Lionel Messi

About Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. He began playing football at the age of five in 1992 for the local club Grandoli, coached by his father Jorge Messi. In 1995, he joined the youth system of Rosario-based club Newell's Old Boys, remaining there until 2000. At age 13 in 2000, he relocated with his family to Spain to enter FC Barcelona's youth setup, with the club agreeing to pay for the medical treatment required for his diagnosed growth hormone deficiency.

Messi made his first-team debut for FC Barcelona in a friendly against Porto in November 2003 at age 16. Between 2003 and 2004, he scored five goals in 10 matches for Barcelona C, followed by six goals in 22 matches for Barcelona B between 2004 and 2005. His competitive first-team debut came in La Liga against Espanyol on 16 October 2004, and he scored his first senior goal on 1 May 2005. Across 17 senior seasons at Barcelona, he won 35 trophies and scored an all-time competition record 474 La Liga goals, before departing in August 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain. Following two seasons and two Ligue 1 titles in France, he signed with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF in July 2023.

Representing Argentina, Messi won the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2005 and an Olympic gold medal in 2008. At the senior international level, he won the Copa América in July 2021 and July 2024, and captained Argentina to the FIFA World Cup title in December 2022 after a runner-up finish in 2014 and prior to another runner-up finish in 2026. He received the World Cup Golden Ball in both 2014 and 2022. Across his career, he won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards and six European Golden Shoes. With Barcelona, his honours included 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and a continental treble in the 2008–09 season. In March 2012, he became the first player to score five goals in a single Champions League match.

As of October 2026, Messi has retired from the Argentina national team, concluding his international career with 126 goals in 208 appearances. He plays as a forward and serves as captain for Inter Miami CF, having signed an extension on 23 October 2025 through the 2028 MLS season. In MLS, he won the 2024 Supporters' Shield, the 2025 MLS Cup, the 2025 Golden Boot, the 2026 Campeones Cup, and consecutive Landon Donovan MLS MVP awards in 2024 and 2025. On 26 September 2026, he was named to the 30-player shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.