Lionel Messi, often regarded as the soccer God, the Greatest of all Time (GOAT), is unarguably one of the finest players to have ever kicked a football. He is a soccer player for Paris Saint Germain (PSG) and the Argentine National Team. His style of play is so exceptional and exciting that it leaves the audience gasping and yearning for more. He has provided many assists, scored many goals, and helped his teams win trophies through his style. He is well-known and loved worldwide. He has also picked up many individual awards, including a recent 7th Ballon D’or. The first player ever to achieve that feat. What a remarkable player!
As a true football fan, you just can’t resist loving Messi. His presence on the pitch alone will almost guarantee his team a win. This explains why many punters will always include a Messi team in their accumulators. By the way, if you are a sports fastest withdrawal betting sites and need tips and predictions to make more winnings, you can always look up mightytips. It would also help if sports bettors could follow Kate Richardson, a professional tipster with an excellent track record of making the right picks and predictions that almost guarantee winning when wagering on sports. That way, you can curtail your losses and win more.
So, who is Lionel Messi, and how did he achieve the big success stories in soccer, attain love, and global recognition? This article will tell you all you need to know about him.
Who is Lionel Messi?
Popularly known as Leo Messi, Luis Lionel Andres Messi is a soccer player of Argentinian origin. The seven-time Ballon d’Or holder was born in Rosario, Argentina, on the 24th of June 1987. He currently leads the attack for the French side, Paris Saint Germain, and the Argentina national team.
He joined the French side last summer from his boyhood club Barcelona. He joined FC Barcelona in 2000 when he was 13 years old. He had joined the Spanish giants because they promised to finance his medical treatments. Messi played for the Catalan giants for many years to show his gratitude to the club, shunning various approaches from rival clubs. He helped them win many significant trophies, including the UEFA Champions League, and many domestic league titles.
In 2012, he scored 91 goals, setting the record for the most goals scored in a calendar year. By the end of 2021, he was announced as the winner of the Ballon D’or award for a record seventh time.
Early Life
As a young boy, Messi always loved tagging along with his older brothers to play soccer with their friends and other boys in their age group. Even though these boys were bigger than he was, he was always willing to play with them.
He had started playing for Grandoli, a club owned by his father from age 5. However, in 1995 when he was 8, he switched to the youth wing of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-based club.
Messi was not as big as most boys in his age group, a cause of worry for his parents. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency which restricted his growth. Messi’s parents, Jorge and Cecilia, could not afford the treatment for his illness. River Plate, a football club in Argentina, also showed interest, but they too could not afford to spare the £500 monthly expense for Messi’s treatment.
Eventually, Carles Rexach, the then sporting director of FC Barcelona, was made aware of Messi’s talent and predicament. After watching him play, Barcelona offered to sign him and take care of his medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain to start a new life. Messi’s family agreed and moved to Spain with the young player to continue his football career.
In Spain, Messi joined the Barcelona B team, where he scored 35 goals in 30 matches, which is more than an average of one goal per game. He soon moved quickly through the junior system ranks, and by October 2004, when he was 16, he made his first official debut for Barcelona’s first team against RCD Espanyol.
When he debuted, he became the third-youngest player to play for FC Barcelona. Messi had his first goal against Albacete Balompie on the 1st of May, 2005. Then, he was 17 years, 10 months, and 7 days old. This made him the youngest player ever to score in a La Liga game for FC Barcelona.
Since then, Messi, with his diminutive stature (5 feet, 7 inches) with a combination of his skills and relentless attacking style, has made goals rain in all his opponents’ nets.
How old is Lionel Messi?
Messi was born on the 24th of June, 1987. At the time of writing this article, he is 34 years old.
Lionel Messi’s Wife and Kids
Messi has been in a relationship with Antonella Roccuzzo, a fellow native of Rosario, since 2008. Roccuzzo was the cousin of his childhood best friend Lucas Scaglia, who is also a soccer player, so he had known her since his childhood.
After keeping the relationship private for a while, they finally went public with their romance. Eventually, the couple tied the knot on the 30th of June, 2017. Messi has 3 boys with his wife, Roccuzzo; Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.
Soccer Career and Teams
Until the end of the 2020/2021 season, when he made a move to PSG on a free transfer, Messi had only played for FC Barcelona since he was signed at 13. He also plays for the Argentina National Team, where he is the captain. In FC Barcelona, he scored 672 goals and made 288 assists.
Messi’s Journey in PSG
Lionel Messi’s contract at PSG was signed at the beginning of the 2021/2022 season. The contract was reported to bind the Argentine to the French side for the next three seasons for a collective net salary of £110 million ($129 million). In his first season, which is the 2021/2022 season, Lionel Messi’s salary will be £30 million.
In the following two seasons, he will earn a net of £40 million per season. So far, as at the time of writing this report, Messi has found the net seven times for the French side. He has also made ten assists for PSG.
Conclusion
When the little man made the emotional move from FC Barcelona to PSG, the whole world thought they had heard the last of him. However, Messi shocked them all by winning his seventh Ballon D’or, the first player to achieve that feat like the magician he is. He is simply what he is, exceptional!