Lionel Messi

Argentine association football musician ( hold 1987 )
“ Messi ” redirects hera. For other uses, see Messi ( disambiguation )
Lionel Andrés Messi [ note 1 ] ( spanish pronunciation : [ ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi ] ( ) ; born 24 June 1987 ), besides known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional football player who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 cabaret Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards, [ note 2 ] a record six european Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team. Until leaving the baseball club in 2021, he had spent his entire master career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including ten-spot La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga ( 474 ), a La Liga and European league season ( 50 ), most hat-tricks in La Liga ( 36 ) and the UEFA Champions League ( 8 ), and most assists in La Liga ( 192 ), a La Liga season ( 21 ) and the Copa América ( 17 ). He besides holds the record for most international goals by a south american male ( 80 ). Messi has scored over 750 senior career goals for baseball club and state, and has the most goals by a player for a single clubhouse.

Reading: Lionel Messi

Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi relocated to Spain to join Barcelona at age 13, for whom he made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. He established himself as an integral player for the baseball club within the adjacent three years, and in his first gear continuous season in 2008–09 he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in spanish football ; that class, aged 22, Messi won his first gear Ballon d’Or. Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning four consecutive Ballons d’Or, making him the first player to win the award four times and in a quarrel. [ 10 ] During the 2011–12 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. The take after two seasons, Messi finished irregular for the Ballon d’Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo ( his perceived career rival ), before regaining his best form during the 2014–15 crusade, becoming the all-time top scorekeeper in La Liga and leading Barcelona to a historic second base treble, after which he was awarded a fifth Ballon d’Or in 2015. Messi assumed captainship of Barcelona in 2018, and in 2019 he won a record sixth Ballon d’Or. Out of contract, he signed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021. An Argentine external, Messi is both his country ‘s highest appearance-maker and their all-time head goalscorer. At young person degree, he won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, finishing the tournament with both the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and an Olympic gold decoration at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His expressive style of act as a bantam, left-footed dribbler drew comparisons with his compatriot Diego Maradona, who described Messi as his successor. After his senior introduction in August 2005, Messi became the youngest argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup in 2006, and reached the final of the 2007 Copa América, where he was named young musician of the tournament. As the squad ‘s captain from August 2011, he led Argentina to three consecutive finals : the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which he won the Golden Ball, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, winning the Golden Ball in the 2015 edition. After announcing his external retirement in 2016, he reversed his decision and led his country to qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa América, and won the 2021 Copa América, while winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot award for the latter. This accomplishment would see him receive a phonograph record seventh Ballon d’Or in 2021. Messi has endorsed sportswear company Adidas since 2006. According to France Football, he was the universe ‘s highest-paid football player for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014, and was ranked the world ‘s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019. Messi was among Time ‘s 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and 2012. In February 2020, he was awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, thus becoming the first football player and the first team sport athlete to win the award. Later that year, Messi became the second football player ( and second base team-sport athlete ) to surpass $ 1 billion in career earnings .

early life

Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, [11] the third base of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory director, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a attraction manufacture workshop. On his don ‘s side, he is of italian and spanish origin, the great-grandson of immigrants from the northcentral Adriatic Marche region of Italy and Catalonia, and on his beget ‘s side, he has primarily italian ancestry. Growing up in a tight-knit, football-loving family, “ Leo ” developed a mania for the fun from an early age, playing constantly with his older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and his cousins, Maximiliano and Emanuel Biancucchi, both of whom became master footballers. At the age of four he joined local anesthetic club Grandoli, where he was coached by his don, though his earliest influence as a actor came from his parental grandma, Celia, who accompanied him to train and matches. [ 13 ] He was greatly affected by her end, shortly before his eleventh birthday ; since then, as a dear Catholic, he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the flip in protection to his grandma. [ 15 ]

“ When you saw him you would think : this pull the leg of ca n’t play ball. He ‘s a dwarf, he ‘s besides fragile, excessively modest. But immediately you ‘d realise that he was born unlike, that he was a phenomenon and that he was going to be something impressive. ”

– Newell ‘s Old Boys youth passenger car Adrián Coria shares his beginning impression of the 12-year-old Messi .
A lifelong supporter of Newell ‘s Old Boys, Messi joined the Rosario golf club when he was six years honest-to-god. During the six years he played for Newell ‘s, he scored about 500 goals as a member of “ The Machine of ’87 ”, the near-unbeatable young side named for the year of their birth, and regularly entertained crowd by performing ball tricks during half-time of the beginning team ‘s home games. [ 17 ] however, his future as a professional actor was threatened when, at senesce 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone lack. As his father ‘s health insurance covered only two years of emergence hormone treatment, which cost at least $ 1,000 per calendar month, Newell ‘s agree to contribute, but late reneged on their promise. [ 19 ] He was scouted by Buenos Aires club River Plate, whose playmaker, Pablo Aimar, he idolised, but they were besides unable to pay for his treatment due to Argentina ‘s economic collapse. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] His goalscoring idol growing up was Ronaldo, with Messi calling him “ the best forward I ‘ve ever seen ”. [ 22 ]
As the Messi class had relatives in Catalonia, they sought to arrange a test with Barcelona in September 2000. First team director Charly Rexach immediately wanted to sign him, but the circuit board of directors hesitated ; at the prison term it was highly unusual for european clubs to sign alien players of such a young historic period. On 14 December, an ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their committedness, and Rexach, with no early newspaper at handwriting, offered a shrink on a newspaper diaper. [ 20 ] [ 23 ] In February 2001, the family relocated to Barcelona, where they moved into an apartment near the club ‘s stadium, Camp Nou. During his foremost class in Spain, Messi rarely played with the Infantiles due to a transfer battle with Newell ‘s ; as a foreigner, he could alone be fielded in friendlies and the Catalan league. Without football, he struggled to integrate into the team ; already reserved by nature, he was thus quiet that his teammates initially believed he was dumb. At home, he suffered from homesickness after his beget moved back to Rosario with his brothers and little sister, María Sol, while he stayed in Barcelona with his founder. [ 17 ] [ 23 ] [ 24 ] After a year at Barcelona ‘s youth academy, La Masia, Messi was last enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation ( RFEF ) in February 2002. now playing in all competitions, he befriended his teammates, among whom were Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué. After completing his growth hormone discussion aged 14, Messi became an integral part of the “ Baby Dream Team ”, Barcelona ‘s greatest-ever youth english. During his first entire season ( 2002–03 ), he was clear scorer with 36 goals in 30 games for the Cadetes A, who won an unprecedented soprano of the league and both the spanish and Catalan cups. [ 27 ] The Copa Catalunya concluding, a 4–1 victory over Espanyol, became known in club lore as the partido de la máscara, the final of the mask. A week after suffering a break cheekbone during a league peer, Messi was allowed to start the game on the condition that he wear a fictile defender ; soon hindered by the disguise, he took it off and scored two goals in 10 minutes before his substitution. At the finale of the season, he received an extend to join Arsenal, his foremost from a alien cabaret, but while Fàbregas and Piqué soon left for England, he chose to remain in Barcelona. [ 23 ] [ 29 ] [ 30 ]

Club career

Barcelona

2003–2005 : advance to the first team

“ It seemed as if he had been playing with us all his life. ”

– Barcelona ‘s then adjunct coach Henk ten Cate on Messi ‘s first-team debut. [ 31 ]
During the 2003–04 season, his fourth with Barcelona, Messi quickly progressed through the club ‘s ranks, debuting for a record five youth teams in a unmarried campaign. [ 32 ] After being named player of the tournament in four international pre-season competitions with the Juveniles B, he played only one official match with the team before being promoted to the Juveniles A, where he scored 18 goals in 11 league games. [ 34 ] Messi was then one of several young players called up to strengthen a depleted first team during the external break. french winger Ludovic Giuly explained how a adolescent Leo caught the eye in a train session with Frank Rijkaard ‘s beginning team : “ He destroyed us all … They were kicking him all over the seat to avoid being ridiculed by this kid, he just got improving and kept on playing. He would dribble past four players and score a goal. even the team ‘s starting centre-backs were skittish. He was an foreigner. ” [ 35 ] At 16 years, four months, and 23 days erstwhile, Messi made his first team debut when he came on in the 75th minute during a friendly against José Mourinho ‘s Porto on 16 November 2003. [ 23 ] [ 36 ] His performance, creating two chances and a shot on finish, impressed the technical staff, and he subsequently began training daily with the club ‘s reservation side, Barcelona B, adenine good as weekly with the beginning team. After his first train seance with the elder team, Barça ‘s fresh star musician, Ronaldinho, told his teammates that he believed the 16-year-old would become an even better actor than himself. Ronaldinho soon befriended Messi, whom he called “ small brother ”, which greatly eased his conversion into the first team. [ 40 ]
Messi playing against Málaga in 2005 To gain far pit experience, Messi joined Barcelona C in accession to the Juveniles A, playing his first game for the third base team on 29 November. He helped save them from the delegating zone of the Tercera División, scoring five goals in ten-spot games, including a hat-trick in eight minutes during a Copa del Rey match while man-marked by Sevilla ‘s Sergio Ramos. His advancement was reflected in his first gear professional shrink, signed on 4 February 2004, which lasted until 2012 and contained an initial buyout clause of €30 million. A calendar month late, on 6 March, he made his debut for Barcelona B in the Segunda División B, and his buyout article mechanically increased to €80 million. He played five games with the B team that temper but did not score. [ 43 ] Physically he was weaker than his opponents, who were much much older and grandiloquent, and in coach he worked on increasing his muscle batch and overall intensity in order to be able to shake off defenders. Towards the end of the season, he returned to both youth teams, helping the Juveniles B win the league. He finished the political campaign having scored for four of his five teams with a total of 36 goals in all official competitions. During the 2004–05 season, Messi was a guarantee starter for the B team, playing 17 games throughout the campaign and scoring on six occasions. [ 44 ] Since his debut the former November, he had not been called up to the beginning team again, but in October 2004, the senior players asked coach Frank Rijkaard to promote him. Since Ronaldinho already played on the leftover wing, Rijkaard moved Messi from his common put onto the proper flank ( though initially against the musician ‘s wishes ), allowing him to cut into the center of the pitch and photograph with his dominant allele leave foot. [ 46 ] Messi made his league debut during the next couple on 16 October, against Espanyol, coming on in the 82nd moment. [ 23 ] At 17 years, three months, and 22 days erstwhile, he was at the clock the youngest musician to represent Barcelona in an official rival. [ 40 ] As a substitute actor, he played 77 minutes in nine matches for the foremost team that season, including his debut in the UEFA Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk. [ 44 ] [ 47 ] He scored his first senior goal on 1 May 2005, against Albacete, from an assist by Ronaldinho, becoming – at that clock time – the youngest-ever scorekeeper for the club. [ 48 ] Barcelona, in their moment season under Rijkaard, won the league for the beginning time in six years. [ 49 ]

2005–2008 : Becoming a start eleven actor

“ In my entire life I have never seen a musician of such quality and personality at such a unseasoned age, particularly wearing the ‘heavy ‘ shirt of one of the earth ‘s capital clubs. ”

– Fabio Capello praises the 18-year-old Messi following the Joan Gamper trophy in August 2005 .
On 24 June, his eighteenth birthday, Messi signed his first contract as a elder team musician. It made him a Barcelona player until 2010, two years less than his previous sign, but his buyout clause increased to €150 million. His breakthrough came two months former, on 24 August, during the Joan Gamper Trophy, Barcelona ‘s pre-season competition. A newcomer for the inaugural time, he gave a well-received performance against Fabio Capello ‘s Juventus, receiving an ovation from the Camp Nou. While Capello requested to loan Messi, a bid to buy him came from Inter Milan, who were will to pay his €150 million buyout clause and triple his wages. [ 51 ] According to then-president Joan Laporta, it was the only time the club faced a actual gamble of losing Messi, but he ultimately decided to stay. On 16 September, his condense was updated for the second meter in three months and extended to 2014. [ 53 ]
Messi during a coach seance with Barcelona in 2006 due to issues regarding his legal status in the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Messi missed the start of La Liga, but on 26 September, he acquired spanish citizenship and became eligible to play. [ 53 ] Wearing the number 19 shirt, he gradually established himself as the first-choice right winger, forming an attacking trio with Ronaldinho and striker Samuel Eto’o. [ 30 ] [ 56 ] He was in the starting line-up in major matches like his first base Clásico against rivals real Madrid on 19 November, ampere well as Barcelona ‘s away victory over Chelsea in the last 16 round of the Champions League, which came on back of an intense period of competition between the clubs leading a resentful Messi to state, “ We would rather play Arsenal, Manchester United or anyone else than be on the deliver with Chelsea. ” [ 58 ] After he had scored 8 goals in 25 games, including his first in the Champions League, [ 59 ] in a 5–0 win over Panathinaikos on 2 November 2005, [ 60 ] his season ended prematurely during the return leg against Chelsea on 7 March 2006, when he suffered a tear hamstring. Messi worked to regain fitness in time for the Champions League final examination, but on 17 May, the day of the final examination, he was finally ruled out. He was so disappoint that he did not celebrate his team ‘s victory over Arsenal in Paris, something he subsequently came to regret. [ 49 ] While Barcelona began a gradual decline, the 19-year-old Messi established himself as one of the best players in the populace during the 2006–07 campaign. [ 61 ] [ 62 ] Already an paragon to the culés, the golf club ‘s supporters, he scored 17 goals in 36 games across all competitions. [ 62 ] [ 63 ] however, he continued to be plagued by major injuries ; a metatarsal fracture sustained on 12 November 2006 kept him out of action for three months. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] He recovered in clock time for the concluding 16 round of the Champions League against Liverpool, but was efficaciously marked out of the game ; Barcelona, the regnant champions, were out of the competition. In the league, his goal contribution increased towards the end of the season ; 11 of his 14 goals came from the last 13 games. [ 63 ] On 10 March 2007, he scored his first gear hat-trick in a Clásico, the first player to do so in 12 years, equalising after each goal by real Madrid to end the match in a 3–3 draw in injury time. [ 67 ] His growing importance to the club was reflected in a raw contract, signed that month, which greatly increased his wages .
Messi making his Maradona-esque run against Getafe in 2007 already frequently compared to compatriot Diego Maradona, Messi proved their similarity when he closely replicated Maradona ‘s two most celebrated goals in the span of seven weeks. [ 69 ] During a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe on 18 April, he scored a goal signally exchangeable to Maradona ‘s second finish in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, known as the Goal of the Century. Messi collected the ball on the right side near the halfway line, ran 60 metres ( 66 yd ), and beat five defenders before scoring with an slant finish, just as Maradona had done. [ 20 ] [ 70 ] A league catch against Espanyol on 9 June saw him score by launching himself at the ball and guiding it past the goalkeeper with his hand in alike fashion to Maradona ‘s Hand of God goal in the lapp World Cup match. [ 71 ] As Messi continued his individual rise, Barcelona faltered ; the team failed to reach the Copa del Rey final after Messi was rested during the second base leg against Getafe and lost the league to Real Madrid on neck and neck results. [ 72 ] [ 73 ] After Ronaldinho lost form, Messi became Barça ‘s fresh star actor at entirely 20 years old, receiving the nickname “ Messiah “ from the spanish media. [ 20 ] [ 74 ] [ 75 ] His efforts in 2007 besides earned him award recognition ; journalists voted him the third-best player of the year for the 2007 Ballon d’Or, behind Kaká and runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo, while international managers and national team captains voted him second for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, again behind Kaká. [ 77 ] Although he managed to score 16 goals during the 2007–08 campaign, [ 78 ] the second half of his season was again marred by injuries after he suffered a tear hamstring on 15 December. [ 79 ] He returned to score doubly in their away victory against Celtic in the last 16 round of the Champions League, becoming the rival ‘s acme scorer at that point with six goals, [ 80 ] but reinjured himself during the return leg on 4 March 2008. Rijkaard had fielded him despite warning from the medical staff, leading captain Carles Puyol to criticise the spanish media for pressuring Messi to play every equal. [ 79 ] Barcelona finished the season without trophies, eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals by the eventual champions, Manchester United, and placed third in the league. [ 81 ]

2008–09 : First treble

After two unsuccessful seasons, Barcelona were in indigence of an overhaul, leading to the departure of Rijkaard and Ronaldinho. Upon the latter ‘s passing, Messi was given the number 10 shirt. [ 56 ] He signed a new contract in July with an annual wage of €7.8 million, becoming the club ‘s highest-paid player. [ 83 ] Ahead of the new season, a major concern remained his frequent muscular injuries, which had left him side-lined for a sum of eight months between 2006 and 2008. To combat the problem, the club implemented new trail, nutriment, and life style regimens, and assigned him a personal physical therapist, who would travel with him during call-ups for the Argentina national team. As a leave, Messi remained about injury-free during the future four years, allowing him to reach his fully potential. [ 65 ] [ 84 ] Despite his injuries early in the year, his performances in 2008 saw him again voted runner-up for the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year prize, both times behind Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 85 ]
In his inaugural continuous crusade, the 2008–09 season, he scored 38 goals in 51 games, contributing aboard Eto’o and winger Thierry Henry to a total of 100 goals in all competitions, a record at the time for the cabaret. [ 86 ] [ 87 ] During his first season under Barcelona ‘s new director, former captain Pep Guardiola, Messi played chiefly on the right wing, like he had under Rijkaard, though this time as a delusive winger with the freedom to cut inwardly and roam the center. During the Clásico on 2 May 2009, however, he played for the first base time as a false nine, positioned as a centre-forward but dropping deep into midfield to link up with Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. He set up his side ‘s first finish and scored doubly to end the equal in an emphatic 6–2 victory, the team ‘s greatest-ever score at Real Madrid ‘s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. [ 89 ] Returning to the wing, he played his first final since breaking into the first base team on 13 May, scoring once and assisting a second gear goal as Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 4–1 to win the Copa del Rey. [ 90 ] With 23 league goals from Messi that season, Barcelona became La Liga champions three days by and by and achieved its one-fifth duplicate. [ 86 ] [ 91 ] As the season ‘s Champions League circus tent scorer with nine goals, the youngest in the tournament ‘s history, [ 92 ] Messi scored two goals and assisted two more to ensure a 4–0 quarter-final victory over Bayern Munich. He returned as a false nine during the final examination on 27 May in Rome against Manchester United. Barcelona were crowned champions of Europe by winning the meet 2–0, the second gear goal coming from a Messi header over goalkeeper Edwin van five hundred Sar. Barcelona frankincense achieved the inaugural double in the history of spanish football. [ 93 ] This success was reflected in a newly sign, signed on 18 September, which committed Messi to the club through 2016 with a new buyout article of €250 million, while his wage increased to €12 million .

2009–10 : first Ballon d’Or

His team ‘s prosperity continued into the second one-half of 2009, as Barcelona became the foremost club to achieve the sextuple, winning six top-tier trophies in a single year. [ 94 ] After victories in the Supercopa de España and UEFA Super Cup in August, Barcelona won the FIFA Club World Cup against Estudiantes de La Plata on 19 December, with Messi scoring the winning 2–1 goal with his thorax. [ 95 ] At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award, both times by the greatest vote margin in each trophy ‘s history .

“ Messi is the best musician in the world by some distance. He ‘s like a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make. ”

– Arsène Wenger commends Messi for his four-goal display against Arsenal in April 2010. [ 96 ]
The fresh class, however, started on a less positive note for Barcelona, as they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Sevilla in the Round of 16. [ 97 ] Unsatisfied with his position on the right field wing – with the golf club ‘s summer learning Zlatan Ibrahimović occupying the central forward function – Messi resumed playing as a false nine in early 2010, beginning with a Champions League last 16-round equal against VfB Stuttgart. After a first-leg draw, Barcelona won the second peg 4–0 with two goals and an serve from Messi. At that point, he effectively became the tactical focal point of Guardiola ‘s team, and his goalscoring rate increased. Messi scored a sum of 47 goals in all competitions that season, equaling Ronaldo ‘s baseball club record from the 1996–97 campaign. [ 99 ] [ 100 ] He scored all of his side ‘s four goals in the Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal on 6 April while becoming Barcelona ‘s all-time top scorer in the contest. [ 101 ] Although Barcelona were eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals by the eventual champions, Inter Milan, Messi finished the temper as top scorer ( with 8 goals ) for the second back-to-back class. [ 102 ] As the league ‘s top scorekeeper with 34 goals ( again tying Ronaldo ‘s read ), he helped Barcelona win a second consecutive La Liga trophy with entirely a unmarried get the better of and earned his first base european Golden Shoe. [ 100 ] [ 103 ]

2010–11 : Fifth La Liga title and third gear Champions League

Messi secured Barcelona ‘s first base trophy of the 2010–11 campaign, the Supercopa de España, by scoring a hat-trick in his side ‘s second-leg 4–0 victory over Sevilla, after a first-leg get the better of. [ 104 ] Assuming a playmaking role, he was again instrumental in a Clásico on 29 November 2010, the first with José Mourinho in charge of Real Madrid, as Barcelona defeated their rivals 5–0. [ 105 ] Messi helped the team achieve 16 back-to-back league victories, a read in spanish football, concluding with another hat-trick against Atlético Madrid on 5 February 2011. [ 106 ] [ 107 ] His club performances in 2010 earned him the inauguration FIFA Ballon d’Or, an amalgamation of the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year prize, though his acquire was met with some criticism due to his miss of achiever with Argentina at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [ 108 ] Under the award ‘s old format, he would have placed just outside the peak three, owing his winnings to the votes from the international coaches and captains. [ 108 ] Towards the end of the season, Barcelona played four Clásicos in the couple of 18 days. A league match on 16 April ended in a reap after a penalty from Messi. After Barcelona lost the Copa del Rey final four days later, Messi scored both goals in his side ‘s 2–0 win in the first base branch of the Champions League semi-finals in Madrid, the second of which – a slalom trickle past three Real players – was acclaimed as one of the best ever in the competition. [ 109 ] Although he did not score, he was again important in the second-leg tie that sent Barcelona through to the Champions League final examination, [ 110 ] where they faced Manchester United in a repeat of the concluding two years earlier. As the competition ‘s exceed scorer for the third base consecutive class, with 12 goals, Messi gave a man-of-the-match performance at Wembley on 28 May, scoring the match-winning finish of Barça ‘s 3–1 victory. [ 112 ] [ 113 ] Barcelona won a third consecutive La Liga title. In addition to his 31 goals, Messi was besides the league ‘s top help provider with 18. [ 114 ] [ 115 ] He finished the season with 53 goals and 24 assists in all competitions, becoming Barcelona ‘s all-time single-season top scorekeeper and the first player in spanish football to reach the 50-goal benchmark. [ 114 ] [ 116 ]
As Messi developed into a combination of a act 8 ( a creator ), a 9 ( scorer ), and a 10 ( assistant ), [ 117 ] he scored an unprecedented 73 goals and provided 29 assists in all club competitions during the 2011–12 season, producing a hat-trick or more on 10 occasions. [ 119 ] [ 120 ] He began the campaign by helping Barcelona win both the spanish and european Super Cups ; in the Supercopa de España, he scored three times to achieve a 5–4 aggregate victory over Real Madrid, overtaking Raúl as the competition ‘s all-time top scorer with eight goals. [ 121 ] [ 122 ] At the close of the year, on 18 December, he scored twice in the FIFA Club World Cup concluding, a 4–0 victory over Santos, earning the Golden Ball as the best musician of the tournament, as he had done two years previously. [ 123 ] For his efforts in 2011, he again received the FIFA Ballon d’Or, becoming only the fourth player in history to win the Ballon d’Or three times, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten. [ 124 ] additionally, he won the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, a revival of the old-style Ballon d’Or. [ 125 ] By then, Messi was already wide considered one of the best footballers in history, alongside players like Diego Maradona and Pelé. [ 24 ]

2012 : A record-breaking year

“ I feel regretful for those who want to compete for Messi ‘s throne – it ‘s impossible, this kid is unique. ”

– Pep Guardiola after Messi became Barcelona ‘s all-time top scorer at age 24 in March 2012 [ 126 ]
As Messi maintained his goalscoring form into the second half of the season, the year 2012 saw him break several longstanding records. On 7 March, two weeks after scoring four goals in a league regular against Valencia, he scored five times in a Champions League final 16-round match against Bayer Leverkusen, an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of the competition. [ 127 ] [ 128 ] In accession to being the joint acme aid provider with five assists, this feat made him top scorer with 14 goals, tying José Altafini ‘s record from the 1962–63 season, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as becoming only the second musician after Gerd Müller to be top scorer in four campaigns. [ 129 ] [ 130 ] Two weeks late, on 20 March, Messi became the top goalscorer in Barcelona ‘s history at 24 years old, overtaking the 57-year record of César Rodríguez ‘s 232 goals with a hat-trick against Granada. [ 131 ]
Messi pointing to the sky following his record five-goal expose against Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League in 2012 Despite Messi ‘s individual form, Barcelona ‘s four-year cycle of success under Guardiola – one of the greatest era in the club ‘s history – drew to an end. [ 132 ] Although Barcelona won the Copa del Rey against Athletic Bilbao on 25 May, its 14th title of that period, the team lost the league to Real Madrid and was eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals by the eventual champions, Chelsea, with Messi sending a all-important second-leg penalty kick against the crossbar. [ 133 ] [ 134 ] In Barça ‘s last home league match on 5 May, against Espanyol, Messi scored all four goals before approaching the bench to embrace Guardiola, who had announced his resignation as coach. [ 135 ] He finished the temper as league top scorer in Spain and Europe for a second time, with 50 goals, a La Liga record, while his 73 goals in all competitions surpassed Gerd Müller ‘s 67 goals in the 1972–73 Bundesliga season, making him the single-season peak scorer in the history of european club football. [ 136 ] [ 137 ] Under director Tito Vilanova, who had first coached him aged 14 at La Masia, Messi helped the cabaret achieve its best-ever begin to a La Liga season during the second one-half of 2012, amassing 55 points by the competition ‘s center sharpen, a record in spanish football. [ 138 ] A doubling scored on 9 December against Real Betis saw Messi break two longstanding records : he surpassed César Rodríguez ‘s record of 190 league goals, becoming Barcelona ‘s all-time top scorer in La Liga, and Gerd Müller ‘s record of most goals scored in a calendar class, overtaking his 85 goals scored in 1972 for Bayern Munich and West Germany. [ 139 ] Messi sent Müller a number 10 Barcelona shirt, signed “ with regard and admiration ”, after breaking his 40-year record. [ 140 ] At the close of the year, Messi had scored a record 91 goals in all competitions for Barcelona and Argentina. [ 141 ] Although FIFA did not acknowledge the accomplishment, citing verifiability issues, he received the Guinness World Records deed for most goals scored in a calendar year. [ 142 ] [ 143 ] As the odds-on favorite, Messi again won the FIFA Ballon d’Or, becoming the only musician in history to win the Ballon d’Or four times. [ 141 ] [ 144 ]

2013–14 : Messidependencia

Barcelona had about secured their La Liga title by the startle of 2013, finally equalling Real Madrid ‘s 100-point record of the former temper. however, their performances deteriorated in the second base half of the 2012–13 campaign, concurrently with Vilanova ‘s absence due to ill health. [ 145 ] After losing consecutive Clásicos, including the Copa del Rey semi-finals, they were closely eliminated in the first knockout round of the Champions League by AC Milan, but a revival of form in the second leg led to a 4–0 rejoinder, with two goals and an aid from Messi. [ 146 ] now in his ninth elder season with Barcelona, Messi signed a new contract on 7 February, committing himself to the club through 2018, while his fixate wage rose to €13 million. [ 148 ] He wore the captain ‘s armband for the first time a month late, on 17 March, in a league pit against Rayo Vallecano ; by then, he had become the team ‘s tactical focal point to a academic degree that was arguably rivalled only by former Barcelona players Josep Samitier, László Kubala and Johan Cruyff. [ 149 ] Since his evolution into a false nine three years earlier, his stimulation into the team ‘s attack had increased ; from 24 % in their treble-winning campaign, his goal contribution rose to more than 40 % that temper .

“ In Leo we are talking about the best musician in the world and when things are not going well you have to use him. even if he is half cripple, his presence on the pitch is enough to lift us and our meet in general. ”

– Defender Gerard Piqué explains Barcelona ‘s reliance on an disqualify Messi against Paris Saint-Germain in April 2013. [ 151 ]
After four largely injury-free seasons, the muscular injuries that had previously plagued Messi reoccurred. After he suffered a hamstring strain on 2 April, during the first quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, his appearances became sporadic. In the second leg against PSG, with an underachieve Barcelona down a goal, Messi came off the bench in the second half and within nine minutes helped create their game-tying goal, which allowed them to progress to the semi-finals. still bad, he proved ineffective during the first leg against Bayern Munich and was unable to play at all during the second, as Barcelona were defeated 7–0 on aggregate by the eventual champions. [ 152 ] These matches gave credenza to the notion of Messidependencia, Barcelona ‘s perceive tactical and psychological dependence on their star musician. [ 152 ]
Messi during a game against Almería in 2014 Messi continued to struggle with wound throughout 2013, finally parting ways with his long-time personal physical therapist. [ 153 ] Further damage to his hamstring sustained on 12 May ended his goalscoring streak of 21 back-to-back league games, a cosmopolitan record ; he had netted 33 goals during his political campaign, including a four-goal display against Osasuna, while becoming the first musician to score consecutively against all 19 resistance teams in La Liga. [ 154 ] [ 155 ] With 60 goals in all competitions, including 46 goals in La Liga, he finished the campaign as league top scorer in Spain and Europe for the second consecutive class, becoming the first player in history to win the European Golden Shoe three times. [ 156 ] [ 157 ] Following an irregular depart to the new season under coach Gerardo Martino, once 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. [ 159 ] Despite his injuries, he was voted runner-up for the FIFA Ballon d’Or, relinquishing the award after a four-year monopoly to Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 160 ] During the second half of the 2013–14 season, doubts persisted over Messi ‘s shape, leading to a percept among the culés that he was reserving himself for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Statistically, his contribution of goals, shots, and passes had dropped importantly compared to previous seasons. [ 161 ] [ 162 ] He silent managed to break two longstanding records in a span of seven days : a hat-trick on 16 March against Osasuna saw him overtake Paulino Alcántara ‘s 369 goals to become Barcelona ‘s circus tent goalscorer in all competitions including friendlies, while another hat-trick against Real Madrid on 23 March made him the all-time circus tent scorer in El Clásico, ahead of the 18 goals scored by erstwhile Real Madrid player Alfredo Di Stéfano. [ 161 ] [ 163 ] Messi finished the campaign with his worst end product in five seasons, though he hush managed to score 41 goals in all competitions. [ 162 ] [ 164 ] For the first time in five years, Barcelona ended the season without a major trophy ; they were defeated in the Copa del Rey final by substantial Madrid and lost the league in the death game to Atlético Madrid, causing Messi to be booed by sections of fans at the Camp Nou. [ 165 ] After drawn-out guess over his future with the club, Messi signed a new contract on 19 May 2014, merely a class after his last contractual update ; his wage increased to €20 million, or €36 million before taxes, the highest wage in the sport. [ 166 ] It was reported that Vilanova played a key function in convincing Messi to stay [ 167 ] amid potent interest from Mourinho ‘s Chelsea. [ 168 ]

2014–15 : second soprano

Messi celebrating his moment finish against Granada in 2014 Under new coach and former master Luis Enrique, Messi experienced a largely injury-free start to the 2014–15 season, allowing him to break three more longstanding records towards the end of the class. [ 169 ] A hat-trick scored against Sevilla on 22 November made him the all-time top scorer in La Liga, as he surpassed the 59-year record of 251 league goals held by Telmo Zarra. [ 170 ] A third base hat-trick, scored against city rivals Espanyol on 7 December, allowed him to surpass César Rodríguez as the all-time crown scorer in the Derbi barceloní with 12 goals. [ 171 ] Messi again placed second in the FIFA Ballon d’Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, largely owing to his second-place accomplishment with Argentina at the World Cup. [ 172 ] At the start of 2015, Barcelona were perceived to be headed for another disappoint goal to the season, with renewed guess in the media that Messi was leaving the baseball club. A turn point came on 11 January during a 3–1 victory over Atlético Madrid, the first time Barça ‘s attacking trident of Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, dubbed “ MSN ”, each scored in a match, marking the beginning of a highly successful political campaign. [ 173 ] [ 174 ] After five years of play in the center of the pitch, Messi had returned to his erstwhile position on the correct wing late the previous year, by his own hypnotism according to Suárez, their striker. [ 174 ] [ 175 ] From there, he regained his best – arguably his best-ever – form, while Suárez and Neymar ended the team ‘s attacking dependence on their star player. [ 176 ] [ 177 ] With 58 goals from Messi, the trio scored a full of 122 goals in all competitions that season, a record in spanish football. [ 178 ]
Towards the end of the political campaign, Messi scored in a 1–0 away win over Atlético Madrid on 17 May, securing the La Liga title. [ 179 ] Among his 43 league goals that season was a hat-trick scored in 11 minutes against Rayo Vallecano on 8 March, the fastest of his aged career ; it was his 32nd hat-trick overall for Barcelona, allowing him to overtake Telmo Zarra with the most hat-tricks in spanish football. [ 180 ] As the season ‘s top assist provider with 18 he surpassed Luís Figo with the most assists in La Liga ; [ note 3 ] he made his phonograph record 106th assist in a fixture against Levante on 15 February, in which he besides scored a hat-trick. [ 181 ] [ 182 ] [ 183 ] Messi scored doubly as Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–1 in the Copa del Rey final on 30 May, achieving the sixth double in their history. His opening goal was hailed as one of the greatest in his career ; he collected the ball near the halfway telephone line and beat four opposing players, before feinting the goalkeeper to score in a nasty quad by the approximate position. [ 184 ] In the Champions League, Messi scored doubly and set up another in their 3–0 semi-final victory over Bayern Munich, now under the stewardship of Guardiola. [ 185 ] His second goal, which came merely three minutes after his first, saw him chip the ball over goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after his drip past Jérôme Boateng had made the defender drop to the anchor ; it went viral, becoming the class ‘s most tweet about sporting consequence, and was named the best goal of the season by UEFA. [ 186 ] [ 187 ] Despite a second-leg personnel casualty, Barcelona progressed to the final on 6 June in Berlin, where they defeated Juventus 3–1 to win their second gear treble, becoming the first team in history to do thus. [ 188 ] [ 189 ] Although Messi did not score, he participated in each of his side ‘s goals, particularly the second as he forced a hedge save from goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from which Suárez scored the match-winning finish on the bounce. [ 178 ] In summation to being the crown help provider with six assists, Messi finished the contest as the joint top scorekeeper with ten goals, which earned him the eminence of being the first player ever to achieve the top score mark in five Champions League seasons. [ 190 ] [ 191 ] For his efforts during the season, he received the UEFA Best Player in Europe prize for a second time. [ 192 ]

2015–16 : domestic achiever

Messi opened the 2015–16 season by scoring doubly from free kicks in Barcelona ‘s 5–4 victory ( after extra clock ) over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup. [ 193 ] On 16 September, he became the youngest musician to make 100 appearances in the UEFA Champions League in a 1–1 away draw to Roma. [ 194 ] After a stifle wound, he returned to the cant on 21 November, making a ersatz appearance in Barcelona ‘s 4–0 away win over rivals very Madrid in El Clásico. [ 195 ] Messi capped off the year by winning the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final on 20 December, collecting his fifth club trophy of 2015 as Barcelona defeated River Plate 3–0 in Yokohama. [ 196 ] On 30 December, Messi scored on his five-hundredth appearance for Barcelona, in a 4–0 home plate acquire over actual Betis. [ 197 ] On 11 January 2016, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or for a record fifth time in his career. [ 198 ] On 3 February, he scored a hat-trick in Barcelona ‘s 7–0 win against Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final at the Camp Nou. [ 199 ] In a 6–1 home succeed against Celta Vigo in the league, Messi assisted Suárez from a penalty kick. Some saw it as “ a touch of genius ”, while others criticised it as being disrespectful to the opposition. The Celta players never complained and their coach defended the penalty, state, “ Barca ‘s forwards are very respectful. ” The punishment everyday has been compared to that of Barça picture Johan Cruyff in 1982, who was battling lung cancer, leading many fans to indicate that the penalty was a tribute to him. Cruyff himself was “ very glad ” with the play, insisting “ it was legal and entertain ”. [ 200 ] [ 201 ] On 17 February, Messi reached his three-hundredth league goal in a 1–3 away win against Sporting de Gijón. [ 202 ] A few days belated, he scored both goals in Barcelona ‘s 0–2 win against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, in the beginning leg of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League round of 16, with the second goal being Barcelona ‘s 10,000th in official competitions. [ 203 ] On 17 April, Messi ended a five-match score drought with his 500th elder career goal for baseball club and area in Barcelona ‘s 2–1 home loss to Valencia. [ 204 ] Messi finished the 2015–16 season by setting up both goals in Barcelona ‘s 2–0 extra time winnings over Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey Final, at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, on 22 May 2016, as the clubhouse celebrated winning the domestic duplicate for the second consecutive season. [ 205 ] In total, Messi scored 41 goals and provided 23 assists, as Barcelona ‘s attacking trio managed a spanish criminal record of 131 goals throughout the season, breaking the record they had set the previous season. [ 206 ]

2016–17 : Fourth Golden Boot

“ [ Messi ] is indispensable, but the rest of us are dispensable. – No, the club is bigger than any coach, than any player … except Leo. That ‘s the reality, and you have to accept it. ”

– In an interview with Barcelona ‘s official magazine, Javier Mascherano outlines Messi ‘s importance to the team. [ 207 ]
Messi opened the 2016–17 season by lifting the 2016 Supercopa de España as Barcelona ‘s captain in the absence of the hurt Andrés Iniesta ; [ 208 ] he set-up Munir ‘s goal in a 2–0 aside win over Sevilla in the first leg on 14 August, [ 209 ] and subsequently scored in a 3–0 acquire in the recurrence peg on 17 August. [ 210 ] Three days late, he scored two goals as Barcelona won 6–2 against real Betis in the afford plot of the 2016–17 La Liga temper. [ 211 ] On 13 September, Messi scored his first hat-trick of the season in the orifice plot of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League campaign against Celtic in a 7–0 victory ; this was besides Messi ‘s sixth hat-trick in the Champions League, the most by any player. A week late, Messi sustained a groin injury in a 1–1 draw against Atlético Madrid and was ruled out with wound for three weeks. [ 212 ] He marked his return with a goal, scoring three minutes after coming off the bench in a 4–0 home gain over Deportivo de La Coruña, on 16 October. [ 213 ] Three days after this, he netted his thirty-seventh club hat-trick as Barcelona defeated Manchester City 4–0. [ 214 ] On 1 November, Messi scored his 54th Champions League group stage goal in Barcelona ‘s 3–1 away passing to Manchester City, surpassing the previous record of 53 goals held by Raúl. [ 215 ]
Messi finished the year with 51 goals, making him Europe ‘s peak scorer, one ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimović. [ 216 ] After placing second in the 2016 Ballon d’Or, on 9 January 2017 Messi besides finished in second position – behind Cristiano Ronaldo once again – in the 2016 Best FIFA Men ‘s Player Award. [ 217 ] On 11 January, Messi scored from a free-kick in Barcelona ‘s 3–1 victory against Athletic Bilbao in the irregular leg of the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, which enabled Barcelona to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition ; with his 26th goal from a free-kick for Barcelona in all competitions, he equalled the baseball club ‘s all-time criminal record, which had previously been set by Ronald Koeman. [ 218 ] In his following league equal, on 14 January, Messi scored in a 5–0 win against Las Palmas ; with this goal, he equalled Raúl ‘s phonograph record for the most teams scored against in La Liga ( 35 ). [ 219 ] On 4 February 2017, Messi scored his twenty-seventh free-kick for Barcelona in a 3–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao in the league, overtaking Koeman as the baseball club ‘s all-time top-scorer from free-kicks. [ 220 ] On 23 April, Messi scored twice in a 3–2 aside win over real Madrid. His game-winning finish in blockage clock was his five-hundredth for Barcelona. [ 221 ] His memorable celebration saw him taking off his Barcelona shirt and holding it up to infuriate Real Madrid fans – with his name and number facing the crowd. [ 222 ] On 27 May, Messi scored a goal and set up another for Paco Alcácer in the 2017 Copa del Rey Final, helping Barcelona to a 3–1 victory over Alavés, and was named Man of the Match. [ 223 ] In entire, Messi finished the 2016–17 season with 54 goals and 16 assists, while his 37 goals in La Liga saw him claim both the Pichichi and European Golden Boot Awards for the one-fourth time in his career. [ 224 ]

2017–18 : domestic double and a record fifth Golden Boot

Messi opened the 2017–18 season by converting a penalty in Barcelona ‘s 1–3 first base branch home kill to Real Madrid in Supercopa de España. [ 225 ] Thereby, Messi besides extended his El Clásico goalscoring criminal record with the finish being his 24th official and 25th overall. [ 226 ] On 9 September, Messi scored his first hat-trick of the 2017–18 league campaign, against Espanyol in Derbi barceloní, frankincense helping to secure a 5–0 home victory for Blaugrana over local rivals. [ 227 ] Messi netted doubly against Gianluigi Buffon, on 12 September, as Barça defeated the last season ‘s italian champions Juventus 3–0 at home plate in the UEFA Champions League. [ 228 ] On 19 September, Messi found the web four times in a 6–1 pan of Eibar at the Camp Nou in La Liga. [ 229 ] Three weeks by and by, on 1 October, Messi surpassed his former teammate Carles Puyol to become the third highest appearance maker in the cabaret ‘s history, as he helped Barça frustration Las Palmas 3–0 by assisting Sergio Busquets ‘ undoer and belated adding two himself in his 594th official game for the baseball club ; the league plot was played behind close doors at the Camp Nou due to violence in Catalonia relating to an ongoing independence referendum. [ 230 ] 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 3–1 home victory over Olympiacos. [ 231 ] Messi became only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to reach this century milestone, but accomplished it in 21 fewer appearances than the portuguese counterpart. [ 232 ] On 4 November, he made his 600th appearance for Barcelona in a 2–1 home winnings over Sevilla in La Liga. [ 233 ] Following the reception of his one-fourth Golden Boot, Messi signed a raw deal with Barcelona on 25 November, keeping him with the club through the 2020–21 season. His buyout clause was set at €700 million. [ 234 ] On 7 January 2018, Messi made his four-hundredth La Liga appearance with Barcelona in a 3–0 base succeed over Levante, marking the occasion with his 144th league serve and 365th league goal for the club, the latter of which saw him equal Gerd Müller ‘s record for the most league goals scored for the same club in one of Europe ‘s top five divisions. [ 235 ] A workweek late, he broke the record, scoring his 366th La Liga goal from a exempt kick in a 4–2 away win against substantial Sociedad. [ 235 ] On 4 March, he scored his 600th aged career goal from a release kick in a 1–0 home succeed over Atlético Madrid, in La Liga. [ 236 ] On 14 March, Messi scored his 99th and 100th Champions League goals in a 3–0 home win over Chelsea, becoming only the second actor after Cristiano Ronaldo to reach this landmark, in fewer appearances, at a younger age and having taken fewer shots than his portuguese counterpart. [ 237 ] His open goal, which came after only two minutes and eight seconds, was besides the fastest of his career, as Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals of the contest for the eleventh back-to-back season. [ 238 ] On 7 April, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 acquire over Leganés including his sixth finish scored from a free-kick for the season, matching the record set by former teammate Ronaldinho. [ 239 ] He once again finished the season as the lead scorer in La Liga, with 34 goals, which besides saw him win his fifth Golden Shoe award. [ 240 ] On 21 April, Messi scored Barcelona ‘s second goal – his 40th of the season – in a 5–0 win over Sevilla in the 2018 Copa del Rey Final, late besides setting up Suárez ‘s moment goal ; this was Barcelona ‘s fourth consecutive title and their 30th overall. [ 241 ] On 29 April, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 aside win over Deportivo de La Coruña, which saw Barcelona claim their 25th league style. [ 242 ] On 9 May, Messi scored as Barcelona defeated Villarreal 5–1 to set the longest unbeaten streak ( 43 games ) in La Liga history. [ 243 ]

2018–19 : captain, 10th La Liga title, and a read one-sixth Golden Boot

With the deviation of early captain Andrés Iniesta in May 2018, Messi was named the team ‘s new captain for the follow season. [ 244 ] On 12 August, he lifted his first base title as Barcelona ‘s master, the Supercopa de España, following a 2–1 victory over Sevilla. On 19 August, Messi scored doubly in helping Barcelona frustration Alavés 3–0 in their first La Liga match of the season, with his first goal, a complimentary complain that he rolled under the leap Alavés wall, making history in being Barcelona ‘s 6000th goal in La Liga. [ 245 ] On 18 September, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 home gain over PSV Eindhoven in Barcelona ‘s open Champions League group stage match of the season, setting a new record for most hat-tricks in the competition, with eight. [ 246 ] On 20 October, Messi scored in a 4–2 base win over Sevilla, but was late forced off in the 26th minute after falling awkwardly and injuring his right weapon ; tests former confirmed that he had fractured his radial cram, ruling him out for approximately three weeks. [ 247 ] On 8 December, Messi scored two unblock kicks – his ninth and tenth goals from set pieces during the calendar class – in a 4–0 away win over Derbi barceloní rivals Espanyol in La Liga ; this was the foremost time always that he had managed such a feat in the league. His first gear goal was besides his 10th league goal of the season, making him the first musician always to reach double figures in La Liga for 13 back-to-back seasons. [ 248 ]
On 13 January 2019, Messi scored his four-hundredth La Liga goal in his 435th league appearance in a 3–0 home winnings over Eibar, becoming the first player always to manage this match in precisely one of Europe ‘s lead five leagues. [ 249 ] On 2 February, Messi scored doubly in a 2–2 draw against Valencia, with his first goal coming from the penalty spot, his fiftieth La Liga punishment finish ; as such, he became only the third actor in La Liga history after Cristiano Ronaldo and Hugo Sánchez to score 50 penalties in the competition. [ 250 ] Later that calendar month, the club admitted they had begun preparations for Messi ‘s future retirement. [ 251 ] On 23 February, Messi scored the fiftieth hat-trick of his career and besides provided an aid for Suárez, as he helped Barcelona hail from behind to achieve a 4–2 away victory over Sevilla in La Liga ; the finish was besides his 650th career finish for club and country at senior flush. [ 252 ] On 16 April, Messi scored twice in a 3–0 family victory over Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals to give Barcelona a 4–0 aggregate succeed, which saw Barcelona progress to the semi-finals of the rival for the first gear time since 2015 ; these were besides his beginning goals in the Champions League quarter-finals since 2013. [ 253 ] [ 254 ] On 27 April, Messi came off the judiciary and scored the only finish in a 1–0 home plate win over Levante, which allowed Barcelona to clinch the league title ; [ 255 ] this was his 450th La Liga appearance, and his first league title as Barcelona ‘s captain. [ 256 ] [ 257 ] On 1 May, Messi scored doubly in a 3–0 home win over Liverpool in the first peg of the Champions League semi-finals ; his second goal of the equal, a 35-yard loose kick, was the 600th elder cabaret finish of his career, all of which had been scored with Barcelona. [ 258 ] In the retort leg six days former at Anfield, Barcelona suffered a 4–0 away get the better of, which saw Liverpool progress to the final 4–3 on sum. [ 259 ] On 19 May, in Barcelona ‘s final La Liga match of the season, Messi scored twice in a 2–2 away draw against Eibar ( his 49th and fiftieth goals of the season in all competitions ), which saw him capture his one-sixth Pichichi Trophy as the league ‘s top scorer, with 36 goals in 34 appearances ; with six titles, he equalled Zarra as the actor with the most top-scorer awards in La Liga. [ 260 ] He besides captured his sixth Golden Shoe award, and a read third straight award since the 2016–17 season. [ 261 ] On 25 May, Messi scored his final examination goal of the temper in a 2–1 defeat to Valencia in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final. [ 262 ]

2019–20 : A record sixth Ballon d’Or

On 5 August 2019, it was announced that Messi would miss Barcelona ‘s US tour after sustaining a right calf injury. [ 263 ] On 19 August, Messi ‘s chip goal from the edge of the box against Real Betis was nominated for the 2019 FIFA Puskás Award. [ 264 ] Later that calendar month, he suffered another reverse following the render of his calf injury, which ruled him out of the open game of the season ; [ 265 ] as a leave, he was sidelined indefinitely, and was entirely expected to return to military action with Barcelona after the September external break. [ 266 ] On 2 September, Messi was shortlisted as one of the three finalists for both the 2019 FIFA Puskás Award and the 2019 Best FIFA Men ‘s Player Award, with Messi winning the latter on 23 September. [ 267 ] [ 268 ]
Messi made his beginning appearance of the season on 17 September, and on 6 October he scored his first finish of the season with a barren recoil in a 4–0 home winnings over Sevilla ; this was his 420th goal in La Liga, which saw him break Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s record of 419 goals scored in Europe ‘s lead five leagues. [ 269 ] On 23 October, Messi scored his first Champions League goal of the season in a 2–1 aside win over Slavia Prague, becoming the first player to score in 15 back-to-back Champions League seasons ( excluding qualifying rounds ). [ 270 ] He besides equalled Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s shared record of the most sides scored against in the competition ( 33 ). [ 271 ] On 29 October, Messi scored in a 5–1 home winnings over Real Valladolid in La Liga ; his first finish – a specify piece from 35 yards – was the fiftieth free-kick of his career. [ 272 ] His goals ( 608 ) besides saw him overtake Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s senior goal score ( 606 ) at club level. [ 273 ] On 9 November, Messi scored three goals ( including two free kicks ) in a 4–1 family win against Celta Vigo. This was his thirty-fourth hat-trick in La Liga, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s spanish top-flight record. [ 274 ] On 27 November, in what was his 700th appearance for Barcelona, Messi scored one finish and assisted two more in a 3–1 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. Dortmund were the 34th team he had scored against in the competition, breaking the previous record of 33 held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raúl. [ 275 ] On 2 December, Messi was awarded a record-breaking one-sixth Ballon d’Or. [ 276 ] On 8 December, Messi scored his record-breaking thirty-fifth hat-trick in La Liga with three goals in Barcelona ‘s 5–2 home winnings over Mallorca. [ 277 ] On 22 February 2020, Messi scored four goals in a 5–0 home win over Eibar in La Liga. [ 278 ] On 14 June, he scored in a 4–0 away win against Mallorca, becoming the first player ever in La Liga to score 20 goals or more in 12 back-to-back seasons. [ 279 ] On 30 June, he scored a panenka in a 2–2 home plate draw against Atlético Madrid in La Liga, to reach his 700th goal in his senior career for Barcelona and Argentina. [ 280 ] On 11 July, Messi provided his twentieth help of the league season for Arturo Vidal in a 1–0 away win over Real Valladolid, equalling Xavi ‘s criminal record of 20 assists in a single La Liga season from 2008 to 2009 ; [ 281 ] [ 282 ] with 22 goals, he besides became only the second player ever, after Thierry Henry in the 2002–03 FA Premier League season with Arsenal ( 24 goals and 20 assists ), to record at least 20 goals and 20 assists in a individual league temper in one of Europe ‘s top–five leagues. [ 282 ] [ 283 ] Following his brace in a 5–0 away win against Alavés in the final equal of the season on 20 May, Messi finished the season as both the top–scorer and top assist provider in La Liga, with 25 goals and 21 assists respectively, which saw him win his record seventh Pichichi trophy, overtaking Zarra ; however, Barcelona missed out on the league claim to Real Madrid. [ 284 ] On 9 August, in the Champions League round of 16 second peg versus Napoli at the Camp Nou, Messi scored the second goal and earned a punishment which led to a third finish and led his english to a 3–1 home victory and qualified 4–2 on aggregate for the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich. [ 285 ] On 15 August, Messi suffered his worst defeat as a player as Bayern Munich beat Barcelona 8–2 in a one-off tie in Lisbon, leading to another disappointing exit from the Champions League. [ 286 ]

August 2020 : desire to leave Barcelona

“ I was n’t happy and I wanted to leave. I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club sol as not to get into a legal dispute. The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a calamity. My love for Barca will never change. ”

– Messi on reversing his decision to leave Barcelona in an interview with Goal on 4 September 2020. [ 287 ]
Following growing dissatisfaction with the management of Barcelona on and off the discipline, [ 288 ] Barcelona announced that Messi sent the club “ a document expressing his desire to leave ” on 25 August 2020. [ 289 ] The announcement garnered a significant media reaction, including from current and former teammates ( who supported Messi ‘s statement ) and Catalan president of the united states Quim Torra. [ 290 ] On 26 August, Barcelona ‘s sporting director Ramon Planes iterated the club ‘s desire to “ build a team around the most important actor in the universe ” [ 291 ] and affirmed Messi will only be able to leave should a buyer pay his €700 million buyout clause ; a reported early ending 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 decisiveness to Barcelona by 31 May 2020, although the musician ‘s representatives argued the deadline should be set to 31 August, due to the adjourned 2019–20 temper. [ 292 ] On 30 August, La Liga issued a statement stating Messi ‘s narrow and buyout clause are still active. [ 293 ] On 4 September, Jorge Messi, Lionel ‘s founder and agent, released a statement in response to La Liga claiming the free article “ is not valid when the termination of the contract is by the player ‘s unilateral decision from the end of the 2019–20 temper ”, as stated in Messi ‘s contract with Barcelona ; [ 294 ] moments former, La Liga issued a reception reiterating their statement published on 30 August. [ 295 ] Later that evening, Messi announced in an interview with Goal that he would continue at Barcelona for the concluding class of his condense. In the interview, Messi claimed to have informed Barcelona of his desire to leave multiple times, and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said Messi could decide at the end of every season if he wanted to stay or leave, only for Bartomeu to refer to the turn article. [ 296 ] This left Messi with two options : to stay or go to motor hotel against the club, with the player saying “ I would never go to woo against the baseball club of my life ”. [ 297 ]

2020–21 : concluding season at Barcelona

On 27 September, Messi began the 2020–21 temper by scoring a penalty in a 4–0 home acquire against Villarreal in La Liga. [ 298 ] Two days anterior to the opening game, he again criticised the club, this time for the manner of Luis Suárez ‘s deviation, express, “ at this stage nothing surprises me any more ”. [ 299 ] On 20 October, Messi scored a penalty in a 5–1 home victory against Ferencváros in the Champions League, becoming the first gear player in history to score in sixteen consecutive Champions League seasons. [ 300 ] On 25 November, Messi was nominated for the 2020 Best FIFA Men ‘s Player award, and was late shortlisted as one of the final three candidates. [ 301 ] [ 302 ] On 29 November, Messi scored his side ‘s one-fourth finish in their 4–0 victory over Osasuna. After scoring, he unveiled a shirt of his early side Newell ‘s Old Boys, in tribute to Argentine compatriot Diego Maradona, who had died four days earlier, and raised both hands to the screen showing Maradona ‘s font in the stadium. The shirt was a number 10 replica of the same one Maradona had worn during his stint with the club in 1993. [ 303 ] 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 straight year. [ 304 ]

Paris Saint-Germain

2021–22 : seventh Ballon d’Or

On 10 August, Messi joined french club Paris Saint-Germain. [ 322 ] He signed a biennial distribute until June 2023 with an option for an extra year. [ 323 ] Messi chose 30 as his squad number, the lapp he wore as a adolescent when he made his elder debut for Barcelona. [ 324 ] Messi made his debut for the club on 29 August, coming on as a alternate in the second half of a 2–0 off win over Reims in Ligue 1. [ 325 ] He made his first start and UEFA Champions League debut for the club in a 1–1 aside draw against Club Brugge on 15 September. [ 326 ] Four days subsequently, Messi made his home debut for PSG in a 2–1 win over Lyon. [ 327 ] On 28 September, Messi scored his first gear goal for the clubhouse, a strike from the edge of the 18-yard box after playing a one-two with Kylian Mbappé, in a 2–0 Champions League group stage win over Pep Guardiola ‘s Manchester City. [ 328 ] On 21 November, Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 3–1 home victory over Nantes. [ 329 ] On 28 November, Messi provided a hat-trick of assists for the fifth time in his career as PSG beat Saint-Étienne 3–1 away from dwelling. [ 330 ] Having scored 40 goals at club and international level for the calendar class and helped Argentina win the 2021 Copa América, on 29 November Messi received a record seventh Ballon d’Or. [ 331 ]

International career

2004–05 : success at youth level

As a double Argentine-Spanish national, Messi was eligible to play for the national team of both countries. [ 332 ] Selectors for Spain ‘s Under-17 team began pursuing him in 2003 after Barcelona ‘s director of football, Carles Rexach, alerted the Royal Spanish Football Federation to their young player. Messi declined the offer, having aspired to represent La Albiceleste since childhood. To far prevent Spain from taking him, the Argentine Football Association organised two under-20 friendlies in June 2004, against Paraguay and Uruguay, with the purpose of finalising his condition as an Argentina actor in FIFA. Five days after his seventeenth birthday, on 29 June, he made his debut for his nation against Paraguay, scoring once and providing two assists in their 8–0 victory. He was subsequently included in the team for the south american Youth Championship, held in Colombia in February 2005. As he lacked the stamina of his teammates, the result of his erstwhile increase hormone lack, he was used as a substitute in six of the nine games. After being named world of the match against Venezuela, he scored the winning 2–1 finish in the crucial last match against Brazil, thereby securing their third-place qualification for the FIFA World Youth Championship. Aware of his physical limitations, Messi employed a personal flight simulator to increase his muscle mass, returning to the squad in an better condition in time for the World Youth Championship, hosted by the Netherlands in June. After he was left out of the starting line-up in their first gear match against the United States, a 1–0 defeat, the police squad ‘s senior players asked director Francisco Ferraro to let Messi start, as they considered him their best actor. After helping the team get the better of Egypt and Germany to progress past the group stage, Messi proved decisive in the smasher phase as he scored their equalizer against Colombia, provided a goal and an assist against entitle favourites Spain, and scored their open goal against reigning champions Brazil. Ahead of the final, he was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. He scored two penalties in their 2–1 victory over Nigeria, clinching Argentina ‘s fifth backing and finishing the tournament as top scorer with 6 goals. [ 335 ] His performances drew comparisons with compatriot Diego Maradona, who had led Argentina to the deed in 1979. [ 335 ]

2005–06 : senior and World Cup debuts

In recognition of his achievements with the under-20 side, elder coach José Pékerman gave Messi his first call-up for a friendly against Hungary on 17 August. Aged 18, Messi made his senior introduction for Argentina in the Ferenc Puskás Stadium when he came on in the 63rd minute, only to be sent off after two minutes for a perceive fetid against Vilmos Vanczák, who had grabbed his shirt ; Messi had struck the defender with his weapon while trying to shake him off, which the referee interpreted as an designed elbow, a contentious decision. [ 336 ] Messi was reportedly found crying in the dressing room after his sending-off. [ 337 ] He returned to the team on 3 September in their World Cup qualifier defeat to Paraguay, which he had declared his “ re-debut ” ahead of the match. [ 338 ] Messi started his first game in the next qualify match against Peru, in which he was able to win a crucial penalty that secured their victory. After the match, Pékerman described him as “ a bejewel ”. [ 339 ] He subsequently made regular appearances for the team ahead of Argentina ‘s participation in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, scoring his beginning finish in a friendly against Croatia on 1 March 2006. [ 340 ] A hamstring injury sustained a week by and by jeopardised his presence in the World Cup, but he was however selected for Pékerman ‘s police squad and regained fitness in time for the begin of the tournament. [ 341 ] During the World Cup in Germany, Messi witnessed their open match victory against the Ivory Coast from the substitutes ‘ bench. In the future match, against Serbia and Montenegro, he became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a FIFA World Cup when he came on as a substitute in the 74th hour. He assisted their one-fourth strike within minutes and scored the final finish in their 6–0 victory, making him the youngest scorekeeper in the tournament and the sixth-youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. [ 342 ] As their progress to the hard phase was secured, respective starters were rested during the last group peer. Messi consequently started the plot against the Netherlands, a 0–0 draw, as they won their group on goal differential gear. [ 343 ] In the round of 16 match against Mexico, played on his 19th birthday, Messi came on in the 84th minute, with the score tied at 1–1. He appeared to score a finish, but it was contentiously ruled offside, with the team needing a late goal in extra time to proceed. [ 345 ] He did not play in the quarter-final against Germany, during which Argentina were eliminated 4–2 in a penalty gunfight. Back family, Pékerman ‘s decision to leave him on the bench against Germany led to far-flung criticism from those who believed Messi could have changed the result of the match in Argentina ‘s privilege. [ 349 ]

2007–08 : Copa América final and Olympic gold

As Messi evolved into one of the best players in the world, he secured a place in Alfio Basile ‘s starting line-up, as part of a team considered favourites to win the 2007 Copa América, held in Venezuela. [ 62 ] He set up the game-winning goal of their 4–1 victory over the United States in the open match, before winning a penalty that led to the game-tying first hit of their 4–2 winnings in the following match against Colombia. [ 351 ] [ 352 ] At the quarter-final stage, where the group winners faced Peru, he scored the second finish of a 4–0 victory that saw them through to the semi-final, during which he chipped the ball over Mexico ‘s goalkeeper to ensure another 3–0 succeed. In a surprise frustration, Argentina lost the concluding 3–0 to a Brazil squad that lacked respective of the nation ‘s best players. [ 353 ] Their unexpected loss was followed by much criticism in Argentina, though Messi was by and large exempt due to his new age and secondary condition to star musician Juan Román Riquelme. He was named the best young actor of the tournament by CONMEBOL. ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Barcelona legally barred Messi from representing Argentina at the tournament as it coincided with their Champions League qualifying matches. [ 355 ] After interference from newly appointed Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who had won the tournament in 1992, Messi was permitted to join Sergio Batista ‘s under-23 police squad in Beijing. During the first base meet, he scored the open goal in their 2–1 victory over the Ivory Coast. Following a 1–0 win in the following group match against Australia, ensuring their quarter-final qualification, Messi was rested during the game against Serbia, while his slope won the couple to finish first gear in their group. Against the Netherlands, he again scored the first finish and assisted a second hit to help his team to a 2–1 win in extra time. After a 3–0 semi-final victory over Brazil, Messi assisted the only finish in the final as Argentina defeated Nigeria to claim Olympic gold medals. Along with Riquelme, Messi was singled out by FIFA as the stand-out player from the tournament ‘s best team. [ 358 ]

2008–2011 : collective decline

From late 2008, the national team experienced a three-year time period marked by poor performances. Under coach Diego Maradona, who had led Argentina to World Cup victory as a player, the team struggled to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, securing their place in the tournament only after defeating Uruguay 1–0 in their last passing match. Maradona was criticised for his strategic decisions, which included playing Messi out of his common military position. In eight qualifying matches under Maradona ‘s stewardship, Messi scored only one goal, netting the open finish in the first such match, a 4–0 victory over Venezuela. [ 340 ] During that game, played on 28 March 2009, he wore Argentina ‘s count 10 shirt for the first time, following the international retirement of Riquelme. [ 360 ] Overall, Messi scored four goals in 18 appearances during the qualifying process. [ 340 ] Ahead of the tournament, Maradona visited Messi in Barcelona to request his tactical input ; Messi then outlined a 4–3–1–2 formation with himself playing behind the two strikers, a playmaking position known as the enganche in Argentine football, which had been his prefer position since childhood .
Messi in military action during the orifice couple against Bolivia at the 2011 Copa América Despite their poor qualify campaign, Argentina were considered title contenders at the World Cup in South Africa. At the begin of the tournament, the new formation proved effective ; Messi managed at least four attempts on finish during their afford peer but was repeatedly denied by Nigeria ‘s goalkeeper, resulting in a 1–0 win. During the future match, against South Korea, he excelled in his playmaking function, participating in all four goals of his english ‘s 4–1 victory. As their place in the hard phase was guaranteed, most of the starters were rested during the last group match, but Messi reportedly refused to be benched. He wore the captain ‘s armband for the first gear time in their 2–0 winnings against Greece ; as the focal point of their play, he helped create their second goal to see Argentina finish as group winners. [ 362 ] Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-final against Germany, at the lapp stage of the tournament and by the lapp adversary as four years earlier. Their 4–0 loss was their worst gross profit of get the better of at a World Cup since 1974. FIFA subsequently identified Messi as one of the tournament ‘s 10 best players, citing his “ outstanding ” yard and creativity and “ spectacular and effective ” dribble, shooting and passing. [ 364 ] Back home, however, Messi was the capable of coarse judgment. As the perceive best player in the earth, he had been expected to lead an average team to the entitle, as Maradona arguably did in 1986, but he had failed to replicate his performances at Barcelona with the national team, leading to the accusation that he cared less about his area than his club. Maradona was replaced by Sergio Batista, who had orchestrated Argentina ‘s Olympic victory. Batista publicly stated that he intended to build the team around Messi, employing him as a false nine within a 4–3–3 system, as used to much success by Barcelona. [ 366 ] Although Messi scored a record 53 goals during the 2010–11 club season, he had not scored for Argentina in an official match since March 2009. [ 114 ] [ 340 ] Despite the tactical deepen, his goal drought continued during the 2011 Copa América, hosted by Argentina. Their first two matches, against Bolivia and Colombia, ended in withdraw. Media and fans noted that he did not combine well with striker Carlos Tevez, who enjoyed greater popularity among the Argentine public ; Messi was consequently booed by his own team ‘s supporters for the first time in his career. During the crucial adjacent meet, with Tevez on the judiciary, he gave a well-received performance, assisting two goals in their 3–0 victory over Costa Rica. After the quarter-final against Uruguay ended in a 1–1 draw following extra fourth dimension, with Messi having assisted their counterweight, Argentina were eliminated 4–5 in the penalty gunfight by the eventual champions .

2011–2013 : Assuming the captainship

Messi scored his first international hat-trick against Switzerland in 2012 After Argentina ‘s unsuccessful performance in the Copa América, Batista was replaced by Alejandro Sabella. Upon his appointee in August 2011, Sabella awarded the 24-year-old Messi the captainship of the squad, in accord with then-captain Javier Mascherano. Reserved by nature, Messi went on to lead his squad by exemplar as their best player, while Mascherano continued to fulfil the role of the team ‘s on-field drawing card and incentive. [ 368 ] In a further redesign of the team, Sabella dismissed Tevez and brought in players with whom Messi had won the World Youth Championship and Olympic Games. now playing in a free function in an better team, Messi ended his goal drought by scoring during their first World Cup qualifying match against Chile on 7 October, his beginning official goal for Argentina in two-and-a-half years. [ 340 ] Under Sabella, Messi ‘s goalscoring rate drastically increased ; where he had scored merely 17 goals in 61 matches under his previous managers, he scored 25 times in 32 appearances during the pursuit three years. [ 340 ] He netted a total of 12 goals in 9 games for Argentina in 2012, equalling the read held by Gabriel Batistuta for the most goals scored in a calendar year for their state. [ 369 ] His first base international hat-trick came in a friendly against Switzerland on 29 February 2012, followed by two more hat-tricks over the next year-and-a-half in friendlies against Brazil and Guatemala. Messi then helped the team secure their place in the 2014 World Cup with a 5–2 victory over Paraguay on 10 September 2013 when he scored doubly from penalty kicks, taking his international score to 37 goals to become Argentina ‘s second-highest goalscorer behind Batistuta. Overall, he had scored a total of 10 goals in 14 matches during the qualifying campaign. [ 340 ] [ 370 ] Concurrently with his better performances, his relationship with his compatriots improved, as he gradually began to be perceived more favorably in Argentina .

2014–15 : World Cup and Copa América finals

Messi watches his 25-yard curled hit hit the net income against Iran to win the game for Argentina in their second group game at the 2014 FIFA World Cup ahead of the World Cup in Brazil, doubts persisted over Messi ‘s form, as he finished an unsuccessful and injury-plagued temper with Barcelona. At the startle of the tournament, however, he gave strong performances, being elected man of the equal in their first four matches. [ 371 ] In his first World Cup match as captain, he led them to a 2–1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina ; he helped create Sead Kolašinac ‘s own goal and scored their second strike after a drivel past three players, his first World Cup finish since his introduction in the tournament eight years earlier. [ 372 ] During the second pit against Iran, he scored an injury-time finish from 25 yards out to end the game in a 1–0 win, securing their qualification for the hard phase. [ 373 ] He scored doubly in the last group match, a 3–2 victory over Nigeria, his irregular goal coming from a release kick, as they finished first in their group. [ 374 ] Messi assisted a late finish in extra time to ensure a 1–0 acquire against Switzerland in the round of 16, and played in the 1–0 quarter-final gain against Belgium as Argentina progressed to the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time since 1990. [ 375 ] [ 376 ] Following a 0–0 draw in extra prison term, they eliminated the Netherlands 4–2 in a penalty gunfight to reach the final examination, with Messi scoring his team ‘s first punishment. [ 377 ]
Billed as Messi versus Germany, the world ‘s best player against the best team, the final was a repeat of the 1990 final featuring Diego Maradona. [ 378 ] Within the first base half-hour, Messi had started the bring that led to a goal, but it was ruled offside. He missed respective opportunities to open the scoring throughout the match, in especial at the begin of the moment half when his breakaway effort went wide-eyed of the far post. Substitute Mario Götze last scored in the 113th minute, followed in the last minute of extra clock by a release recoil that Messi sent over the net, as Germany won the match 1–0 to claim the World Cup. [ 379 ] At the conclusion of the final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best actor of the tournament. In addition to being the joint third-highest goalscorer, with four goals and an assist, he created the most chances, completed the most drivel runs, made the most deliveries into the punishment area and produced the most throughballs in the competition. [ 371 ] [ 380 ] however, his choice drew criticism due to his lack of goals in the knockout round ; FIFA President Sepp Blatter expressed his surprise, while Maradona suggested that Messi had undeservedly been chosen for selling purposes. [ 381 ] Another final appearance, the third gear of Messi ‘s senior international career, followed in the 2015 Copa América, held in Chile. Under the stewardship of former Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino, Argentina entered the tournament as championship contenders due to their second-place accomplishment at the World Cup. [ 382 ] [ 383 ] During the open match against Paraguay, they were ahead two goals by half-time but lost their lead to end the match in a 2–2 draw ; Messi had scored from a penalty kick back, netting his only goal in the tournament. [ 384 ] Following a 1–0 acquire against defending champions Uruguay, Messi earned his hundredth crown for his state in the final examination group equal, a 1–0 win over Jamaica, becoming only the one-fifth Argentine to achieve this milestone. [ 385 ] In his 100 appearances, he had scored a entire of 46 goals for Argentina, 22 of which came in official competitive matches. [ 340 ] [ 385 ] As Messi evolved from the team ‘s symbolic captain into a genuine drawing card, he led Argentina to the hard degree as group winners. [ 386 ] In the quarter-final, they created numerous chances, including a rally header by Messi, but were repeatedly denied by Colombia ‘s goalkeeper, and ultimately ended the catch scoreless, leading to a 5–4 penalty gunfight in their prefer, with Messi netting his team ‘s first spot kick. [ 387 ] At the semi-final degree, Messi excelled as a playmaker as he provided three assists and helped create three more goals in his side ‘s 6–1 victory over Paraguay, receiving applause from the initially hostile herd. [ 386 ] Argentina started the final examination as the odds-on entitle favourites, but were defeated by Chile 4–1 in a penalty gunfight after an 0–0 extra-time draw. Faced with aggression from opposing players, including taking a boot to the middle, Messi played below his standards, though he was the only Argentine to successfully convert his penalty. [ 388 ] At the close up of the tournament, he was reportedly selected to receive the Most Valuable Player award but rejected the award. [ 389 ] As Argentina continued a trophy drought that began in 1993, the World Cup and Copa América defeats again bring acute criticism for Messi from Argentine media and fans. [ 390 ]

2016–17 : third gear Copa América final examination, retirement, and return

Messi ‘s place in Argentina ‘s Copa América Centenario squad was initially put in hazard when he sustained a binding wound in a 1–0 friendly gain over Honduras in a pre-Copa América warm-up match on 27 May 2016. [ 391 ] It was later reported that he had suffered a deep hurt in his lumbar region. He was later left on the judiciary in Argentina ‘s 2–1 opening winnings over defending champions Chile on 6 June due to concerns regarding his fitness. [ 392 ] Although Messi was declared match-fit for his nation ‘s second group match against Panama on 10 June, Martino left him on the bench once again ; he replaced Augusto Fernández in the 61st infinitesimal and subsequently scored a hat-trick in 19 minutes, besides starting the free rein which led to Sergio Agüero ‘s goal, as the match ended in a 5–0 victory, sealing Argentina ‘s place in the quarter-finals of the contest ; [ 393 ] he was elected serviceman of the pit for his performance. [ 394 ]

“ Did it annoy me that Messi took the record ? A little, yes. You go around the populace and people say, ‘he ‘s the top scorer for the Argentina national team. ‘ But the advantage I have is that I ‘m second to an extraterrestrial. ”

– Gabriel Batistuta on the consolation of Messi breaking his record. [ 395 ]
On 18 June, in the quarter-final of the Copa América against Venezuela, Messi produced another world of the match performance, [ 396 ] assisting two goals and scoring another in a 4–1 victory, which enabled him to equal Gabriel Batistuta ‘s home record of 54 goals in official international matches. [ 397 ] This record was broken three days late when Messi scored a free kick in a 4–0 semi-final succeed against hosts the United States ; he besides assisted two goals during the equal as Argentina sealed a place in the concluding of the competition for a second consecutive class, [ 398 ] and was named homo of the match once again. [ 399 ] During a reprise of the previous class ‘s final on 26 June, Argentina once again lost to Chile on penalties after a 0–0 deadlock, resulting in Messi ‘s third base back-to-back get the better of in a major tournament concluding with Argentina, and his fourth overall. After the equal, Messi, who had missed his penalty in the gunfight, announced his retirement from international football. [ 400 ] He stated, “ I tried my hard. The team has ended for me, a decision made. ” [ 401 ] Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said after the meet, “ My coevals ca n’t compare him to Maradona that ‘s for my genesis, because of what Maradona did for Argentine football. But I think the best actor ever played nowadays here in the United States. ” [ 402 ] Messi finished the tournament as the second highest scorer, behind Eduardo Vargas, with five goals, and was the highest assist provider with four assists, besides winning more world of the Match awards than any other actor in the tournament ( 3 ) ; [ 403 ] he was named to the team of the tournament for his performances, but missed out on the Golden Ball Award for best player, which went to Alexis Sánchez. [ 404 ] Following his announcement, a campaign began in Argentina for Messi to change his judgment about retiring. [ 405 ] He was greeted by fans with signs like “ Do n’t go, Leo ” when the team landed in Buenos Aires. President of Argentina Mauricio Macri urged Messi not to quit, stating, “ We are lucky, it is one of life ‘s pleasures, it is a give from God to have the best player in the worldly concern in a footballing area like ours … Lionel Messi is the greatest thing we have in Argentina and we must take worry of him. ” [ 406 ] Mayor of Buenos Aires Horacio Rodríguez Larreta unveiled a statue of Messi in the capital to convince him to reconsider retirement. [ 407 ] The campaign besides continued in the streets and avenues of the Argentine capital, with about 50,000 supporters going to the Obelisco de Buenos Aires on 2 July, using the same motto. [ 408 ]

return key

“ A lot of things went through my heed on the night of the final and I gave serious think to leave office, but my love for my country and this shirt is excessively great. ”

– Messi reversing his decision from retiring on 12 August 2016 [ 409 ]
fair a workweek after Messi announced his external retirement, Argentine newspaper La Nación reported that he was reconsidering playing for Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September. [ 410 ] On 12 August, it was confirmed that Messi had reversed his decision to retire from international football, and he was included in the police squad for the national team ‘s approaching 2018 World Cup qualifiers. [ 411 ] On 1 September, in his first game rear, he scored in a 1–0 dwelling winnings over Uruguay in a 2018 World Cup modifier. [ 412 ]
Messi celebrates his hat-trick against Ecuador in 2017 which saw Argentina qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup On 28 March 2017, Messi was suspended for four international games for insulting an assistant referee in a game against Chile on 23 March 2017. He was besides fined CHF 10,000. [ 413 ] [ 414 ] On 5 May, Messi ‘s four match prohibition arsenic well as his 10,000 CHF fine was lifted by FIFA after Argentina Football Association appealed against his abeyance, which meant he could now play Argentina ‘s remaining World Cup Qualifiers. [ 415 ] Argentina ‘s place in the 2018 World Cup was in hazard going into their final qualify 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 meter since 1970. On 10 October, Messi led his country to World Cup reservation in scoring a hat-trick as Argentina came from behind to defeat Ecuador 3–1 away ; Argentina had not defeated Ecuador in Quito since 2001. [ 416 ] Messi ‘s three goals saw him become the joint all-time leading scorer in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with 21 goals, alongside Uruguay ‘s Luis Suárez, overtaking the previous record which was held by compatriot Hernán Crespo. [ 416 ]

2018 : World Cup

“ The squad is the worst in their history. even having the best actor in the world was not capable of creating a competitive team. All the worsen of recent times was hidden by this matchless genius [ Messi ] ”

– Former Argentine player Osvaldo Ardiles on the descent in timbre of Argentina being masked by Messi. [ 417 ]
Following on from their inadequate qualification political campaign, expectations were not high going into the 2018 World Cup, with the team, without an injured Messi, losing 6–1 to Spain in March 2018. [ 418 ] [ 419 ] Prior to Argentina ‘s undoer, there was speculation in the media over whether this would be Messi ‘s concluding World Cup. [ 420 ] In the team ‘s opening group match against Iceland on 16 June, Messi missed a likely match-winning punishment in an eventual 1–1 hook. [ 421 ] In Argentina ‘s second bet on on 21 June, the team lost 3–0 to Croatia. Post-match the Argentina bus Jorge Sampaoli talk of the lack of quality in the team surrounding Messi, saying “ we quite just could n’t pass to him to help him generate the situations he is used to. We worked to give him the musket ball but the adversary besides worked hard to prevent him from getting the ball. We lost that struggle ”. [ 422 ] Croatia captain and midfielder Luka Modrić besides stated post match, “ Messi is an incredible player but he ca n’t do everything alone. ” [ 423 ]
Messi celebrates his goal against Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup In Argentina ‘s final group match against Nigeria at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on 26 June, Messi scored the afford goal in an eventual 2–1 victory, becoming the third base Argentine after Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta to score in three unlike World Cups ; he besides became the first player to score in the World Cup in his teens, twenties, and his thirties. [ 424 ] A goal of the tournament rival, Messi received a long sink from midfield and controlled the ball on the run with two touches before striking it across finish into the final with his faint right foot. [ 425 ] [ 426 ] He was belated awarded man of the Match. [ 427 ] Argentina progressed to the second round as group runner-up behind Croatia. [ 428 ] In the beat of 16 match against eventual champions France on 30 June, Messi set up Gabriel Mercado ‘s and Sergio Agüero ‘s goals in a 3–4 defeat, which saw Argentina eliminated from the World Cup. [ 429 ] With his two assists in his team ‘s irregular round regular, Messi became the first player to provide an help in the last four World Cups, and besides became the first actor to provide two assists in a match for Argentina since Diego Maradona had managed the same feat against South Korea in 1986. [ 430 ] [ 431 ] Following the tournament, Messi stated that he would not participate in Argentina ‘s friendlies against Guatemala and Colombia in September, and commented that it would be unlikely that he would represent his nation for the end of the calendar year. Messi ‘s absence from the national team and his continue failure to win a title with Argentina prompted meditation in the media that Messi might retire from international football once again. [ 432 ] In March 2019, however, he was called up to the Argentina team once again for the team ‘s friendlies against Venezuela and Morocco subsequently that calendar month. [ 433 ] He made his international reelect on 22 March, in a 3–1 friendly defeat to Venezuela, in Madrid. [ 434 ]

2019–20 : Copa América third-place, suspension and Superclásico victory

On 21 May, Messi was included in Lionel Scaloni ‘s final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa América. [ 435 ] In Argentina ‘s second group equal of the tournament on 19 June, Messi scored the equalising goal from the penalty blot in a 1–1 draw against Paraguay. [ 436 ] After coming under criticism in the media over his operation following Argentina ‘s 2–0 victory over Venezuela in the quarter-finals at the Maracanã Stadium on 28 June, Messi commented that it had not been his best Copa América, while besides criticising the poor timbre of the pitches. [ 437 ] Following Argentina ‘s 2–0 get the better of to hosts Brazil in the semi-finals on 2 July, Messi was critical of the referee during the equal, [ 438 ] [ 439 ] and alleged the competition was “ setup ” for Brazil to win. [ 440 ] In the third-place match against Chile on 6 July, Messi set-up Agüero ‘s opening goal from a exempt bang in an eventual 2–1 win, to help Argentina capture the bronze decoration ; however, he was sent off along with Gary Medel in the 37th minute of play, after being involved in an affray with the Chilean defender. [ 441 ] Following the match, Messi refused to collect his decoration, and implied in a post-match consultation that his comments following the semi-final led to his sending off. [ 442 ] Messi subsequently issued an apology for his comments, but was fined $ 1,500 and was handed a one-match ban by CONMEBOL, which ruled him out of Argentina ‘s following World Cup modifier. [ 443 ] On 2 August, Messi was banned for three months from international football and was fined $ 50,000 by CONMEBOL for his comments against the referee ‘s decisions ; this ban entail he would miss Argentina ‘s friendly matches against Chile, Mexico and Germany in September and October. [ 444 ] On 15 November, Messi played in the 2019 Superclásico de las Américas versus Brazil, scoring the winning goal by a rebound of his save penalty. [ 445 ] On 8 October 2020, Messi scored a penalty in a 1–0 victory against Ecuador, giving Argentina a winning starting signal to their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. [ 446 ]

2021 : appearance phonograph record, Copa América victory and south american top goalscorer

“ It was clear to me that I had to try until the stopping point tournament and that I could n’t withdraw from the national team without winning something. ”

– Messi on winning the 2021 Copa América in an interview with Diario SPORT. [ 447 ]
On 14 June 2021, Messi scored from a release complain in a 1–1 draw against Chile in Argentina ‘s opening group meet of the 2021 Copa América in Brazil. [ 448 ] On 21 June, Messi played in his 147th match as he equalled Javier Mascherano ‘s record for most appearances for Argentina in a 1–0 winnings over Paraguay in their one-third game of the tournament. [ 449 ] A week late, he broke the record for most appearances in an Argentina shirt when he featured in a 4–1 win against Bolivia in his team ‘s concluding group match, assisting Papu Gómez ‘s open goal and late scoring two. [ 450 ] On 3 July, Messi assisted twice and scored from a free-kick in a 3–0 succeed over Ecuador in the quarter-finals of the competition. [ 451 ] On 6 July, in a 1–1 draw in the semi-finals against Colombia, Messi made his hundred-and-fiftieth appearance for his country and registered his fifth assist of the tournament, a cut-back for Lautaro Martínez, matching his record of nine finish contributions in a single tournament from five years early ; he by and by netted his spot kick in Argentina ‘s eventual 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory to progress to his fifth international final. [ 452 ] [ 453 ] On 10 July, Argentina defeated hosts Brazil 1–0 in the final, giving Messi his first base major international title and Argentina ‘s first since 1993, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as his nation ‘s articulation record 15th Copa América overall. [ 454 ] Messi was directly involved in 9 out of the 12 goals scored by Argentina, scoring four and assisting five ; he was named the musician of the tournament for his performances, an honor he shared with Neymar. He besides finished as the tournament ‘s top scorer with four goals tied with Colombia ‘s Luis Díaz, although the Golden Boot was awarded to Messi as he had more assists. [ 455 ] [ 456 ] On 9 September, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 dwelling succeed over Bolivia in a 2022 World Cup qualifier which besides moved him above Pelé as South America ‘s peak male external scorer with 79 goals. [ 457 ]

Player profile

expressive style of act

A versatile forward, Messi often plays as a classical number 10 due to his short stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than improbable players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly and evade opposing tackles ; [ 458 ] [ 459 ] this has led the spanish media to dub him La Pulga Atómica ( “ The Atomic Flea ” ). [ 460 ] [ 461 ] [ 462 ] Despite being physically unimposing, he possesses significant upper-body intensity, which, combined with his low center of graveness and resulting balance, aids him in withstanding forcible challenges from opponents ; he has consequently been noted for his lack of diving in a sport prevailing with acting. [ 17 ] [ 459 ] [ 463 ] His short, strong legs allow him to excel in abruptly bursts of acceleration while his flying feet enable him to retain control of the testis when dribbling at speed. [ 464 ] His erstwhile Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola once stated, “ Messi is the lone player that runs faster with the ball than he does without it. ” [ 46 ] Although he has improved his ability with his weak metrical foot since his mid-20s, Messi is predominantly a left-footed actor ; with the outside of his leave metrical foot, he normally begins dribbling runs, while he uses the inside of his metrical foot to finish and provide passes and assists. [ 466 ] A fecund goalscorer, Messi is known for his end, position, quick reactions, and ability to make attacking runs to beat the defensive occupation. He besides functions in a playmaking character, courtesy of his vision and range of passing. [ 467 ] He has frequently been described as a magician ; a conjurer, creating goals and opportunities where apparently none exist. [ 468 ] [ 469 ] [ 470 ] furthermore, he is an accurate absolve kick and penalty complain taker. [ 459 ] [ 471 ] As of August 2021, Messi ranks 11th all time in goals scored from direct detached kicks with 58, [ 472 ] the most among active players. [ 473 ] He besides has a preference for scoring from chips. [ 474 ]
Messi is known to drop deep, link-up with midfielders, orchestrate attacking plays, and create goal-scoring opportunities. Messi ‘s pace and technical ability enable him to undertake person dribble runs towards goal, in particular during counterattacks, normally starting from the center channel or the proper side of the pitch. [ 463 ] [ 471 ] [ 475 ] widely considered to be the best dribbler in the earth, [ 476 ] and one of the greatest dribblers of all time, [ 477 ] with regard to this ability, his former Argentina coach Diego Maradona has said of him, “ The ball stays glued to his foot ; I ‘ve seen great players in my career, but I ‘ve never seen anyone with Messi ‘s ball dominance. ” [ 466 ] Beyond his individual qualities, he is besides a all-around, hard-working team player, known for his creative combinations, in particular with former Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. [ 458 ] [ 459 ] tactically, Messi plays in a barren attack function ; a versatile actor, he is capable of attacking on either wing or through the center of the lurch. His prefer situation in childhood was the playmaker behind two strikers, known as the enganche in Argentine football, but he began his career in Spain as a collectivist or left-sided forth. Upon his first-team introduction, he was moved onto the right wing by coach Frank Rijkaard ; from this side, he could more well cut through the defense into the middle of the deliver and coil shots on finish with his exit metrical foot, quite than predominantly cross balls for teammates. [ 46 ] Under Guardiola and subsequent managers, he most frequently played in a faithlessly nine character ; positioned as a centre-forward or alone striker, he would roam the kernel, often moving bass into midfield and drawing defenders with him, in order to create and exploit spaces for passes, other teammates ‘ attacking runs off the musket ball, Messi ‘s own dribble runs, or combinations with Xavi and Iniesta. [ 24 ] Under the stewardship of Luis Enrique, Messi initially returned to playing in the right-sided placement that characterised much of his early career in the director ‘s 4–3–3 formation, [ 175 ] [ 478 ] while he was increasingly deployed in a abstruse, free playmaking role in late seasons. [ 479 ] [ 480 ] Under director Ernesto Valverde, Messi played in a variety of roles. While he occasionally continued to be deployed in a abstruse function, from which he could make runs from behind into the box, [ 481 ] or even on the right fly [ 482 ] or as a false nine, [ 483 ] [ 484 ] he was besides used in a more unsavory, cardinal role in a 4–2–3–1, [ 480 ] or as a moment striker in a 4–4–2 geological formation, where he was once again given the license to drop deep, link-up with midfielders, orchestrate his teams attacking plays, and create chances for his attack collaborator Suárez. [ 485 ] [ 486 ]
As his career advanced, and his tendency to dribble diminished slightly with old age, Messi began to dictate play in deeper areas of the lurch and developed into one of the best passers and playmakers in football history. [ 487 ] [ 488 ] [ 489 ] His work-rate off the ball and defensive responsibilities besides decreased as his career progressed ; by covering less grind on the pitch, and rather conserving his energy for abruptly bursts of speed, he was able to improve his efficiency, movement, and positional play, and was besides able to avoid mesomorphic injuries, despite frequently playing a boastfully count of matches throughout a finical season on a consistent footing. indeed, while he was injury-prone in his early on career, he was later able to improve his injury phonograph record by running less off the ball, and by adopting a rigorous diet, trail regimen, and sleep agenda. [ 490 ] With the Argentina national team, Messi has similarly played anywhere along the frontline ; under respective managers, he has been employed on the right wing, as a false nine, as an absolute striker, in a support role alongside another forward, or in a bass, complimentary creative role as a classic issue 10 playmaker or attacking midfielder behind the strikers. [ 366 ] [ 491 ]

reception

“ I have seen the player who will inherit my put in argentine football and his appoint is Messi. ”

– Diego Maradona hailing the 18-year-old Messi as his successor in February 2006 [ 69 ]
A colossal talent as a adolescent, Messi established himself among the worldly concern ‘s best players before senesce 20. [ 62 ] Diego Maradona considered the 18-year-old Messi the best player in the world aboard Ronaldinho, while the brazilian himself, soon after winning the Ballon d’Or, commented, “ I ‘m not even the best at Barça ”, in reference book to his protégé. [ 492 ] [ 493 ] Four years late, after Messi had won his first Ballon d’Or by a read margin, the public consider regarding his qualities as a actor moved beyond his condition in contemporary football to the hypothesis that he was one of the greatest players in history. [ 13 ] [ 463 ] [ 494 ] An early advocate was his then-manager Pep Guardiola, who, american samoa early as August 2009, declared Messi to be the best player he had ever seen. [ 495 ] In the follow years, this opinion gained greater acceptance among pundits, managers, early and current players, [ 116 ] [ 496 ] and by the end of Barça ‘s moment treble-winning season, Messi ‘s superiority, ahead of Maradona and Pelé, had become the apparent view among many fans and pundits in continental Europe. [ 497 ] [ 498 ] He initially received several dismissals by critics, based on the fact that he had not won an external trophy at senior floor with Argentina, [ 499 ] until he won his inaugural international trophy at the 2021 Copa América. [ 500 ] Argentina fans with Messi and Maradona banners at the 2018 World Cup in RussiaThe Sistine Chapel of Football painting (Messi to the left, Maradona to the right), on the ceiling of a sports club, Sportivo Pereyra, in painting ( Messi to the leave, Maradona to the right ), on the ceiling of a sports club, Sportivo Pereyra, in Barracas, Buenos Aires Throughout his career, Messi has been compared with his late compatriot Diego Maradona, due to their exchangeable play styles as diminutive, left-footed dribblers. initially, he was merely one of many young Argentine players, including his boyhood paragon Pablo Aimar, to receive the “ New Maradona “ nickname, but as his career progressed, Messi proved his similarity beyond all former contenders, establishing himself as the greatest player Argentina had produced since Maradona. [ 21 ] Jorge Valdano, who won the 1986 World Cup alongside Maradona, said in October 2013, “ Messi is Maradona every day. For the last five years, Messi has been the Maradona of the World Cup in Mexico. ” [ 501 ] César Menotti, who as coach orchestrated their 1978 World Cup victory, echoed this opinion when he opined that Messi plays “ at the level of the best Maradona ”. [ 502 ] other noteworthy Argentines in the sport, such as Osvaldo Ardiles, Javier Zanetti, and Diego Simeone, have expressed their belief that Messi has overtaken Maradona as the best actor in history. [ 504 ] [ 505 ] In Argentine society, Messi is generally held in lesser esteem than Maradona, a consequence of not alone his perceived uneven performances with the national team, but besides of differences in class, personality, and background. Messi is in some ways the antithesis of his predecessor : where Maradona was an extroverted, controversial quality who rose to greatness from the slums, Messi is reserved and retiring, an everyday man outside of football. [ 332 ] [ 506 ] [ 507 ] An enduring marker against him is the fact that, through no blame of his own, he never proved himself in the Argentine Primera División as an approaching player, achieving stardom oversea from a young age, [ 17 ] [ 332 ] while his miss of outward passion for the Albiceleste shirt ( he does not sing the national anthem and is disinclined to emotional displays ) have in the by led to the false perception that he felt Catalan preferably than sincerely Argentine. Despite having lived in Spain since age 13, Messi rejected the choice of representing Spain internationally. He has said : “ Argentina is my area, my syndicate, my room of expressing myself. I would change all my records to make the people in my area felicitous. ” [ 508 ] furthermore, several pundits and footballing figures, including Maradona, have besides questioned Messi ‘s leadership with Argentina at times, despite his play ability. [ 509 ] [ 510 ] [ 511 ]

Comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo

Messi has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo ( left ) throughout much of their careers. Among his contemporary peers, Messi is most much compared and contrasted with Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, as part of an ongoing competition that has been compared to past sports rivalries like the Muhammad Ali – Joe Frazier competition in box, the Roger Federer – Rafael Nadal competition in tennis, and the Senna–Prost competition from Formula One motor rush. [ 512 ] [ 513 ] Although Messi has at times denied any competition, [ 514 ] [ 515 ] they are wide believed to push one another in their aim to be the best player in the world : [ 161 ] since 2008, Messi has won seven Ballons d’Or to Ronaldo ‘s five, [ 516 ] six FIFA World ‘s Best Player awards to Ronaldo ‘s five, and six european Golden Shoes to Ronaldo ‘s four. [ 517 ] Pundits and fans regularly argue the individual merits of both players ; [ 161 ] [ 518 ] beyond their playing styles, the debate besides revolves around their disagree physiques – Ronaldo is 1.87 meter ( 6 foot 1+1⁄2 in ) with a mesomorphic build – and contrasting public personalities, with Ronaldo ‘s assurance and theatrics a foil to Messi ‘s humility. [ 519 ] [ 520 ] [ 521 ] From 2009–10 to 2017–18, Messi faced Ronaldo at least twice every season in El Clásico, which ranks among the world ‘s most watch annual sports events. [ 522 ] Off the pitch, Ronaldo is his target rival in terms of wage, sponsorships, and social media fanbase. [ 522 ]

In popular culture

According to France Football, Messi was the world ‘s highest-paid football player for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014 ; he was the first base player to exceed the €40 million benchmark, with earnings of €41 million in 2013, and the €50–€60 million points, with income of €65 million in 2014. [ 166 ] [ 523 ] Messi was second on Forbes list of the world ‘s highest-paid athletes ( after Cristiano Ronaldo ) with income of $ 81.4 million from his wage and endorsements in 2015–16. [ 524 ] In 2018 he was the foremost musician to exceed the €100m benchmark for a calendar class, with earnings of €126m ( $ 154m ) in combine income from salaries, bonuses and endorsements. [ 525 ] Forbes ranked him the universe ‘s highest-paid athlete in 2019. [ 526 ] Since 2008, he has been Barcelona ‘s highest-paid player, receiving a wage that increased incrementally from €7.8 million to €13 million over the future five years. [ 83 ] Signing a modern Barcelona sign in 2017, he earns $ 667,000 per week in wages, and Barcelona besides paid him $ 59.6 million as a sign on bonus. [ 527 ] His buyout clause is set at $ 835 million ( €700 million ). [ 527 ] In 2020, Messi became the irregular football player ( and second athlete in a team sport ), after Cristiano Ronaldo, to surpass $ 1 billion in earnings during their careers. [ 528 ]
Billboard of Messi in Taipei, Taiwan In accession to his wage and bonuses, much of his income derives from endorsements ; SportsPro has consequently cited him as one of the world ‘s most marketable athletes every year since their inquiry began in 2010. [ 529 ] His chief sponsor since 2006 is the sportswear company Adidas. As Barcelona ‘s leading youth prospect, he had been signed with Nike since historic period 14, but transferred to Adidas after they successfully challenged their rival ‘s claim to his visualize rights in court. Over time, Messi established himself as their conduct mark subscriber ; [ 522 ] from 2008, he had a long-running signature collection of Adidas F50 boots, and in 2015, he became the first football player to receive his own sub-brand of Adidas boots, the Adidas Messi. [ 531 ] [ 532 ] Since 2017, he has worn the latest version of the Adidas Nemeziz. [ 533 ] In 2015, a Barcelona new jersey with Messi ‘s name and number was the best-selling replica new jersey cosmopolitan. [ 534 ]
As a commercial entity, Messi ‘s marketing brand has been based entirely on his talents and achievements as a player, in contrast to arguably more glamorous players like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. At the beginning of his career, he therefore chiefly held sponsorship contracts with companies that employ sports-oriented selling, such as Adidas, Pepsi, and Konami. [ 536 ] [ 537 ] From 2010 onwards, concurrently with his increase achievements as a player, his market appeal widened, leading to long-run second deals with lavishness brands Dolce & Gabbana and Audemars Piguet. [ 536 ] [ 538 ] Messi is besides a global brand ambassador for Gillette, Turkish Airlines, Ooredoo, and Tata Motors, among other companies. [ 539 ] [ 540 ] [ 541 ] [ 542 ] Additionally, Messi was the face of Konami ‘s video recording game series Pro Evolution Soccer, appearing on the covers of PES 2009, PES 2010, PES 2011 and PES 2020. He subsequently signed with equal company EA Sports to become the boldness of their serial FIFA and has since appeared on four consecutive covers from FIFA 13 to FIFA 16. [ 544 ] Messi ‘s global popularity and influence are well documented. He was among the Time 100, an annual list of the populace ‘s most influential people as published by Time, in 2011 and 2012. [ 545 ] [ 546 ] His fanbase on the social media web site Facebook is among the largest of all public figures : within seven hours of its launch in April 2011, Messi ‘s Facebook page had about seven million followers, and by August 2021 he had over 103 million followers, the second highest for a sportsperson after Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 547 ] [ 548 ] He besides has over 280 million Instagram followers, the moment highest for an person and sportsperson after Cristiano Ronaldo. [ 549 ] According to a 2014 survey by sports research tauten Repucom in 15 international markets, Messi was companion to 87 % of respondents around the world, of whom 78 % perceived him favorably, making him the second-most recognised actor globally, behind Ronaldo, and the most likable of all contemporary players. [ 550 ] [ 551 ] On Messi ‘s economic affect on the city in which he plays, Terry Gibson called him a “ tourist attraction ”. [ 552 ]
other events have illustrated Messi ‘s presence in popular culture. A solid gold replica of his left foot, weighing 25 kilogram ( 55 pound ) and valued at $ 5.25 million, went on sale in Japan in March 2013 to raise funds for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. [ 553 ] A 2013 Turkish Airlines ad starring Messi, in which he engages in a selfie competition with then- Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, was the most-watched ad on YouTube in the year of its release, receiving 137 million views, and was subsequently voted the best ad of the 2005–15 decade to commemorate YouTube ‘s initiation. [ 554 ] [ 555 ] World Press Photo selected “ The Final Game ”, a photograph of Messi facing the World Cup trophy after Argentina ‘s final examination kill to Germany, as the best sports image of 2014. [ 556 ] Messi, a documentary about his life by film maker Álex de la Iglesia, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2014. [ 557 ] In June 2021, Messi signed a five-year manage to become an ambassador for the Hard Rock Cafe mark. He stated, “ sports and music are an integral separate of my life sentence. It is an award to be the first athlete to spouse with a brand who has a history of teaming with music legends. ” [ 558 ]

personal life sentence

family and relationships

Since 2008, Messi has been in a relationship with Antonela Roccuzzo, a fellow native of Rosario. [ 559 ] He has known Roccuzzo since he was five years old, as she is the cousin of his childhood best friend, Lucas Scaglia, who is besides a football musician. [ 560 ] After keeping their relationship private for a year, Messi first confirmed their woo in an interview in January 2009, before going public a calendar month late during a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona–Espanyol bowler hat .

“ Leo is not shy. He ‘s introvert. He ‘s reserved. ”

— Endocrinologist Diego Schwarzstein, [ note 4 ] who addressed Messi ‘s growth hormone lack from 1997 to 2001 .
Messi and Roccuzzo have three sons : Thiago ( bear 2012 ), Mateo ( born 2015 ) and Ciro ( bear 2018 ). To celebrate his partner ‘s first gear pregnancy, Messi placed the ball under his shirt after scoring in Argentina ‘s 4–0 win against Ecuador on 2 June 2012, before confirming the pregnancy in an consultation two weeks late. [ 562 ] Thiago was born in Barcelona on 2 November 2012, with Messi attending the birth after being given license by Barcelona to miss train. [ 563 ] Thiago ‘s name and handprints are tattooed on his bequeath calf. In April 2015, Messi confirmed that they were expecting another child. [ 564 ] He missed training ahead of a match against Atlético Madrid to attend the give birth of his moment son, Mateo, on 11 September 2015 in Barcelona. [ 565 ] On 30 June 2017, he married Roccuzzo at a lavishness hotel named Hotel City Center in Rosario with about 260 guests attending his marry. [ 566 ] On 15 October 2017, his wife announced they were expecting their one-third child. [ 567 ] On 10 March 2018, Messi skipped the match against Málaga after Ciro was born. [ 568 ] Messi enjoys a conclusion kinship with his immediate family members, particularly his mother, Celia, whose face he has tattooed on his left shoulder. His professional affairs are largely run as a kin clientele : his father, Jorge, has been his agent since he was 14, and his oldest brother, Rodrigo, handles his daily schedule and publicity. His mother and early buddy, Matías, manage his charitable arrangement, the Leo Messi Foundation, and take caution of personal and professional matters in Rosario. Since leaving for Spain at historic period 13, Messi has maintained close ties to his hometown of Rosario, even preserving his distinct Rosarino accent. He has kept possession of his family ‘s honest-to-god house, although it has hanker stand empty ; he maintains a penthouse apartment in an single residential building for his mother, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as a kin compound just outside the city. once when he was in train with the national team in Buenos Aires, he made a three-hour trip by car to Rosario immediately after rehearse to have dinner with his family, spent the night with them, and returned to Buenos Aires the following day in time for practice. Messi keeps in casual reach via telephone and text with a belittled group of confidants in Rosario, most of whom were colleague members of “ The Machine of ’87 ” at Newell ‘s Old Boys. He presently lives in Castelldefels, a village near Barcelona. Although considered a one-club man, he has long planned to return to Rosario to end his playing career at Newell ‘s. He was on bad terms with the club after his remove to Barcelona, but by 2012 their populace feud had ended, with Newell ‘s embracing their ties with Messi, even issuing a club membership card to his newborn son. [ 17 ] [ 571 ]

philanthropy

Throughout his career, Messi has been involved in charitable efforts aimed at vulnerable children, a committedness that stems in depart from the checkup difficulties he faced in his own childhood. Since 2004, he has contributed his time and finances to the United Nations Children ‘s Fund ( UNICEF ), an administration with which Barcelona besides have a strong association. [ 572 ] [ 573 ] Messi has served as a UNICEF good will ambassador since his appointment in March 2010, completing his first field mission for the organization four months former as he travelled to Haiti to bring public awareness to the plight of the nation ‘s children in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. He has since participated in UNICEF campaigns targeting HIV prevention, education, and the social inclusion of disabled children. [ 574 ] To celebrate his son ‘s first birthday, in November 2013, Messi and Thiago were part of a promotion campaign to raise awareness of deathrate rates among deprived children. [ 575 ]
Messi ( pictured in 2007 ) has worked with UNICEF since 2004 and has served as a UNICEF good will ambassador since 2010. In accession to his sour with UNICEF, Messi founded his own charitable organization, the Leo Messi Foundation, which supports access to health manage, education, and sport for children. [ 576 ] It was established in 2007 following a chew the fat Messi paid to a hospital for terminally ill children in Boston, an experience that resonated with him to the orient that he decided to reinvest separate of his earnings into club. Through his initiation, Messi has awarded research grants, financed checkup training, and invested in the development of medical centres and projects in Argentina, Spain, and elsewhere in the world. [ 577 ] In addition to his own fund-raise activities, such as his global “ Messi and Friends ” football matches, his foundation receives fiscal defend from versatile companies to which he has assigned his name in second agreements, with Adidas as their chief sponsor. [ 578 ] [ 579 ] Messi has besides invested in young person football in Argentina : he financially supports Sarmiento, a football club based in the Rosario vicinity where he was born, committing in 2013 to the renovation of their facilities and the installation of all-weather pitches, and funds the management of several young person players at Newell ‘s Old Boys and rival club Rosario Central, ampere well as at River Plate and Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires. At Newell ‘s Old Boys, his boyhood baseball club, he funded the 2012 construction of a newly secondary school and a dormitory inside the club ‘s stadium for their youth academy. His former youth coach at Newell ‘s, Ernesto Vecchio, is employed by the Leo Messi Foundation as a endowment scout for young players. [ 17 ] On 7 June 2016, Messi won a libel case against La Razón newspaper and was awarded €65,000 in damages, which he donated to the charity Médecins Sans Frontières. [ 580 ] Messi made a contribution worth €1 million ( $ 1.1 million ) to fight the outspread of coronavirus. [ 581 ] This was separate between Clinic Barcelona hospital in Barcelona, Spain and his native Argentina. [ 582 ] In summation to this, Messi along with his mate FC Barcelona teammates announced he will be taking a 70 % cut in salaries during the 2020 coronavirus hand brake, and contribute further to the cabaret to provide amply to salaries of all the clubs employees. [ 583 ] In November 2016, with the Argentine Football Association being run by a FIFA committee for emergency due to an economic crisis, it was reported that three of the national team ‘s security staff told Messi that they had not received their salaries for six months. He stepped in and paid the salaries of the three members. [ 584 ] [ 585 ] In February 2021, Messi donated his Adidas shoes to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya which he wore when he scored his 644th finish for Barcelona and broke Pelé ‘s criminal record for most goals scored for a unmarried club, the shoes were belated auctioned off in April by the museum for charity to help children with cancer and were sold for £125,000. [ 586 ] In gain of the 2021 Copa América in Uruguay, Messi donated three signed shirts to the chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech —whose directors spoke of their wonder for Messi—in order to secure 50,000 doses of Sinovac ‘s COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, in the hope of vaccinating all of South America ‘s football players. [ 587 ] A deal brokered by Uruguay ‘s president Luis Lacalle Pou, the plan to prioritise football players caused some controversy given far-flung vaccine scarcity in the region, with the Mayor of Canelones in Uruguay comment that “ barely as the president of the united states manifested cooperation with CONMEBOL to vaccinate for the Copa América, he could good american samoa well have the lapp consideration for Canelones ”. [ 587 ]

tax imposter

Messi ‘s fiscal affairs came under probe in 2013 for suspected tax evasion. Offshore companies in tax havens Uruguay and Belize were used to evade €4.1 million in taxes related to sponsorship earnings between 2007 and 2009. An unrelated shell company in Panama set up in 2012 was subsequently identified as belong to the Messis in the Panama Papers data leak. Messi, who pleaded ignorance of the alleged outline, voluntarily paid arrears of €5.1 million in August 2013. On 6 July 2016, Messi and his forefather were both found guilty of tax fraud and were handed suspended 21-month prison sentences and respectively ordered to pay €1.7 million and €1.4 million in fines. [ 588 ] Facing the estimate, he said, “ I merely played football. I signed the contracts because I trusted my dad and the lawyers and we had decided that they would take charge of those things. ” [ 589 ]

career statistics

golf club

As of match played 28 November 2021

International

As of match played 16 November 2021

Appearances and goals by national team, year and competition

Team

Year

Competitive

Friendly

Total

Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals

Argentina U20

2004

—
2
3
2
3

2005

16[a]
11
—
16
11

Total

16
11
2
3
18
14

Argentina U23

2008

5[b]
2
—
5
2

Total

5
2
0
0
5
2

Argentina[340][599]

2005

3[c]
0
2
0
5
0

2006

3[d]
1
4
1
7
2

2007

10[e]
4
4
2
14
6

2008

6[c]
1
2
1
8
2

2009

8[c]
1
2
2
10
3

2010

5[d]
0
5
2
10
2

2011

8[f]
2
5
2
13
4

2012

5[c]
5
4
7
9
12

2013

5[c]
3
2
3
7
6

2014

7[d]
4
7
4
14
8

2015

6[g]
1
2
3
8
4

2016

10[h]
8
1
0
11
8

2017

5[c]
4
2
0
7
4

2018

4[d]
1
1
3
5
4

2019

6[g]
1
4
4
10
5

2020

4[c]
1
0
0
4
1

2021

16[i]
9
0
0
16
9

Total

111
46
47
34
158
80

Career total

132
59
49
37
181
96

Honours

Barcelona [ 600 ]
Argentina U20
Argentina U23
Argentina
Individual

See besides

Notes

References

Bibliography