Lionel Messi

Early life and development: Lionel Andrés Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, and began playing for local club Newell’s Old Boys as a child. He was diagnosed with a growth-hormone deficiency as a youngster; Barcelona offered to pay for his treatment after he moved to Spain to join their youth academy, La Masia, around 2000–2001, which set the stage for his professional career. Rise at FC Barcelona and club peak: Messi made his competitive first-team debut for FC Barcelona in October 2004 at age 17 and progressively became the team’s central attacking figure. During his time at Barcelona he won a record number of club trophies (including 10 La Liga titles and 4 UEFA Champions League titles), became Barcelona’s and La Liga’s all-time leading scorer, and collected multiple Ballon d’Ors for the world’s best player. International career with Argentina: Messi represented Argentina at youth and senior levels, winning the FIFA U-20 World Cup (2005) and Olympic gold (2008) early in his international career. After a period of near-misses in senior finals, he led Argentina to victory in the 2021 Copa América (winning tournament MVP) and captained the side to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title, where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Later club moves and continuing influence: Financial and contractual issues led Messi to leave Barcelona in 2021 and sign with Paris Saint-Germain, where he won Ligue 1 titles. In July 2023 he joined Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, continued to collect individual awards, and remained a global sporting and commercial figure whose influence extends into business, philanthropy and popular culture.