbappé. With his presence and two goals in the final, Messi surpassed Matthaüs to become the player with the most appearances at the World Cup (26), and Pelé to become the player with the most direct contributions. followed by the most goals at the World Cup (21 – 13 goals and 8 assists). It was hailed as one of the greatest matches of all time, with the media focusing heavily on the duel between Messi and Mbappé. After the match, Messi affirmed that he has no plans to retire from the national team, saying: “I want to continue playing as a champion.”

4.14. 2023–present: 100 international goals

In March 2023, Messi returned to Argentina as world champion by appearing in two friendly matches in his home country. He scored his 99th international goal with a free kick in Argentina’s 2–0 win over Panama; this also marked his 800th career goal for club and country. In the next match against Curaçao, Messi scored a hat-trick, his ninth for Argentina, and provided an assist in the 7–0 win. The first of three goals helped him reach 100 goals for the national team, making Messi the third player in history to reach this milestone.

5. Playing style

Due to his small stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than many other players, which gives him agility, allowing him to change direction quickly and evade tackles; this has led the Spanish media to nickname him La Pulga Atómica (“The Atomic Flea”). Despite his small stature, Messi possesses considerable upper body strength, which, combined with his low centre of gravity and balance, allows him to withstand physical pressure from opponents; Messi is also noted for his low tendency to dive in a sport rife with trickery. Messi’s short, strong legs allow him to make short sprints and help him maintain control of the ball when dribbling at high speeds. Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola once stated, “Messi is the only player who runs faster with the ball than without it.” Although Messi has improved his ability to play with his weaker foot since his mid-20s, he is primarily a left-footed player; he typically starts dribbling with the outside of his left foot, while using the inside of his foot to finish, pass, and create.

A prolific goalscorer, Messi is known for his ability to shoot, position, react quickly and execute attacks to defeat the opponent’s defense. He also plays a playmaking role, thanks to his vision and passing ability. He is often described as a magician, creating goals and chances that seem impossible to believe. In addition, he is also an accurate free kick and penalty shootout player. With Messi’s free kick conversion rate increasing over time, he is gradually becoming one of the best direct free kick players in the world. He also has a penchant for scoring from lob shots.

Messi’s speed and technique allow him to make individual runs towards the opposition goal, especially during counter-attacks, often starting from the right half-space. Considered one of the greatest dribblers of all time, former Argentina coach Diego Maradona said of Messi’s ability, “The ball is always glued to his feet; I have seen many great players in my career, but I have never seen anyone with the ball as well as Messi.” In addition to his individual qualities, he is a complete player, always working hard for the team, known for his creative combinations, especially with former Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.

Tactically, Messi plays in a free attacking role; As a versatile player, he can attack on both wings or in the middle. Messi’s preferred position since childhood was as a midfielder playing behind two strikers, known as enganche in Argentine football, but he started his career in Spain as a left winger or striker. left wing. On his debut for the first team, he was moved to the right wing by Frank Rijkaard; In this position, he can easily move into the middle and launch shots towards goal with his left foot, instead of mainly passing the ball to his teammates. Under Guardiola and subsequent coaches, he often played the false number 9 role; Positioned as a center forward or lone striker, Messi always lingers in the middle area, often moving deep into the midfield and attracting opposing defenders, to open up and exploit space to serve. Serving for passes, teammates running, Messi’s own dribbles, or coordinating with Xavi and Iniesta. Under the direction of Luis Enrique, Messi initially returned to playing in his preferred right-wing position in the early years of his career in a 4–3–3 formation, but in later seasons, Messi tended to play more freely and unpredictably. Under Ernesto Valverde, Messi played in many different roles. Occasionally he continued to play in a deep-lying role, allowing him to dribble directly into the penalty area, either from the right wing or as a false number 9, he was also used in the role. central role in a 4–2–3–1 attacking formation, or as the second striker in a 4–4–2 formation, allowing him to drop deep, link up with the midfield, and coordinate attacking play. attack and create opportunities for his partner in attack, Suárez.

As his age increased, Messi became less likely to dribble. Instead, he played deeper, developing into one of the best passers and playmakers in football history. Messi’s tackling and defensive involvement also decreased as his career progressed; by covering less ground to conserve energy for short bursts, he improved his movement and play to avoid muscle injuries, despite being a regular in the majority of matches throughout the season. Indeed, he was prone to injury early in his career, but Messi has since reduced his risk by dribbling less and adopting a strict diet, training and rest regime. Messi has also played in a variety of roles for Argentina; Over the years, he has been used on the right wing as a false nine or as a right-sided striker, in a supporting role for another striker, or in a deep-lying free role as a classic number 10 or attacking midfielder behind the strikers.

6. Personal life

Messi was once rumored to be in a relationship with Macerena Lemos, who is also from his hometown Rosario. He said he was introduced by her father when he returned to Rosario for treatment for an injury a few days before the 2006 World Cup. He was also rumored to be in a relationship with Argentine model Luciana Salazar. In January 2009, he told “Hat Trick Barça”, a program on Canal 33: “I have a girlfriend and she lives in Argentina, I am very comfortable and happy”. He was once spotted with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a festival in Sitges after the derby between Barcelona and Espanyol. Roccuzzo is a resident of Rosario, Santa Fe province, Argentina. They married in 2017.

He has two relatives who also follow the football career, namely Maxi, a winger who plays for Paraguay’s Club Olimpia, and Emanuel Biancucchi, a midfielder who plays for Paraguay’s Independiente FBC club.

In 2017, Messi cooperated with Phoenix Group and Mediapro Exhibitions company to build Messi Experience Park in Nanjing city, Jiangsu province, China with an investment capital of up to 170 million euros. According to the design, the total area of ​​the land where Messi Experience Park is located is about 80,000 square meters and is divided into 3 parts. In addition to the area used for air traffic (25,000m2), Messi Experience Park also has an indoor area for visitors to visit and entertain about 46,000m2 and a campus area of ​​12,000m2. Not only stopping at a simple park, the park associated with Messi’s name is also clearly oriented to become an entertainment complex that maximally serves the diverse needs of visitors such as play, eat, rest.

6.1. Charity

In 2007, Messi founded the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity that helps vulnerable children access education and health care. In an interview with fans, Messi said: “Becoming a little famous gives me the opportunity to help people who really need help, especially children.” In response to Messi’s own medical difficulties during his childhood, the Leo Messi Foundation supports Argentine children diagnosed with the disease, enabling them to receive treatment in Spain that includes travel expenses, Hospital fees and health recovery treatment costs. Messi’s foundation is supported by his own fundraising activities and from there, he participates in advertising for Herbalife dairy products. This is a company originating from the United States, specializing in producing nutritious dairy products with functions of weight gain, weight loss, protein supplementation…

On March 11, 2010, Messi was chosen as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Messi’s UNICEF ambassador activities support children’s rights. Messi also received support from FC Barcelona, ​​a club with close links to UNICEF.

In 2017, in addition to a large amount of money donated, Messi also used his own brand to call for help from benefactors and fans to build the Sant Joan de Deu hospital in Barcelona into the most modern cancer hospital in the world.

6.2. The media

In 2009, he was chosen to promote the game Pro Evolution Soccer, and continued to promote the game with Fernando Torres the following year. Messi is sponsored by German sports company Adidas and appears in their TV commercials.

In March 2010, France Football magazine ranked Messi as the world’s richest footballer, with £29.6 million in total earnings from salary, bonuses and off-field earnings. Forbes ranked him as the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2019.

In June 2010, Messi signed a three-year contract with Herbalife to support the Leo Messi Foundation.

His main sponsor since 2006 has been sportswear company Adidas. Since 2008, he has owned a collection of Adidas F50 boots and in 2015, he became the first footballer to receive his own Adidas boots, the Adidas Messi. Since 2017, Messi has been wearing Adidas’ new Nemeziz boot. Early in his career, he has mainly signed sponsorship deals with companies that use sports-oriented marketing, such as Adidas, Pepsi and Konami. From 2010 onwards, with his increasingly impressive achievements on the pitch, his marketing appeal continued to expand, leading to long-term endorsement deals with luxury brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Audemars Piguet. Messi is also a global brand ambassador for Gillette, Turkish Airlines, Ooredoo and Tata Motors, among others. Additionally, Messi is the face of Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series of football video games, appearing on the covers of PES 2009, PES 2010, PES 2011 and PES 2020. He later signed with Konami’s rival EA Sports to become the face of the FIFA series of football games, from which he appeared on the covers of four consecutive FIFA versions from FIFA 13 to FIFA 16.

He was also twice included in the Time 100 list in 2011 and 2012, the list of the 100 most influential people in the world published annually by Time Magazine.

Also in April 2011, Messi opened an account on Facebook and in just a few hours, his account had more than 6 million followers and as of October 2017, there were 89,401,860 people “Liked”. (Messi’s Facebook).

In May 2012, former Real Madrid player Royston Drenthe said in an interview with Dutch magazine Helden that Lionel Messi repeatedly called him “negro” during his time playing in Spain. In response to the accusations, Barcelona stated: “Messi has always shown absolute respect for his opponents, something that has been repeatedly acknowledged by his teammates.

6.3. Not paying taxes

In June 2013, Lionel Messi was accused by Barcelona tax authorities of evading 4 million Euros in taxes on commercial income between 2006 and 2009. Messi later paid over 5 million Euros. Euro (including taxes and late penalties). In October 2013, two senior experts of the Spanish tax department announced at the Gava district court that Lionel Messi did not participate in suspected tax fraud. Messi is considered unaware of his violation and the person who will be mainly responsible in this case is his father, who is also the financial manager on his behalf. Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge Horacio Messi, later admitted that Lionel Messi always only knew about football, and his fault was only lax management and too much trust in relatives in the financial sector.

In July 2016, during a trial at the Gava District Court in Barcelona, ​​Messi was sentenced to 21 months in prison for evading 4.1 million euros in taxes between 2007 and 2009. Jorge Horacio Messi, the football superstar’s father, also received a similar sentence. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the Messi family had evaded income tax in Spain by funneling the money into shell companies established in Uruguay and Belize – places considered tax havens. In addition to the prison sentence, Messi was also fined 2 million euros and his father 1.5 million euros. Because the sentence was for less than 2 years and was not a criminal sentence, Messi and his father could be exempted from probation, according to Spanish law. In addition, Messi and his father could also file an appeal to the Supreme Court.

6.4. Marry

On June 30, 2017, Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo. Messi’s wedding was held at the 5-star City Center Rosario hotel complex. Leo Messi met his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo when he was 5 years old, before going public with their relationship since 2009. The two have three sons together: Thiago (2012), Mateo (2015) and Ciro (2018). .

Up to 400 police were mobilized to protect the security of Leo Messi’s wedding. Thousands of Argentina fans and many Messi fans around the world flocked to Rosario to congratulate. Messi’s wedding event had the presence of 260 guests, many famous stars such as Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Luis Suarez, Samuel Eto’o… Messi did not invite his former teacher Luis Enrique and assistant Juan Carlos Unzue. In addition, no member of the Barca Board of Directors received the invitation.

After the party, there was still a lot of food and drinks left uneaten. Instead of throwing it away, Leo Messi decided to donate it to the Rosario Food Bank for charity.

7. Title

7.1. Club

7.1.1. Barcelona

La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
King’s Cup: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2020-21
Spanish Super Cup: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
European Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015.
FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015

7.1.2. Paris Saint-Germain

Ligue 1: 2021–22, 2022–23
Trophée des Champions: 2022

7.2. National team

7.2.1. U20 Argentina

World Youth Football Championship: 2005

7.2.2. U23 Argentina

Summer Olympics: 2008

7.2.3. Argentina

FIFA World Cup: 2022
Copa America: 2021
CONMEBOL–UEFA Intercontinental Super Cup: 2022

Lionel Messi achieved a record that no one has ever achieved in football history
INFOGRAPHIC: 16 years in Messi’s national team jersey
VIDEO: Teammates toss Messi into the air after the Copa America championship

7.3. Individual

7.3.1 World

FIFA Golden Ball/European Golden Ball (6): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019
FIFA Player of the Year (1): 2009.
The Best FIFA Men’s Players (After separating from Ballon d’Or): 1 (2019)
FIFA World Cup 2014 Golden Ball
King of assists FIFA World Cup 2018
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball (2): 2009, 2011.
FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2015
FIFA Club World Cup Final Best Player (2): 2009, 2011.
FIFA Club World Cup top scorer: 2011
Copa América Player of the Year: 2015
Most assists in Copa America: 2011, 2015, 2016
Copa America Best Goal: 2007
Best Young Player of the Copa América (1): 2007.
Best player of the U20 World Cup (1): 2005.
Top scorer of the U20 World Cup (1): 2005.
IFFHS International Top Scorer (2): 2011, 2012.
FIFA/FIFPro World
FIFPro Young Player of the Year (3): 2006, 2007, 2008.
Olimpia de Plata (Best Argentine Player): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
Olimpia de Oro (Argentinian Sports Personality of the Year): 2011
Typical squad of FIFA World Cup: 2014[426]
Outstanding Copa América Team: 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016
FIFPro Young World Player of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008
Golden Boy (Young European Footballer of the Year): 2005
IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker: 2015, 2016, 2017
AFA Team of All Time (2015)

7.3.2. Europe

European Golden Shoe (6): 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019.
UEFA European Footballer of the Year (2): 2011, 2015
UEFA Player of the Year (1): 2009.
UEFA striker of the year: 2009
UEFA Team of the Year (10): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
UEFA Champions League Best Striker (1): 2009.
UEFA Champions League top scorer (6): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019.
UEFA Champions League Assist King (2): 2012, 2015.
UEFA Champions League Final Best Player (1): 2011.
UEFA Goal of the Year: 2007
UEFA Goal of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16

7.3.3. Spain

La Liga Player of the Season (7): 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2017-18
Best striker of all seasons (7): 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16.
Best Latin American Player in La Liga (5): 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
Pichichi Cup (6): 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019
Copa del Rey top scorer (5): 2008–09, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17
La Liga Player of the Month: January 2016, April 2017, April 2018, September 2018, March 2019
La Liga Team of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16

UEFA La Liga Team of The Season: 2015–16, 2016–17

Other awards

World Cup (4): 2009, 2011, 2012, 2018.
Young Player of the Year (World Soccer magazine) (3): 2006, 2007, 2008.
Player of the Year (World Soccer magazine) (3): 2009, 2011, 2012.
Greatest XI of all time (World Soccer magazine): 2013.
Team of the Year (ESM) (7): 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.
Alfredo Di Stéfano Cup (Marca) (3): 2009, 2010, 2011.
Marca Legend Award (1): 2009.
La Liga Best Foreign Player (Don Balón) (3): 2007, 2009, 2010.
Bravo Awards (1): 2007.
Golden Boy Award (Tuttosport) (1): 2005.
ESPY Awards (1): 2012.
Player of the Year (Goal.com) (3): 2009, 2011, 2013.
L’Équipe Champion of Champions: 2011.
El Pais (4): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
Saint John’s Prayer: 2019

7.4. Records

As of December 8, 2019.

7.4.1. World

Player with most Ballon d’Or awards (including FIFA merger): 6
Player with most FIFA Golden Ball awards: 4
Most The Best FiFA Men’s Players of the Year awards (Including Ballon d’Or): 6
Guinness World Record for most goals scored in 1 year: 91 goals
Player with the most international goals in a year (2012): 25 goals (tied with Vivian Woodward and Cristiano Ronaldo)
Player to score most consecutive goals in 1 tournament: 21 matches (33 goals)
The only youngest player to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or twice, three times and four times: 23, 24 and 25 years old
Player with the most FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball awards: 2 times
Most goals scored in a club season: 73 goals in 2011–12
Player with the most appearances in the FIFPro World XI XI: 12 times (2007–2018) (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)

7.4.2. Continent

Most goals scored in a season (club): 73 goals in 2011-12
Player who scored the most goals in a calendar year (club): 79 goals in 2012
Player who has won the most European Golden Shoes: 6 times.
Most hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League: 8 hat-tricks (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
Most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League match: 5 goals
Top goalscorer in UEFA Champions League group stage: 65 goals
Highest European Super Cup scorer: 3 goals (shared with Arie Haan, Oleg Blokhin, Gerd Müller, Rob Rensenbrink, François Van der Elst, Terry McDermott, and Radamel Falcao)
Youngest player to reach 100 appearances in the UEFA Champions League: 28 years and 84 days old in 2015
Player with the most assists at Copa América: 11 assists
Top scorer in South American World Cup qualifiers: 21 goals (tied with Luis Suárez)

7.4.3. Spain

Player who scored the most goals in a La Liga season: 50 goals
Most consecutive matches scored in La Liga: 21 matches (33 goals)
Player with most hat-tricks in a La Liga season: 8 hat-tricks (tied with Cristiano Ronaldo)
Most La Liga teams scored against in a season: 19 in 2012-13 (shared with Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo)
Player with most hat-tricks in El Clásico matches: 2
Top scorer in the Spanish Super Cup: 13 goals
The player who scored the most goals in La Liga history: 431 goals
Player with the most La Liga Top Scorer (Pichichi) awards: 6 times
Most assisted player in La Liga: 166 times
Youngest player to reach 200 goals in La Liga: 25 years old
First player to reach 300 goals in La Liga
The first and only player to reach 350 goals in La Liga
The first and only player to reach 400 goals in La Liga
Player to score against the most teams in La Liga history: 36 different teams.
Player with the most wins in La Liga: 339 matches
Player with the most hat-tricks in La Liga: 35 hat-tricks

7.4.4. Barcelona

Player who scored the most goals in official tournaments for the club: 617 goals
Top scorer in all competitions (including friendlies) for the club: 652 goals
Player with the most goals in La Liga: 431 goals
Player with the most hat-tricks in official tournaments for the club: 45 hat-tricks
The player who scored the most goals from the penalty spot in La Liga: 51 goals
Player with the most goals in El Clásico matches: 26 goals
Highest scorer in the Catalan derby: 28 goals
Player with most goals from free kicks for the club; 41 goals
Top Champions League goalscorer for club: 114 goals

Player who won the most titles with the club: 34 titles

7.4.5. Argentina

Player with most goals for Argentina national football team: 70 goals
Top goalscorer for Argentina in a calendar year: 12 goals in 2012 (shared with Gabriel Batistuta)
Only Argentine player to score in every CONMEBOL country
Youngest player to reach 100 matches for CONMEBOL National team: 27 years and 361 days in 2015
The player who won Argentina’s best player of the year award the most: 11 times
Youngest player to play for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup: 18 years, 357 days in 2006
Youngest player to score for Argentina at a World Cup: 18 years, 357 days in 2006