Leo Messi, also known as Lionel Andrés Messi, is an Argentine professional football player who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. His Spanish name is Lionel Andrés Messi (pronunciation: (listen); born on June 24, 1987). Messi, who is recognized as one of the best players of all time, has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, [note 2] a record six European Golden Shoes, and was selected for the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020. He spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, retiring from the team in 2021 after winning a club-record 35 trophies there, including 10 La Liga championships, seven Copa del Rey championships, and four UEFA Champions Leagues. He took home the 2021 Copa América with his nation.
Messi, who was born and bred in central Argentina, moved to Spain at the age of 13 to join Barcelona, where he made his professional debut in October 2004 at the age of 17. Within the following three years, he established himself as a key member of the team, and in his first continuous season in 2008–09, Messi won his first Ballon d'Or at the age of 22 while helping Barcelona win the first treble in Spanish football. Messi became the first player to win the Balloons d'Or four times after three brilliant seasons in which he won the prize four times in a row. He established himself as Barcelona's all-time leading scorer during the 2011–12 season, breaking both La Liga and European records for the number of goals scored in a single season.
Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. He is the third of four children and the husband of steel factory manager Jorge Messi and magnet manufacturing workshop worker Celia Cuccittini. He is the great-grandson of immigrants from Italy's north-central Adriatic Marcie area on his father's side, and on his mother's side, he is predominantly of Italian lineage. [5] Leo, who grew up in a close-knit football-loving family, became passionate about the game at a young age while playing with his older brothers Rodrigo and Mates, as well as his cousins Maximiliano and Emanuel Bianchi, who both went on to play professionally. [11] He joined the neighborhood club Grandly at the age of four.
Messi quickly rose through the ranks of the club during the 2003–04 season, his fourth with Barcelona, making his debut for a record five youth teams in a single season. [31] He played just one official game with the Juveniles B after winning player of the tournament honors in four international preseason tournaments with the squad before being promoted to the Juveniles A, where he scored 18 goals in 11 league games. [32] [33] Then, during the international break, Messi was one of several young players called in to bolster a thin first team. Messi drew the attention of Frank Rijkaard's first squad during a training session, according to French winger Ludovic Gilly: He crushed us all... To avoid this kid's jeers, they were kicking him all over the place.
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