Argentine professional footballer Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini (born June 24, 1987) does miracles when times are tough. Lionel Messi is the team captain for both Barcelona (a Spanish club) and the Argentina national team. His outstanding dribbles, swiftness, and powerful shots have amazed many since he was a kid. He still thrills football fans as a global hero.
Biography
We examine Messi’s rise from a young football fan to the modern-day face of the game and how he overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve his goals.
Lionel Messi Photo
Wiki
| Name | Lionel Messi |
| Full Name | Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini |
| Nick Name | Messidona, La Pulga Atomica, Leo, La Pulga, Atomic Flea, and Messiah |
| Born (Date of Birth) | 24 June, 1987 |
| Age (as 2023) | 36 years |
| Birthplace | Rosario, Argentina |
| Gender | Male |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Hometown | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina |
| School | Las Heras Elementary school |
| Profession | Argentine professional footballer |
| Nationality | Argentina |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Father | Jorge Messi |
| Mother | Celia Maria Cuccittini |
| Siblings | Mattias Messi, Maria Sol Messi, and Rodrigo Messi |
| Spouse | Antonella Roccuzzo |
| Children’s | 3 |
| Son | Thiago Messi Roccuzzo, Mateo Messi Roccuzzo, and Ciro Messi Roccuzzo |
| Daughter | NA |
Physical Stats
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Dark Brown |
Age
| Lionel Messi Age | 36 Years |
Weight
| Lionel Messi Weight | 72 kgs |
Height
| Lionel Messi Height | 5′ Feet 7’ Inches |
Education
Lionel Messi went to Las Heras Elementary School.
He couldn’t keep going to school because, when he was 13, he signed a deal with FC Barcelona and started playing football.
| School | Las Heras Elementary school |
| University | – |
| Awards | – |
Career
Lionel Messi’s Club Career
FC Barcelona
Messi moved to Barcelona’s senior team after playing for the juniors. In one season, he played for five teams. While on international break, Messi was one of the few players who helped the first team. At 16, Messi made his senior squad debut. After his spectacular performance, Barcelona’s star Ronaldinho became friends with Messi, helping him adjust to the first team. His amazing antics earned him a lucrative deal in 2004 (from 2004 to 2012), his first professional contract, with a 30 million euro buyout clause that rose to 80 million euros.
He started for Barcelona’s B-team in 2004–2005. He made his league debut on October 16 against Espanyol as a substitute with the A-team. On his 18th birthday, Messi signed a new Barcelona senior squad contract. With a 150 million euro buyout clause, the contract expired in 2010. European big clubs like Inter Milan showed interest in Messi, proposing to increase his earnings and pay his 150 million euro buyout clause. Messi chose to stay. During the season, his contract was updated in September and expired in 2014. After gaining Spanish citizenship, Messi formed a strong attacking combination with Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho.
At 19, Messi became a world-class player in 2006–2007. Even with injuries, Messi resembled Diego Maradona after multiple comparisons. He scored a goal identical to Maradona’s 1986 FIFA World Cup Goal of the Century in the 2006–2007 Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe. Spanish media called Messi “Messiah” after Ronaldinho’s downturn when he joined Barcelona. He placed third in the 2007 Ballon d’Or and second in the FIFA World Player of the Year. Messi took the No. 10 jersey after Ronaldinho left and signed a new contract worth 7.8 million euros, Barcelona’s highest.
He was second in the 2008 Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year.
At 22, he won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the Year in 2009. That season, Messi won La Liga for the second time.
Messi won the first FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010 despite his World Cup loss. Barcelona’s all-time top scorer and Spain’s first player to reach 50 goals was Messi in 2010–2011. Messi became the No. 8 creator, No. 9 scorer, and No. 10 assistant after his stellar performance. He won the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or and was the first UEFA Best Player in Europe. Messi was considered one of the best players ever due to his many accomplishments.
As his form maintained itself, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or and the Guinness World Record for most goals in a year in 2012.
Messi joined Barcelona in 2013–2014 and contracted until 2018. Barcelona lost 7-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the Champions League when Messi was injured. Barcelona was condemned for their poor performance, demonstrating their reliance on the Argentine star. He suffered his worst season in five years. Barcelona increased his compensation from 20 million euros to 36 million euros in his new contract. Under new coach Luis Enrique. La Liga’s all-time best scorer is Messi. He placed second in the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or again. Messi, Suarez, and Neymar formed a lethal attacking combination. The season ended with him being named UEFA’s Best Player in Europe.
Messi made 100 Champions League appearances at the youngest age in 2015–2016. Messi won the Silver Ball in the 2015 Club World Cup Final for Barcelona. Messi won the Pichichi and European Golden Boot and finished second to Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2016 Ballon d’Or and Best FIFA Men’s Player Awards.
Messi had a great season in 2017–2018, but not enough to win the Ballon d’Or. After Andres Iniesta left, Messi became captain in 2018–2019.
Leo Messi’s National Team Career
The star footballer has scored 65 goals in 128 professional matches for Argentina. He has failed to extend his Barcelona glory to La Albiceleste. He always performs well, yet La Albiceleste always loses in the quarterfinals, semi-finals, or finals when he leads them.
Messi, a young player, was part of the 2006 World Cup team that lost in the quarterfinals. Eight years later, on South American territory, Messi led La Albiceleste to a great World Cup run before a late German goal ended his dream. Copa America has also had successive runners-up.
Marital Status
Since 2008, Messi has dated Rosario native Antonela Roccuzzo. Since age five, Roccuzzo has been great friends with football player Lucas Scaglia, his cousin. A year later, Messi revealed their relationship in an interview in January 2009. A month after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby, they announced their love during a Sitges carnival. Messi and Roccuzzo had three sons: Thiago (2012), Mateo (2015), and Ciro (2018). He married Roccuzzo at Rosario’s luxury Hotel City Center on June 30, 2017.
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Antonela Roccuzzo |
| Girlfriend | – |
| Controversies | – |
Wife
Antonella Roccuzzo is Messi’s longtime girlfriend. She works as a model and is also a trained nutritionist. He was in love with her for a long time, and they were there for each other through good times and bad.
Family
| Lionel Messi Father | Jorge Messi |
| Lionel Messi Mother | Celia María Cuccittini |
| Lionel Messi Brother | Matias Messi, Rodrigo Messi |
| Lionel Messi Sister | Maria Sol Messi |
| Lionel Messi Wife | Antonela Roccuzzo |
| Lionel Messi Daughter | NA |
| Lionel Messi Son | Thiago, Mateo and Ciro |
Lionel Messi Family Photo
Controversy
Lionel Messi News: In 2013, Messi and his father, who managed his son’s finances, were charged with tax fraud for using offshore shell companies to avoid €4.2 million in Spanish endorsement income taxes.
Even after paying €5 million to the Spanish state, the two were tried in 2016 for the claims. That July, Messi and his father were fined €2 million and €1.5 million and handed suspended 21-month prison sentences (in Spain, first-time offenders receive suspended sentences under two years).
Social Media
| 486M Followers | |
| 115M Followers | |
| 748.4K Followers | |
| Visit | |
| Snapchat | NA |
| NA | |
| YouTube | 1.84M Subscriber |
| IMBD | Lionel Messi |
PSG
Lionel Messi PSG
| Ligue 1 | |||||
| Ligue 1 | |||||
| Year | Matches | Goals | Assists | ||
| Year | Matches played | Goals | Assists | ||
| 2022-23 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
Team
| Lionel Messi Current Teams | Inter Miami |
| Argentina National Team |
Awards
| La Liga | 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19 |
| Copa del Rey | 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21 |
| Supercopa de España | 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 2009, 2011, 2015 |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 2009, 2011, 2015 |
| International | |
| Argentina U20(FIFA U-20 World Cup) | 2005 |
| Argentina Olympic team(Summer Olympics) | 2008 |
| Argentina Senior team Copa America FIFA World Cup | 2021 2022 |
Individual
| FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Ball | 2005 |
| FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Shoe | 2005 |
| Golden Boy | 2005 |
| Argentine Footballer of the Year | 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| FIFPro Young World Player of the Year | 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| FIFA FIFPro World 11 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| Copa América Dream Team | 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016 |
| Copa América Best Young Player | 2007 |
| UEFA Team of the Year | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| La Liga Best Player | 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15 |
| La Liga Best Forward | 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano (best player in Spain) | 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 |
| FIFA World Player of the Year | 2009 |
| UEFA Club Footballer of the Year | 2009 |
| Ballon d’Or | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 |
| FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball | 2009, 2011 |
| FIFA Club World Cup Final Most Valuable Player | 2009, 2011 |
| UEFA Club Forward of the Year | 2009, 2019 |
| European Golden Shoe | 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 |
| Pichichi Trophy | 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 |
| IFFHS World’s Best Top Division Goal Scorer | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 |
| UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award | 2011, 2015 |
| IFFHS World Team of the Decade | 2011–2020 |
| IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade | 2011–2020 |
| FIFA World Cup Golden Ball | 2014 |
| FIFA World Cup Dream Team | 2014 |
| Copa América Golden Ball | 2015 |
| FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball | 2015 |
| IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| IFFHS World Team of the Year | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| The Best FIFA Men’s Player | 2019 |
| Ballon d’Or Dream Team | 2020 |
House
| Barcelona, Miami, Rosario and Ibiza |
Car Collection
| Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti | Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale |
| Audi A7 | Range Rover Sport |
| Ferrari F430 Spyder | Audi RS6 |
| Audi Q7 | Lexus RX 450h |
| Range Rover Vogue | Cadillac Escalade |
| Mercedes SLS AMG | Pagani Zonda Tricolore |
| Mini Cooper |
Net Worth
Messi is one of the most famous football players in the world. He was a successful brand ambassador, especially for Adidas, and, along with Ronaldo, he was one of the highest-paid professional footballers.
Messi earns about $75 million. Lionel Messi is the world’s richest footballer, with a $620 million net worth.
| Net Worth 2019 | $455 million |
| Net Worth 2020 | $490 million |
| Net Worth 2021 | $530 million |
| Net Worth 2022 | $565 million |
| Lionel Messi Net Worth 2023 | $600 million |
FAQ
Who is the top Messi or Ronaldo?
In 1106 games, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 804 goals (0.72 per game). Lionel Messi has 759 goals (0.79 per game) in 957 games. Messi has more goals than Ronaldo, as shown by these figures.
How much is Messi’s net worth in 2023?
With nearly 620 million US dollars, Lionel Messi is the world’s richest footballer.
Does Messi have a World Cup record?
Lionel Messi, like Cristiano Ronaldo, has never won a FIFA World Cup, but Argentina is in the 2022 semi-finals and could win.
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