Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is a record-holding Argentinian professional football player. Messi played for the Argentine national team, La Liga team FC Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, and Champions League team PSG (Paris Saint-Germain F.C.) in 2021 and 2022. In June of 2023, he signed on to play for his first MLS team, Inter Miami. Messi is one of the highest-paid professional football players and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020. Messi holds citizenship in both Argentina and Spain.

In 2006, Lionel Messi entered an endorsement deal with sportswear company Adidas. Between 2009 and 2014, Messi was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six years. Time named Messi one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and 2012. Messi was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019.In February 2020, Messi was awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and that same year became the second footballer (and second team-sport athlete) to surpass $1 billion in career earnings.

Lionel Messi was born in 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. He began playing football as a young child and joined the local club, Grandoli, at the age of four. Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of eleven, potentially jeopardizing a professional career. In 2000, at the age of thirteen, Messi and his family relocated to Barcelona, Spain, so he could join Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy in 2000. He enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in 2002.

Messi made his professional debut for FC Barcelona in 2004 at the age of seventeen, became captain of team Barcelona in 2018, and played for the club until 2021.

During his tenure at FC Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, Messi won a club-record thirty-five trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions League titles. Messi scored over 750 career goals for the club and country and has the most goals by a player for a single club. Messi held the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most goals in 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). Messi held the record for most international goals by a South American player (80).

In 2021, Messi's contract with Barcelona expired, and he left the club. It was revealed by Spanish newspaper El Mundo that his previous contract was worth $672 million, which made him the highest-paid athlete in sports history. The Barcelona club stated of the split, “Despite club and player reaching an agreement and their clear intention to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles.”

After Messi's contract with Barcelona expired, he became a free agent and signed a two-year, $104 million contract with club Paris Saint-Germain. While with PSG, Messi wore the number 30 jersey, the same number he wore when he started with Barcelona. Of the move to PSG, Messi stated,

Everything about the club matches my football ambitions. I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here. I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes.”

He had a successful career with the Paris team, playing 71 times for the French side, scoring 31 goals, 34 assists, and winning the Ligue 1 title in 2022. The team, however, failed to see Champions League success during this time, and fans began to turn on Messi and boo during games. Messi has stated that he did have a challenge adjusting to the move with his family and the change to a new team. In May of 2021, Messi was sanctioned by PSG for missing training and traveling to Saudi Arabia without permission. His contract was not renewed for a third season, and Messi then signed with Inter Miami.

Lionel Messi plays for Argentina's national team and is the country's highest appearance-maker and all-time leading goalscorer. Messi was the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup at age nineteen in 2006, reached the final of the 2007 Copa América, won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, was named team captain in 2011, led Argentina to three consecutive finals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, made a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa América, and won the 2021 Copa América.

In 2022, Messi led Argentina to its third World Cup win, where he scored seven goals, including two in the final. This was Messi's first World Cup win.

In June of 2023, Leo Messi signed with his first American MLS team, David Beckham's Inter Miami, after considering moving back to Barcelona or joining Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. The pitch to bring Messi to Miami included negotiations with MLS, the Miami ownership, Adidas, and Apple. He wears the number 10 for the Miami team, which he famously wore from 2008 to 2021 at Barcelona. Messi joined Miami halfway through the season, and with Messi, Miami had a win percentage of 50 percent, compared with 21.43 percent prior to his arrival. In all competitions, Messi scored eleven goals in fourteen appearances and converted three spot-kicks in penalty shootouts.

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Benjamin Cremaschi link up for a goal against NY Red Bulls