Lionel Messi Story
Lionel Messi is one of the best players in the world. Some players feel he’s an alien, while others think of him as a magician because of the things he does with the ball. He recently won the FIFA World Cup with the Argentina team, which added another feather to his cap in the football world.
What does growing up look like for Lionel Messi? How did he become one of the biggest players in the world? What are some of his achievements? This article will answer these questions and more. Let’s get right into it!
Messi’s Story From Childhood Till Date
Lionel Andres Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina on the 24th of June 1987, like every normal child in the world. He lived with his father, Jorge and mother, Celia, alongside his three siblings. Messi’s first real influence as a player was his grandmother, Celia.
At just four years old, Lionel joined the worst team in his town – Grand Ole, at the advice of his grandmother. Two years later, Messi joined the Newell’s Old Boys youth team at the invitation of the club’s academic director, Carlos Marconi.
When Messi turned ten, his dream of being a footballer nearly died because he was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency. His father’s health insurance only covered two years of the Growth Hormone Treatment, which cost around $1000 a month. Initially, Newell’s Old Boys agreed to pay for Lionel’s treatment, but before long, they were no longer willing to invest long-term in such a young boy.
Messi’s parents took him to Catalonia, where they attended a trial with La Masia, Barcelona’s Famed Youth Academy. This is one of the opportunities Messi had to play for the biggest club in the world. But, he also needed the team’s help to continue his treatment for his illness.
At his trial at the club, 13-year-old Lionel scored five goals. Barcelona’s first team director, Carlos Risak decided he wanted to sign Messi within two minutes, but the board wasn’t sure about his decision. Risak threw caution to the wind and signed Messi.
Then, Barcelona agreed to pay for Leo’s treatment and in 2001, he joined La Masia. You can check out Waitakere United to get more detailed information about prolific footballers like Messi.
How Messi Grew up to Become one of the Best Footballers of his Generation
One thing is consistent with Messi throughout his formative years – he had a passion for football and kept improving with every single game. In 2003, he got an invitation to the Barcelona senior team and played his first match at 16 years, four months, and 23 days old.
Two years down the line, he scored his first goal for the club with an assist from Ronaldinho, his godfather. The little boy from Rosario grew to become one of the biggest players the club has seen.
Lionel won awards during his time at Barcelona, including the prestigious FIFA Ballon d’Or. He also shattered several records, like being the World’s top scorer in a calendar year and the first player to score 100 goals in an International Competition.
After spending about 20 years playing for Barcelona, Messi signed a new contract with PSG on August 10th, 2021. He made a total of 75 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain and scored 32 goals and made 35 assists. Then, in 2023, Messi signed a new contract with Inter Miami after his contract at Paris Saint-Germain ended.
Most people might argue that the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate is over between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo because Messi won the World Cup in 2022. Before 2022, both players had achieved great feats in club and international football and were always pitched alongside each other.
Lionel Scolani brought in fresh legs to the team and mixed them with experienced players like Messi, Di Maria, and Otamendi for the FIFA World Cup competition in 2022 and that might have been the game changer.
The team became better with every game and played compact football. Messi, as always, was exceptional in every single game and was involved in most of the goals scored by the team throughout the competition. Argentina beat France in penalty to lift the prestigious trophy in 2022.
Messi’s Career Stats in Club and International Football
According to the official website of Barcelona, Lionel played a total of 837 games and scored 709 goals for the club. His stat at Paris Saint-Germain shows that he played a total of 75 games and scored 32 goals.
According to the official website of Inter Maimi, Messi’s current stats show that he has played a total of 18 games and scored 13 goals with 15 assists. The Argentine striker has played a total of 187 games for Argentina and scored 109 goals.
Messi’s Awards and Achievement
Messi has won several awards in club and international football. Some of them include the following:
- Eight Ballon d’Or – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023
- Four Best FIFA Men’s Player – 2009, 2019, 2022, and 2023
- Twenty-three Top Goal Scorer
- Three UEFA Best Player in Europe – 2009, 2011, and 2015
- One World Cup – 2022
- Two Copa América – 20/21 and 23/24
- Four Champions League
- Ten Spanish League
Some Players Messi Looked up to While Growing up
The first player that Messi looked up to while growing up was Riquelme, one of Barcelona’s phenomenal players. Another player Messi idolized was Ronaldinho, who helped Messi blend easily into Barcelona’s first team.
Ronaldinho was the mastermind behind the first goal Messi scored at Barcelona. It is safe to say that Ronaldinho is one of the biggest influences on Messi at Barcelona. Messi evolved and grew even better as a footballer when Ronaldinho left the Barcelona team.
Conclusion
The football world has witnessed the reign of several prolific players in the past like Pele, Maradona, and Lima Ronaldo who all changed the game and made it even more popular. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the biggest players the football world has seen in the last decade.
Some people believe that Lionel Messi is the greatest player in football history because he recently won the World Cup, while others still think it is Ronaldo. Lionel Messi doesn’t seem bothered by the noise, as he’s more focused on his career and family.
