Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team.

 

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Lionel Andrés Messi
Nickname(s)	Leo, Atomic Flea, La Pulga, La Pulga Atomica, Messidona
Profession	Football Player
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in feet inches- 5’ 7”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Football
Debut	International- On 17 August, 2005 for Argentina against Hungary Club- On 16 October, 2004 for FC Barcelona against Espanyol
Jersey Number	#10 (FC Barcelona) #10 (Argentina)
Position	Forward
Coach/Mentor	• Salvador Aparicio (Messi's first coach when he was a child) • Frank Rijkaard • Pep Guardiola
Agent	Guillermo Marin
Records (main ones)	• Youngest two-time and three-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner (23 and 24 years old). • Most UEFA Best Player in Europe awards (2009, 2011, 2015). • Most La Liga Best Player awards (2009-2013, 2015). • Top goalscorer for country and club in a calendar year (91 goals in 2012). • Top goalscorer in La Liga (312 goals). • Top goalscorer in the FIFA Club World Cup (shared with Luis Suárez and César Delgado). • Most hat-tricks scored in a La Liga season (8 in 2011-2012, shared with Cristiano Ronaldo). • The only player to score consecutively against all opposition teams in La Liga (30 goals in 19 matches in 2012–13). • The only player to have won the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball Award more than once. • In 2013, he became the youngest player to score 200 goals in La Liga. • The only player to become the top-scorer in 5 UEFA Champions League seasons (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015). • Record of the most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League- five hat-tricks. • Youngest player to make 100 appearances in the UEFA Champions League: 28 years, 84 days in 2015). • All-time top-goalscorer of Argentina. • All-time record scorer for a single club; after he scored his 644th goal to surpass Pele in December 2020. [1]
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2009 • FIFA Ballon d'Or: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 • European Golden Boot: 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 • FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2014 • UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award: 2011, 2015 • La Liga Best Player: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15 • FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2009, 2011 • FIFA Club World Cup Final Most Valuable Player (MVP): 2009, 2011 • UEFA Goal of the Season: 2006–07, 2014–15, 2015–16 Note: He has many other awards, honours, and achievements to his name.
Career Turning Point	In 2007, when he scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid and ended the match with a draw while playing for Barcelona.
Personal Life
Date of Birth	24 June 1987 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2020)	33 Years
Birthplace	Rosario, Argentina
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Signature
Nationality	Argentine
Hometown	Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
School	Did Not Attend
College/University	Did Not Attend
Educational Qualification	None
Religion	Roman Catholic
Ethnicity	Hispanic
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Address	Messi lives in a small area called Bellamar, a prestigious and expensive suburb of Castelldefels, Barcelona
Hobbies	Playing Video Games, Listening to Music
Tattoo(s)
Controversies	• In 2013, he was investigated for his suspected tax evasion. • In 2016, his name appeared in the Panama Papers Data Leak.
Girls, Affairs & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Antonella Roccuzzo (Model and Dietician) (2007-2017)
Marriage Date	June 30, 2017
Family
Wife/Spouse	Antonella Roccuzzo (Model and Dietician)
Children	Daughter- None Son(s)- 2 • Thiago Messi Roccuzzo • Mateo Messi Roccuzzo • Ciro Messi Roccuzzo
Parents	Father- Jorge Horácio Messi (Steel Factory Worker) Mother- Celia María Cuccittini
Siblings	Brother(s)- 2 • Rodrigo Messi (Elder; Messi's business manager) • Matías Messi (Elder; Manager of Messi's professional brands) Sister- Maria Sol Messi (Younger; Social Media Influencer)
Favourite Things
Footballer	Pablo Aimar
Food(s)	Salad, Escalope Milanese
Book	El Martin Fierro by Jorge Luis Borges
Colour	Red
Film	Baby's Day Out (1994)
Style Quotient
Cars Collection	• Ferrari 335S Scaglietti Spider • Ferrari F430 Spider • Maserati Granturismo • Audi Q7 • Audi R8 • Audi R8 GT • Mini Cooper S Cabriolet • Dodge Charger SRT8 • Range Rover Velar • Toyota Prius
Money Factor
Salary (approx.)	$80 million (as of 2018)
Net Worth (approx.)	$835 million (his buyout clause with FC Barcelona that commits him to Camp Nou through the 2020-21 season)

 

Some Lesser Known Facts About Lionel Messi

• Lionel Messi is one of the most celebrated players in the world of football. He is considered one of the greatest football players of all time. He plays for the Argentina national football team and the Spanish football club “FC Barcelona.”

• He had developed a passion for sports at an early age and joined a local football club “Grandoli” at the age of 4, where he was coached by his father.

   

  

  Lionel Messi in his childhood

• Messi was greatly affected by his grandmother’s death; as she used to accompany him to training and matches during his childhood. To pay her a tribute, Messi celebrates all his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky.

   

  

  Lionel Messi looking up to the sky after scoring a goal

• Messi shares his birthplace (Rosario, Argentina) with the Argentine revolutionary, Che Guevara. Messi is also the international ambassador of Rasario.
  

• He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency when he was 10 years old.
  

• On 16 November 2003, he made his first-team debut at the age of 16 years, 4 months and 23 days, when he came in the 75th minute during a friendly match against “FC Porto.”
  

• After seeing Messi playing at the age of 16, Ronaldinho told his teammates- “Messi would become an even better player than me.”

   

  

  Lionel Messi with Ronaldinho

• Messi holds passports of both Spain and Argentina. Even though he has spent a lot of time in Spain, he turned down the offer to play with the Spanish national team.
  

• Carles Rexach (Barcelona Coach) was so impressed with Messi that he wanted to sign him up without wasting any time, so, he signed a contract with Messi on a paper napkin; as at that time, Messi just had a napkin which could be used to write something.
  

• In 2005, he made his international debut against Hungary, but he lasted for only 47 seconds; as he was soon given a “Red Card.”

• Spanish Media calls him “La Pulga” (The Atomic Flea) as he has a low centre of gravity because of his short stature which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change directions quickly.
  

• He is the only player who runs faster with the ball than without it. He is predominantly a left-footed player.

• Messi is considered to be the best dribbler (a technique to propel the ball towards the opposition goal by traveling with the ball) in the world.
  

• Messi has been compared to Diego Maradona throughout his career.

   

  

  Lionel Messi with Diego Maradona

• Messi does not sing the National Anthem of Argentina. Once, in an interview, he explained as to why he doesn’t sing it-

I get annoyed by the people who attack you without thinking, I won’t sing the national anthem on purpose. I don’t need to sing it to feel it. It reaches me, every person feels it in their own way. The Pumas cry, they feel it differently, and that’s ok. I play with the national team always as a priority and I want to win everything I play.”

• In 2015, Forbes magazine listed him as the world’s second-highest-paid athlete (after Cristiano Ronaldo).

• In March 2013, a solid gold replica of his left foot weighing 55 pounds (25 kg) worth $5.25 million went on sale in Japan to raise funds for the 2011 tsunami and earthquake victims. The gold foot has very fine detailing, which shows the blood vessels on his foot and also the swirls skin on the bottom of the foot.

   

  

  Gold replica of Lionel Messi’s foot with his signature at the bottom

• Filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia made a documentary “Messi” about his life. The documentary premiered at the “Venice Film Festival” in August 2014.

• Throughout his career, he has been involved with charitable activities, and he was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in March 2010.

   

  

  Lionel Messi appointed as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

• He has also founded a charitable organization “Leo Messi Foundation,” which supports education, health, and sports for children.

   

  

  Lionel Messi in an event organized by the Leo Messi Foundation

• On 26 June 2016, when Messi missed a penalty in the final shootout in the “Copa America Final” and Argentina lost to Chile, he announced his retirement from international football. However, he reversed his decision later, and he led Argentina to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

• His longtime girlfriend-turned-wife, Antonella Roccuzzo is his cousin’s best friend, Lucas Scaglia, who is also a footballer.

• In 2018, Forbes listed him as the world’s highest-paid athlete (with $84 million salary/winnings) after Floyd Mayweather.

• In 2019, he was named as the Best Player of the Year for the sixth time, and he was awarded the “Ballon d’Or Award”. This also made him the player with the most number of Ballon d’Or awards, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 5 awards. Megan Rapinoe was also named as the “Best Female Player of the Year” in the Ballon d’Or event.

   

  

  Lionel Messi with Megan Rapinoe