[602] After keeping their relationship private for a year, Messi first confirmed their romance in an interview in January 2009, before going public a month later during a carnival in Sitges after the BarcelonaEspanyol derby. [89] This success was reflected in a new contract, signed on 18 September, which committed Messi to the club through 2016 with a new buyout clause of 250million, while his salary increased to 12million. Robert Lewandowski was named the mens footballer of the year at The Best FIFA Football Awards in 2021. Ronaldo has profited slightly more from the penalty spot than Messi in his career, scoring 148 penalties while missing just 29. During his professional career, he scored 733 goals in 745 matches. Upon the latter's departure, Messi was given the number 10 shirt. ", Barcelona's then assistant coach Henk ten Cate on Messi's first-team debut. Discovery Company. [522][523], As his career advanced, and his tendency to dribble diminished slightly with age, Messi began to dictate play in deeper areas of the pitch and developed into one of the best passers and playmakers in football history. Gamers and soccer fans are waiting for the new PES experience. A week after suffering a broken cheekbone during a league match, Messi was allowed to start the game on the condition that he wear a plastic protector; soon hindered by the mask, he took it off and scored two goals in 10 minutes before his substitution. Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Spanish football club Barcelona and the current captain of the Argentine national football team. [537], Throughout his career, Messi has been compared with his late compatriot Diego Maradona, due to their similar playing styles as diminutive, left-footed dribblers. [172][173] With 58 goals from Messi, the trio scored a total of 122 goals in all competitions that season, a record in Spanish football. [137] Although FIFA did not acknowledge the achievement, citing verifiability issues, he received the Guinness World Records title for most goals scored in a calendar year. [176] As the season's top assist provider with 18 he surpassed Lus Figo with the most assists in La Liga;[note 3] he made his record 106th assist in a fixture against Levante on 15 February, in which he also scored a hat-trick. [72], "Messi is the best player in the world by some distance. True-to-life football experience eFootball PES 2021 is suitable for fans of football and are also experienced gamers. But of the six who did commit to giving an answer, FIVE chose Messi, with just one . A new season is her after having seen how millions of euros have been spent on players. Filter by season: Stats 22/23 . Alfredo Stfano Di Stfano Laulh (4 July 1926 - 7 July 2014) was an Argentine-born professional footballer and coach who played as a forward, regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. The night Messi won the World Cup - told with some help from the man himself. [249][250], On 27 April, Messi came off the bench and scored the only goal in a 10 home win over Levante, which allowed Barcelona to clinch the league title;[251] this was his 450th La Liga appearance, and his first league title as Barcelona's captain. [157][158] He still managed to break two longstanding records in a span of seven days: a hat-trick on 16 March against Osasuna saw him overtake Paulino Alcntara's 369 goals to become Barcelona's top goalscorer in all competitions including friendlies, while another hat-trick against Real Madrid on 23 March made him the all-time top scorer in El Clsico, ahead of the 18 goals scored by former Real Madrid player Alfredo Di Stfano. [30][31] Messi was then one of several youth players called up to strengthen a depleted first team during the international break. ", "World Cup 2014: Lionel Messi Golden Ball Surprised Sepp Blatter", "Gerardo 'Tata' Martino Appointed Argentina Coach", "Messi Bemoans Scoring Difficulties at Copa Amrica", "Even Hostile Chile Fans Forced to Acknowledge Lionel Messi's Greatness", "Argentina Beat Colombia on Penalties to Reach Copa America Semifinal", "Hosts Chile Stun Argentina to Claim First Copa Amrica Title on Penalties", "Argentina's Lionel Messi Grateful for Support after Copa Amrica Defeat", "Coach: I'd Have Stopped Playing for Argentina if I Was Messi", "Lionel Messi leaves Argentina's friendly win vs. Honduras with back injury", "Argentina top Chile in rematch of last year's Copa Amrica final", "Lionel Messi scores brilliant hat-trick as Argentina surge into quarter-finals", "Gabriel Batistuta Lionel Messi taking my Argentina record annoyed me", "Copa America: Lionel Messi equals Gabriel Batistuta's Argentina record", "Lionel Messi equals Argentina's all-time goal-scoring record", "Lionel Messi retires from Argentina after Copa America final loss to Chile", "Devastated Messi announces likely retirement from Argentina", "Lionel Messi says his Argentina career is over after Copa Amrica final defeat", "Messi 'God's gift' to Argentina president", "Inauguran en Buenos Aires una estatua en homenaje a Messi", "Macri, Maradona and the Argentine people rally together to prompt Messi U-turn", "Lionel Messi: Argentina striker reverses decision to retire from national team", "La Nacion claims to know that Lionel Messi will return to Argentina national team", "Lionel Messi to make Argentina return after brief international retirement", "Messi strikes back as Argentina sink Uruguay", "Lionel Messi suspended for four matches", "Lionel Messi: Barcelona and Argentina forward banned for 'insulting' assistant ref", "FIFA Appeal Committee passes decision on Lionel Messi", "Lionel Messi hat-trick secures Argentina's passage to World Cup", "Argentina: World Cup squad is the 'worst in their history' says Ossie Ardiles", "Messi: 'Now or Never' for His Argentina Generation to Win World Cup", "Lionel Messi: Argentina's results will decide if this is my last World Cup", "World Cup 2018: Argentina 'cloud Lionel Messi's brilliance', says coach Jorge Sampaoli", "Luka Modric defends Messi: 'He can't do everything by himself', "Relief for Argentina and Lionel Messi After World Cup Thriller", "Messi, Ronaldo bow out in dramatic knockout openers", "Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi at the 2018 World Cup: Argentina and Portugal eliminated", "Lionel Messi unlikely for Argentina duties for rest of year sources", "Lionel Messi returns to Argentina squad for first time since World Cup", "Pablo Aimar, sus lgrimas y el "ganar es vivir, perder es morir", "Messi Leads Argentina's Copa America Squad; Icardi Omitted", "Argentina draws with Paraguay 11 in Copa America", "Messi admits not playing well for Argentina at Copa America", "Lionel Messi's corruption claim dismissed by Copa Amrica organisers", "Argentina's Rodrigo de Paul: 'Messi surprised me. [496][508] As of October 2022, Messi ranks 9th all time in goals scored from direct free kicks with 60,[509] the most among active players. He scored 41 goals across all competitions for Barcelona in 201516, and the club won the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey during that season. Under the stewardship of former Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, Argentina entered the tournament as title contenders due to their second-place achievement at the World Cup. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The award, which is voted for by national team coaches and captains, journalists and also fans, recognises a year in which the former Barcelona star crowned his glorious career by leading Argentina to victory at the World Cup. To comply with the league's fair play regulations we had to accept an agreement that mortgaged the Club's TV right for half a century and FC Barcelona is above everything else. [524][525][526] His work-rate off the ball and defensive responsibilities also decreased as his career progressed; by covering less ground on the pitch, and instead conserving his energy for short bursts of speed, he was able to improve his efficiency, movement, and positional play, and was also able to avoid muscular injuries, despite often playing a large number of matches throughout a particular season on a consistent basis. Nov 5th, 2013. Nelson Javier Abeijn Pessi (born 21 July 1973) is a retired Uruguayan footballer. [260] On 19 August, Messi's chipped goal from the edge of the box against Real Betis was nominated for the 2019 FIFA Pusks Award. [40] Physically he was weaker than his opponents, who were often much older and taller, and in training he worked on increasing his muscle mass and overall strength in order to be able to shake off defenders. [494], Due to his short stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than taller players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly and evade opposing tackles;[495][496] this has led the Spanish media to dub him La Pulga Atmica ("The Atomic Flea"). [200] Messi finished the 201516 season by setting up both goals in Barcelona's 20 extra time win over Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey Final, at the Vicente Caldern Stadium, on 22 May 2016, as the club celebrated winning the domestic double for the second consecutive season. [269] His goals (608) also saw him overtake Cristiano Ronaldo's senior goal tally (606) at club level. Messi scored 51 goals across all domestic competitions in 201819 as Barcelona won another La Liga championship. [174], Towards the end of the campaign, Messi scored in a 10 away win over Atltico Madrid on 17 May, securing the La Liga title. [43] Under Guardiola and subsequent managers, he most often played in a false nine role; positioned as a centre-forward or lone striker, he would roam the centre, often moving deep into midfield and drawing defenders with him, in order to create and exploit spaces for passes, other teammates' attacking runs off the ball, Messi's own dribbling runs, or combinations with Xavi and Iniesta. In the 202021 season, Barcelona claimed the Copa del Rey title, the seventh of Messis career. [132][133], Under manager Tito Vilanova, who had first coached him aged 14 at La Masia, Messi helped the club achieve its best-ever start to a La Liga season during the second half of 2012, amassing 55 points by the competition's midway point, a record in Spanish football. Later that year, Messi became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1billion in career earnings. [244], On 13 January 2019, Messi scored his 400th La Liga goal in his 435th league appearance in a 30 home win over Eibar, becoming the first player ever to manage this tally in just one of Europe's top five leagues. [469] On 6 July, in a 11 draw in the semi-finals against Colombia, Messi made his 150th appearance for his country and registered his fifth assist of the tournament, a cut-back for Lautaro Martnez, matching his record of nine goal contributions in a single tournament from five years earlier; he later netted his spot kick in Argentina's eventual 32 penalty shoot-out victory to progress to his fifth international final. Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe,[8] the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. ", "Lionel Messi y el ttulo de Argentina en la Copa Amrica 2021: "Necesitaba sacarme la espina", "Valdano: 'Messi Es Maradona Todos Los Das', "Menotti: 'Messi Est al Nivel del Mejor Maradona Que Vi', "Lionel Messi Is Not the New Maradona He Can Be Better than That", "Tim Vickery: Lionel Messi can now be recognised alongside Diego Maradona by Argentinians", "Lionel Messi Vomits Because of Nerves, Says Argentina's Alejandro Sabella", "Diego Maradona: Lionel Messi lacks the leadership needed to carry a team", "Maradona vs. Messi: A Laughable Comparison", "Lionel Messi: Is Barcelona forward really cut out for captaincy? He's reserved.". [476] Messi then followed this on 6 June with all five Argentina goals in a 50 victory in a friendly win over Estonia, overtaking Ferenc Pusks among the all-time international men's top scorers. [220], Messi opened the 201718 season by converting a penalty in Barcelona's 13 first leg home defeat to Real Madrid in Supercopa de Espaa. [421], Following his announcement, a campaign began in Argentina for Messi to change his mind about retiring. 10:33am Thursday 05 Aug. First Team. After being named man of the match against Venezuela, he scored the winning 21 goal in the crucial last match against Brazil, thereby securing their third-place qualification for the FIFA World Youth Championship. Messi and Roccuzzo have three sons: Thiago (born 2012), Mateo (born 2015) and Ciro (born 2018). [346] Four days later, Messi scored and provided an assist as PSG won 43 against Troyes to remain top of the Ligue 1 table. The former Barcelona forward was in fine form during the World Cup, scoring seven goals and claiming three assists in seven games. [442][443] He was awarded Man of the Match. [148], Messi continued to struggle with injury throughout 2013, eventually parting ways with his long-time personal physiotherapist. [68][69], After Ronaldinho lost form, Messi became Bara's new star player at only 20 years old, receiving the nickname "Messiah" from the Spanish media. In 2005 he was granted Spanish citizenship, an honour greeted with mixed feelings by the fiercely Catalan supporters of Barcelona. [495][496], Tactically, Messi plays in a free attacking role; a versatile player, he is capable of attacking on either wing or through the centre of the pitch. In the 2012/13 La Liga season, Lionel Messis non-penalty shots had a total value of 17.6 xG. ", Pep Guardiola after Messi became Barcelona's all-time top scorer at the age of 24 in March 2012[122], As Messi maintained his goalscoring form into the second half of the season, the year 2012 saw him break several longstanding records. [612] Through his foundation, Messi has awarded research grants, financed medical training, and invested in the development of medical centres and projects in Argentina, Spain, and elsewhere in the world. To combat the problem, the club implemented new training, nutrition, and lifestyle regimens, and assigned him a personal physiotherapist, who would travel with him during call-ups for the Argentina national team. ", "Lionel Messi, Manchester United and Arsenal: The 10 Most Tweeted Sporting Moments of 2015", "Messi's Goal vs. Bayern Voted Europe's Best in 201415", "Barcelona Overwhelms Juventus to Win Fifth Champions League Title", "UEFA Champions League 201415: Statistics", "The Ultimate Record-Breaking Preview to the UEFA Champions League Final", "Messi Beats Ronaldo for 201415 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award", "Lionel Messi Says Free Kick Goals in UEFA Super Cup Were 'Lucky', "Florenzi's goal vs. Barca one for the ages", "Lionel Messi: Club World Cup triumph proves Barcelona are 'best in the world', "FC Barcelona claim 40 victory over Betis and top spot to end 2015", "Lionel Messi wins 2015 Ballon d'Or ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar", "Lionel Messi's 500th goal shows off scintillating skill", "Barcelona penalty: Was it disrespectful or a touch of genius? [272] On 2 December, Messi was awarded a record-breaking sixth Ballon d'Or. 37 posts. Of those nearly 800 goals, 108 have come from the spot, while nearly seven hundred others have been scored from non-penalty situations. But for this quiz, we've blurred the faces of 15 players to make it extra tricky for you! [162] It was reported that Vilanova played a key role in convincing Messi to stay[163] amid strong interest from Jos Mourinho's Chelsea. During the 201112 season, he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. He missed several opportunities to open the scoring throughout the match, in particular at the start of the second half when his breakaway effort went wide of the far post. [152][153] Following an irregular start to the new season under manager Gerardo Martino, formerly of his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys, Messi suffered his fifth injury of 2013 when he tore his hamstring on 10 November, leaving him sidelined for two months. A month later, on 6 March, he made his debut for Barcelona B in the Segunda Divisin B, and his buyout clause automatically increased to 80million. [308], On 17 April, Messi scored twice as Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 40 in the 2021 Copa del Rey Final. My love for Bara will never change. "[423] Mayor of Buenos Aires Horacio Rodrguez Larreta unveiled a statue of Messi in the capital to convince him to reconsider retirement. Image: BBC/FIFA. [529][530] Four years later, after Messi had won his first Ballon d'Or by a record margin,[72] the public debate regarding his qualities as a player moved beyond his status in contemporary football to the possibility that he was one of the greatest players in history. [203], Messi opened the 201617 season by lifting the 2016 Supercopa de Espaa as Barcelona's captain in the absence of the injured Andrs Iniesta;[204] he set-up Munir's goal in a 20 away win over Sevilla in the first leg on 14 August,[205] and subsequently scored in a 30 win in the return leg on 17 August. As a result, Messi remained virtually injury-free during the next four years, allowing him to reach his full potential. I'm already prepared for what's to come, I know the club, I know the city, I'm a little more comfortable with the dressing room, with my teammates and I know it's going to be different", Messi on his difficult first season at PSG and how he wants to improve in his second season in an interview with TyC Sports. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [10] He was greatly affected by her death, shortly before his eleventh birthday; since then, as a devout Roman Catholic, he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute to his grandmother. Using our unique search, comparison and ranking tools, FC . He scored 21 goals in 14 games for the junior team, and he quickly graduated through the higher-level teams until at age 16 he was given his informal debut with FC Barcelona in a friendly match. [20] At 17 years, three months, and 22 days old, he was at the time the youngest player to represent Barcelona in an official competition. [326] On 21 November, Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 31 home victory over Nantes. But the advantage I have is that I'm second to an extraterrestrial. [35][41] Since his debut the previous November, he had not been called up to the first team again, but in October 2004, the senior players asked manager Frank Rijkaard to promote him. At the 2014 World Cup, Messi put on a dazzling display, scoring four goals and almost single-handedly propelling an offense-deficient Argentina team through the group stage and into the knockout rounds, where Argentina then advanced to the World Cup final for the first time in 24 years. [287] On 26 August, Barcelona's sporting director Ramon Planes iterated the club's desire to "build a team around the most important player in the world"[288] and affirmed Messi will only be able to leave should a buyer pay his 700million buyout clause; a reported early termination option available in Messi's contract (which would have allowed him to leave the club for free) could only be exercised if he had communicated his decision to Barcelona by 31 May 2020, although the player's representatives argued the deadline should be set to 31 August, due to the adjourned 201920 season. But immediately you'd realise that he was born different, that he was a phenomenon and that he was going to be something impressive. [300] On 17 December, Messi finished third in The Best FIFA Men's Player award behind Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo, and was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI for the fourteenth consecutive year. It's now 827 career goals for Cristiano Ronaldo, the most by any player ever in the history of football #CR7 #CristianoRonaldo #Portugal #AlNassr #RealMadrid #ManchesterUnited . [568] Over time, Messi established himself as their leading brand endorser;[560] from 2008, he had a long-running signature collection of Adidas F50 boots, and in 2015, he became the first footballer to receive his own sub-brand of Adidas boots, the Adidas Messi. To win, it will require you to have quick critical thinking skills and fast reaction times. [629][630] In February 2021, Messi donated to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya his Adidas shoes which he wore when he scored his 644th goal for Barcelona and broke Pel's record for most goals scored for a single club; the shoes were later auctioned off in April by the museum for charity to help children with cancer and were sold for 125,000. The 29-year-old, who missed the European Championships with an ACL injury, finished ahead of the USA international Alex Morgan and England striker Beth Mead in the voting. Some saw it as "a touch of genius", while others criticised it as being disrespectful to the opponent. His game-winning goal in stoppage time was his 500th for Barcelona. [226], On 18 October, in his 122nd European club appearance, Messi scored his 97th UEFA Champions League goal, and his 100th in all UEFA club competitions, in a 31 home victory over Olympiacos. No, the club is bigger than any manager, than any player except Leo. [48] On 16 September, his contract was updated for the second time in three months and extended to 2014. He is currently the assistant coach of C.A. Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning four consecutive Ballons d'Or, making him the first player to win the award four times. The 35-year-old Messi finished ahead of Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbapp and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema in the voting for the mens award. [562] In 2018 he was the first player to exceed the 100m benchmark for a calendar year, with earnings of 126m ($154m) in combined income from salaries, bonuses and endorsements. With his second goal, he broke Gerd Mller's record of 30 plus goals in 12 consecutive club seasons, setting a new record of 13. A league match on 16 April ended in a draw after a penalty from Messi. [294], On 27 September, Messi began the 202021 season by scoring a penalty in a 40 home win against Villarreal in La Liga. I always wanted to score a beautiful goal. To win, it will require you to have quick critical thinking skills and fast reaction times. In 2014 Messi led Argentina to the World Cup final, which Argentina lost, but Messi won the Golden Ball award as the tournaments best player. Lionel Messi with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. [432] Argentina's place in the 2018 World Cup was in jeopardy going into their final qualifying match as they were sixth in their group, outside the five possible CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying spots, meaning they risked failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1970. [446] With his two assists in his team's second round fixture, Messi became the first player to provide an assist in the last four World Cups, and also became the first player to provide two assists in a match for Argentina since Maradona had managed the same feat against South Korea in 1986. [312] It was also his record fifth consecutive win in La Liga, surpassing Alfredo Di Stfano and Hugo Snchez who both had four for Real Madrid. [157][159] Messi finished the campaign with his worst output in five seasons, though he still managed to score 41 goals in all competitions. [258] On 25 May, Messi scored his final goal of the season in a 21 defeat to Valencia in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final. [480][481] In the quarter-final against the Netherlands, Messi assisted Argentina's first goal for Nahuel Molina with a reverse pass and then scored a penalty as the game finished 22 after extra time. With soccer 2016 you can enjoy many types of games , quick . [17][20] In February 2001, the family relocated to Barcelona, where they moved into an apartment near the club's stadium, Camp Nou. 10 Barcelona Shirt", "Barcelona's Lionel Messi Becomes Most Decorated Player in History after Winning Unprecedented Fourth Straight Ballon d'Or", "FIFA Refuses to Back Lionel Messi or Godfrey Chitalu for Goal Record", "Barcelona Star Lionel Messi Sets New Goal-Scoring Record", "Ballon d'Or Contenders Messi, Ronaldo and Iniesta in Profile", "A Sense of Anticlimax but Barcelona Still Deserve Their La Liga Title", "Captain Messi Inspires Another Bara League Triumph", "Andrs Iniesta Admission That Barcelona Suffer from 'Messi-Dependence' Proved against PSG", "Messidependencia Brought into Focus as Barcelona Show Vulnerability", "Rumours of Lionel Messi Rift with Barcelona Rubbished Be Representatives of the Argentina International", "Messi 'Breaks Record' by Scoring in 17th Consecutive La Liga Game", "Lionel Messi Awarded Golden Shoe for Third Time after 46 La Liga Goals for Barcelona", "Lionel Andrs Messi Cuccittini: Matches 201213", "Lionel Messi Returns from Injury in Barcelona Victory", "Cristiano Ronaldo Wins FIFA Ballon D'or after Stellar Year at Real Madrid", "Real Madrid v Barcelona: Has Ronaldo Overtaken Messi? [127], Despite Messi's individual form, Barcelona's four-year cycle of success under Guardiola one of the greatest eras in the club's history drew to an end. He scored two penalties in their 21 victory over Nigeria, clinching Argentina's fifth championship and finishing the tournament as top scorer with 6 goals. [123][124] In addition to being the joint top assist provider with five assists, this feat made him top scorer with 14 goals, tying Jos Altafini's record from the 196263 season, as well as becoming only the second player after Gerd Mller to be top scorer in four campaigns.
.png)