Lionel messi is one of the greatest players to have ever played t he game, in this article we give you a collection of facts you may or may not know.
Facts
Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe
Messi shares his birthplace with the Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevera.
Lionel Messi is 5′ 7″ tall
His full name is Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini
His surname is the single “Messi”, in accordance with Argentine customs
He has two older brothers, Rodrigo Messi and Matías Messi.
He has one sister, María Sol Messi.
Messi is a lifelong supporter of Newell’s Old Boys
One of Messi’s nicknames is “The Flea” due to his speed and agility.
Messi’s footballing idol was Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar.
Messi’s father, Jorge, was a steelworker and coach of the local youth football team.
Messi joined Newell’s Old Boys when he was six years old
His future as a footballer was threatened when, aged 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.
Messi relocated to Spain to join Barcelona at the age of 13
His first contract was written on a paper napkin
During his first year in Spain he rarely played due to a transfer conflict with Newell’s
As a foreigner, he could only be fielded in friendlies and the Catalan league.
Made his debut on October 16 2004 against Espanyol at the age of 17, wearing jersey number 30.
He made his champions league debut on September 27 2005 against Udinese.
Messi rejected the option of representing Spain internationally.
He he won a club-record 35 trophies at Barcelona
Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards
Messi has won a record six European Golden Shoes
Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga at 474
Messi holds the records for most hat-tricks in La Liga at 36
Messi holds the records for the most assists in La Liga at 192
He is the player with the most official recorded assists in football history at 339
Messi was part of Barcelona’s greatest ever youth side, the Baby Dream Team
During his full season in 2002, Messi was the top scorer with 36 goals in 30 games.
At the end of the season, he received an offer to join Arsenal but he chose to remain in Barcelona
He had a buy-out clause of €150 million and the contract extended until 2010.
He made his debut for Barcelona aged 17 years, three months, and 22 days old
Fabio Capello, the then Juventus coach, requested to loan Messi.
Inter Milan made a bid to buy Messi for €150 million and triple his wages.
He scored his first senior goal on 1 May 2005, against Albacete
Ronaldinho assisted Messi’s first senior goal.
Messi is the fastest player to score 100 goals in the UEFA Champions League.
He won an Olympic gold medal, with Argentina at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup in 2006
On March 10 2007, Messi scored his first hat-trick in an El-Clasico
He initially wore the number 19 shirt at Barcelona
Messi was given the number 10 shirt when Ronaldinho left the club
In 2012, Messi recorded 91 goals which was a new record
Since 2008, Messi has been in a relationship with Antonela Roccuzzo, a fellow native of Rosario
Messi has 3 children
He currently lives in Castelldefels, a village near Barcelona.
Messi holds triple citizenship, as he is a citizen of Argentina, Italy, and Spain
His father, Jorge, has been his agent since he was 14
Messi became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer at age 24.
Messi is currently Barcelona’s all-time top-scorer from free kicks.
Messi was the world’s highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014
Signing a new Barcelona contract in 2017, he earned $667,000 per week in wages
His buyout clause was set at $835 million
His main sponsor since 2006 is the sportswear company Adidas
Messi became the second footballer to surpass $1 billion in career earnings
Messi assumed captaincy of Barcelona in 2018
Messi became captain of the Argentina National team in August 2011.
He signed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021.
He celebrates his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute to his late grandmother
Messi scored 672 goals for Barça in 778 appearances
Messi also provided 305 assists in 778 games
50 of Messi’s Barcelona goals have come from direct free-kicks.
Messi has scored 73 goals in 147 Argentina appearances.
Messi has also provided 52 assists in 147 Argentina appearances.
Messi was the face of Pro Evolution Soccer, appearing on the covers of PES 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2020
He also appeared on four consecutive EA sports FIFA covers from FIFA 13 to 16
His international debut lasted 47 seconds when he received a red card after coming on as a substitute
Messi became the first player to score five goals in a single Champions League fixture
Messi’s Facebook page by August 2021 had over 103 million followers
He has over 340 million Instagram followers
Messi is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.
He started the Leo Messi Foundation in 2007 which helps children in at-risk situations
The trio of Messi, Suárez, and Neymar scored 122 goals in all competitions for Barcelona in 2014-15
Messi was named among the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine
