Lionel Messi Biography

Lionel Andrés Messi, born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who plays for La Liga club FC Barcelona and is the current captain of the Argentina national team, playing mainly as a forward. He is currently Barcelona's all-time top scorer in all official club competitions, excluding friendlies. 

By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year in 2009 he won both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011. He also won the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Messi is the fourth football player to win three Ballons d'Or, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive Ballons d'Or, after Michel Platini. His playing style and small stature have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his "successor". He is consistently cited by football pundits, managers, fellow players and many football fans as the best contemporary player in the world. 

Messi has won five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles. In 2012, Messi made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match, in a 7–1 win against Bayer Leverkusen. With two goals in the next round against Milan, he matched José Altafini's record of 14 goals in a single Champions League season. He also became the first player to top-score in four successive Champions League campaigns. He set the world record for most goals scored in a season during the 2011–12 season, with 73 goals. In the same season, he set the current goalscoring record in a single La Liga Season, scoring 50 goals. 

Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year, in which he was elected young player of the tournament.[16] In 2008, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team. Sportspro has rated Lionel Messi as the 3rd most marketable athlete in the world.

On the day that Lionel Messi was announced as the runaway winner of the 2009 Ballon d’Or, enjoy our Messi gallery, featuring some rare pics of him as a wee bairn.

 

Messi aged one year old, wearing what appears to be a little girl's blouse. No wonder he spat out his dummy.

Salvador Aparicio, Messi's first coach at Grandoli (the pair are standing together on the right of the picture). Messi was four when this photo was taken.

Messi with his little sister Maria Sol.

Messi aged seven recieves a trophy during a tournament in Balcarce.

Messi snapped doing what comes naturally on his eighth birthday.

The early days at Barcelona.

Celebrating a goal for Argentina's youngsters against rivals Brazil at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Messi scored both goals in the final against Nigeria, as Argentine won the tournament.

In action for Barcelona as a teenager.

Off duty.

Messi makes his debut as a sub for Argentina's senior national team, against Hungary. He was sent off minutes later for elbowing an opponent.

Messi chilling.

Not gay at all.

Personal life:

Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup.He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine glamour model Luciana Salazar In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina. I am relaxed and happy". He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo,at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario. On June 2, 2012, Messi assisted and scored a goal in Argentina's 4-0 win against Ecuador in a World Cup 2014 Qualifying match. He celebrated scoring his 23rd goal for Argentina, by placing the ball under his jersey, as his girlfriend is reportedly 12 weeks pregnant. She posted on Twitter that she is expected to give birth in September.

Messi has two cousins also involved in football: Maxi, a winger for Club Olimpia of Paraguay, and Emanuel Biancucchi, who plays as a midfielder for Spain's Girona FC.