1. Overview
Messi began playing football as a child and was spotted by Barcelona. He left his hometown club Newell’s Old Boys in 2000 and moved to Spain with his family after Barcelona offered to help pay for his treatment for a growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004â05 season, he broke the La Liga record for youngest player to play and became the youngest player to score in the competition at the time. Trophies came to Barca in Messi’s first season, with the La Liga title, and they won the double of La Liga and the Champions League in 2006. 2006â07 was his breakthrough season: he became a regular in the first team, scoring a hat-trick in El ClĂĄsico and finishing the season with 14 goals in 26 games. The 2008â09 season was Messi’s most successful season, with 38 goals, playing a key role in the Catalan club’s sextuple. This record was later broken in the 2009â10 season, when Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling Ronaldo’s record for Barcelona. He surpassed this record again in the 2010â11 season with 53 goals in all competitions. In the 2011â12 season, he set a record for the most goals scored in a La Liga season with 50 goals, and also set a record for the most goals scored in a season in all competitions with 73 goals.
Since he started playing for Barcelona in 2005, he has been a key player in every victory of the Catalan giants. Together with Barcelona, ââMessi has won many different titles, including 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League titles, and 6 Spanish King’s Cup titles. He scored 2 goals in 2 finals in 2009 and 2011 against Manchester United. He currently holds the record for most goals scored in a season for Barcelona with 73 goals. He is also the first person to win the UEFA Champions League Top Scorer award 3 times in a row since the tournament was renamed.
Messi is the first player in football history to receive the Golden Ball 5 times (counting both before and after merging the two FIFA Player of the Year awards and the European Golden Ball into the FIFA Golden Ball in 2011), ranked above legends such as Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten, who all received the Golden Ball three times and is the second player to receive the Golden Ball three times in a row, after Michel Platini. In 2012, Messi became the first player to score five goals in a UEFA Champions League match, in a 7â1 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Later that year, he broke the record for being the player who scored the most goals in a calendar year with 91 goals. Two years later, Messi finished second in the race to win the Golden Ball, behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
By the 2014-15 season, Messi was the driving force that helped Barcelona win the treble for the second time in the club’s history. He continued to win 3 more La Liga titles with the team in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Messi currently holds the record for the player who scores the most goals and assists the most goals in La Liga, and is also the Top scorer in Barcelona club history. Messi also became the second player, after Xavi, to have 700 appearances in Barcelona’s shirt. Messi has scored 614 goals for the Barcelona club, only needs to score 30 more goals to break PelĂ©’s record, the player who scores the most goals for one club (643 goals).
Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 U-20 World Cup with 6 goals, including 2 goals in the final. Not long after that, he was called up to the Argentina national football team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine player to compete in a World Cup and finished second in the 2007 Copa AmĂ©rica. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international title. when winning the Olympic gold medal with Argentina’s Olympic team. He is currently the player with the most goals for the Argentina National Football Team. As captain of the national team since August 2011, he and the Argentina team reached the finals of three consecutive major tournaments: World Cup 2014, the tournament in which he won the Golden Ball, along with two Copa America in 2015 and 2016.
After announcing his retirement from the national team in 2016, he reversed his decision and led the Argentina team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. With 70 goals for the national football team Argentina, Messi is the second South American player after PelĂ© to score the most goals at Copa America (77 goals). On July 31, Messi set a record of becoming the player who won the most FIFA Player of the Year awards (The Best FIFA Men’s Player) (6 times). On December 2, 2019, at the 64th Golden Ball awards ceremony in Paris, France. Messi won the Golden Ball for a record 6th time, becoming the first player to win 6 Golden Balls, more than his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo (5 times).
2. Childhood
Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina to father Jorge Horacio Messi (born 1958), a factory worker, and mother Celia Maria Cuccittini, a janitor. His paternal family originated from the city of Ancona in Italy and moved to Argentina in 1883. He had a younger sister named Maria Sol and two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matias. At the age of 5, Messi began playing football for Grandoli, a local team coached by his father.
In 1995, Messi moved to Newell’s Old Boys, a team located in his hometown of Rosario. At age 11, he was diagnosed with a problem with growth hormone. Club River Plate has shown interest in Messi, but does not have enough money to pay for his medical treatment, which costs about $900 a month. Carles Rexach, FC Barcelona’s sporting director, was interested in his talent because Messi had acquaintances in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father arranged a trial. Barcelona signed a contract with him after seeing him play, agreeing to pay for medical treatment and guarantee Messi’s family’s jobs if he moved to Spain. What is special is that the initial contract The agreement between him and the club was drafted on napkin with signatures of both parties. On December 14, 2000, his family moved to Europe and he began playing for the youth soccer team.
3. Club career
3.1. Barcelona
Lionel Messi made his unofficial debut for the Barca first team in a friendly match against FC Porto on 16 November 2003 (at the age of 16 years and 145 days). Almost a year later, Frank Rijkaard gave him his first La Liga debut against Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at the age of 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third youngest player to ever play for Barca and became the youngest player of a La Liga team (this achievement was later broken by Bojan KrkiÄ in September 2007). When he scored his first official goal for the team against Albacete on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest player to ever score for Barcelona in La Liga until 1995. 2007 when this achievement was broken by Bojan Krkic with a goal from an assist from Messi.[35] Talking about former coach Rijkaard, Messi said: “I will never forget that he was the one who started my career. That he put his trust in me when I was 16 or 17 years old.
3.1.2. 2005â06 season
Messi, aged 18, playing with MĂĄlaga in 2005
On 16 September 2005, for the second time in three months, Barcelona gave Messi an update on his contract; this time it was improved and he was considered a member of the first team and his contract would run until June 2014. Messi was granted Spanish citizenship on 26 September 2005 and was subsequently allowed to make his La Liga debut. His first Champions League match was against Udinese on 27 September at the Camp Nou. In this match, Messi, with his ball control and his combination with Ronaldinho, made a big impression as Barcelona won 4â1 against the Italian club.
Messi scored 6 goals in 17 appearances in the national championship, and scored 1 goal in the C1 Cup in 6 appearances. However, his season ended on 7 March 2006 after he encountered a Injured in the second leg of the Champions League knockout round against Chelsea. Frank Rijkaard and Barcelona ended the season with the Spanish and European championships.
3.1.3. 2006â07 season
In the 2006â07 season, Messi established himself as a regular starter, scoring 14 goals in 26 appearances. On 12 November, against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a serious injury that kept him out for three months. Messi recovered from his injury in Argentina, and returned against Racing Santander on 11 February, in which he came on as a substitute. On 11 March, El Clasico saw Messi in top form as he scored a hat-trick to help 10-man Barça hold Real Madrid to a 3â3 draw, with the final goal coming in injury time. In doing so, he became the first player since IvĂĄn Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994â95 season) to score a hat-trick in El Clasico. Messi was also the youngest player to ever score in such a match (19 years, 8 months and 14 days). This led to him scoring more regularly towards the end of the season; 11 of his 14 La Liga goals came in his final 13 games.
Messi against Rangers in 2007
Messi also proved that people calling him “the new Maradona” is not wrong by scoring the famous goals that Diego Maradona once scored. On April 18, 2007, he scored two goals in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to the goal considered the Best of the Century. The world’s sports community compared him to Maradona, and the Spanish press gave him the name “Messidona”. He ran the same distance, 62m, beat the same number of players (6 players including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran to the corner flag just like Maradona did 21 years ago. before. In an interview after the match, his teammate Deco said: “That was the most beautiful goal I have ever seen in my life.” In the match against RCD Espanyol, Messi also scored a goal similar to the goal that Maradona scored against England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup. Messi rushed forward and used his hands to put the ball into the net of goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. Although the Espanyol players reacted very violently and the video tape also proved that it was a handball, the goal was still recognized.
3.1.3. 2007â08 season
In the 2007â08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week as Barça finished fourth in La Liga. On 19 September 2007, he scored a goal as Barcelona beat Olympique Lyonnais 3â0 at home in the Champions League. He scored twice against Sevilla on 22 September and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4â1 win over Real Zaragoza. On 27 February 2008, Messi played his 100th official match for Barça against Valencia CF.
He was named in the Professional Footballers’ Association Team of the Year for his forward position. An online poll conducted by Spanish newspaper Marca saw him named the world’s best player with 77 percent of the vote. Commentators from El Mundo Deportivo and Sport said the Ballon d’Or should go to Messi, a claim supported by Franz Beckenbauer. Professional players such as Francesco Totti have said they consider Messi to be one of the best players in the world today.
Messi was sidelined for 6 weeks after an injury he suffered on March 4 in a match against Celtic in the C1 Cup. It was the 4th time in 3 seasons that Messi encountered the same type of injury.
3.1.4. 2008â09 season
After Ronaldinho left the club, Messi inherited the number 10 shirt. On 1 October 2008, in a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi, after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, scored twice in the final seven minutes, helping Barcelona come from behind to win 2â1. The next match was against Athletico Madrid, a clash between Messi and Sergio AgĂŒero. Messi scored a free kick and assisted another as Barca won 6â1. Messi scored another impressive goal against Sevilla FC, volleying from 25 yards and then dribbling past the goalkeeper to score another goal. On 13 December 2008, in the first El Clasico of the season, Messi scored the second goal as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2â0. He was also voted Player of the Year for the second time with 678 points.
Messi scored his first hat trick in 2009 in the Copa del Rey in the match against Athletico Madrid to help Barcelona win 3-1. Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, after coming off the bench to help Barcelona come from behind to beat Racing Santander 2â1. The second of those two goals was Barca’s 5,000th goal in La Liga. In round 28 of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal in all competitions that season, helping the team beat MĂĄlaga CF 6-0. On 8 April 2009, he scored 2 goals against Bayern Munich in the European Cup, setting a personal record of 8 goals in the competition. On 18 April, Messi scored his 20th goal of the season in a 1â0 win over Getafe CF, helping Barcelona extend their lead to 6 points over Real Madrid.
Messi faces Michael Carrick in the C1 Cup final
As Barcelona prepared to end the season, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to seal a 6â2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago BernabĂ©u in Real’s heaviest defeat since 1930. After scoring each goal, he ran to the fans and lifted his shirt to reveal a T-shirt with the words SĂndrome X FrĂ gil (Fragile X Syndrome), in support of children suffering from the disease. Messi also assisted AndrĂ©s Iniesta’s stoppage-time winner in the European Cup semi-final to send Barcelona into the final against Manchester United. He won the Copa del Rey for the first time on 13 May, scoring once and assisting twice in a 4â1 win over Athletic Bilbao. He helped the team complete a double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barca win the European Cup with a header that doubled the Catalans’ lead; he also finished as the top scorer in the competition. He was the youngest player in history to win the trophy with nine goals. Messi was also voted the best striker of the year: the best player in Europe after an incredible year. The victory meant that Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, the European Cup and La Liga in one season, and they were the first Spanish team to win the treble.
3.1.5. 2009â10 season
After winning the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola said Messi was the best player he had ever seen.
On 18 September, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, âârunning until 2016 with a buyout clause of âŹ250 million, including a salary of âŹ9.5 million per year, making him the highest-paid player in La Liga, along with teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Four days later, on 22 September, Messi scored two goals and assisted one in Barca’s 4â1 win over Racing Santander. Messi scored his first goal in European competition on 29 September in a 2â0 win over Dynamo Kyiv. Messi took his tally to six goals in seven La Liga games with a goal in a 6â1 win over Real Zaragoza and also scored a penalty in a 4â2 win over RCD Mallorca on 7 November. On 1 December 2009, Messi won the Ballon d’Or, beating Cristiano Ronaldo by a record 473 to 233. Afterwards, France Football magazine quoted Messi as saying: “I dedicate it to my family. They have always been there when I needed them and sometimes it feels like they are stronger than me.”
Messi in the Joan Gamper Cup match between Barcelona and Manchester City at Camp Nou Stadium
On 19 December 2009, Messi scored the winning goal in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Final against Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi. Two days later, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year; beating Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, KakĂĄ and AndrĂ©s Iniesta to the award. This was his first time winning the award, and he became the first Argentine to win the award. On 10 January 2010, Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2010 and his first of the season in a 5â0 win over CD Tenerife. On 17 January, Messi scored his 100th goal for the club in a 4â0 win over Sevilla FC.
He then began an impressive scoring run with 11 goals in 5 matches. Starting with a goal in the 84th minute in a 2-1 win over MĂĄlaga CF, he then scored 2 goals in a 2-2 draw with UD AlmerĂa. He continued his impressive form with an excellent week in which he scored eight goals; starting with a hat trick in a 3-0 home win over Valencia CF, then scoring 2 goals in a 4-0 win over VfB Stuttgart that put Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the European Cup and finally scoring another hat trick in a win 4 -2 against Zaragoza, becoming the first Barcelona player to score 2 consecutive hattricks in La Liga. He played his 200th official match for Barcelona against CA Osasuna on 24 March 2010. On 6 April 2010, in the first time Messi scored 4 goals in a match, he scored four goals in the win 4-1 against Arsenal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. This also pushed him past Rivaldo to become the player who scored the most goals for Barca in this tournament. After that, Barcelona had to stop in the semi-finals of Europe’s most prestigious arena after losing to Inter Milan with a total score of 2-3 after 2 matches. On 10 April 2010, Messi scored his 40th goal of the season when he scored the first goal in a 2-0 El Clasico win over Real Madrid. He completed a quite successful season with a double against Valladolid in the final round, bringing the team to the La Liga championship with a record score: 99 points/38 matches.
3.1.6. 2010â11 season
On 21 August 2010, Messi started the season with a hat-trick in a 4â0 win over Sevilla in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup (after a 1â3 first-leg defeat), thus helping Barcelona to their first trophy of the season. His opening La Liga goal of the season came in the first round against Racing Santander on 29 August 2010. Messi also had a perfect start to the UEFA Champions League with a brace against Panathinaikos and two assists (he missed a penalty in Barcelona’s 5â1 win).
On November 20, in the match where Barcelona defeated rival UD AlmerĂa 8-0, Messi scored his second hat trick of the season. The second goal in this hat trick was his 100th goal in La Liga. He also set a personal record by increasing his streak of scoring consecutive goals for Barcelona to 9 (Messi also scored in a friendly match with Brazil in an Argentina shirt shortly after). That achievement was stopped when he failed to score in the super classic match against Real Madrid on November 29, although Messi was still a good player and made an important contribution in Barcelona’s 5-0 victory. , especially 2 passes to assist David Villa to score (double). In the following rounds, Messi still played in brilliant form with double goals against opponents CA Osasuna and Real Sociedad. He has a total of 60 goals for the club and national team on all fronts (including 58 goals/54 matches for Barcelona club).
Messi in the UEFA Champions League round of 16
Messi is on the list of three shortlisted candidates for the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball title (along with Iniesta and Xavi). On January 10, 2011, during the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball Award Gala, the first award combined by FIFA Player of the Year and European Golden Ball, Messi surprised everyone by surpassing The remaining two candidates to win the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball title, although he had an unsuccessful performance at the 2010 World Cup.
Just two days after being awarded the award, he scored his first hat-trick of 2011 and his third hat-trick of the season against Real Betis. He began the second half of the season with a penalty kick against Racing Santander. After scoring, Messi ran towards the photographers at the end of the pitch, pulling up his shirt to reveal the words “Happy Birthday Mum” printed on his undershirt. He continued his scoring form with a brace against AlmerĂa in the 2010â11 Copa del Rey semi-final, and another brace less than a week later against HĂ©rcules CF. On 5 February, Barcelona broke the record for most consecutive wins in the competition with 16 wins after they defeated AtlĂ©tico Madrid 3â0 at the Camp Nou.
After 2 matches without scoring any goals, he scored in Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao. The following week, he scored from a header for the first time of the season in a 3â0 away win over Mallorca. This victory equaled the record of 19 unbeaten away matches in La Liga set by Real Sociedad in the 1979â80 season. Three days later, this record was broken when Messi scored the only goal in a victory over Valencia. On 8 March, Messi scored two goals against Arsenal in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, helping Barcelona win 3â1 and reach the quarter-finals of the tournament. After not scoring a goal for a month, he scored a double against AlmerĂa. The second goal also helped him equal the club record of 47 goals he set last season. He broke his record on 12 April 2011 by scoring the only goal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final against Shakhtar Donetsk, which also put him in the record books as the top goalscorer in the competition. 1 season for Barcelona. With the goal that sealed the 1â1 draw at the Santiago BernabĂ©u, he scored 8 times in the super classic match.
Messi in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid
In the Champions League semi-final first leg, he had a memorable performance when he scored 2 goals against Real Madrid, the second goal was a solo dribble through the block of 5 players before skillfully finishing. score to defeat goalkeeper Casillas. In the final at Wembley, Messi scored a goal to increase the score to 2-1 against Manchester United, thereby bringing Barcelona its third Champions League title in 6 years and its fourth championship in history. club history. This is also Messi’s 12th goal in the Champions League this season, helping him equal Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s record of 12 goals in a European Cup season, since the tournament was renamed UEFA Champions League in 1992. If calculated throughout the history of the European Cup, JosĂ© Altafini is the person who scored the most goals in a season with 14 goals, although Messi also equaled this record the following season. At the end of the 2010-11 season, he had a total of 53 goals and 24 assists in all competitions.
3.1.7. 2011â12 season
In the 2011 Spanish Super Cup match, Messi scored a total of 3 goals and had 2 assists, helping Barca overcome Real Madrid with a total score of 5â4. With 3 goals against Real over 2 matches, Messi increased the number of times he conceded against this team to 13 and surpassed RaĂșl GonzĂĄlez (6 goals) to become the top scorer in the Super Cup (8 goals). table). He and Barca reaped another title when scoring from midfielder Fredy GuarĂn’s careless pass and assisting Cesc FĂ bregas to set the score 2â0 in the European Super Cup match against Porto.
After two consecutive matches without a victory, Barcelona had a devastating 8-0 win over CA Osasuna, in which Messi scored a hat-trick and had a special celebration by clapping his hands repeatedly. thighs instead of pointing to the sky every time he scores a goal like usual. This is his way of celebrating Soufian, a 10-year-old Moroccan boy with Laurin Sandrow syndrome, a very rare disease that causes deformities in the limbs.
On September 28, Messi scored his first two goals in the 2011â12 Champions League against BATE Borisov and became the second top scorer in the team’s history, equaling LĂĄszlĂł Kubala’s record of 194 goals in all competitions. official match. He continued to surpass this record when he scored a double against Racing Santander and ranked only behind CĂ©sar RodrĂguez with 232 goals. He is also the second highest scorer in La Liga for Barcelona with 132 goals, 1 goal more than Kubala. He scored his 200th goal for Barcelona and scored two more in a hat-trick in the next match against Viktoria PlzeĆ in the Champions League.
Messi scored twice against Santos FC in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final and was voted man of the match and awarded the Golden Ball for his performances at the tournament.
Messi and teammates in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final
Messi became the first player to win the UEFA Best Player in Europe award, beating teammate Xavi HernĂĄndez and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. He also beat the same two players to win the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or. By winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or again, Messi became the fourth player to win three Ballons d’Or, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco Van Basten, and the second player after Michel Platini to win the award three times in a row. He also won the IFFHS International Top Scorer Award, with 19 goals in 2011.
On 19 February 2012, Messi, in his 200th La Liga match, scored 4 goals in a 5â1 win over Valencia CF. On March 7, Messi set a record of becoming the first player to score 5 goals in a Champions League match since the tournament was renamed in 1992, helping the defending champion defeat Bayer Leverkusen 7 -first.
On 20 March, with a hat-trick in a 5â3 win over Granada CF, he surpassed the record of 232 goals set by legendary CĂ©sar RodrĂguez to become the top scorer in official competitions for FC Barcelona.
On April 3, Messi scored his 14th goal in the Champions League when he successfully scored two penalties against Milan in the quarter-final second leg. This number of goals helped him surpass his own record as well as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of 12 goals in a UEFA Champions League season and match JosĂ© Altafini’s record of 14 goals in a European Cup season ( 1962â63 season), before the tournament was renamed the UEFA Champions League in 1992. However, Messi was unable to score in the semi-finals even though he had a successful pass in the second leg, and he also Missed an important penalty when the ball hit the crossbar.
On April 11, Messi scored his 61st goal in the match against Getafe CF, and made 2 assists. On May 2, he scored a hat-trick against MĂĄlaga CF to surpass Gerd MĂŒller’s record (67 goals in 1972-73 season) with 68 goals, thereby becoming Europe’s highest scoring striker in a single period. Season. He then scored four times in the match against RCD Espanyol on 5 May to increase his number of goals in all competitions this season to 72, becoming the second person to reach the 70-goal mark in a season after Archie. Stark of Bethlehem Steel in the American Soccer League in the 1924-1925 season.
Messi against Real Madrid in the 2011â12 Copa del Rey
On 25 May, he scored again in the 2012 Copa del Rey final, helping Barcelona win their 26th Spanish Cup, and taking his goals tally for the season to a record 73 in all competitions. This was Guardiola’s final match as Barcelona manager, and Messi’s second Copa del Rey, after they lost the final a year earlier, and Barcelona’s 14th title under Guardiola. Despite failing to win a fourth consecutive La Liga title and finishing second behind arch-rivals Real Madrid, Messi finished the 2011â12 season with a record 50 La Liga goals and was the top scorer in La Liga for the second time. He was also the second-highest assist provider in La Liga that season with 16 assists, behind Mesut Ăzil (17). He also won the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot for the fourth consecutive time with 14 goals.[158] and was one of the tournament’s top assist providers with five assists. He finished the season with more goals and assists than any other player, with 73 goals and 29 assists in all club competitions.
3.1.8. 2012â13 season
In the first match of the season against Real Sociedad, Messi scored 2 goals in a 5-1 victory at the Nou Camp. Messi continued to score on the penalty spot in the 3-2 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on August 23. He scored a double to help Barca make a comeback away from home against Osasuna with the score 2-1 and scored another goal from a free kick in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. However, Barcelona, ââwith only 10 people on the field, were defeated by Real Madrid on the away goals rule. This is also Messi’s 15th goal in super classic matches between Real Madrid-Barcelona, ââmaking him the top scorer for Barcelona in El ClĂĄsico matches, equal to RaĂșl’s achievement and only behind Alfredo Di Stefano (18 goals). Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both ranked second in the 2012 UEFA European Player of the Year election with only 17 votes, behind his teammate at Barcelona, ââAndrĂ©s Iniesta. Messi scored 2 goals in a victory over Getafe on September 15 and scored twice in the opening match of the 2012-13 Champion League against Spartak Moscow on September 20, the match ended 3-2 in favor of Barcelona.
On November 11, with two goals against Real Mallorca and his 75th and 76th goals in 2012, Messi surpassed PelĂ©’s milestone of 75 goals in a year, and was just less than the all-time record. Gerd MĂŒller’s era 9 more goals. His 77th and 78th goals came in the match against Real Zaragoza at Nou Camp, thereby narrowing the gap to 7 goals. On November 20, Messi scored his 79th and 80th goals of 2012 against Spartak Moscow, just 5 goals away from Gerd MĂŒller’s record of 85 goals. On November 25, in round 13 of La Liga, he continued to shorten this number to 3 goals with another double to help Barca defeat Levante 4-0 and increase the gap with Real to 11 points. On December 1, Messi scored his 83rd and 84th goals in the match against Athletic Bilbao, meaning he was only 1 goal behind MĂŒller. Two goals in this match also helped Messi equal CĂ©sar RodrĂguez’s 190 goals for Barcelona in La Liga.
On December 5, he was injured after a collision with goalkeeper Artur Moraes and had to leave the field in the 84th minute in a 0 – 0 draw between Barcelona and Benfica. On December 9, after recovering from injury, he scored 2 more goals in the match against Real Betis, his 85th and 86th goals in 2012, to officially break the 40-year record of Gerd Muller and He also surpassed Rodriguez to become Barcelona’s top scorer in La Liga. Messi once again shined in La Liga when he scored a double against Cordobad to reach the mark of 88 goals/year. But his record is not recognized by FIFA. And FIFA itself has never recognized Gerd MĂŒller’s record of 85 goals/year. However, after that, seemingly realizing the fierce criticism from public opinion, FIFA “cleverly” recognized Messi’s record by choosing the moment when Messi scored a double against Betis, thereby officially recognizing Messi’s record. Breaking Gerd Muller’s record of 85 goals, was one of the memorable moments of world football in 2012.
Joy continued to come to Messi when entering the new year 2013, he set another record when he entered the new year 2013. won the FIFA Golden Ball for the fourth consecutive time with 41.60% of the votes, much higher than Cristiano Ronaldo, who only had 23.68% of the votes, and AndrĂ©s Iniesta, who had 10.91%. On February 16, 2013, Messi scored twice to surpass the 300-goal milestone for Barcelona in a La Liga match against Granada CF. On March 2, 2013, Messi scored in a 2-1 loss against Real Madrid. With that goal, Lionel Messi equaled the number of 18 goals scored in Alfredo Di Stefano’s classic matches. On March 9, 2013, Messi came on as a substitute in the match against Deportivo de La Coruña and broke the world record by scoring in 17 consecutive matches in one tournament (La Liga). His streak of achievements continued to reach 33 goals in 21 matches and only stopped when Barcelona met Atletico Madrid.
On March 12, Messi scored twice and assisted the fourth goal of the match, thereby helping Barcelona defeat AC Milan (4â0) in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League. Messi’s opening goal against Milan received a lot of attention and was compared to Diego Maradona’s famous goal against Greece at the 1994 World Cup. March 17, 2013, in the match against Rayo Vallecano , Messi wore the captain’s armband for the first time in an official club match after AndrĂ©s Iniesta was substituted. On March 30, he extended his shooting streak to 19 consecutive matches in La Liga and thus became the first player in La Liga history to score against the remaining 19 teams in consecutive matches.
On 2 April 2013, after opening the scoring against Paris Saint-Germain, Messi suffered a hamstring injury in his left leg and was substituted early in the second half. On 13 May 2013, Messi was forced off the pitch and missed the rest of the match against AtlĂ©tico Madrid due to a recurrence of the left hamstring injury. The club later announced that he would miss the rest of the season due to the injury. In the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona were trailing and Messi, after coming on in the 62nd minute, combined with David Villa to set up Pedro to tie the score at 1â1 (3â3), thereby helping Barça reach the semi-finals on away goals. However, Barcelona were still eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champions Bayern Munich. In addition, the club was eliminated in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey by rivals Real Madrid. However, Barcelona still managed to win the La Liga title from Real Madrid, and re-achieved the 100-point mark they had achieved last season. Messi was once again La Liga’s top scorer for the second consecutive year with 46 goals and 12 assists. He finished the season with a total of 60 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.
3.1.9. 2013â14 season
Messi was nominated for the UEFA European Footballer of the Year award along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck RibĂ©ry for the third year in a row. RibĂ©ry was awarded the award with 36 votes. Messi came in 2nd place with 14 votes, while Ronaldo finished in 3rd place with 3 votes. On August 18, 2013, Messi opened La Liga 2013â14 with a 7-0 victory over Levante UD, in which he had 2 goals and 1 assist. On 28 August, Barcelona won their 11th Super Cup title after defeating AtlĂ©tico Madrid on away goals.
On 1 September, Messi scored his 23rd career hat-trick in a 3â2 win over Valencia CF. With these goals, he became the player with the most away goals in the history of the competition with 100. He also became the sixth top scorer in La Liga history, surpassing Quini’s 219 goals. On 18 September 2013, Messi scored his 24th hat-trick in a 4â0 home win over Ajax in the Champions League. This made him the second-highest goalscorer in the Champions League, behind RaĂșl, with 62, and the fourth-highest in all European leagues with 63. With this hat-trick, Messi also became the first player to score four hat-tricks in the Champions League. On 10 November, Messi suffered an injury in a 4â1 away win against Real Betis that kept him out until January 2014, his third injury of the season.
On January 8, 2014, Messi returned to the field and scored a double against Getafe at Copa del Rey. On 13 January, he ranked 2nd behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the voting for the 2013 FIFA Golden Ball. On 15 February, Messi scored 2 goals against Rayo Vallecano to surpass compatriot Alfredo di StĂ©fano and finish 3rd with RaĂșl in the list of the greatest strikers in La Liga history with 228 goals.
On March 16, 2014, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 7â0 win over Osasuna and surpassed Paulino AlcĂĄntara to become Barça’s top scorer in all competitions including friendly matches. On March 23, he scored another hat-trick in a 4â3 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago BernabĂ©u to become the player with the most goals in super classic matches.
Messi ended the season with the worst after five successful seasons with Barca, although he still scored 41 goals in all matches. For the first time in five years, Barcelona ended the season with nothing; they were defeated 1-2 in the Copa del Rey final by Real Madrid and were eliminated by AtlĂ©tico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Even in La Liga, Barca has been usurped by Atletico. This caused Messi to be booed by fans at Camp Nou. In the second half of the 2013-14 season, doubts continued to exist about Messi’s motivation, many people believed that he was keeping his strength for the 2014 World Cup finals. According to statistics, his contribution from Goals, shots and assists have decreased significantly compared to last season.
Messi signed a new contract on 19 May 2014, just one year after his latest contract update; His salary increased to 20 million euros, or 36 million euros without taxes, the highest salary of a football player.
3.1.10. 2014-15 season
Under new coach Luis Enrique, Messi had a good start to the 2014-2015 season, breaking three records at the end of the year. A hat-trick scored against Sevilla on 22 November made him La Liga’s top scorer as he surpassed the 59-year-old record of 251 goals set by Telmo Zarra. Three days later, he scored another hat-trick against APOEL, surpassing RaĂșl Gonzalez’s record of 71 goals to become the top scorer in Champions League history. A third hat-trick, scored against cross-town rivals Espanyol on 7 December, saw him surpass CĂ©sar RodrĂguez as the top scorer in Derbi barcelonĂ matches with 12 goals. Messi again ranked second in the race to win the 2014 FIFA Golden Ball behind Cristiano Ronaldo, largely thanks to his runner-up performance with Argentina at the 2014 World Cup.
Messi celebrates after his second goal against Granada in September 2014
At the beginning of 2015, Barcelona suddenly performed poorly, and the media said that Messi was considering leaving the club after conflicts with coach Enrique. The incident became even more serious when in the match against Real Sociedad, Enrique confined both Messi and Neymar to the bench. At that time, the team’s board of directors even considered firing Enrique to keep Messi. The risk of this coach losing his job becomes even more clear when it seems that President Bartomeu seems to have found a new coach to replace Enrique, and will replace the coaching chair immediately if Barca continues to receive bad results in the upcoming match. Come to Atletico.
However, a turning point occurred on 11 January in the match against AtlĂ©tico Madrid, for the first time Barça fielded three attacking strikers, Messi, Luis SuĂĄrez and Neymar, dubbed “MSN”, each scoring The goal in that match helped Barca win 3-1, thereby helping Luis Enrique retain his seat and marking a successful start. After 5 years of playing as a striker, Messi returned to his old position on the right wing at the end of last year, at the suggestion of SuĂĄrez, his teammate. Since then, he has regained his form – arguably his best form yet, while SuĂĄrez and Neymar ended the team’s reliance on the Argentine star’s attack. With Messi’s 58 goals, this attacking trio scored a total of 122 goals in all competitions that season, a record in Spanish football.
Äáșżn vĂČng 37 La Liga, Messi ghi bĂ n duy nháș„t trong tráșn tháșŻng 1-0 trÆ°á»c AtlĂ©tico Madrid vĂ o ngĂ y 17 thĂĄng 5 Äá» giĂșp Barca ÄoáșĄt danh hiá»u La Liga. Trong sá» 43 bĂ n tháșŻng của anh á» giáșŁi quá»c ná»i cĂł hat-trick ghi ÄÆ°á»Łc trong 11 phĂșt trÆ°á»c Rayo Vallecano vĂ o ngĂ y 8 thĂĄng 3, ÄĂł lĂ cĂș hat-trick nhanh nháș„t của anh; ÄĂł lĂ hat-trick thứ 32 của Messi cho Barcelona, ââgiĂșp anh vÆ°á»Łt qua Telmo Zarra nhÆ° má»t cáș§u thủ cĂł nhiá»u hat-trick nháș„t trong lá»ch sá» bĂłng ÄĂĄ TĂąy Ban Nha.
NgoĂ i ra, anh lĂ cáș§u thủ cĂł nhiá»u kiáșżn táșĄo nháș„t á» La Liga vá»i tÆ° cĂĄch lĂ nhĂ kiáșżn thiáșżt bĂ n tháșŻng hĂ ng Äáș§u của mĂča giáșŁi vá»i 18 pha dá»n cá», anh vÆ°á»Łt qua LuĂs Figo lĂ cáș§u thủ cĂł nhiá»u kiáșżn táșĄo nháș„t á» La Liga, anh ghi ÄÆ°á»Łc ká»· lỄc thứ 106 trong tráșn Äáș„u vá»i Levante vĂ o ngĂ y 15 thĂĄng 2 ghi ÄÆ°á»Łc hat-trick. Messi sau ÄĂł ghi hai bĂ n khi Barcelona ÄĂĄnh báșĄi Athletic Bilbao 3-1 trong tráșn chung káșżt Copa del Rey vĂ o ngĂ y 30 thĂĄng 5, ÄáșĄt ÄÆ°á»Łc cĂș ÄĂșp thứ sĂĄu trong lá»ch sá» của Äá»i bĂłng. BĂ n tháșŻng má» mĂ n của Leo ÄÆ°á»Łc ca ngợi lĂ má»t trong những Äiá»u vÄ© ÄáșĄi nháș„t trong sá»± nghiá»p của anh; anh ÄĂŁ thu tháșp quáșŁ bĂłng gáș§n ÄÆ°á»ng ná»a chừng vĂ ÄĂĄnh báșĄi bá»n cáș§u thủ Äá»i phÆ°ÆĄng, trÆ°á»c khi vÆ°á»Łt qua thủ mĂŽn Äá» ghi bĂ n á» gĂłc ráș„t háșčp. BĂ n tháșŻng sau ÄĂł ÄÆ°á»Łc báș§u chá»n lĂ má»t trong ba ứng cá» viĂȘn cuá»i cĂčng của giáșŁi FIFA PuskĂĄs nÄm 2015.
Messi má» mĂča giáșŁi 2015-16 báș±ng cĂĄch ghi hai bĂ n từ cĂș ÄĂĄ pháșĄt trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 5-4 của Barcelona (trong hiá»p phỄ) trÆ°á»c Sevilla trong SiĂȘu cĂșp chĂąu Ău. Tuy nhiĂȘn, tháș„t báșĄi vá»i tá»ng tá»· sá» 1-5 trÆ°á»c Athletic Bilbao á» siĂȘu cĂșp TĂąy Ban Nha ÄĂŁ káșżt thĂșc hy vá»ng Än 6 của Äá»i, dĂč Messi ÄĂŁ ghi bĂ n duy nháș„t. VĂ o ngĂ y 16 thĂĄng 9, anh trá» thĂ nh cáș§u thủ tráș» nháș„t ÄĂĄ ÄÆ°á»Łc 100 tráșn táșĄi UEFA Champions League trong tráșn hĂČa 1-1 vá»i Roma.
VĂ o ngĂ y 26 thĂĄng 9, Messi bá» cháș„n thÆ°ÆĄng trong tráșn Äáș„u vá»i Las Palmas của Barcelona; những kiá»m tra sau ÄĂł kháșłng Äá»nh ráș±ng anh ÄĂŁ bá» rĂĄch trong dĂąy cháș±ng bĂȘn cáșĄnh trung bĂŹnh của Äáș§u gá»i trĂĄi, vĂ pháșŁi xa sĂąn cá» từ sĂĄu Äáșżn tĂĄm tuáș§n. Cuá»i cĂčng, anh ÄĂŁ trá» láșĄi sĂąn cá» vĂ o ngĂ y 21 thĂĄng 11, vĂ o sĂąn từ gháșż dá»± bá» trong chiáșżn tháșŻng vang dá»i 4-0 của Barcelona trÆ°á»c Real Madrid á» El ClĂĄsico. Messi vĂ cĂĄc Äá»ng Äá»i giĂ nh chiáșżn tháșŻng trong tráșn chung káșżt FIFA Club World Cup 2015 vĂ o ngĂ y 20 thĂĄng 12, thu tháșp chiáșżc cĂșp thứ nÄm của anh vĂ o nÄm 2015 khi Barcelona ÄĂĄnh báșĄi River Plate 3-0 táșĄi Yokohama. Messi cĆ©ng giĂ nh ÄÆ°á»Łc quáșŁ bĂłng báșĄc của giáșŁi Äáș„u, máș·c dĂč ÄĂŁ bá» lụ tráșn bĂĄn káșżt. VĂ o ngĂ y 30 thĂĄng 12, Messi ghi ÄÆ°á»Łc bĂ n tháșŻng thứ 500 của mĂŹnh cho Barcelona, ââtrong chiáșżn tháșŻng 4-0 trÆ°á»c Real Betis.
On 6 January 2016, Messi scored two goals and helped Barca beat Espan yol 4-1 at Camp Nou, in the first match of the round of 16 of the 2015-16 Copa del Rey. Five days later, Messi won the Golden Ball for the fifth time in his career. On 3 February, he scored a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 7â0 win over Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals at Camp Nou. With teammate Luis SuĂĄrez scoring another four goals in the same match, it was the first time two players had scored at least three goals at Camp Nou. The next match at Camp Nou, a 6-1 victory over Celta de Vigo, Messi took the penalty kick but then passed it to SuĂĄrez to score. Some saw it as “a favoritism”, while others criticized it as being disrespectful to the opponent. Celta’s players, however, never complained and their coach had no objections either, saying, “Barca’s striker is worthy of respect.”
On 17 February, Messi scored his 300th goal in a 3â1 win over Sporting de GijĂłn. A few days later, he scored both goals in Barcelona’s 2â0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, marking the club’s 10,000th goal in its history. However, Barca soon became former European champions after losing to Atletico in the quarter-finals. On 17 April, Messi scored his 500th career goal in a 2â1 loss to Valencia. Messi ended the 2015â16 season by setting up both goals in Barcelona’s 2â0 win over Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey final at the Vicente CalderĂłn Stadium. Barca also successfully defended their La Liga title that season, finishing one point ahead of Real Madrid. In total, Messi scored 41 goals and provided 23 assists, as Barcelona’s MSN trio scored 131 goals throughout the season, breaking the record they set last season.
3.1.11. 2016-17 season
Messi opened the 2016â17 season by lifting the 2016 Spanish Super Cup, captaining Barcelona in the absence of the injured AndrĂ©s Iniesta; he assisted Munir’s goal in a 2â0 win over Sevilla in the second leg on 14 August, and then scored and assisted in a 3â0 win in the second leg on 17 August. Three days later, he scored two goals in Barcelona’s 6â2 win over Real Betis in the opening match of the 2016â17 La Liga season. On 13 September 2016, Messi scored his first hat-trick of the season in the opening match of the Champions League campaign against Celtic in a 7â0 win; this was also Messi’s sixth hat-trick in the Champions League, more than any other player. A week later, Messi suffered a groin injury in a 1â1 draw with AtlĂ©tico Madrid and was ruled out for three weeks.
He marked his return with a goal, scored three minutes after coming off the bench in a 4â0 win over Deportivo de La Coruna, on 16 October. Three days later, he scored his 37th hat-trick for the club as Barcelona defeated Manchester City 4â0. On 1 November, Messi scored his 54th goal in Barcelona’s Champions League group stage in a 1â3 loss to Manchester City, surpassing RaĂșl’s record of 53 goals. On 12 November, Messi finished second in the 2016 Ballon d’Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the award for the fourth time. He finished the year with 51 goals, making him Europe’s top scorer, ahead of Zlatan IbrahimoviÄ.
Sau khi xáșżp thứ hai á» cuá»c Äua quáșŁ bĂłng vĂ ng, vĂ o ngĂ y 9 thĂĄng 1 nÄm 2017, Messi cĆ©ng Äứng á» vá» trĂ thứ hai – Äứng sau Cristiano Ronaldo má»t láș§n nữa – trong giáșŁi Cáș§u thủ xuáș„t sáșŻc nháș„t của FIFA nÄm 2016. VĂ o ngĂ y 11 thĂĄng 1, Messi ghi bĂ n từ má»t cĂș ÄĂĄ pháșĄt trá»±c tiáșżp trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 3-1 của Barcelona trÆ°á»c Athletic Bilbao trong tráșn lÆ°á»Łt vá» của vĂČng 16 của Copa del Rey, cho phĂ©p Barcelona tiáșżn vĂ o vĂČng tứ káșżt của giáșŁi. Trong tráșn Äáș„u tiáșżp theo của mĂŹnh, vĂ o ngĂ y 14 thĂĄng 1, Messi ghi bĂ n trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 5-0 trÆ°á»c Las Palmas; Vá»i bĂ n tháșŻng nĂ y, anh cĂąn báș±ng ÄÆ°á»Łc ká»· lỄc của RaĂșl vá» sá» Äá»i bĂłng ÄĂŁ chá»c thủng lÆ°á»i á» La Liga (35).
VĂ o ngĂ y 4 thĂĄng 2, Messi ÄĂŁ ghi bĂ n tháșŻng thứ 27 cho Barcelona trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 3-0 trÆ°á»c Athletic Bilbao á» La Liga, vÆ°á»Łt qua Ronald Koeman Äá» trá» thĂ nh cáș§u thủ ghi bĂ n hĂ ng Äáș§u của táș„t cáșŁ cĂĄc thá»i gian từ những cĂș ÄĂĄ pháșĄt. á» Champions League, sau khi thÄng hoa á» vĂČng báșŁng vá»i 10 bĂ n tháșŻng, anh báș„t ngá» tá»t ngĂČi á» vĂČng knocked-ot khi chá» ghi thĂȘm 1 bĂ n vĂ Barca ÄĂŁ bá» loáșĄi á» tứ káșżt C1 trÆ°á»c Juventus. VĂ o ngĂ y 23 thĂĄng 4, Messi ghi hai bĂ n trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 3-2 trÆ°á»c Real Madrid, ÄĂĄnh dáș„u láș§n Äáș§u tiĂȘn anh chá»c thủng lÆ°á»i “Ká»n ká»n tráșŻng” sau 3 nÄm tá»t ngĂČi. NhÆ°ng vĂ o cuá»i mĂča, Barca láșĄi khĂŽng báșŁo vá» ÄÆ°á»Łc danh hiá»u La Liga khi kĂ©m Real 3 Äiá»m. NgĂ y 27 thĂĄng 5, Messi ghi má»t bĂ n tháșŻng vĂ kiáșżn táșĄo cho Paco AlcĂĄcer trong tráșn chung káșżt Copa del Rey nÄm 2017, giĂșp Barcelona giĂ nh chiáșżn tháșŻng 3-1 trÆ°á»c AlavĂ©s vĂ ÄÆ°á»Łc báș§u chá»n lĂ cáș§u thủ hay nháș„t tráșn. Tá»ng cá»ng, Messi ÄĂŁ hoĂ n thĂ nh mĂča giáșŁi 2016-17 vá»i 54 bĂ n tháșŻng vĂ 16 pha kiáșżn táșĄo, trong khi 37 bĂ n tháșŻng của anh á» La Liga giĂșp anh giĂ nh danh hiá»u Pichichi vĂ Chiáșżc giĂ y vĂ ng chĂąu Ău láș§n thứ tÆ° trong sá»± nghiá»p của mĂŹnh.
3.1.12. MĂča giáșŁi 2017-18
Messi opened the 2017â18 season with a penalty in Barcelona’s 3â1 home defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. In doing so, Messi also increased his scoring record in El ClĂĄsico matches to 25 goals. On 27 August, Messi scored his first two goals of the 2017â18 La Liga season in a 2â0 win over AlavĂ©s. Messi’s first goal marked his 350th goal in La Liga, becoming the first player to ever reach this milestone. On 9
September, Messi scored his first hat-trick of the season against Espanyol in the Catalan derby, giving the Blaugrana a 5â0 win. Messi scored twice against goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on 12 September as Barça defeated Italian champions Juventus 3â0 at home in the UEFA Champions League group stage. On 19 September, Messi scored four goals in a 6â1 win over Eibar at the Camp Nou in La Liga. Three weeks later, on 1 October, Messi surpassed former teammate Carles Puyol to become the club’s third-most capped player, as he helped Barça defeat Las Palmas 3â0 by assisting Sergio Busquets’ opening goal in his 594th official match for the club; the match was played behind closed doors at the Camp Nou due to violence in Catalonia over the ongoing independence referendum.
On 18 October, in his 122nd European match, Messi scored his 97th goal in the UEFA Champions League, and his 100th in European competition, in a 3â1 win over Olympiacos. Messi became the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to reach this century-long milestone, but did so in 21 fewer games than his Portuguese rival. On 23 October, Messi finished second to Ronaldo in the 2017 Men’s Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. On 4 November, he made his 600th appearance for Barcelona in a 2â1 win over Sevilla in La Liga. After
receiving his fourth Golden Boot, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona on 25 November, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2020â21 season with a buyout clause of âŹ700 million. On 23 December, Messi scored his 26th El ClĂĄsico goal from the penalty spot in a 3â0 win at the BernabĂ©u against Real Madrid. On 7 January 2018, Messi made his 400th La Liga appearance for Barcelona in a 3â0 home win over Levante, marking the occasion with his 144th assist and 365th goal for the club, equalling Gerd MĂŒller’s record for most goals scored for the same club in a calendar year in Europe’s top five leagues. A week later, he broke MĂŒller’s record, scoring his 366th La Liga goal from a free kick in a 4â2 win over Real Sociedad.
VĂ o ngĂ y 4 thĂĄng 3, anh ÄĂŁ ghi bĂ n tháșŻng thứ 600 trong sá»± nghiá»p của mĂŹnh báș±ng má»t cĂș ÄĂĄ pháșĄt trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 1-0 trĂȘn sĂąn nhĂ trÆ°á»c AtlĂ©tico Madrid, á» La Liga. VĂ o ngĂ y 14 thĂĄng 3, Messi ÄĂŁ ghi bĂ n tháșŻng thứ 99 vĂ thứ 100 táșĄi Champions League trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 3-0 trĂȘn sĂąn nhĂ trÆ°á»c Chelsea, trá» thĂ nh cáș§u thủ thứ hai sau Ronaldo ÄáșĄt má»c nĂ y vĂ ÄáșĄt ÄÆ°á»Łc Äiá»u ÄĂł á» Äá» tuá»i tráș» hÆĄn, Ăt tráșn thi Äáș„u hÆĄn, Ăt phĂșt hÆĄn vĂ Ăt cĂș sĂșt hÆĄn so vá»i cáș§u thủ ngÆ°á»i Bá» ÄĂ o Nha; bĂ n má» tá» sá» của anh, chá» sau hai phĂșt vĂ tĂĄm giĂąy, cĆ©ng lĂ nhanh nháș„t trong sá»± nghiá»p của anh. Trong cĂčng má»t tráșn Äáș„u, anh cĆ©ng kiáșżn táșĄo cho Ousmane DembĂ©lĂ© ghi bĂ n tháșŻng Äáș§u tiĂȘn của Barcelona; káșżt quáșŁ ÄĂŁ giĂșp ââBarcelona tiáșżn tá»i vĂČng tứ káșżt của Champions League nÄm thứ mÆ°á»i liĂȘn tiáșżp. Tuy nhiĂȘn Messi ÄĂŁ tá»t ngĂČi trong cáșŁ hai tráșn tứ káșżt trÆ°á»c A.S. Roma, vĂ Barca bá» loáșĄi cay ÄáșŻng sau tráșn thua 0-3 trÆ°á»c Äá»i thủ nĂ y á» lÆ°á»Łt vá» trĂȘn sĂąn Olimpico (dĂč ÄĂŁ tháșŻng 4-1 á» lÆ°á»Łt Äi).
VĂ o ngĂ y 7 thĂĄng 4, anh ÄĂŁ láșp hat-trick trong chiáșżn tháșŻng 3â1 trÆ°á»c LeganĂ©s, trong ÄĂł cĂł bĂ n tháșŻng thứ sĂĄu ghi bĂ n từ cĂș ÄĂĄ pháșĄt, san báș±ng ká»· lỄc của Äá»ng Äá»i cĆ© Ronaldinho. NgĂ y 7 thĂĄng 5, Messi ghi thĂȘm 1 bĂ n trong tráșn El Clasico trĂȘn sĂąn nhĂ nhÆ°ng Barca chá» cĂł káșżt quáșŁ hĂČa 2-2. VĂ o ngĂ y 9 thĂĄng 5, Messi ghi bĂ n khi Barcelona ÄĂĄnh báșĄi Villarreal 5-1 Äá» cĂł ÄÆ°á»Łc chuá»i tráșn báș„t báșĄi dĂ i nháș„t (43 tráșn) trong lá»ch sá» La Liga. Cuá»i mĂča giáșŁi, Messi cĂčng Barca giĂ nh láșĄi chức vĂŽ Äá»ch La Liga vĂ báșŁo vá» thĂ nh cĂŽng danh hiá»u Copa del Rey nÄm thứ tÆ° liĂȘn tiáșżp, cĂĄ nhĂąn anh láșp ká» lỄc láș§n thứ nÄm giĂ nh danh hiá»u Chiáșżc giĂ y vĂ ng ChĂąu Ău.
3.1.13. MĂča giáșŁi 2018-19
With the departure of former captain AndrĂ©s Iniesta in May 2018, Messi was named the team’s new captain for the new season. On 12 August 2018, he lifted his first trophy as Barcelona captain, the Spanish Super Cup, after a 2â1 win over Sevilla; With his 33rd title for the club, he also became the player with the most titles in the team’s history. In the first match of the season in La Liga, Messi scored twice to help Barca defeat Alaves 3-0. His second goal in the match, coming from a direct free kick, was also the 6,000th goal in La Liga history.
On 18 September, Messi scored a hat-trick in Barca’s 4-0 home win over PSV Eindhoven in the opening match of the Champions League group stage, thereby setting a record for being the player with the most hat-tricks. Most trick in tournament history (8 hat-tricks). On 20 October, Messi scored and assisted in a 4â2 home win over Sevilla, but was forced to leave the field in the 26th minute after injuring his right arm, which caused he had to miss three weeks. On 8 December, Messi scored two goals from direct free kicks – his ninth and 10th goals from free kicks in 2018 – helping Barca win 4-0 away from home. in the Derby match against Catalan city rival Espanyol in La Liga.
On 13 January 2019, Messi scored his 400th La Liga goal in his 435th appearance, helping his team to a 3â0 win over Eibar. Messi became the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach this milestone. On 16 April, Messi scored twice in a 3â0 home win over Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, giving Barcelona a 4â0 aggregate win and advancing to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2015; these were also his first goals in a Champions League quarter-final since 2013.
On 27 April, Messi came off the bench to score the only goal in a 1â0 home win over Levante, which sealed Barcelona’s La Liga title. This was his 450th appearance in La Liga, and his first title as Barcelona captain. On 1 May, Messi scored twice in a 3â0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final; Messi’s second goal of the match was a stunning 35-yard free kick, his 600th goal for Barcelona. In the second leg six days later at Anfield, Barcelona suffered a 4â0 away defeat, with Liverpool advancing to the final 4â3 on aggregate. However, Messi was still somewhat comforted when he became the top scorer of the Champions League this season, with 12 goals.
On 19 May, in the final match of the season in La Liga, Messi scored two goals, helping the team to a 2-2 draw with Eibar (these were also his 49th and 50th goals in La Liga). all competitions this season), through which he won the title of La Liga top scorer in the 2018-19 season, with 36 goals in 34 appearances. Messi has officially equaled the record with Zarra for the number of times he has won the La Liga top scorer award, with six times. He also won the European Golden Shoe award for the sixth time in his career, and the third consecutively since the 2016-17 season. On 25 May, Messi scored his final goal of the season as Barcelona lost 1â2 to Valencia in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final.
3.1.14. 2019-2020 season
With the departure of former captain AndrĂ©s Iniesta in May 2018, Messi was named the club’s new captain for the following season. On 12 August 2018, he won his first trophy as Barcelona captain, the Supercopa de España, after a 2â1 win over Sevilla. On 19 August, Messi scored twice as Barcelona defeated AlavĂ©s 3â0 in their first La Liga match, with his opening goal coming from a low free kick, Barcelona’s 6,000th La Liga goal. On 18 September, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4â0 home win over PSV Eindhoven in the opening match of the Champions League group stage, setting a record for most hat-tricks in the competition, with eight. On 20 October, Messi scored and assisted in a 4â2 home win over Sevilla, but was forced off in the 26th minute with a right arm injury; tests later confirmed that he had suffered a fracture, ruling him out for around three weeks. On 8 December, Messi converted two free kicks â his ninth and tenth goals from set pieces that year â in a 4â0 away win over Espanyol at Derbi barcelonĂ in La Liga; this was the first time he had done so in the competition. Messi’s ten goals also made him the first player to reach that number in 13 consecutive La Liga seasons.
On 13 January 2019, Messi made his 435th La Liga appearance and scored his 400th goal in the competition in a 3â0 home win over Eibar, becoming the first player to reach this milestone in one of Europe’s top five leagues. On 2 February, Messi
scored twice in a 2â2 draw against Valencia, with the first goal coming from the penalty spot, his 50th La Liga goal; in doing so, he became the third player in La Liga history after Cristiano Ronaldo and Hugo SĂĄnchez to convert 50 penalties. Later that month, the club admitted that they had begun preparations for Messi’s eventual retirement. On
23 February, Messi scored his 50th career hat-trick and also assisted SuĂĄrez’s goal, as Barcelona won 4â2 away to Sevilla in La Liga; The goal was also his 650th career goal for club and country at senior level. On 16 April, Messi scored twice in a 3â0 home win over Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals to help Barcelona win 4â0 on aggregate and advance to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2015; these were also his first goals in a Champions League quarter-final since 2013.
On 27 April, Messi came off the bench to score the only goal in a 1â0 home win over Levante, helping Barcelona win the league; it was his 450th appearance in La Liga and his first title as club captain. On 1 May, Messi scored
twice in a 3â0 home win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final; his second goal of the match, a 35-yard free kick, was his 600th career club goal, all for Barcelona. In the second leg six days later at Anfield, Barcelona lost 4â0 away, allowing Liverpool to advance to the final 4â3 on aggregate.
On 19 May, in Barcelona’s final La Liga match, Messi scored twice in a 2â2 away draw against Eibar (his 49th and 50th goals in all competitions that season), helping him win his sixth Pichichi trophy as the league’s top scorer, with 36 goals in 34 appearances; he equalled Telmo Zarra’s record for most Golden Boots in La Liga. He also won his sixth Golden Boot and his third consecutive since the 2016â17 season. On 25 May, Messi scored the final goal of the season in a 2â1 defeat to Valencia in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final.
3.1.15. 2019â20 season
On 5 August 2019, it was announced that Messi would miss Barcelona’s tour of the United States after suffering a right calf injury. On 19 August, Messi’s goal from the edge of the penalty area against Real Betis was nominated for the 2019 FIFA PuskĂĄs Award. Later that month, Messi continued to suffer a calf injury, which prevented him from playing in the open match. season curtain; as a result, he was sidelined and only returned to play with Barcelona after the international break in September. On 2 September, Messi was one of three finalists to compete for the 2019 FIFA PuskĂĄs Award and the FIFA PuskĂĄs Award. The 2019 FIFA Men’s Player of the Year, Messi won later on September 23.
Messi made his first appearance of the 2019â20 season on 17 September, and on 6 October, Messi scored his first goal of the season with a free kick in a 4â0 away win. house in front of Sevilla; This was his 420th goal in La Liga, helping him break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 419 goals in the top 5 European national championships. On 23 October, Messi scored his first Champions League goal in a 2â1 away win against Slavia Prague, becoming the first player to score in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons (excluding qualifying). . He also equaled RaĂșl and Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring against 33 different teams in one year. On 29 October, Messi scored and provided two assists in a 5â1 home win over Real Valladolid in La Liga; His opening goal â a 35-yard shot â was the 50th successful free kick of his career. With a total of 608 goals, Messi has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s total of 606 goals scored at the club level alone. On 9 November, Messi scored three goals (including two free kicks) in a 4â1 home win over Celta Vigo. This was his 34th hat-trick in La Liga, equaling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. On 27 November, in his 700th match for Barcelona, ââMessi scored one goal and assisted two goals in a 3â1 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. Borussia Dortmund was the 34th team he had scored against in that competition, breaking the previous record of 33 held by Cristiano Ronaldo and RaĂșl. On 2 December, Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the sixth time. On 8 December, Messi scored his 35th La Liga hat-trick in a 5â2 home win over Mallorca.
On 22 February 2020, Messi scored four goals in a 5â0 home win over Eibar in La Liga. On 14 June, in a 4â0 win over Mallorca, Messi scored once and provided two assists, becoming the first player in La Liga to score 20 or more goals in 12 consecutive seasons. On 30 June, Messi converted a panenka penalty in a 2â2 home draw against AtlĂ©tico Madrid in La Liga, reaching the milestone of his 700th career goal for Barcelona and Argentina. On 11 July, Messi provided his 20th assist of the season for Arturo Vidal in a 1â0 away win over Real Valladolid, equalling Xavi’s record of 20 assists in the 2008â09 La Liga season; With 22 goals, he also became the second player after Thierry Henry in the 2002â03 Premier League season with Arsenal (24 goals and 20 assists) to score at least 20 goals and provide 20 assists in a single season in one of Europe’s top five leagues. After his brace in a 5â0 win over AlavĂ©s on the final day of the season on 20 May, Messi finished the season as the top scorer and top assist provider in La Liga, with 25 goals and 21 assists, helping him win his seventh Pichichi trophy, surpassing Zarra; however, Barcelona lost the title to Real Madrid. On 9 August, in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Napoli at the Camp Nou, Messi scored the second goal and won a penalty that led to the third goal, helping Barcelona win 3â1 at home and with a 4â2 aggregate score, Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich. On 15 August, Messi suffered his worst defeat as a player when Bayern Munich beat Barcelona 8â2 in Lisbon, once again knocking Barca out of the Champions League.
3.1.16. August 2020: Desire to leave Barcelona
â I am not happy and I want to leave. I am not allowed to do this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get involved in legal disputes. Bartomeu’s management of the club is a disaster. My love for Barca will never change. ” â Messi spoke about changing his mind about leaving Barcelona in an interview with Goal on September 4, 2020.
After growing discontent with the way Barcelona’s management was being run both on and off the pitch, Barça announced that Messi had sent the club “a written statement expressing his desire to leave” on 25 August 2020. The announcement attracted attention from the media, including current and former teammates (who supported Messi’s decision) and Catalan governor Quim Torra. On 26 August, Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes reiterated the club’s desire to “build a team around the best player in the world” and stated that Messi could only leave if his âŹ700 million buyout clause was paid; Messi has the option to terminate his contract early (which allows him to leave the club for free), which can only be exercised if he informs Barcelona of his decision by 31 May 2020, although Leo’s representatives claim that the deadline has been pushed back to 31 August, due to the postponement of the 2019â20 season. On 30 August, La Liga released a statement stating that Messi’s contract and buyout clause are still valid.
On 4 September, Jorge Messi, Leo’s father and agent, issued a statement in response to La Liga stating that the release clause “is not valid when the termination of the contract is due to the player’s unilateral decision from the end of the 2019â20 season”, as stated in Messi’s contract with Barcelona; La Liga subsequently issued a response reiterating their previous statement on 30 August. Later that evening, Messi stated in an interview with Goal that he would remain at Barcelona for the final year of his contract. During the interview, Messi revealed that he had informed Barcelona of his desire to leave on several occasions and that club president Josep Maria Bartomeu had said that Messi could decide whether to leave or stay at the end of each season, with Bartomeu only referring to the release clause. This left Messi with two choices: stay or go to court against the club, saying “I will never go to court against the club of my life”.
3.1.17. 2020â21 season: Final season at Barcelona
On 27 September, Messi opened the 2020â21 season by converting a penalty in a 4â0 home win over Villarreal in La Liga. Two days before the opening match, he again criticized the club, this time over the departure of Luis SuĂĄrez, saying, “at this stage nothing surprises me anymore”. On 20 October, Messi converted a penalty and assisted the fifth goal in a 5â1 home win over FerencvĂĄros in the Champions League, becoming the first player to score in 16 Champions League seasons. League consecutively. On 25 November, Messi was nominated for the 2020 FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award, and was subsequently shortlisted for the final three candidates for the award. On 29 November, Messi scored the fourth goal in a 4â0 win over Osasuna. After scoring, he revealed a shirt of his former club Newell’s Old Boys, in memory of Diego Maradona, who had died four days earlier, and pointed with both hands at a screen displaying Maradona’s face. in the stadium. It is a replica of the shirt Maradona wore during his time with the club in 1993. On 17 December, Messi finished third at the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award behind Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo, and were placed in the FIFA FIFPro World XI for the 14th consecutive year.
On 23 December, Messi scored his 644th goal for Barcelona against Real Valladolid in La Liga, surpassing PelĂ© with Santos as the player with the most goals for a single club. To celebrate this achievement, Budweiser sent bottles of beer to every goalkeeper that Messi has ever scored against. On 17 January 2021, Messi was sent off for the first time in his club career for violent behavior (swinging his hand at Asier Villalibre’s head, initially missed by the referee but later reviewed via VAR) in the final minutes of the 2â3 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the 2020â21 Supercopa de España final. On 10 March, Messi scored from 35 yards in a 1â1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes Stadium in the Champions League round of 16 second leg. For the first time in 14 years, Barcelona was eliminated in the round of 16 with a total score of 2â5 after losing 1â4 at home at Camp Nou on February 16, Messi scored the only goal for Barcelona. in that match. On 15 March, Messi scored 2 goals and had an assist in a 4â1 win over Huesca. With his first goal, he became the first player to score at least 20 goals in 13 consecutive seasons in Europe’s top 5 national championships. On 21 March, he overtook Xavi as the player with the most appearances for the club with 768 appearances, he also scored a brace in a 6â1 away win against Real Sociedad. On 17 April, Messi scored twice in Barcelona’s 4â0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the 2021 Copa del Rey final. With his second goal, Messi broke the record of scoring 30 goals in 12 Gerd MĂŒller’s consecutive seasons, setting a new record of 13. With his 35th title with Barcelona, ââMessi also surpassed Ryan Giggs to become the player with the most titles for one club. As the top scorer in La Liga, Messi won the Pichichi title for the eighth time in his career. This is also his fifth consecutive top scorer title in La Liga, surpassing Alfredo Di StĂ©fano and Hugo SĂĄnchez, both of whom won the title four times with Real Madrid.
On 1 July 2021, Messi became a free agent after his contract expired, with negotiations over a new contract at a standstill due to financial problems at Barcelona. On 5 August, Barcelona announced that Messi would not be staying at the club, despite both parties having reached an agreement and signing the contract that day. The club cited financial difficulties and unfavorable regulations from La Liga as part of the reasons for his departure. Three days later, in a tearful press conference held at the Camp Nou, Messi confirmed that he would be leaving Barcelona.
3.2. Paris Saint-Germain
3.2.1. 2021â22 season: Seventh Ballon d’Or and adjusting to life in Paris
On 10 August, Messi joined French club Paris Saint-Germain. He signed a two-year contract until June 2023 with an option for a further year. Messi chose to wear the number 30 shirt, the number he wore when he made his debut with the Barcelona first team.
Messi made his debut for the club on 29 August, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2â0 away win against Reims in Ligue 1. He made his debut for the club in the UEFA Champions League against a 1â1 away draw against Club Brugge on 15 September. Four days later, Messi made his home debut for PSG in a 2â1 win over Lyon.
On 28 September, Messi scored his first goal for the club, a strike from outside the box after a one-two with Kylian MbappĂ©, in a 2â0 home win against Pep’s Manchester City. Guardiola in the UEFA Champions League group stage. On 21 November, Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 3â1 home win over Nantes. On 28 November, Messi scored his fifth career hat-trick of assists as PSG defeated Saint-Ătienne 3â1 away from home. Scoring 40 goals at club and national team level in 2021 and helping Argentina win the Copa AmĂ©rica the same year, on November 29, Messi received a record seventh Ballon d’Or.
On 2 January 2022, PSG announced that Messi tested positive for COVID-19, and he subsequently missed two league matches and one cup match. He returned for the Ligue 1 match against Reims on 23 January, where he came on as a second-half substitute and assisted PSG’s third goal in a 4â0 home win. On 13 March, after being eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid in the round of 16, Messi and teammate Neymar were booed by some PSG fans at the Parc des Princes Stadium during the match against Bordeaux in Ligue 1. On 23 April 2022, Messi helped PSG win their 10th Ligue 1 title after scoring from a long-range shot from outside the box in a 1â1 draw against Lens at Cong Stadium members of the Princes. Messi’s first season at the Paris team ended with 11 goals and 14 assists in all competitions. For the first time since the 2005â06 season, he failed to score 10 goals in the national championship with only 6 goals.
3.2.2.2022â23 season: Regaining form and final season in Paris
After adapting to his new surroundings and settling into life in Paris, under new coach Christophe Galtier, Messi returned to his preferred attacking role; as a playmaker behind two strikers, in an attacking trio alongside Neymar and Kylian MbappĂ©, quickly rediscovering his form from the previous season as he started the new season on 31 July by scoring PSG’s opening goal in a 4â0 win over Nantes in the TrophĂ©e des Champions, winning his second title with the French capital club.
Due to disappointing form in the previous season, Messi was not nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2005. On 21 August, Messi assisted MbappĂ©’s fastest goal from distance. two Ligue 1 history in the 8th second, before scoring himself in a 7â1 win over Lille. The following matches, after contributing six goals, including one and five assists in September, Messi was named this month’s Ligue 1 Player of the Month. On 5 October , he scored in a 1â1 draw against Benfica in the Champions League, becoming the only player in the competition’s history to score against 40 different teams in the Champions League. On 25 October, he scored twice in a 7â2 home win over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League, setting a record for scoring the most goals from outside the box by any other player in the competition. hey, with 23 goals. Four days later, Messi scored and assisted PSG to a 4â3 win over Troyes to continue leading the Ligue 1 standings. This was his seventh goal in Ligue 1 of the 2022â23 season and the first twelfth overall for PSG this season, surpassing his tally of 11 goals in all competitions in the 2021â22 season in just 18 games.
On 26 February 2023, PSG defeated Marseille 3â0 at Le Classique, Messi scored his 700th club goal and assisted two of MbappĂ©’s goals. On 11 March, PSG defeated Brest 2â1, Messi assisted MbappĂ©’s winning goal in the last minute, reaching the milestone of 300 career assists. On 8 April, he scored and assisted in a 2â0 win over Nice in Ligue 1, allowing him to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time leading scorer in European club football with 702 goals; in the same match, he also reached the milestone of 1,000 direct goal contributions in his club career. On 2 May, Messi was suspended for two weeks and fined after taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia with his family as part of a commercial deal. He failed to show up for training the previous day following PSG’s 3â1 defeat to Lorient. As part of the suspension, Messi was also suspended from team training and was withdrawn from the starting lineup for the match against Troyes. On 28 May, Messi scored in a 1â1 draw against Strasbourg to help PSG win their 11th Ligue 1 title and his second consecutive.
On 1 June, Galtier confirmed that PSG’s home match against Clermont Foot on 3 June would be Messi’s last for the Parisian club, and the club confirmed his departure two days later; the match ended in a 3â2 defeat. He finished the season with the most assists in the league with 16 and was also named in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year along with teammates Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and MbappĂ©.
3.3. Inter Miami
After confirming his departure from PSG, Messi was linked with a return to former club Barcelona, ââas well as a move to Saudi Arabian Super League club Al-Hilal, but his final decision to sign for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami was communicated to Barcelona president Joan Laporta on 5 June 2023. Barcelona were unable to sign him due to financial constraints.
On June 7, Inter Miami posted a video on their social media page hinting at the club’s signing of Messi, although it has not been confirmed whether he has officially signed a contract or not. On the same day, Messi confirmed his intention to join Miami in a joint interview with the newspapers Mundo Deportivo and Sport, in which he said that they “have not finalized it 100%”; MLS also confirmed that the deal has not yet been finalized. He explained that although La Liga had accepted everything and agreed to let him return to Barcelona, ââthere was still a lot to do such as reducing wages and selling players, and he did not want to go through it again either. responsible for that. He confirmed that other clubs in Europe had approached him, but Barcelona were the only team in Europe he wanted to play for.
4. International career
In June 2004, he made his debut for the Argentina U-20 team in a friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005, he was a member of the Argentina U-20 team that won the 2005 U-20 World Cup held in the Netherlands. Also in this tournament, he won the title of World U20 Top Scorer and World U20 Best Player.
In April 2005, Messi was called up to the Argentina national team for the first time by coach JosĂ© Pekerman. He had his debut match for the national team on August 17 against Hungary when he was only 18 years and 54 days old, but it was a forgettable memory for him. Coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute, he received a red card from referee Markus Merk 40 seconds later, because he thought Messi had elbowed defender Vilmos VanczĂĄk, who pulled his shirt. This decision caused controversy and even Maradona said that this was a prearranged decision to ruin Messi’s debut. Messi first appeared in the official squad on September 3, in Argentina’s 0-1 away loss to Paraguay, in the 2006 World Cup qualifying framework. Before that match, Messi said: “This can be considered was the first match. The first match was a bit short.”
4.1. FIFA World Cup 2006
An injury prevented Messi from playing the final two months of the 2005â06 season and threatened his chances of appearing in the World Cup. However, Messi was selected for Argentina’s squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentina under-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly against Angola starting in the 64th minute. He did not play in Argentina’s opening match against the Ivory Coast, remaining on the bench. In the next match against Serbia, Messi became Argentina’s youngest player to appear in a World Cup when he replaced Maxi RodrĂguez in the 73rd minute. He assisted HernĂĄn Crespo’s goal just minutes after coming on and also scored the winning goal in a 6â0 win, making him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest scorer in a World Cup. Messi started in a 0â0 draw with the Netherlands. In the next match against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, which ended in a 1â1 draw. He appeared and had the ball in the net once, but it was ruled offside and Argentina needed extra time to equalise. Manager JosĂ© Pekerman left Messi on the bench for the quarter-final against Germany, which they lost 4â2 on penalties.
4.2. Copa America 2007
Messi played his first match in the 2007 Copa América on June 29, 2007, when Argentina defeated the US national football team 4-1 in the opening match. In this match, he showed his skills as a playmaker. He assisted a goal for striker Hernån Crespo and had many shots on target. Carlos Tevez came on for Messi in the 79th minute and scored a few minutes later.
In the second match against Colombia, where he won a penalty which Crespo converted to level the score at 1â1, he was also involved in Argentina’s second goal when he was fouled outside the box, allowing Juan RomĂĄn Riquelme to score from a free kick, giving Argentina a 3â1 lead. The final score was 4â2 in Argentina’s favour and they advanced to the quarter-finals.
In the third match against Paraguay, the coach rested Messi. He came on for Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0â0. In the 79th minute, he assisted a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarter-finals, when Argentina played Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the match, from a pass from Riquelme in a 4â0 win. In the semi-final against Mexico, Messi made a lob over Oswaldo SĂĄnchez to send Argentina to the final with a 3â0 win. Argentina later lost the final to Brazil 0â3.
4.3. Beijing Olympics 2008
After intending not to let Messi play for the Argentine Olympic team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, FC Barcelona agreed to allow him to play in this tournament after he had a talk with new coach Josep Guardiola. He played with the Argentine Olympic team and scored his first goal in a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast. He then scored the opening goal and assisted Ăngel Di MarĂa’s second goal to help his team win 2-1 in extra time against the Netherlands. He also appeared in the match against Brazil, which Argentina won. 3-0 and into the final. In the gold medal match, Messi once again assisted Di MarĂa to score the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Nigeria.
4.4. FIFA World Cup 2010
Messi is participating in the World Cup for the second time in the Argentina shirt under the guidance of coach Diego Maradona. Also at this tournament, he wore the team’s number 10 shirt for the first time. On June 12, 2010, he started and played the full 90 minutes in the match Argentina 1-0 Nigeria in Group B. He had a few chances to score but were saved by Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who Then he was voted the best player of the match by FIFA. On June 17, he played the entire match Argentina 4-1 South Korea. Playing as an attacking midfielder and playing a more assistive role under coach Maradona Messi contributed to all four of the team’s goals and helped Gonzalo HiguaĂn score a hat-trick in this match.
On 23 June, Messi was given the captain’s armband and played the full 90 minutes of the Greece 0-2 Argentina match (Group B). He was once again the nucleus of Argentina’s play, playing an important role in all of the team’s goals, and was voted man of the match.
On 28 June, in the Round of 16 match between Argentina and Mexico 3-1, coach Maradona still allowed Messi to play the full 90 minutes but he still failed to score. He often dropped back to find the ball, attracting the opponent’s defense and even made a controversial pass to Carlos TĂ©vez. The 2010 World Cup ended with Argentina losing 0-4 to Germany in the quarter-finals.
4.5. Copa América 2011, World Cup 2014 qualifiers and friendly matches
Messi attended Copa AmĂ©rica 2011 taking place in Argentina. In this tournament, he did not score any goals but had 3 assists. He was voted the best player in the matches against Bolivia (1â1) and Costa Rica (3â0). However, the Argentine team had to stop in the quarterfinals after losing to Uruguay on penalties (1-1 draw after 2 extra periods) even though Messi successfully completed the first penalty shootout.
Following Argentina’s defeat at the Copa AmĂ©rica, Sergio Batista was sacked by the country’s football association and replaced by Alejandro Sabella, former coach of the club Estudiantes. In August 2011, Sabella handed the captain’s armband to Messi.
Messi’s first hat-trick for the Albiceleste came in a friendly against Switzerland on 29 February 2012, which ended in a 3â1 win for Argentina.
On 9 June 2012, Messi scored his second hat-trick for the national team in a 4â3 friendly win over rivals Brazil, and was also voted man of the match. This result brought his total goals for Argentina to 26 in 70 matches, including 7 goals in 3 matches in 2012, and also placed him 4th in the list of Argentina’s top scorers.
On 7 September, Messi scored his 28th goal in a 3â1 win over Paraguay in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. This was his fourth goal in the 2014 qualifiers and his 8th goal in World Cup qualifiers, Ranked 3rd among the top scorers for Argentina in qualifying matches. This is his 10th goal after 6 matches and also his 9th goal in 5 matches played in 2012 for the team. After scoring a double against Uruguay and a goal against Chile in October, Messi ended 2012 with 12 goals in 9 matches for Argentina.
On March 22, 2013, Messi scored his first international goal of 2013 on a penalty kick in a World Cup qualifying match against Venezuela. Also in this match, he also had 2 assists for teammate Gonzalo HiguaĂn, helping Argentina win 3â0. On June 14, 2013, Messi scored a hat-trick in a friendly match against Guatemala, surpassing Diego Maradona’s 34 goals and catching HernĂĄn Crespo’s 35 goals. Messi continued to surpass Crespo after the World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay when he scored 2 penalty goals and assisted 1 goal for Sergio AgĂŒero. The match ended with a score of 5-2 in favor of Argentina, helping this team win a ticket to Brazil two rounds early.
Messi finished the qualifying campaign with 10 goals, second on the list of South American scorers.
4.6. World Cup 2014
Before the World Cup in Brazil, doubts remained over Messi’s form, as he ended his season on the back foot and was injured in Barcelona. However, he put in a strong performance at the start of the tournament, being named Argentina’s man of the match in the opening match. In his first World Cup match as captain, he led his team to a 2â1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina; he had a hand in the opening goal and scored the second after dribbling past three opponents. It was his first World Cup goal since his debut in the tournament eight years earlier. In the second match against Iran, he curled a 90th-minute effort into the top corner from 25 yards to seal a 1â0 win that secured Argentina’s place in the knockout stages. He scored twice in the team’s final match in a 3â2 win over Nigeria, the second of which came from a beautiful free kick. Messi assisted Ăngel Di MarĂa’s late extra-time goal (116th minute) to secure a 1â0 win over Switzerland in the round of 16. Following a 1â0 quarter-final win over Belgium, Argentina reached the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1990. After a 0â0 draw in extra time, the team eliminated the Netherlands 4â2 in a penalty shootout to set up a final against Germany.
That year’s World Cup final was called Messi vs. Germany, the best player in the world against the best team in the world, the two teams meeting in the final since 1990. In the first half hour First, Messi scored a goal, but was caught offside. He missed many opportunities to open the scoring throughout the match, especially early in the second half, when his efforts left the German defense reeling. Not taking advantage of the opportunity to score, Argentina had to pay the price. Germany’s substitute Mario Götze finally scored in the 113th minute to seal the match. After the final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament as well as the silver medal for being runner-up. As well as being the third highest scorer, with four goals, he created the most chances, made the most off-the-ball movements, delivered the most deliveries into the box and created the ball throughout. this tournament. However, his selection caused much criticism as he did not have a goal in the playoffs. FIFA President Sepp Blatter expressed his surprise, while Diego Maradona said that Messi did not score in the knockout round because he had to sit deep to create.
4.7. Copa America 2015
Unable to win the World Cup, Messi has set his sights quite high at the 2015 Copa América, held in Chile. Under the management of former Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino, Argentina entered the tournament as the reigning World Cup runners-up. In the opening match against Paraguay, the team had 2 goals in the first half but equalized in a 2-2 draw; Messi scored from a free kick, scoring his only goal of the tournament. After a 1-0 victory over defending champion Uruguay, Messi earned his 100th cap for the team in the final group stage match, a 1-0 win over Jamaica, becoming the fifth Argentine player to achieve this important milestone. . In his 100 appearances, he scored a total of 46 goals for Argentina, including 22 goals in official matches.
Messi led Argentina to the knockout stages as the team’s winner. In the quarter-finals, they created many chances, including a Messi header, but were denied by the Colombian goalkeeper, and the match ended goalless, with Argentina winning 5â4 on penalties. In the semi-finals, Messi was outstanding, providing three assists and helping to create three more goals in a 6â1 win over Paraguay. Argentina entered the final against hosts Chile as favourites, but were defeated 4â1 in a penalty shootout after a 0â0 draw in regulation time. After the tournament, he was selected to receive the Player of the Tournament award but declined to accept it. With Argentina in the midst of a title drought since 1993, two defeats in the World Cup and Copa AmĂ©rica once again brought harsh criticism of Messi from the media and Argentine fans.
4.8. Copa America Centenario 2016
Messi’s chances of playing in the Copa AmĂ©rica Centenario were initially at risk when he suffered a back injury in a 1â0 win over Honduras in a warm-up friendly match before the 2016 Copa AmĂ©rica on 27 May 2016. At that time, it was reported that he had bruised his lower back, but Messi remained in Martino’s squad for the tournament, although he was later left on the bench for the opening match. won 2â1 against Chile on 6 June because of concerns about his ability to play. Although Messi was declared fit to play the second match against Panama on 10 June, Martino left him on the bench once again; he only put him on the field in the 61st minute and then Messi scored a hat-trick in 19 minutes and the match ended in a 5-0 victory for Argentina.
On 18 June 2016, in the quarter-final of the Copa AmĂ©rica against Venezuela, Messi continued to shine, assisting two goals and scoring in a 4â1 win, which allowed him to equal Gabriel Batistuta’s record for most goals scored for the national team with 54 in official international matches. This record was quickly broken three days later when Messi scored in a 4â0 semi-final win over the hosts United States; he also contributed two assists in the match, Argentina reached the Copa America final for the second consecutive time and Messi was once again expected to continue his high performance in past matches to help his team end its title drought.
Meeting Chile in the final on 26 June, Argentina were held to a 0â0 draw after 120 minutes and won on penalties, resulting in Messi’s third consecutive defeat in a major tournament final against Argentina and his fourth overall. After the match, Messi, who missed a penalty in the final, announced his retirement from international football. Sources said that other Argentine players – such as Sergio AgĂŒero, Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo HiguaĂn, Lucas Biglia, Ăver Banega, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Ăngel Di MarĂa – could follow him into retirement. Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said after the match, “My generation cannot compare him to Maradona for my generation, because Maradona made Argentine football great, but I think he was the best player in the United States this summer.” Messi finished the tournament as the second-highest scorer, behind Chilean Eduardo Vargas, with five goals, and the top assist provider with four assists, and also won more Man of the Match awards than any other player in the tournament. But Messi ultimately missed out on the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament, which went to Chile’s Alexis SĂĄnchez.
4.9. Don’t Go, Leo
Following Messi’s announcement, a campaign began in Argentina to persuade Messi to reconsider his decision to retire from international football. He was greeted by fans chanting “Don’t go, Leo” as the team landed in Buenos Aires. Argentine President Mauricio Macri urged Messi not to give up, saying: “We are lucky, it is one of the joys of life, it is a gift from God to have the best player in the world in a country as passionate about football as ours… Lionel Messi is the best player we have in Argentina and we must take care of him.” Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio RodrĂguez Larreta unveiled a statue of Messi in the capital to persuade him to reconsider his retirement from international football. On social media, NoTeVayasLeo became a global trending topic and even a playlist on Spotify. The campaign also continues on the streets and roads of the Argentine capital, with some 50,000 supporters expected to arrive at the Obelisco de Buenos Aires on July 2, using the same slogan.
4.10. Return to the national team
Just a week after Messi announced his retirement from his international career, Argentine newspaper La NaciĂłn reported that he is considering returning to play for Argentina in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers next September. On 12 August, it was confirmed that Messi had reversed his decision to retire from the national team and he had been included in the national team’s squad for the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers. On 1 September 2016, in his first return, he scored in a 1â0 home win against Uruguay in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.
On 28 March 2017, Messi was suspended for four matches in the World Cup qualifying match against Chile on 23 March 2017 for insulting the referee. He was also fined up to CHF 10,000. On 5 May 2017, Messi’s ban as well as his CHF 10,000 fine were overturned by FIFA after the Argentine Football Association appealed his suspension, which meant he could play. World Cup qualifying for Argentina. However, he performed poorly in the key matches of the qualifying round, affecting Argentina’s ranking. Argentina’s position is facing difficulties in the final match in the qualifying round when they are ranked 6th on the rankings while only the top 4 will win direct tickets to the World Cup and the 5th place must play. -off, meaning Argentina faces the risk of missing the World Cup for the first time since 1970 if they do not win the final match on the field located 2850 m above sea level in Ecuador.
However, on October 10, 2017, Messi shined at the right time in the final match of the World Cup qualifiers when he scored a hat-trick to help Argentina come from behind to defeat Ecuador 3-1, thereby helping Argentina jump to first place. 3rd place and won direct tickets to next year’s World Cup. It is known that Argentina has not won against Ecuador in Quito since 2001. Messi’s third goal helped him become the top scorer in the history of South American World Cup qualifying with 21 goals, equaling Luis SuĂĄrez of Uruguay, surpassing the previous record set by compatriot HernĂĄn Crespo.
4.11. World Cup 2018
With inconsistent performance in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Argentina is expected to face many difficulties when falling into Group D alongside very difficult opponents such as Croatia, Nigeria and the Euro 2016 phenomenon Iceland. In the friendly match against Spain in March 2018, a match in which Messi did not play due to injury, Argentina lost miserably 1-6. After that match, Messi admitted: “At this time, we are not among the candidates competing for the World Cup championship.” Before Argentina’s opening match, there were rumors about whether this would be Messi’s last World Cup.
In the first match of the group stage, Lionel Messi missed a goal when he failed to take a penalty in a 1-1 draw against Iceland. In the second match, Argentina lost 0-3 to Croatia, exactly 2 days before his birthday, when Messi only touched the ball 49 times the whole match. This was also the match where coach Jorge Sampaoli talked about the lack of quality in the team around Messi: “The reality of the Argentina squad highlighted Messi’s brilliance. We simply couldn’t pass to him to help him create the situations where he regularly scores. We tried to give him the ball but the opponent also worked too well to stop him receiving the ball. Croatia midfielder Luka ModriÄ also said after the match, “Messi is an extraordinary player but he cannot do everything alone”. Having only earned 1 point after 2 matches, Argentina is at risk of being eliminated right from the group stage if they cannot beat Nigeria in the final match.
In Argentina’s final group stage match against Nigeria at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on June 26, Messi finally broke through in the World Cup when he scored the opening goal, contributing to the 2nd win. -1 for the home team. With this goal, Messi became the third Argentine player after Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta to score at three different World Cups. At the same time, he scored his 6th goal at the World Cups. The victory also helped the Argentine team slip through a narrow gap to pass the group stage, ranking second in the group behind Croatia.
In the round of 16 match against France (the team that later won the tournament) on June 30, Messi had two assists for Gabriel Mercado and Sergio AgĂŒero scored, but Argentina still lost 3- 4 and had to carry his suitcase home on a day when France’s young star Kylian MbappĂ© played so brightly. With two assists in this match, Messi became the first player to assist in four recent World Cups. first, and also became the first player to have two assists in a match for Argentina since Diego Maradona did the same against South Korea in 1986.
After an unsuccessful World Cup when he was eliminated in the round of 16, Lionel Messi informed interim coach Lionel Scaloni that he would not participate in any matches for Argentina until the end of 2018. Messi in the national team and his consecutive failures to win titles with Argentina fueled speculation in the media that Messi could retire from international football again.
4.12. 2019â2020: Third place Copa AmĂ©rica, suspended and SuperclĂĄsico champion
On 21 May 2019, Messi was named in Lionel Scaloni’s final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa AmĂ©rica. In Argentina’s second match of the tournament on 19 June, Messi scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot in a 1â1 draw against Paraguay. After being criticised by the media for his performance following Argentina’s 2â0 win over Venezuela in the quarter-finals at the MaracanĂŁ Stadium on 28 June, Messi commented that it was not his best Copa AmĂ©rica, and also criticised the poor quality of the pitch. Following Argentina’s defeat to hosts Brazil in the semi-finals on 2 July, Messi criticised the refereeing of the match. In the third-place match against Chile on 6 July, Messi assisted AgĂŒero’s opening goal from a free kick in a 2â1 win, helping Argentina win the bronze medal; however, he was sent off along with Gary Medel in the 37th minute of the match, after being involved in a scuffle with a Chilean defender. After the match, Messi refused to collect his medal and implied in a post-match interview that his comments after the semi-final had led to his sending off. Messi later apologized for his comments, but was fined $1,500 and banned for one match by CONMEBOL, which will see him miss Argentina’s next World Cup qualifier. On 2 August, Messi was banned from international football for three months and fined $50,000 by CONMEBOL for his comments against refereeing decisions; The ban meant he would miss Argentina’s friendlies against Chile, Mexico and Germany in September and October. On 15 November, Messi featured in the 2019 SuperclĂĄsico de las AmĂ©ricas against Brazil, scoring the winning goal from a missed penalty. On 8 October 2020, Messi converted a penalty in a 1â0 win over Ecuador, giving Argentina a smooth start to their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.
4.13. 2021â2022: Champion of Copa AmĂ©rica and World Cup
On 14 June 2021, Messi scored from a free kick in a 1â1 draw against Chile in Argentina’s opening match of the 2021 Copa AmĂ©rica in Brazil. This goal means that he surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s 56 goals from direct free kicks to become the player with the most successful direct free kicks. He also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta’s record of 38 goals in official matches for Argentina. In the second match, Messi contributed to the winning goal against Uruguay, helping Guido RodrĂguez score a header to give Argentina 3 points. On 21 June, Messi made his 147th appearance, equaling Javier Mascherano’s record for most appearances for Argentina in a 1â0 win over Paraguay in the third group stage match. A week later, he broke the record for most appearances for Argentina in a 4â1 win over Bolivia in the final group match, Leo assisting Alejandro ‘Papu’ GĂłmez’s opening goal and then himself scored two more goals. On 3 July, Messi provided two assists and scored from a free kick in a 3â0 win over Ecuador in the quarter-finals of the tournament. On 6 July, in the 1â1 semi-final draw against Colombia, Messi made his 150th appearance for Argentina and assisted his fifth goal of the tournament, a reverse pass. for Lautaro MartĂnez to score; Messi then converted his kick in a 3â2 penalty shootout victory that sent Argentina through to the final. On 10 July 2021, Argentina defeated host team Brazil 1â0 in the final to win the 2021 Copa AmĂ©rica, giving Messi his first major international title. was Argentina’s first major title since 1993, bringing Argentina’s total Copa AmĂ©rica wins to a record 15 times. Messi directly contributed to 9 of the 12 goals that Argentina scored, scoring 4 goals and assisting 5 goals; he was named best player of the tournament for his performance, a title Leo shared with Neymar. He was also the tournament’s top scorer with four goals equaling Colombia’s Luis DĂaz, but the Golden Boot was awarded to Messi as he had more assists.
On 9 September 2021, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 3â0 win over Bolivia in a 2022 World Cup qualifier, moving him past PelĂ© as South America’s all-time leading international goalscorer with 79 goals. In the 2022 Finalissima, the third edition of the CONMEBOLâUEFA Super Cup, held at Wembley on 2 June 2022, Messi provided two assists in a 3â0 win over Italy and was named man of the match, giving Argentina their second international title. Messi then scored five goals for Argentina in a 5â0 friendly win over Estonia on 6 June, moving him past Ferenc PuskĂĄs to move into fourth place on the all-time international goalscoring list.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Messi successfully converted a penalty in Argentina’s opening match, a 2â1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, before he scored from a 20-meter shot and had a goal. Assisted Enzo FernĂĄndez’s goal in the 2â0 win over Mexico. In the round of 16 match against Australia, Messi scored the opening goal in Argentina’s 2â1 victory in the 1000th match of his career, becoming the first male football player in South America (CONMEBOL member). has the most appearances of all time, breaking the previous record set by Ecuador’s IvĂĄn Hurtado, along with surpassing and equaling several other records related to the FIFA World Cup and national team level . In the quarter-final match against the Netherlands, Messi assisted Nahuel Molina with a through ball to open the score and then scored from the penalty spot to help Argentina double the gap, the two teams drew 2â 2 after extra time. Argentina won 4â3 in the penalty shootout, with Messi taking the first penalty. In the semi-final against Croatia, Messi made his 25th World Cup appearance, equaling the record with Germany’s Lothar MatthĂ€us, scoring the opening goal with a penalty before assisting JuliĂĄn Ălvarez’s third goal. scored in Argentina’s 3â0 victory. Argentina entered the championship match against France, Messi said that this would be the last time he attended the World Cup.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup final on December 18, Messi set a record of 26 appearances in the World Cup finals at Lusail Stadium. Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot for Argentina, thereby becoming the first player since the round of 16 was introduced in 1986 to score at all stages of the World Cup. After Argentina took a 2-0 lead, French striker Kylian MbappĂ© scored 2 consecutive goals in just 2 minutes to bring the match back to the starting line. Messi continued to score in extra time to restore the lead. first for Argentina, before MbappĂ© once again equalized for France. Tied 3â3 after extra time, the match went to a penalty shootout. Messi successfully made the first shot for Argentina, Argentina won the final 4-2, ending this country’s 36 years of waiting for the Golden Cup. Messi received the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament, becoming the first player to win this award twice. He finished second in the Golden Boot race with 7 goals in 7 matches, one goal behind MbappĂ©. With his presence and two goals in the final, Messi surpassed MatthaĂŒs to become the player with the most appearances at the World Cup (26), and PelĂ© to become the player with the most direct contributions. followed by the most goals at the World Cup (21 – 13 goals and 8 assists). It was hailed as one of the greatest matches of all time, with the media focusing heavily on the duel between Messi and MbappĂ©. After the match, Messi affirmed that he has no plans to retire from the national team, saying: “I want to continue playing as a champion.”
4.14. 2023âpresent: 100 international goals
In March 2023, Messi returned to Argentina as a world champion by appearing in two friendlies in his homeland. He scored his 99th international goal with a direct free kick in Argentina’s 2â0 win over Panama; this also marked his 800th career goal for club and country. In the following match against Curaçao, Messi scored a hat-trick, his ninth for Argentina, and provided an assist in a 7â0 win. The first of three goals took him to 100 goals for his country, making Messi only the third player in history to reach this milestone.
5. Playing style
Due to his small stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than many other players, which gives him agility, allowing him to change direction quickly and evade tackles; this has led the Spanish media to nickname him La Pulga AtĂłmica (“The Atomic Flea”). Despite his small stature, Messi possesses considerable upper body strength, which, combined with his low centre of gravity and balance, allows him to withstand physical pressure from opponents; Messi is also noted for his low tendency to dive in a sport rife with trickery. Messi’s short, strong legs allow him to make short sprints while also helping him maintain control of the ball when dribbling at high speeds. Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola once stated, “Messi is the only player who runs faster with the ball than without it.” Although Messi has improved his ability to play with his weaker foot since his mid-20s, he is primarily a left-footed player; he typically starts dribbling with the outside of his left foot, while using the inside of his foot to finish, pass, and create.
A prolific goalscorer, Messi is known for his ability to shoot, position, react quickly and execute attacks to defeat the opponent’s defense. He also plays a playmaking role, thanks to his vision and passing ability. He is often described as a magician, creating goals and chances that seem impossible to believe. In addition, he is also an accurate free kick and penalty shootout player. With Messi’s free kick conversion rate increasing over time, he is gradually becoming one of the best direct free kick players in the world. He also has a penchant for scoring from lob shots.
Messi’s speed and technique allow him to make individual dribbles towards the opponent’s goal, especially during counter-attacks, which usually start from the halfway line on the right wing. Considered one of the greatest dribblers of all time, former Argentina head coach Diego Maradona said of Messi’s ability, “The ball always sticks to his feet; I used to I’ve seen many excellent players in my career, but I’ve never seen anyone who controls the ball as well as Messi.” In addition to his personal qualities, he is also a well-rounded player who always works hard for the team, known for his creative combinations, especially with former Barcelona midfielders such as Xavi and AndrĂ©s. Iniesta.
Tactically, Messi plays in a free attacking role; As a versatile player, he can attack on both wings or in the middle. Messi’s preferred position since childhood was as a midfielder playing behind two strikers, known as enganche in Argentine football, but he started his career in Spain as a left winger or striker. left wing. On his debut for the first team, he was moved to the right wing by Frank Rijkaard; In this position, he can easily move into the middle and launch shots towards goal with his left foot, instead of mainly passing the ball to his teammates. Under Guardiola and subsequent coaches, he often played the false number 9 role; Positioned as a center forward or lone striker, Messi always lingers in the middle area, often moving deep into the midfield and attracting opposing defenders, to open up and exploit space to serve. Serving for passes, teammates running, Messi’s own dribbles, or coordinating with Xavi and Iniesta. Under the direction of Luis Enrique, Messi initially returned to playing in his natural right-wing position in the early years of his career in a 4â3â3 formation, but in later seasons, Messi tended to play more freely and unpredictably. Under Ernesto Valverde, Messi played in many different roles. Occasionally he continued to play in a deep-lying role, allowing him to dribble directly into the penalty area, either from the right wing or as a false number 9, he was also used in the role. central role in a 4â2â3â1 attacking formation, or as the second striker in a 4â4â2 formation, allowing him to drop deep, link up with the midfield, and coordinate attacking play. attack and create opportunities for his partner in attack, SuĂĄrez.
As his age increased, Messi became less likely to dribble. Instead, he played deeper, developing into one of the best passers and playmakers in football history. Messi’s tackling and defensive involvement also decreased as his career progressed; by covering less ground to conserve energy for short bursts, he improved his movement and play to avoid muscle injuries, despite being a regular in the majority of matches throughout the season. Indeed, he was prone to injury early in his career, but Messi has since reduced his risk by dribbling less and adopting a strict diet, training and rest regime. Messi has also played in a variety of roles for Argentina; Over the years, he has been used on the right wing as a false nine or as a right-sided striker, in a supporting role for another striker, or in a deep-lying free role as a classic number 10 or attacking midfielder behind the strikers.
6. Personal life
Messi was once said to have a crush on Macerena Lemos, who also comes from his hometown of Rosario. He said he was introduced by the girl’s father when he returned to Rosario to treat his injury a few days before the 2006 World Cup kicked off. He was also rumored to be in a relationship with Argentinian model Luciana Salazar. In January 2009 he said on “Hat Trick Barça”, a Canal 33 program: “I have a girlfriend and she lives in Argentina, I am very comfortable and happy”. He was once spotted with a girl – Antonella Roccuzzo, at a festival in Sitges after the derby between Barcelona and Espanyol. Roccuzzo is a resident of Rosario, Santa Fe province, Argentina. They got married in 2017.
He has two relatives who also follow the football career, namely Maxi, a winger who plays for Paraguay’s Club Olimpia, and Emanuel Biancucchi, a midfielder who plays for Paraguay’s Independiente FBC club.
In 2017, Messi cooperated with Phoenix Group and Mediapro Exhibitions to build Messi Experience Park in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China with an investment capital of up to 170 million euros. According to the design, the total area of ââthe land where Messi Experience Park is located is about 80,000m2 and is divided into 3 parts. In addition to the area used for airspace (25,000m2), Messi Experience Park also has an indoor area for visitors to visit and entertain of about 46,000m2 and a campus of 12,000m2. Not only stopping at the nature of a simple park, the park associated with Messi’s name is also clearly oriented to become an entertainment complex that serves the diverse needs of visitors such as entertainment, dining, and relaxation.
6.1. Charity
In 2007, Messi founded the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity that helps vulnerable children access education and health care. In an interview with fans, Messi said: “Becoming a little famous gives me the opportunity to help people who really need help, especially children.” In response to Messi’s own childhood medical difficulties, the Leo Messi Foundation supports Argentine children who have been diagnosed with the disease, providing them with treatment in Spain, which includes travel expenses, hospital fees, and rehabilitation costs. Messi’s foundation is supported by his own fundraising activities and he has since promoted Herbalife’s milk products. This is a company from the United States, specializing in the production of nutritious milk products with functions such as weight gain, weight loss, protein supplementation, etc.
On 11 March 2010, Messi was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Messi’s UNICEF ambassadorship aims to support children’s rights. Messi also receives support from FC Barcelona, ââwhich has close ties with UNICEF.
In 2017, in addition to a large amount of money donated, Messi also used his own brand to call for help from benefactors and fans to build the Sant Joan de Deu hospital in Barcelona into the most modern cancer hospital in the world.
6.2. Communication
In 2009, he was chosen as the face of the Pro Evolution Soccer video game, and continued to promote the game alongside Fernando Torres the following year. Messi is sponsored by German sportswear company Adidas and appears in their TV commercials.
In March 2010, France Football Magazine ranked Messi first in the list of the world’s richest players, with ÂŁ29.6 million in total income from salaries, bonuses and off-field income. Forbes ranked him as the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2019.
In June 2010, Messi signed a three-year contract with Herbalife to support the Leo Messi Foundation.
His main sponsor since 2006 has been sportswear company Adidas. Since 2008, he has owned a collection of Adidas F50 boots and in 2015, he became the first footballer to receive his own Adidas boots, the Adidas Messi. Since 2017, Messi has been wearing Adidas’ new Nemeziz boot. Early in his career, he has mainly signed sponsorship deals with companies that use sports-oriented marketing, such as Adidas, Pepsi and Konami. From 2010 onwards, with his increasingly impressive achievements on the pitch, his marketing appeal continued to expand, leading to long-term endorsement deals with luxury brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Audemars Piguet. Messi is also a global brand ambassador for Gillette, Turkish Airlines, Ooredoo and Tata Motors, among others. Additionally, Messi is the face of Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series of football video games, appearing on the covers of PES 2009, PES 2010, PES 2011 and PES 2020. He later signed with Konami’s rival EA Sports to become the face of the FIFA series of football games, from which he appeared on the covers of four consecutive FIFA versions from FIFA 13 to FIFA 16.
He was also twice included in the Time 100 list in 2011 and 2012, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world published annually by Time Magazine.
Also in April 2011, Messi opened an account on Facebook and in just a few hours, his account had more than 6 million followers and as of October 2017, there were 89,401,860 people “Liked”. (Messi’s Facebook).
In May 2012, former Real Madrid player Royston Drenthe said in an interview with Dutch magazine Helden that Lionel Messi repeatedly called him “negro” during his time playing in the West. Spain. Responding to the above accusation, Barcelona affirmed: “Messi always shows absolute respect for his opponents, something that has been repeatedly recognized by his teammates.
6.3. Tax evasion
In June 2013, Lionel Messi was accused by the Barcelona tax authorities of evading âŹ4 million in taxes on commercial income between 2006 and 2009. Messi later paid over âŹ5 million (including taxes and late penalties). In October 2013, two senior tax officials from the Spanish tax authority announced at the Gava district court that Lionel Messi had not participated in the actions suspected of tax fraud. Messi was deemed unaware of his wrongdoing and the main person responsible for the case was his father, who also managed his finances. Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge Horacio Messi, later admitted that Lionel Messi had always been focused on football, and that his fault was only lax management and over-trusting of relatives in the financial field.
In July 2016, during a trial at the Gava District Court in Barcelona, ââMessi was sentenced to 21 months in prison for evading 4.1 million euros in taxes between 2007 and 2009. Jorge Horacio Messi, the football superstar’s father, also received a similar sentence. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the Messi family had evaded income tax in Spain by funneling the money into shell companies established in Uruguay and Belize – places considered tax havens. In addition to the prison sentence, Messi was also fined 2 million euros and his father 1.5 million euros. Because the sentence was for less than 2 years and was not a criminal sentence, Messi and his father could be exempted from probation, according to Spanish law. In addition, Messi and his father could also file an appeal to the Supreme Court.
6.4. Marriage
On June 30, 2017, Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo. Messi’s wedding was held at the 5-star City Center Rosario hotel complex. Leo Messi met his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo when he was 5 years old, before going public with their relationship in 2009. The couple has three sons together: Thiago (2012), Mateo (2015) and Ciro (2018).
Up to 400 police were mobilized to protect the security of Leo Messi’s wedding. Thousands of Argentinian fans and many Messi fans around the world flocked to Rosario to congratulate. Messi’s wedding event had the presence of 260 guests, many famous stars such as Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Luis Suarez, Samuel Eto’o… Messi did not invite his former teacher Luis Enrique and assistant Juan Carlos Unzue. In addition, no member of the Barca Board of Directors received the invitation.
After the party, there was still a lot of food and drinks left uneaten. Instead of throwing it away, Leo Messi decided to donate it to the Rosario Food Bank for charity.
7. Title
7.1. Club
7.1.1. Barcelona
- La Liga: 2004â05, 2005â06, 2008â09, 2009â10, 2010â11, 2012â13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19
- Copa del Rey: 2008â09, 2011â12, 2014â15, 2015â16, 2016â17, 2017â18, 2020â21
- Spanish Super Cup: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
- UEFA Champions League : 2005â06, 2008â09, 2010â11, 2014â15
- European Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015.
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
7.1.2. Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2021â22, 2022â23
- Trophée des Champions: 2022
7.2. National team
7.2.1. U20 Argentina
- World Youth Football Championship: 2005
7.2.2. U23 Argentina
- Summer Olympics: 2008
7.2.3. Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 2022
- Copa America: 2021
- CONMEBOLâUEFA Intercontinental Super Cup: 2022
Lionel Messi achieved a record that no one has ever achieved in football history
INFOGRAPHIC: 16 years in Messi’s national team jersey
VIDEO: Teammates throw Messi into the air after winning Copa America
7.3. Individual
7.3.1 World
- FIFA Golden Ball/European Golden Ball (6): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019
- FIFA World Player of the Year (1): 2009.
- The Best FIFA Men’s Players (After separating from Ballon d’Or): 1 (2019)
- FIFA World Cup 2014 Golden Ball
- King of assists FIFA World Cup 2018
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball (2): 2009, 2011.
- FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2015
- FIFA Club World Cup Final Man of the Match (2): 2009, 2011.
- FIFA Club World Cup top scorer: 2011
- Best player of the Copa América: 2015
- Most assists in Copa America: 2011, 2015, 2016
- Copa America Best Goal: 2007
- Best Young Player of the Copa América (1): 2007.
- Best player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (1): 2005.
- FIFA U20 World Cup top scorer (1): 2005.
- IFFHS international top scorer (2): 2011, 2012.
- FIFA/FIFPro World
- FIFPro Young Player of the Year (3): 2006, 2007, 2008.
- Olimpia de Plata (Best Argentine Player): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
- Olimpia de Oro (Typical Argentine sports figure): 2011
- Typical squad of FIFA World Cup: 2014[426]
- Outstanding Copa América Team: 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016
- FIFPro Young World Player of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008
- Golden Boy (Young European Footballer of the Year): 2005
- IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker: 2015, 2016, 2017
- AFA Team of All Time (2015)
7.3.2. Europe
- European Golden Shoe (6): 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019.
- UEFA European Player of the Year (2): 2011, 2015
- UEFA Player of the Year (1): 2009.
- UEFA striker of the year: 2009
- UEFA Team of the Year (10): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
- UEFA Champions League Best Striker (1): 2009.
- UEFA Champions League top scorer (6): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019.
- UEFA Champions League Assist King (2): 2012, 2015.
- UEFA Champions League Final Best Player (1): 2011.
- UEFA Goal of the Year: 2007
- UEFA Goal of the Season: 2014â15, 2015â16
7.3.3. Spain
- La Liga Player of the Season (7): 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2017-18
- Best striker of all seasons (7): 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16.
- Best Latin American player in La Liga (5): 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
- Pichichi Cup (6): 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Copa del Rey top scorer (5): 2008â09, 2010â11, 2013â14, 2015â16, 2016â17
- La Liga Player of the Month: January 2016, April 2017, April 2018, September 2018, March 2019
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2014â15, 2015â16
- UEFA La Liga Team of The Season: 2015â16, 2016â17
