Argentina striker Lionel Messi, arguably one of the greatest ever to play the beautiful game, turned 36 on June 24. The modern-day footballing demigod, nicknamed 'La Pulga' (the Flea in Spanish) and 'Messiah', was born in a humble household in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
After giving early notice of his mazy dribbling skills and precocious talent during his time with his boyhood Argentinian club, Newell's OldBoys, Messi went on to attain legendary stature while playing for Barcelona, the club with which he won 10 Spanish La Liga and 4 Champions League titles.
However, the crowning moment of his illustrious footballing career came last year when he led Argentina to its third FIFA World Cup title in Qatar.
Despite being of a lean physique, a far cry from many of his physically imposing footballing rivals, what Messi has accomplished playing the beautiful game is nothing short of gigantic and too much for most footballers to achieve in a single lifetime.
His passing skills, abilities to assist teammates and set up goals for them, consistent goal-scoring rate, and pinpoint accuracy with penalties and free kicks has made him an icon for billions of fans across the globe. After playing for clubs such as Grandoli, Newell's Old Boys and Barcelona in the early 1990s to early 2000s, Messi made his debut for Barcelona C in 2003, scoring five goals in 10 appearances.
After a year-long stint with Barcelona B from 2003-04, in which he scored six goals in 22 matches, Messi made his debut for the senior team of the Catalan giants on November 16, 2003, as a 16-year-old.In his debut game for Barcelona's senior side, Messi came on as a substitute in the 75th minute against FC Porto. Ever since he broke into the national team, he took very little time in rising to the status of a talismanic striker.
He went on to play for the Catalan giants for close to two decades, till 2021, making 520 appearances and scoring 474 goals for them. With Barcelona, he won the La Liga, the top domestic football competition in Spain, in 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He won four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona in 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2014-15 seasons. 'La Pulga' also lifted 7 Copa Del Rey trophies with Barcelona in 2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons. Among other honours he won with Barcelona are, three FIFA Club World Cups (2009, 2011 and 2015), three UEFA Super Cup titles (2009, 2011 and 2015) and seven Spanish Super Cup titles (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018). He won an incredible 34 titles with the club -- no mean returns by any stretch of the imagination.
With Barcelona, he also completed two season trebles -- a rare footballing feat of winning three major titles in a single season. A treble win would generally imply lifting the domestic league trophy, winning a domestic cup competition and a continental-level cup competition. In the context of European football, it generally implies winning the domestic league, the domestic cup title and the prestigious UEFA Champions League, which is the top-most league in the continent.
In the 2008-09 season under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona won the La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Copa Del Rey. In 2014-15 under Luis Enrique, the club accomplished the same feat. He was the star performer in both seasons with 38 goals and 58 goals respectively, topping the goal-scoring charts on both occasions. After a glorious career with Barcelona, he joined Paris Saint-Germain, a French football giant, in 2021.
For PSG, Messi made 58 appearances scoring a total of 22 goals. Also, with the Parisian footballing giants, Messi won two Ligue 1 titles in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He also won a Trophee des Champions title with the club in 2022. In his international career, Messi made his senior international debut in 2005. In 175 matches for the national side, he has scored 103 goals. After Ali Daei (Iran, 109 goals) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, 123 goals), he is the third-highest goal-scorer at the international level. He led Argentina to the final in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Though 'La Albiceleste' crashed to a loss to Germany, he was adjudged the 'Player of the Tournament' after scoring four goals.
However, his moment of glory came in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after he won his country its third title. He finally got to lay his hands on the biggest prize in international football for the first time. He scored seven goals in the tournament, winning the 'Player of the Tournament award once again.
With Argentina, he also won the Copa America title in 2021 and CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions in 2022. He also led Argentina to two consecutive finals at the Copa America, which saw the Latin American giants crash to heartbreaking defeats. Also, significantly, Messi has won a total of seven Ballon d'Or titles in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021. He also won the European Golden Shoe, which is given to the top goal scorer at the end of each season in Europe. He won it in 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (best player in the final) in 2014 and 2022 and FIFA World Cup Silver Boot in 2022.
