Lionel Messi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, having won 46 team trophies. His career achievements include most goals in a calendar year (91), scoring over 920 senior career goals and providing over 420 assists for club and country, making him the second-highest goalscorer and the highest assist provider in the history of the sport. In addition, he has amassed over 1,150 career appearances and has the 4th most in the 21st century. Messi has been sponsored by the sportswear company Adidas since 2006. He was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019 and 2022. In 2020, Messi became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. In 2026, he appeared on The World's Billionaires list for the first time with a net worth of $1.1 billion. In 2004, Messi made his competitive debut for Barcelona at age 17 and soon emerged as one of the most talented young players in the world, being awarded the FIFPro Young Player of the Year three times in a row from 2006 to 2008. During his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09, he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. This resulted in Messi winning the first of four consecutive Ballons d'Or, and by the 2011–12 season he had set the European record for most goals in a season and established himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. During the 2014–15 season, Messi formed the successful attacking trio MSN with Luis Suárez and Neymar, and helped Barcelona achieve a historic second treble, subsequently earning his fifth Ballon d'Or. Messi was named Barcelona's captain in 2018. While playing for the club, he won a club-record 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. He recorded the most goals for a single club (672) and most goals in La Liga (474). Financial difficulties at Barcelona forced Messi to depart in 2021 and sign with Paris Saint-Germain. During the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season, he registered 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 matches, helping PSG win the Ligue 1 title for the second time since he signed with the club. He joined the MLS club Inter Miami in 2023 and led them to their first MLS Cup victory in 2025, while also winning the league MVP award in 2024 and 2025. Following his arrival and impact on football in the United States, Messi was named Time's Athlete of the Year in 2023, a

In Their Own Story

The turning point for Lionel Messi's international career arrived in 2021, marking the end of a 28-year wait for major silverware with Argentina. After representing his country in six World Cups and seven Copa Américas since his 2005 debut, the pressure had mounted over years of criticism regarding his lack of team honors. That changed when he captained the squad to victory in the 2021 Copa América. This triumph was quickly followed by the 2022 Finalissima, solidifying a new era of success. The pinnacle came later that year at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where his leadership guided Argentina to the ultimate prize. He continued to deliver on the biggest stage, leading the team to their fourth Copa América title in 2024, completing a remarkable turnaround from the years of scrutiny.

Reader's Guide

Early life: Lionel Andrés Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. His father, Jorge Messi (1958–2026), was the head of department at an Acindar pressed steel manufacturing plant in Villa Constitución. His mother, Celia Cuccittini, worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. Messi's parents met as youngsters in the Las Heras district of Rosario, where Messi would later grow up. Jorge and Celia married in 1978, after Jorge completed military service in the Argentine Armed Forces. On his father's side, Messi is of Italian and Spanish descent, the great-grandson of immigrants from the Marche region of Italy (with his surname coming from Porto Recanati), and on his mother's side he has primarily Italian ancestry. Growing up in a tight-knit, football-loving family, "Leo" developed a passion for the sport from an early age, playing constantly with his older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and his cousins, Maximiliano and Emanuel Biancucchi, both of whom later became professional footballers. Messi also has a younger sister, María Sol. At the age of four, Messi joined the local football club Abanderado Grandoli where he was coached by his father. His maternal grandmother, Celia, accompanied him to training and matches. He was greatly affected by her death, shortly before his eleventh birthday. Since then, as a devout Catholic, he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute to his grandmother. Messi has a general understanding of English but cannot speak it fluently, and has expressed regret for refusing to learn the language during his childhood. Youth career: Messi started playing for the Rosario-based football club Newell's Old Boys when he was seven years old; he would become a lifelong supporter of the club. During the six years he played for Newell's, he scored almost 500 goals, and was a member of "The Machine of '87", a nearly unbeatable youth team named for the year of their birth. Messi regularly entertained crowds by performing ball tricks during half-time, when the Newell's first team played home games. His goalscoring idol growing up was Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who Messi called "the best forward I've ever seen". Messi's future as a professional player was threatened when, at the age of 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. He began growth hormone therapy at age 11; however, h

Did You Know?

• Messi is the all-time leading goalscorer (125) and most-capped player (207) of the Argentina national team.
• He is the first player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice.
• Messi recorded the most assists in the FIFA World Cup (12) and most assists in international football (65).
• He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US president Joe Biden in 2025.