Factfile

Lionel Messi is a football player who was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. 

He came through the ranks of the Barcelona youth academy and is mostly known for his time at Barcelona and his exploits with the Argentina national team.

He made his official first-team debut at Barcelona at the age of 17 during the 2004-05 campaign, making an appearance in the 1-0 LaLiga win against Espanyol in October 2004.

The attacker has also represented the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and currently plays for Inter Miami.

Messi enjoyed a number of major highlights during his club career, with his first-ever Champions League final goal against Manchester United in May 2009 and his iconic celebration in the Clasico against Real Madrid in April 2017 among some of the biggest moments of his playing days.

Additionally, he had plenty of notable moments with the national team, too.

The Rosario native made his debut for Argentina in the 2-1 win against Hungary, controversially getting sent off just moments after coming off the bench.

His finest moment came when he lifted the World Cup in 2022 after seeing off France in the final.

Team honours

LaLiga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19

Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21

Supercopa de Espana: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018

Uefa Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15

European Supercup: 2009, 2011, 2015

Fifa Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015

Ligue 1: 2021–22, 2022–23

Trophee des Champions: 2022

Leagues Cup: 2023

Supporters' Shield: 2024

Fifa U-20 World Cup: 2005 

Olympics: 2008

World Cup: 2022

Copa America: 2021, 2024

Finalissima: 2022

Individual trophies

Ballon d'Or: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023

Fifa World Player of the Year: 2009

The Best Fifa Men's Player: 2019, 2022, 2023

European Golden Shoe: 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19

Fifa World Cup Golden Ball: 2014, 2022 

Fifa Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2009, 2011 

Fifa U-20 World Cup Golden Ball: 2005

Fifa U-20 World Cup Golden Boot: 2005

Uefa Club Footballer of the Year: 2008-09 

Uefa Men's Player of the Year Award: 2010–11, 2014–15

Uefa Champions League top scorer: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19

Copa America Best Player: 2015, 2021

Copa America Top Scorer: 2021

LaLiga Best Player: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19

Pichichi Trophy: 2009−10, 2011–12, 2012−13, 2016–17, 2017−18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2020, 2023

Ballon d’Or Dream Team: 2020

Fifa FIFPRO World 11: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023