Lionel Messi is a famous Argentine footballer and is also the captain of the team. He is one of the best players of today. They take the field for Argentina’s national team and FC Barcelona. He recently set a new record by winning the Golden Shoe 5 times, making him the first player to win the most European Golden Shoe. In addition, he also won the FIFA World Player of the Year 4 times. He made and broke many records in his career. Interesting things of his life are being displayed here.
Lionel Messi Wiki
Some information about Lionel Messi is as follows –
| Name (Real Name) | Lionel Messi |
| Profession | Footballer |
| Nationality Argentina | Argentina |
| Debut | August 4, 2004 |
| Jersey number | 10 |
| Hometown | Rosario, Argentina |
| Father’s Name | Jorge Horcio Messi |
| Mother’s Name | Celia Maria Kachitini |
| Brother | Matias Messi, Rodrigo Messi |
| Sister | Maria Sol Messi |
| Wife’s name | Antonella Roccuzzo |
| Marriage Date | June 30, 2017 |
| Son | Thiago Messi and Matteo Messi |
Lionel Messi Biography
Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina and his father Jorge Messi was a worker in a factory, and his mother Celia worked part-time as a cleaner. He has a girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo and they got married in 2017. He also had 2 children with them. Both of their children were born before their marriage. Lionel Messi Personal Life
Despite being an excellent football player, his lifestyle is private and modest. They always try to keep the link with Rosario, which is their own city.
Messi served as an ambassador for UNICEF and also runs her own Charitable Foundation, which supports and motivates children towards education and sports. Due to their own expensive medical treatment, they help pay for similar treatment in Argentine hospitals.
Lionel Messi Net Worth
Messi has been targeted several times by other football clubs with big budgets to play on his behalf. But he has always been loyal to Barcelona Football Club. He is one of the highest-paid footballers in the world. It is estimated that in 2021, his base salary is 7.1 crores EUR and his net wealth is 491 million Euros as per 2021.
Lionel Messi Early Life
Lionel started playing at a very young age, and his talent was clearly visible in the game. Hiis father him to play football. However, at the age of 11, Messi suffered from Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) disease, for which he needed to get expensive medical treatment.
Despite being a very talented player, he was not given any assistance by his local club to pay for his treatment. Messi was given a trial with Barcelona, and coach Charles Rexach was very impressed with him. He offered Messi a contract in a paper napkin, which included payment for Messi’s treatment in Spain. He then moved to Barcelona with his father and became part of the prestigious FC Barcelona Youth Academy.
Lionel Messi Career
Messi’s career started in the year 2000 when he played for the junior system rank. Within a short span, he became the only player to have played in 5 different teams. Messi began to progress through the ranks and made his first appearance in the 2004–05 season when he became the youngest player to score a league goal. In 2006, Messi became part of the double-winning team, which won both the La Liga Spanish League and the Champions League. The following season, in 2006–07, at the age of only 20, he became the first choice of the striker and Barcelona to become an indispensable part of the team. He scored 14 goals in 26 league games. In 2009–10, Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equal to Ronaldo’s record for Barcelona. As the season progressed, Messi made his own records and started breaking them.
In 2012, he broke the all-time world record for most goals scored in a year. His total goals scored in 2012 were 91, surpassing the record of 85 goals scored by Gerd Müller of Germany and 75 goals scored by Pelé. At the end of 2012, Messi was given an attractive offer to play for Russia by an unknown name. For which he was to be paid a salary of 20 million euros in a year, which makes Messi the most expensive player in the world. But he turned down the offer, as he was unsure if there would be difficulties in going to Russia if he played for the major European championships. So instead he signed a contract to play with Barcelona by the end of 2018. When asked about his move to the English Premier League, he revealed that he has a feeling of commitment to Barcelona. In early 2013, in club football, Messi scored 292 goals in a total of 359 appearances and 31 goals in 76 appearances in international football.
Lionel Messi (International Career)
Messi had nationality there when he went to Spain for treatment. In 2004, he was given the opportunity to play for Spain’s Under-20 side, but Messi decided to play for Argentina as he is his birthplace. He led Argentina to victory in the 2005 FIFA Youth Championship. In August 2005, Messi made his international debut fully by playing against Hungary.
In 2006, he participated in the World Cup, at that time he was the youngest player from Argentina to play for the World Cup. He won a gold medal for Argentina in football in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In the 2010 World Cup, Messi was given a number 10 T-shirt, which he played well to help Argentina reach the quarter-finals. But even after Messi struggled, Argentina lost to Germany disappointingly (4–0) in the quarter-finals. Messi said that he is desperate to play in the final of the World Cup.
In 2015 , Messi broke many records in which his team scored a total of 122 goals, of which Messi alone scored 58 goals. This success continued till 2016. In the 2015-16 season, he scored a total of 41 goals and assisted 23 matches.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Messi got another opportunity to reach a higher level. Here he scored 4 goals to lead Argentina to the final, but Argentina lost 1–0 to Germany in the final. Messi was honored with the ‘Golden Ball’ as the player of this tournament. In June 2016, he announced his retirement from international matches, as Argentina was eliminated from the Copa America final after losing penalties. However, later he changed his decision and agreed to be a part of the World Cup of 2018.
Lionel Messi Body Meaurement
- Height: 5 feet 7 inches
- Weight : 67 kg
- Chest: 40 inches
Waist: 32 inches
Lionel Messi Controversy
In 2013, he was investigated for suspected tax evasion. His name also appeared in the Panama Papers data leak in 2016.
Apart from this, he was also surrounded by controversies due to his announcement to retire from international football as he was out in the Copa America tournament.
In July 2016, when a Barcelona court convicted him and his father in 3 counts of tax fraud, Messi was taken into custody from the football field. During the 4-day trial, Messi and his father refused to believe that he had broken any law and claimed that he was unaware of any tax eligibility. However, he was sentenced to 21 months. Under Spanish law, he would not have to go to jail if the offenses were suspended within 2 years, but for that Messi would have to pay a fine of 2 million euros and his father would have to pay 1.5 million euros.