Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. He plays forward for and captains Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Considered one of football's all-time greats, he has won eight Ballons d'Or, six European Golden Shoes, and was named FIFA's world best player eight times. In 2025, the IFFHS named him the All Time Men's World Best Player. He became the first team-sport athlete to win the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, taking the award in 2020 and 2023. Time magazine listed him among the world's 100 most influential people in 2011, 2012, and 2023.

Messi is the most decorated footballer ever, with 46 team trophies. He holds the record for most goals in a calendar year (91), has scored over 920 senior career goals, and provided over 420 assists for club and country—making him the sport's second-highest scorer and highest assist provider. He has made more than 1,150 career appearances, the fourth most in the 21st century. Sponsored by Adidas since 2006, Forbes ranked him the world's highest-paid athlete in 2019 and 2022. In 2020, he became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. By 2026, he appeared on The World's Billionaires list with a net worth of $1.1 billion.

Messi made his competitive debut for Barcelona in 2004 at age 17, quickly emerging as a top young talent. He won the FIFPro Young Player of the Year three years running from 2006 to 2008. In his first uninterrupted season (2008–09), he helped Barcelona secure the first treble in Spanish football, earning the first of four consecutive Ballons d'Or. By the 2011–12 season, he had set the European record for most goals in a season and became Barcelona's all-time top scorer. During 2014–15, he formed the MSN trio with Luis Suárez and Neymar, leading Barcelona to a second treble and winning his fifth Ballon d'Or.

Named Barcelona captain in 2018, Messi won a club-record 34 trophies there, including ten La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. He holds the records for most goals for a single club (672) and most goals in La Liga (474). Financial troubles forced him to leave Barcelona in 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain. In the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season, he scored 16 goals and added 16 assists in 32 matches, helping PSG win the league title for the second time since his arrival. He joined Inter Miami in 2023, leading them to their first MLS Cup in 2025 and winning league MVP in 2024 and 2025. Time named him Athlete of the Year in 2023, and US president Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025.

For Argentina, Messi is the all-time leading scorer (125 goals) and most-capped player (207 appearances). After his senior debut in 2005, he won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. As captain from 2011, he led Argentina to finals of the 2014 World Cup, 2015 Copa América, and Copa América Centenario—all losses. He briefly retired from international football in 2016 but soon returned. He led Argentina to victory at the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice. He won his third major international title at the 2024 Copa América. At the 2026 World Cup, he led Argentina to a second consecutive final, earning his second Silver Boot and the Silver Ball, then retired from international football. He holds the records for most assists in the FIFA World Cup (12) and most assists in international football (65).

Messi grew up in Rosario, the son of Jorge Messi, a factory department head, and Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet workshop. His parents met in the Las Heras district and married in 1978. On his father's side, he is of Italian and Spanish descent, with roots in the Marche region; on his mother's side, primarily Italian. He played constantly with older brothers Rodrigo and Matías, and cousins Maximiliano and Emanuel Biancucchi (both later professional footballers).

He also has a younger sister, María Sol. At age four, he joined local club Abanderado Grandoli, coached by his father. His maternal grandmother, Celia, attended his training and matches; her death shortly before his eleventh birthday deeply affected him. A devout Catholic, he celebrates goals by pointing to the sky in her memory.

Messi has a general understanding of English but does not speak it fluently, regretting not learning it as a child. At age seven, he began playing for Newell's Old Boys in Rosario.