Lionel Messi

12/16/2016
LionelMessiWikipedia
LionelMessi
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia
LionelAndrs"Leo"Messi(Spanishpronunciation:[ljonelan
desmesi]born24June1987)isanArgentineprofessional
footballerwhoplaysasaforwardforSpanishclubFC
BarcelonaandcaptainstheArgentinanationalteam.Often
consideredthebestplayerintheworldandratedbymanyin
thesportasthegreatestofalltime,Messiistheonlyfootball
playerinhistorytowinfiveFIFABallonsd'Or,fourof
whichhewonconsecutively,andthefirstplayertowinthree
EuropeanGoldenShoes.[note2]WithBarcelonahehaswon
eightLaLigatitlesandfourUEFAChampionsLeaguetitles,
aswellasfourCopasdelRey.Bothaprolificgoalscorerand
acreativeplaymaker,Messiholdstherecordsformostgoals
scoredinLaLiga,aLaLigaseason(50),andafootball
season(82),aswellasthoseformostassistsmadeinLaLiga
andtheCopaAmrica.Hehasscoredover500seniorcareer
goalsforclubandcountry.
BornandraisedincentralArgentina,Messiwasdiagnosed
withagrowthhormonedeficiencyasachild.Atage13,he
relocatedtoSpaintojoinBarcelona,whoagreedtopayfor
hismedicaltreatment.Afterafastprogressionthrough
Barcelona'syouthacademy,Messimadehiscompetitive
debutaged17inOctober2004.Despitebeinginjuryprone
duringhisearlycareer,heestablishedhimselfasanintegral
playerfortheclubwithinthenextthreeyears,finishing2007
asafinalistforboththeBallond'OrandFIFAWorldPlayer
oftheYearaward,afeatherepeatedthefollowingyear.His
firstuninterruptedcampaigncameinthe200809season,
duringwhichhehelpedBarcelonaachievethefirsttreblein
Spanishfootball.At22yearsold,MessiwontheBallond'Or
andFIFAWorldPlayeroftheYearawardbyrecordvoting
margins.
Threesuccessfulseasonsfollowed,withMessiwinningthree
consecutiveFIFABallonsd'Or,includinganunprecedented
fourth.Hispersonalbestcampaigntodatewasthe201112
season,inwhichhesettheLaLigaandEuropeanrecordsfor
mostgoalsscoredinasingleseason,whileestablishing
himselfasBarcelona'salltimetopscorerinofficial
competitionsinMarch2012.Heagainstruggledwithinjury
duringthefollowingtwoseasons,twicefinishingsecondfor
theBallond'OrbehindCristianoRonaldo,hisperceived
careerrival.Messiregainedhisbestformduringthe2014
15campaign,breakingthealltimegoalscoringrecordsin
bothLaLigaandtheChampionsLeagueinNovember
2014,[note3]andledBarcelonatoahistoricsecondtreble.
LionelMessi
MessiwithBarcelonaduringtheUEFASuperCup
inAugust2015
Personalinformation
Fullname
Dateofbirth
Placeofbirth
LionelAndrsMessi[note1]
24June1987
Rosario,Argentina
Height
Playingposition
1.70m(5ft7in)[1]
Forward
Clubinformation
Currentteam
Barcelona
Number
10
Youthcareer
19942000
20012004
Newell'sOldBoys
Barcelona
Seniorcareer*
Years
20032004
20042005
2004
Team
BarcelonaC
BarcelonaB
Barcelona
Nationalteam
20042005
2008
2005
ArgentinaU20
ArgentinaU23
Argentina
18
5
116
(14)
(2)
(57)
Honours
Representing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi
Apps (Gls)
10
(5)
22
(6)
360 (323)
Argentina
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AnArgentineinternational,Messiishiscountry'salltime
leadinggoalscorer.Atyouthlevel,hewonthe2005FIFA
WorldYouthChampionship,finishingthetournamentwith
boththeGoldenBallandGoldenShoe,andanOlympicgold
medalatthe2008SummerOlympics.Hisstyleofplayasa
diminutive,leftfooteddribblerdrewcomparisonswith
compatriotDiegoMaradona,whodeclaredtheteenagerhis
successor.AftermakinghisseniordebutinAugust2005,
MessibecametheyoungestArgentinetoplayandscoreina
FIFAWorldCupduringthe2006edition,andreachedthe
finalofthe2007CopaAmrica,wherehewasnamedyoung
playerofthetournament.Asthesquad'scaptainfromAugust
2011,heledArgentinatothreeconsecutivefinalsofthe
2014WorldCup,forwhichhewontheGoldenBall,andthe
2015and2016CopasAmrica.Hewasthenconvictedoftax
fraudcommittedfrom2007to2009,forwhichhereceiveda
fineandasuspendedprisonsentence.
Contents
1 Earlylife
2 Barcelona
2.1 200305:Risetothefirstteam
2.2 200508:Makingthestartingeleven
2.3 200911:Sustainedsuccess
2.4 2012:Arecordbreakingyear
2.5 201314:Messidependence
2.6 2015:Ahistorictreble
2.7 2016
3 Argentinanationalteam
3.1 200405:Successatyouthlevel
3.2 200506:SeniorandWorldCupdebuts
3.3 200708:CopaAmricafinaland
Olympicgold
3.4 200811:Collectivedecline
3.5 201113:Assumingthecaptaincy
3.6 201415:WorldCupandCopaAmrica
finals
3.7 2016:CopaAmricaCentenario,
retirement,andreturn
3.7.1 "Don'tgo,Leo"
3.7.2 Return
4 Playerprofile
4.1 Styleofplay
4.2 Reception
4.3 ComparisonstoCristianoRonaldo
5 Inpopularculture
6 Personallife
6.1 Familyandrelationships
6.2 Charity
6.3 Legalissues
7 Careerstatistics
7.1 Club
7.2 International
8 Honoursandachievements
8.1 Barcelona
SouthAmericanU20Championship
2005Colombia
FIFAU20WorldCup
Winner
2005Netherlands
CopaAmrica
Runnerup
2007Venezuela
Runnerup
2015Chile
Runnerup
2016UnitedStates
OlympicGames
2008Beijing
FIFAWorldCup
Runnerup
2014Brazil
*Seniorclubappearancesandgoalscountedforthe
domesticleagueonlyandcorrectasof10December
2016.
Nationalteamcapsandgoalscorrectasof16
November2016
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8.1 Barcelona
8.2 International
8.3 Individual
8.3.1 Awards
8.3.2 Performances
8.3.3 Records
9 Seealso
10 References
11 Externallinks
Earlylife
LionelAndrsMessiwasbornon24June1987inRosario,SantaFe,thethirdoffourchildrenofJorgeMessi,
asteelfactorymanager,andhiswifeCeliaCuccittini,whoworkedinamagnetmanufacturingworkshop.On
hisfather'sside,heisofItalianandSpanishheritage,thegreatgrandsonofimmigrantsfromMarcheand
Catalonia,andonhismother'sside,heisofprimarilyItaliandescent.[2]Growingupinatightknit,football
lovingfamily,"Leo"developedapassionforthesportfromanearlyage,playingconstantlywithhisolder
brothers,RodrigoandMatas,andhiscousins,MaximilianoandEmanuelBiancucchi,bothofwhombecame
professionalfootballers.[6]Attheageoffouryears,hejoinedlocalclubGrandoli,wherehewascoachedbyhis
father,thoughhisearliestinfluenceasaplayercamefromhismaternalgrandmother,Celia,whoaccompanied
himtotrainingandmatches.[7]Hewasgreatlyaffectedbyherdeath,shortlybeforehiseleventhbirthdaysince
then,asadevoutCatholic,hehascelebratedhisgoalsbylookingupandpointingtotheskyintributeofhis
grandmother.[8][9]
AlifelongsupporterofNewell'sOldBoys,MessijoinedtheRosario
clubwhenhewassixyearsold.Duringthesixyearsheplayedfor
"Whenyousawhimyouwouldthink:
Newell's,hescoredalmost500goalsasamemberof"TheMachine
thiskidcan'tplayball.He'sadwarf,he's
of'87",thenearunbeatableyouthsidenamedfortheyearoftheir
toofragile,toosmall.Butimmediately
you'drealisethathewasborndifferent,
birth,andregularlyentertainedcrowdsbyperformingballtricks
thathewasaphenomenonandthathe
duringhalftimeofthefirstteam'shomegames.[11][12]However,his
wasgoingtobesomethingimpressive."
futureasaprofessionalplayerwasthreatenedwhen,atage10,he
Newell'sOldBoysyouthcoachAdrin
wasdiagnosedwithagrowthhormonedeficiency.Ashisfather's
Coriashareshisfirstimpressionofthe
healthinsurancecoveredonlytwoyearsofgrowthhormone
12yearoldMessi. [10]
treatment,whichcostatleast$1,000permonth,Newell'sagreedto
contribute,butlaterrenegedontheirpromise.[13]Hewasscoutedby
BuenosAiresclubRiverPlate,whoseplaymaker,PabloAimar,heidolised,buttheywerealsounabletopay
forhistreatmentduetothecountry'seconomiccollapse.[14][15]
MessienrolledatBarcelona'syouth
academy,LaMasia,atage13.
AstheMessifamilyhadrelativesinCatalonia,theysoughttoarrangea
trialwithBarcelonainSeptember2000.FirstteamdirectorCharly
Rexachimmediatelywantedtosignhim,buttheboardofdirectors
hesitatedatthetimeitwashighlyunusualforEuropeanclubstosign
foreignplayersofsuchayoungage.On14December,anultimatum
wasissuedforBarcelonatoprovetheircommitment,andRexach,with
nootherpaperathand,offeredacontractonapapernapkin.[14][16]In
February2001,thefamilyrelocatedtoBarcelona,wheretheymoved
intoanapartmentneartheclub'sstadium,CampNou.Duringhisfirst
yearinSpain,MessirarelyplayedwiththeInfantilesduetoatransfer
conflictwithNewell'sasaforeigner,hecouldonlybefieldedin
friendliesandtheCatalanleague.Withoutfootball,hestruggledto
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integrateintotheteamalreadyreservedbynature,hewassoquietthathisteammatesinitiallybelievedhewas
mute.Athome,hesufferedfromhomesicknessafterhismothermovedbacktoRosariowithhisbrothersand
littlesister,MaraSol,whilehestayedinBarcelonawithhisfather.[11][16][17]
AfterayearatBarcelona'syouthacademy,LaMasia,MessiwasfinallyenrolledintheRoyalSpanishFootball
FederationinFebruary2002.Nowplayinginallcompetitions,hebefriendedhisteammates,amongwhom
wereCescFbregasandGerardPiqu.[18]Aftercompletinghisgrowthhormonetreatmentaged14,[19]Messi
becameanintegralpartofthe"BabyDreamTeam",Barcelona'sgreatesteveryouthside.Duringhisfirstfull
season,in200203,hewastopscorerwith36goalsin30gamesfortheCadetesA,whowonanunprecedented
trebleoftheleagueandboththeSpanishandCatalancups.[18][20]TheCopaCatalunyafinal,a41victoryover
Espanyol,becameknowninclubloreasthepartidodelamscara,thefinalofthemask.Aweekafter
sufferingabrokencheekboneduringaleaguematch,Messiwasallowedtostartthegameontheconditionthat
hewearaplasticprotectorsoonhinderedbythemask,hetookitoffandscoredtwogoalsin10minutesbefore
hissubstitution.[21]Atthecloseoftheseason,hereceivedanoffertojoinArsenal,hisfirstfromaforeignclub,
butwhileFbregasandPiqusoonleftforEngland,hechosetoremaininBarcelona.[16][22][23]
Barcelona
200305:Risetothefirstteam
Duringthe200304season,hisfourthwithBarcelona,Messirapidly
progressedthroughtheclub'sranks,debutingforarecordfiveteamsina
"Itseemedasifhehadbeenplaying
singlecampaign.Afterbeingnamedplayerofthetournamentinfour
withusallhislife."
internationalpreseasoncompetitionswiththeJuvenilesB,heplayed
Barcelona'sthenassistantcoach
onlyoneofficialmatchwiththeteambeforebeingpromotedtothe
HenkTenCateonMessi'sfirstteam
JuvenilesA,wherehescored18goalsin11leaguegames.[25][26]Messi
debut. [24]
wasthenoneofseveralyouthplayerscalleduptostrengthenadepleted
firstteamduringtheinternationalbreak.FrenchWingerLudovicGiuly
explainedhowateenageLeocaughttheeyeinatrainingsessionwithFrankRijkaard'sfirstteam:"He
destroyedusall..Theywerekickinghimallovertheplacetoavoidbeingridiculedbythiskid,hejustgotup
andkeptonplaying.Hewoulddribblepastfourplayersandscoreagoal.Eventheteam'sstartingcentrebacks
werenervous.Hewasanalien."[27]At16years,fourmonths,and23daysold,hemadehisfirstteamdebut
whenhecameoninthe75thminuteduringafriendlyagainstJosMourinho'sPortoon16November
2003.[16][28]Hisperformance,creatingtwochancesandashotongoal,impressedthetechnicalstaff,andhe
subsequentlybegantrainingdailywiththeclub'sreserveside,BarcelonaB,aswellasweeklywiththefirst
team.[29]Afterhisfirsttrainingsessionwiththeseniorsquad,Bara'snewstarplayer,Ronaldinho,toldhis
teammatesthathebelievedthe16yearoldwouldbecomeanevenbetterplayerthanhimself.[30]Ronaldinho
soonbefriendedMessi,whomhecalled"littlebrother,"whichgreatlyeasedhistransitionintothefirst
team.[31][32]
Togainfurthermatchexperience,MessijoinedBarcelonaCinadditiontotheJuvenilesA,playinghisfirst
gameforthethirdteamon29November.HehelpedsavethemfromtherelegationzoneoftheTercera
Divisin,scoringfivegoalsin10games,includingahattrickineightminutesduringaSpanishCupmatch
whilemanmarkedbySevilla'sSergioRamos.[25][33]Hisprogresswasreflectedinhisfirstprofessional
contract,signedon4February2004,whichlasteduntil2012andcontainedaninitialbuyoutclauseof
30million.Amonthlater,on6March,hemadehisdebutforBarcelonaBintheSegundaDivisinB,andhis
buyoutclauseautomaticallyincreasedto80million.[25][34]HeplayedfivegameswiththeBteamthatseason
butdidnotscore.[35]Physicallyhewasweakerthanhisopponents,whowereoftenmucholderandtaller,and
intrainingheworkedonincreasinghismusclemassandoverallstrengthinordertobeabletoshakeoff
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defenders.Towardstheendoftheseason,hereturnedtobothyouthteams,
helpingtheJuvenilesBwintheleague.Hefinishedthecampaignhavingscored
forfourofhisfiveteamswithatotalof36goalsinallofficial
competitions.[25][33]
Duringthe200405season,MessiwasaguaranteedstarterfortheBteam,
playing17gamesthroughoutthecampaignandscoringonsixoccasions.[30][36]
SincehisdebutthepreviousNovember,hehadnotbeencalleduptothefirst
teamagain,butinOctober2004,theseniorplayersaskedmanagerFrank
Rijkaardtopromotehim.[30]SinceRonaldinhoalreadyplayedontheleftwing,
RijkaardmovedMessifromhisusualpositionontotherightflank,though
initiallyagainsttheplayer'swishes,allowinghimtocutintothecentreofthe
pitchandshootwithhisdominantleftfoot.[37][38]Messimadehisleaguedebut
MessiagainstMlagain
duringthenextmatchon16October,againstEspanyol,comingoninthe82nd
2005
minute.[16]At17years,threemonths,and22daysold,hewasatthetimethe
youngestplayertorepresentBarcelonainanofficialcompetition.[32]Asa
substituteplayer,heplayedonly77minutesinninematchesforthefirstteamthatseason,includinghisdebut
intheUEFAChampionsLeagueagainstShakhtarDonetsk.[36][39]Hescoredhisfirstseniorgoalon1May
2005,againstAlbacete,fromanassistbyRonaldinho,becomingatthattimetheyoungesteverscorerforthe
club.[37][40]Barcelona,intheirsecondseasonunderRijkaard,wontheleagueforthefirsttimeinsixyears.[41]
200508:Makingthestartingeleven
On24June2005,his18thbirthday,Messisignedhisfirstcontractas
aseniorteamplayer.ItmadehimaBarcelonaplayeruntil2010,two
"InmyentirelifeIhaveneverseena
yearslessthanhispreviouscontract,buthisbuyoutclauseincreased
playerofsuchqualityandpersonalityat
[34]
suchayoungage,particularlywearing
to150million. Hisbreakthroughcametwomonthslater,on24
the'heavy'shirtofoneoftheworld's
August,duringtheJoanGampertrophy,Barcelona'spreseason
greatclubs."
competition.Astarterforthefirsttime,hegaveawellreceived
performanceagainstFabioCapello'sJuventus,receivinganovation
FabioCapellopraisesthe18yearold
[42]
MessifollowingtheJoanGampertrophy
fromtheCampNou. WhileCapellorequestedtoloanMessi,abid
inAugust2005. [42]
tobuyhimcamefromInterMilan,whowerewillingtopayhis
buyoutclauseandtriplehiswages.AccordingtothenpresidentJoan
Laporta,itwastheonlytimetheclubfacedarealriskoflosingMessi,butheultimatelydecidedtostay.[43]On
16September,hiscontractwasupdatedforthesecondtimeinthreemonthsandextendedto2014.[34][44]
DuetoissuesregardinghislegalstatusintheSpanishFootball
Federation,MessimissedthestartofLaLiga,buton26September,he
acquiredSpanishcitizenshipandbecameeligibletoplay.[44][45]Wearing
thenumber19shirt,hegraduallyestablishedhimselfasthefirstchoice
rightwinger,forminganattackingtriowithRonaldinhoandstriker
SamuelEto'o.[23][46][47]Hewasinthestartinglineupinmajormatches
likehisfirstclsicoagainstrivalsRealMadridon19November,aswell
astheirawayvictoryoverChelseainthelast16roundofthe
ChampionsLeague,whereheplayedhisbestmatchtothatpoint.[48][46]
Messiduringatrainingsessionwith
Afterhehadscored8goalsin25games,includinghisfirstinthe
BarainAugust2006
ChampionsLeague,[49]hisseasonendedprematurelyduringthereturn
legagainstChelseaon7March2006,whenhesufferedatorn
hamstring.MessiworkedtoregainfitnessintimefortheChampionsLeaguefinal,butwastoldthedayofthe
final,17May,thathewasnotfitenoughtoplay.Hewassodisappointedthathedidnotcelebratetheirvictory
overArsenalinParis,somethinghelatercametoregret.[41][46]
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WhileBarcelonabeganagradualdecline,the19yearoldMessiestablishedhimselfasoneofthebestplayers
intheworldduringthe200607campaign.[50][51]Alreadyanidoltotheculs,theclub'ssupporters,hescored
17goalsin36gamesacrossallcompetitions.[51][52]However,hecontinuedtobeplaguedbymajorinjuriesa
metatarsalfracturesustainedon12November2006kepthimoutofactionforthreemonths.[53][54]He
recoveredintimeforthelast16roundoftheChampionsLeagueagainstLiverpool,butwaseffectivelymarked
outofthegameBarcelona,thereigningchampions,wereoutofthecompetition.[55]Intheleague,hisgoal
contributionincreasedtowardstheendoftheseason11ofhis14goalscamefromthelast13games.[52]On10
March2007,hescoredhisfirsthattrickinaclsico,thefirstplayertodosoin12years,equalisingaftereach
goalbyRealMadridtoendthematchina33drawinextratime.[56]Hisgrowingimportancetotheclubwas
reflectedinanewcontract,signedthatmonth,whichgreatlyincreasedhiswages.[57]
AlreadyfrequentlycomparedtocompatriotDiegoMaradona,Messi
provedtheirsimilaritywhenhenearlyreplicatedMaradona'stwomost
famousgoalsinthespanofthreeweeks.[58]DuringaCopadelRey
semifinalagainstGetafeon18April,hescoredagoalremarkably
similartoMaradona'sgoalinthequarterfinalsofthe1986FIFAWorld
Cup,knownastheGoaloftheCentury.Messicollectedtheballonthe
rightsidenearthehalfwayline,ran60metres(200ft),andbeatfive
defendersbeforescoringwithanangledfinish,justasMaradonahad
done.[14][59]AleaguematchagainstEspanyolon9Junesawhimscore
bylaunchinghimselfattheballandguidingitpastthegoalkeeperwith
MessimakeshisMaradonaesquerun
hishandinsimilarfashiontoMaradona'sHandofGodgoalinthesame
againstGetafeinApril2007.
WorldCupmatch.[60]AsMessicontinuedhisindividualrise,Barcelona
falteredtheteamfailedtoreachtheCopadelReyfinalafterMessiwasrestedduringthesecondlegagainst
GetafeandlosttheleaguetoRealMadridongoalaverage.[61][62]
AfterRonaldinholostform,MessibecameBara'snewstarplayeratonly20yearsold,receivingthenickname
"Messiah"fromtheSpanishmedia.[14][63][64]Hiseffortsin2007alsoearnedhimawardrecognitionjournalists
votedhimthethirdbestplayeroftheyearfortheBallond'Or,behindKakandrunnerupCristianoRonaldo,
whileinternationalmanagersandnationalteamcaptainsvotedhimsecondfortheFIFAWorldPlayerofthe
Yearaward,againbehindKak.[65][66]Althoughhemanagedtoscore16goalsduringthe200708
campaign,[67]thesecondhalfofhisseasonwasagainmarredbyinjuriesafterhesufferedatornhamstringon
15December.[68]HereturnedtoscoretwiceintheirawayvictoryagainstCelticinthelast16roundofthe
ChampionsLeague,becomingthecompetition'stopscoreratthatpointwithsixgoals,[69]butreinjuredhimself
duringthereturnlegon4March2008.Rijkaardhadfieldedhimdespitewarningfromthemedicalstaff,
leadingcaptainCarlesPuyoltocriticisetheSpanishmediaforpressuringMessitoplayeverymatch.[68]
Barcelonafinishedtheseasonwithouttrophies,eliminatedintheChampionsLeaguesemifinalsbythe
eventualchampions,ManchesterUnited,andplacedthirdintheleague.[70]
Aftertwounsuccessfulseasons,Barcelonawereinneedofanoverhaul,leadingtothedismissalsofRijkaard
andRonaldinho.Uponthelatter'sdeparture,Messiwasgiventhenumber10shirt.[47]Hesignedanewcontract
inJuly2008onanannualsalaryof7.8million,becomingtheclub'shighestpaidplayer.[71][72]Aheadofthe
newseason,amajorconcernremainedhisfrequentmuscularinjuries,whichhadlefthimsidelinedforatotal
ofeightmonthsbetween2006and2008.Tocombattheproblem,theclubimplementednewtraining,nutrition,
andlifestyleregimens,andassignedhimapersonalphysiotherapist,whowouldtravelwithhimduringcallups
fortheArgentinanationalteam.Asaresult,Messiremainedvirtuallyinjuryfreeduringthenextfouryears,
allowinghimtoreachhisfullpotential.[54][73]Despitehisinjuriesearlyintheyear,hisperformancesin2008
sawhimagainvotedrunnerupfortheBallond'OrandtheFIFAWorldPlayeroftheYearaward,bothtimes
behindCristianoRonaldo.[65][74]
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200911:Sustainedsuccess
Inhisfirstuninterruptedcampaign,the200809season,hescored38goalsin51games,contributingalongside
Eto'oandwingerThierryHenrytoatotalof100goalsinallcompetitions,arecordatthetimeforthe
club.[75][76]
DuringhisfirstseasonunderBarcelona'snewmanager,formercaptain
PepGuardiola,Messiplayedmainlyontherightwing,likehehad
underRijkaard,thoughthistimeasafalsewingerwiththefreedomto
cutinsideandroamthecentre.Duringaclsicoon2May2009,
however,heplayedforthefirsttimeasafalsenine,positionedasa
centreforwardbutdroppingdeepintomidfieldtolinkupwithXaviand
AndrsIniesta.Heassistedwithachiphisside'sfirstgoalandscored
twicetoendthematchinanemphatic62victory,theirgreatestever
scoreatRealMadrid'sBernabustadium.[77][78]Returningtothewing,
heplayedhisfirstfinalsincebreakingintothefirstteamon13May,
scoringonceandassistingasecondgoalastheydefeatedAthletic
Bilbao41towintheCopadelRey.[79]With23leaguegoalsfrom
Messithatseason,theywerecrownedLaLigachampionsthreedays
latertowintheirfifthdouble.[75][80]
MessiintheChampionsLeaguefinal
againstManchesterUnitedinMay
2009.
Astheseason'sChampionsLeaguetopscorerwithninegoals,theyoungestinthetournament'shistory,[81]
Messiscoredtwogoalsandassistedtwomoretoensurea40quarterfinalvictoryoverBayernMunich.[77]He
returnedasafalsenineduringthefinalon27MayinRome,wheretheyfacedManchesterUnited.Whenhe
headedtheballovergoalkeeperEdwinvanderSartomaketheendscore20,Barcelonawerechampionsof
Europe,achievingthefirsttrebleinthehistoryofSpanishfootball.[82][83]Theirsuccesswasreflectedinanew
contract,signedon18September,whichcommittedMessitotheclubthrough2016withanewbuyoutclause
of250million,whilehissalaryincreasedto12million.[71]Bara'sprosperitycontinuedintothesecondhalf
of2009,astheybecamethefirstclubtoachievethesextuple,winningsixtoptiertrophiesinasingleyear.[84]
AftervictoriesintheSupercopadeEspaaandUEFASuperCupinAugust,theywontheFIFAClubWorld
CupagainstEstudianteson19December,withMessiscoringthewinning21goalwithhischest.[85]At22
yearsold,MessiwontheBallond'OrandtheFIFAWorldPlayeroftheYearaward,bothtimesbythegreatest
votingmarginineachtrophy'shistory.[65]
Unsatisfiedwithhispositionontherightwing,Messiresumed
playingasafalsenineinearly2010,beginningwithaChampions
"Messiisthebestplayerintheworldby
Leaguelast16roundmatchagainstStuttgart.Afterafirstlegdraw,
somedistance.He'slikeaPlayStation.
theywonthesecondleg40withtwogoalsandanassistfrom
Hecantakeadvantageofeverymistake
wemake."
Messi.Atthatpoint,heeffectivelybecamethetacticalfocalpointof
[87]
Guardiola'steam,andhisgoalscoringrateincreased. Messiscored
ArsneWengercommendsMessifor
atotalof47goalsinallcompetitionsthatseason,equaltoRonaldo's
hisfourgoaldisplayagainstArsenalin
April2010. [86]
clubrecordfromthe199697campaign.[88][89]Henotablyscoredall
ofhisside'sfourgoalsintheChampionsLeaguequarterfinalagainst
ArsneWenger'sArsenalon6April,arareachievement,whilebecomingBarcelona'salltimetopscorerinthe
competition.[90][91]AlthoughtheywereeliminatedintheChampionsLeaguesemifinalsbytheeventual
champions,InterMilan,Messifinishedtheseasonastopscorer,witheightgoals,forthesecondconsecutive
year.[92]AsleaguetopscorerinSpainandEuropewith34goals,againtyingRonaldo'srecord,hehelped
BarcelonawinLaLigawithonlyasingledefeat.[89][93]
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Messisecuredtheirfirsttrophyofthe201011campaign,the
SupercopadeEspaa,byscoringahattrickintheir40victoryover
Sevilla,afterafirstlegdefeat.[94]Assumingaplaymakingrole,hewas
againinstrumentalinaclsicoon29November2010,thefirstwithJos
MourinhoinchargeofRealMadrid,asBarcelonadefeatedtheirrivals
50.[95]Messihelpedtheteamachieve16consecutiveleaguevictories,
arecordinSpanishfootball,concludingwithanotherhattrickagainst
AtlticoMadridon5February2011.[96][97]Hisclubperformancesin
2010earnedhimtheinauguralFIFABallond'Or,anamalgamationof
Messi(centre)andhisteammates
theBallond'OrandtheFIFAWorldPlayeroftheYearaward,though
celebratewinningtheFIFAClub
hiswinwasmetwithsomecriticismduetohislackofsuccesswith
WorldCupinDecember2011.
Argentinaatthe2010FIFAWorldCup.[65][98]Undertheaward'sold
format,hewouldhaveplacedjustoutsidethetopthree,owinghiswin
tothevotesfromtheinternationalcoachesandcaptains.[98]
Towardstheendoftheseason,Barcelonaplayedfourcontroversialclsicosinthespanof18days.Aleague
matchon16AprilendedinadrawafterapenaltyfromMessi.AftertheylosttheCopadelReyfinalfourdays
later,hescoredbothgoalsintheir20wininthefirstlegoftheChampionsLeaguesemifinals,thesecondof
whichadribblepastthreeplayerswasacclaimedasoneofthebesteverinthecompetition.Althoughhe
didnotscore,hewasagainimportantinthesecondlegdrawthatsentthemthroughtotheChampionsLeague
final,[17][99][100]wheretheyfacedManchesterUnitedinarepeatofthefinaltwoyearsearlier.Asthe
competition'stopscorerforthethirdconsecutiveyear,with12goals,Messigaveamanofthematch
performanceatWembleyon28May,scoringthematchwinninggoaloftheir31victory.[101][102]Barcelona
wonathirdconsecutiveLaLigatitle.Inadditiontohis31goals,Messiwastheleague'stopassistprovider
with18assists.[103][104]Hefinishedtheseasonwith53goalsand24assistsinallcompetitions,becoming
Barcelona'salltimesingleseasontopscorerandthefirstplayerinSpanishfootballtoreachthe50goal
benchmark.[103][105][106][107]
AsMessidevelopedintoacombinationofanumbereight(acreator),anine(scorer),anda10(assistant),he
scoredanunprecedented73goalsandprovided29assistsinallclubcompetitionsduringthe201112season,
producingahattrickormoreon10occasions.[108][109][110]HebeganthecampaignbyhelpingBarcelonawin
boththeSpanishandEuropeansupercupsintheSupercopadeEspaa,hescoredthreetimestoachievea54
aggregatevictoryoverRealMadrid,overtakingRalasthecompetition'salltimetopscorerwitheight
goals.[111][112]Atthecloseoftheyear,on18December,hescoredtwiceintheFIFAClubWorldCupfinal,a4
0victoryoverSantos,winningtheGoldenBallasthebestplayerofthetournament,ashehaddonetwoyears
previously.[113]Forhiseffortsin2011,heagainreceivedtheFIFABallond'Or,becomingonlythefourthplayer
inhistorytowintheBallond'Orthreetimes,afterJohanCruyff,MichelPlatini,andMarcovanBasten.[114]
Additionally,hewontheinauguralUEFABestPlayerinEuropeAward,arevivaloftheoldstyleBallon
d'Or.[115]Bythen,Messiwaswidelyconsideredoneofthebestplayersinhistory,alongsidelegendslikeDiego
MaradonaandPel.[17]
2012:Arecordbreakingyear
AsMessimaintainedhisgoalscoringformintothesecondhalfofthe
season,theyear2012sawhimbreakseverallongstandingrecords.
On7March,twoweeksafterscoringfourgoalsinaleaguefixture
againstValencia,hescoredfivetimesinaChampionsLeaguelast16
roundmatchagainstBayerLeverkusen,anunprecedented
achievementinthehistoryofthecompetition.[118][119]Inadditionto
beingthejointtopassistproviderwithfiveassists,thisfeatmadehim
topscorerwith14goals,tyingJosAltafini'srecordfromthe1962
"Ifeelsorryforthosewhowantto
competeforMessi'sthroneit's
impossible,thiskidisunique."
PepGuardiolaafterMessibecame
Barcelona'salltimetopscoreratage24
inMarch2012[116][117]
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63season,aswellasbecomingonlythesecondplayerafterGerdMllertobetopscorerinfour
campaigns.[120][121]Twoweekslater,on20March,MessibecamethetopgoalscorerinBarcelona'shistoryat
24yearsold,overtakingthe57yearrecordofCsarRodrguez's232goalswithahattrickagainst
Granada.[117]
DespiteMessi'sindividualform,Barcelona'sfouryearcycleofsuccess
underGuardiolaoneofthegreatesterasintheclub'shistorydrew
toanend.[122]AlthoughtheywontheCopadelReyagainstAthletic
Bilbaoon25May,theirfourteenthtitleofthatperiod,theyhadlostthe
leaguetoRealMadridandwereeliminatedintheChampionsLeague
semifinalsbytheeventualchampions,Chelsea,withMessisendinga
crucialsecondlegpenaltykickagainstthecrossbar.[123][124]Intheirlast
homeleaguematchon5May,againstEspanyol,Messiscoredallfour
goalsbeforeapproachingthebenchtoembraceGuardiola,whohad
Messipointstotheskyduringhis
announcedhisresignationasmanager.[125]Hefinishedtheseasonas
fivegoaldisplayagainstBayer
leaguetopscorerinSpainandEuropeforasecondtime,with50goals,
LeverkuseninMarch2012.
analltimeLaLigarecord,whilehis73goalsinallcompetitions
surpassedGerdMller's67goalsinthe197273Bundesligaseason,
makinghimthesingleseasontopscorerinthehistoryofEuropeanclubfootball.[126][127]
UndermanagerTitoVilanova,whohadfirstcoachedhimaged14atLaMasia,Messihelpedtheclubachieve
theirbesteverstarttoaLaLigaseasonduringthesecondhalfoftheyear,amassing55pointsbythe
competition'smidwaypoint,arecordinSpanishfootball.[128][129]Adoublescoredon9DecemberagainstReal
Betissawhimbreaktwolongstandingrecords:hesurpassedCsarRodrguez'srecordof190leaguegoals,
becomingBarcelona'salltimetopscorerinLaLiga,andGerdMller'srecordofmostgoalsscoredina
calendaryear,overtakinghis85goalsscoredin1972forBayernMunichandGermany.[130]HesentMllera
number10Barcelonashirt,signed"withrespectandadmiration",afterbreakinghis40yearrecord.[131]Atthe
closeoftheyear,Messihadscoredanunprecedented91goalsinallcompetitionsforBarcelonaand
Argentina.[132]AlthoughFIFAdidnotacknowledgetheachievement,citingverifiabilityissues,hereceivedthe
GuinnessWorldRecordstitleformostgoalsscoredinacalendaryear.[133][134]Astheoddsonfavourite,Messi
againwontheFIFABallond'Or,becomingtheonlyplayerinhistorytowintheBallond'Orfourtimes.[132][135]
201314:Messidependence
BarcelonahadvirtuallysecuredtheirLaLigatitlebythestartof2013,eventuallyequallingRealMadrid's100
pointrecordofthepreviousseason.However,theirperformancesdeterioratedinthesecondhalfofthe2012
13campaign,concurrentlywithVilanova'sabsenceduetoillhealth.[136][137]Afterlosingsuccessiveclsicos,
includingtheCopadelReysemifinals,theywerenearlyeliminatedinthefirstknockoutroundofthe
ChampionsLeaguebyA.C.Milan,butarevivalofforminthesecondlegledtoa40comeback,withtwo
goalsandanassistfromMessi.[138]NowinhisninthseniorseasonwithBarcelona,Messisignedanew
contracton7February,committinghimselftotheclubthrough2018,whilehisfixedwageroseto
13million.[139][140]Heworethecaptain'sarmbandforthefirsttimeamonthlater,on17March,inaleague
matchagainstRayoVallecanobythen,hehadbecometheteam'stacticalfocalpointtoadegreethatwas
arguablyrivalledonlybyformerBarcelonalegendsJosepSamitier,LszlKubala,andJohanCruyff.[141]
Sincehisevolutionintoafalseninethreeyearsearlier,hisinputintotheteam'sattackhadincreased
exponentiallyfrom24percentintheirtreblewinningcampaign,hisgoalcontributionrosetomorethan40per
centthatseason.[142]
Afterfourlargelyinjuryfreeseasons,themuscularinjuriesthathadpreviouslyplaguedMessireoccurred.
Afterhesufferedahamstringstrainon2April,duringthefirstquarterfinalagainstParisSaintGermain,his
appearancesbecamesporadic.InthesecondlegagainstPSG,withanunderperformingBarcelonadownagoal,
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Messicameoffthebenchinthesecondhalfandwithinnineminutes
helpedcreatetheirgametyinggoal,whichallowedthemtoprogress
tothesemifinals.Stillunfit,heprovedineffectiveduringthefirstleg
againstBayernMunichandwasunabletoplayatallduringthe
second,asBarcelonaweredefeated70onaggregatebytheeventual
champions.[144][145]Thesematchesgavecredencetothenotionof
Messidependencia,Barcelona'sperceivedtacticalandpsychological
dependenceontheirstarplayer.[145]
"InLeowearetalkingaboutthebest
playerintheworldandwhenthingsare
notgoingwellyouhavetousehim.
Evenifheishalflame,hispresenceon
thepitchisenoughtoliftusandourplay
ingeneral."
DefenderGerardPiquexplains
Barcelona'srelianceonanunfitMessi
againstParisSaintGermaininApril
2013. [143]
Messicontinuedtostrugglewithinjurythroughout2013,eventually
partingwayswithhislongtimepersonalphysiotherapist.[146]Further
damagetohishamstringsustainedon12Mayendedhisgoalscoring
streakof21consecutiveleaguegames,aworldwiderecordhehadnetted33goalsduringhisrun,includinga
fourgoaldisplayagainstOsasuna,whilebecomingthefirstplayertoscoreconsecutivelyagainstall19
oppositionteamsinLaLiga.[141][147][148][149]With60goalsinallcompetitions,including46goalsinLaLiga,
hefinishedthecampaignasleaguetopscorerinSpainandEuropeforthesecondconsecutiveyear,becoming
thefirstplayerinhistorytowintheEuropeanGoldenShoethreetimes.[150][151]Followinganirregularstartto
thenewseasonundermanagerTataMartino,formerlyofhisboyhoodclubNewell'sOldBoys,Messisuffered
hisfifthinjurythatyearwhenhetorehishamstringon10November,leavinghimsidelinedfortwo
months.[152][153]Despitehisinjuries,hewasvotedrunnerupfortheFIFABallond'Or,relinquishingtheaward
afterafouryearmonopolytoCristianoRonaldo.[154]
Duringthesecondhalfofthe201314season,doubtspersistedover
Messi'sform,leadingtoaperceptionamongtheculsthathewas
reservinghimselfforthe2014FIFAWorldCup.Statistically,his
contributionofgoals,shots,andpasseshaddroppedsignificantly
comparedtopreviousseasons.[155][156][157]Hestillproducedfine
moments,ashedidwhenhebroketwolongstandingrecordsinseven
days:ahattrickon16MarchagainstOsasunasawhimovertake
PaulinoAlcntara's369goalstobecomeBarcelona'stopgoalscorerin
allcompetitionsincludingfriendlies,whileanotherhattrickagainst
RealMadridon23MarchmadehimthealltimetopscorerinEl
Messicelebrateshissecondgoal
Clsico,aheadofthe18goalsscoredbyRealMadridlegendAlfredoDi
againstGranadainSeptember2014.
Stfano.[155][158]Messifinishedthecampaignwithhisworstoutputin
fiveseasons,thoughhestillmanagedtoscore41goalsinall
competitions.[156][159]Forthefirsttimeinfiveyears,Barcelonaendedtheseasonwithoutamajortrophythey
weredefeatedintheCopadelReyfinalbyRealMadridandlosttheleagueinthelastgametoAtlticoMadrid,
causingMessitobebooedbysectionsoffansattheCampNou.[160][161]
Afterprolongedspeculationoverhisfuturewiththeclub,Messisignedanewcontracton19May2014,onlya
yearafterhislastcontractualupdatehissalaryincreasedto20million,or36millionbeforetaxes,the
highestwageeverinthesport.[162][163]Undertheirnewmanager,formercaptainLuisEnrique,Messi
experiencedalargelyinjuryfreestarttothe201415season,allowinghimtobreakthreemorelongstanding
recordstowardstheendoftheyear.[164]AhattrickscoredagainstSevillaon22Novembermadehimtheall
timetopscorerinLaLiga,ashesurpassedthe59yearrecordof251leaguegoalsheldbyTelmoZarra.[165]
Threedayslater,hescoredanotherhattrickagainstAPOEL,overtakingRal's71goalstobecometopscorer
inthehistoryoftheChampionsLeague.[166]Athirdhattrick,scoredagainstcityrivalsEspanyolon7
December,allowedhimtosurpassCsarRodrguezasthealltimetopscorerintheDerbibarcelonwith12
goals.[167]MessiagainplacedsecondintheFIFABallond'OrbehindCristianoRonaldo,largelyowingtohis
secondplaceachievementwithArgentinaattheWorldCup.[168]
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2015:Ahistorictreble
Atthestartof2015,Barcelonawereperceivedtobeheadedfor
anotherdisappointingendtotheseason,withrenewedspeculationin
"Messiisanalienthatdedicateshimself
themediathatMessiwasleavingtheclub.Aturningpointcameon
toplayingwithhumans."
11Januaryduringa31victoryoverAtlticoMadrid,thefirsttime
JuventuscaptainGianluigiBuffon
Bara'sattackingtridentofMessi,LuisSurez,andNeymar,dubbed
aheadoftheirmeetingintheChampions
MSN,eachscoredinamatch,markingthebeginningofahighly
LeaguefinalinJune2015[169]
successfulrun.[170][171]Afterfiveyearsofplayinginthecentreofthe
pitch,Messihadreturnedtohisoldpositionontherightwinglatethe
previousyear,byhisownsuggestionaccordingtoSurez,theirstriker.[171][172]Fromthere,heregainedhisbest
arguablyhisbesteverform,whileSurezandNeymarendedtheteam'sattackingdependencyontheir
starplayer.[173][174]With58goalsfromMessi,thetrioscoredatotalof122goalsinallcompetitionsthat
season,arecordinSpanishfootball.[175][176]
Towardstheendofthecampaign,Messiscoredtheonlygoalina10
awaywinoverAtlticoMadridon17May,securingtheLaLiga
title.[177]Amonghis43leaguegoalsthatseasonwasahattrickscored
in11minutesagainstRayoVallecanoon8March,thefastestofhis
seniorcareeritwashisthirtysecondhattrickoverallforBarcelona,
allowinghimtoovertakeTelmoZarraastheplayerwiththemosthat
trickseverinSpanishfootball.[176][178]Additionally,astheseason'stop
assistproviderwith18assists,hesurpassedLusFigoastheplayerwith
themostassistsinLaLiga[note4]hemadehisrecord106thassistina
MessibattlesJuventusdefender
fixtureagainstLevanteon15February,inwhichhealsoscoredahat
PatriceEvrafortheballduringthe
trick.[179][180][181]MessithenscoredtwiceasBarcelonadefeated
ChampionsLeaguefinalinJune
AthleticBilbao31intheCopadelReyfinalon30May,achievingthe
2015.
sixthdoubleintheirhistory.Hisopeninggoalwashailedasoneofthe
greatestinhiscareerhecollectedtheballnearthehalfwaylineand
beatfouropposingplayers,beforefeintingthegoalkeepertoscoreinatightspacebythenearpost.[182]The
goalwaslaternamedoneofthethreefinalnomineesforthe2015FIFAPusksAward.[183]
IntheChampionsLeague,Messiscoredtwiceandassistedonanotherintheir30semifinalvictoryover
BayernMunich,nowunderthestewardshipofGuardiola.[184]Hissecondgoal,whichcameonlythreeminutes
afterhisfirst,sawhimchiptheballovergoalkeeperManuelNeuerafterhisdribblepastJrmeBoatenghad
madethedefenderdroptothegrounditwentviral,becomingtheyear'smosttweetedaboutsportingmoment,
andwasnamedthebestgoaloftheseasonbyUEFA.[185][186]Despiteasecondlegloss,Barcelonaprogressed
tothefinalon6JuneinBerlin,wheretheydefeatedJuventus31towintheirsecondtreble,becomingthefirst
clubinhistorytowintheleague,domesticcup,andEuropeancuptwice.[187][188]AlthoughMessididnotscore,
heparticipatedineachofhisside'sgoals,particularlythesecondasheforcedaparriedsavefromgoalkeeper
GianluigiBuffonfromwhichSurezscoredthematchwinninggoalontherebound.[175]Inadditiontobeing
thetopassistproviderwith6assists,Messifinishedthecompetitionasthejointtopscorer,with10goals,
whichearnedhimthedistinctionofbeingthefirstplayerevertoachievethetopscoringmarkinfive
ChampionsLeagueseasons.[189][190]Forhiseffortsthatseason,hereceivedtheUEFABestPlayerinEurope
awardforasecondtime.[191]
Messiopenedthe201516seasonbyscoringtwicefromfreekicksinBarcelona's54victoryoverSevillain
theUEFASuperCup.[192]Asubsequent51aggregatedefeatagainstAthleticBilbaointheSupercopade
Espaaendedtheirexpressedhopesofasecondsextuple,withMessiscoringhisside'sonlygoal.[193]On16
September,hebecametheyoungestplayertomake100appearancesintheUEFAChampionsLeagueina11
awaydrawtoRoma.[194]On26September,MessisustainedaninjuryinBarcelona'smatchagainstLasPalmas
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12/16/2016
testslaterconfirmedthathesufferedatearinthemedialcollateralligamentof
hisleftknee,rulinghimoutforsixtoeightweeks.[195]Hefinallyreturnedto
thepitchon21November,makingasubstituteappearanceinBarcelona's40
awaywinoverrivalsRealMadridinElClsico.[196]Messicappedofftheyear
byopeningthescoringinthe36thminuteofthe2015FIFAClubWorldCup
Finalon20December,collectinghisfifthclubtrophyof2015asBarcelona
wentontodefeatRiverPlate30inYokohama,andwinningthetournament's
SilverBall,despitemissingthesemifinal.[197]On30December,Messiscored
onhis500thappearanceforBarcelona,ina40homewinoverRealBetis.[198]
2016
On6January2016,recordingBarcelona'sfirstgoalofthenewyear,Messi
MessidribblingpastSevilla's
scoredtwogoalsandassistedtheothertwoina41derbywinoverEspanyolat
verBanegainthe2015
theCampNou,inthefirstlegoftheRoundof16ofthe201516Copadel
UEFASuperCup
Rey.[199]Fivedayslater,MessiwontheFIFABallond'Orforarecordfifthtime
inhiscareer.[200]On3February,hescoredahattrickinBarcelona's70win
againstValenciaCFinthefirstlegoftheCopadelReysemifinalattheCampNou,alsoscoringhis500th
careergoalintheprocess,includingyouthcompetitions.[201]WithteammateLuisSurezscoringtheotherfour
goalsinthesamematch,thiswasthefirsttimethattwoplayershadscoredatleastthreegoalseachatCamp
Nou,andthefirsttimesinceLuisSurezMiramontesandJustoTejadain1956.Thefeathadonlyoccurred
threetimesbeforeintheclub'shistory,allatCampdeLesCorts.[202]ThenextleaguematchatCampNou,a6
1winagainstCeltaVigo,MessiassistedSurezfromapenaltykick.Somepeoplesawitas"atouchofgenius",
whileotherscriticiseditasbeingdisrespectfultotheopponent.However,theCeltaplayersnevercomplained
andtheircoachdefendedthepenalty,stating:"Barca'sforwardsareveryrespectful".Thepenaltyroutinehas
beencomparedtothatofBaraiconJohanCruyffin1982,whowasbattlinglungcancer,leadingmanyfansto
indicatethatthepenaltywasatributetohim.Cruyffhimselfwas"veryhappy"withtheplay,insisting"itwas
legalandentertaining".[203][204][205]
On17February,Messireachedhis300thleaguegoalina13awaywinagainstSportingGijon.[206]Afew
dayslater,hescoredbothgoalsinBarcelona's02winagainstArsenalattheEmiratesStadium,inthefirstleg
ofthe201516UEFAChampionsLeagueRoundof16,withthesecondgoalbeingBarcelona's10,000thin
officialcompetitions.[207]On17April,Messiendedafivematchscoringdroughtwithhis500thseniorcareer
goalforclubandcountryinBarcelona's21homelosstoValencia.[208]Messifinishedthe201516seasonby
settingupbothgoalsinBarcelona's20extratimewinoverSevillainthe2016CopadelReyFinal,atthe
VicenteCaldernStadium,on22May2016,astheclubcelebratedwinningthedomesticdoubleforthesecond
consecutiveseason.[209][210]Intotal,Messiscored41goalsandprovided23assists,asBarcelona'sattacking
triomanagedaSpanishrecordof131goalsthroughouttheseason,breakingtherecordtheyhadsetthe
previousseason.[211]
Messiopenedthe201617seasonbyliftingthe2016SupercopadeEspaaasBarcelona'scaptaininthe
absenceoftheinjuredIniesta[212]hesetupMunir'sgoalina20awaywinoverSevillainthefirstlegon14
August,[213]andsubsequentlyscoredandassistedina30wininthereturnlegon17August.[214]Threedays
later,hescoredtwogoalsandprovidedanassisttoleadBarcelonatoa62victoryagainstRealBetisinthe
openinggameofthe201617LaLigaseason.[215]On13September2016,Messiscoredhisfirsthattrickof
theseasonintheopeninggameofthe201617UEFAChampionsLeaguecampaignagainstCelticina70
victory,thiswasalsoMessi'ssixthhattrickintheChampionsLeaguewhichisthemostbyanyplayer.[216]A
weeklater,Messisustainedagroininjuryina11drawagainstAtlticoMadridandwasruledoutwithinjury
for3weeks.[217]Hemarkedhisreturnwithagoal,scoringthreeminutesaftercomingoffthebenchina40
homewinoverDeportivo,on16October.[218]Threedaysafterthis,henettedhisseventhChampionsLeague
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hattrickasBarcelonadefeatedManchesterCity40.[219]On1November,Messiscoredhis54thChampions
LeaguegroupstagegoalinBarcelona's31awayreturnfixturetoManchesterCity,surpassingtheprevious
recordof53goalsheldbyRal.[220]OnNovember12,MessiwasvotedrunnerupfortheBallond'Or,after
CristianoRonaldogotthehighestnumberofvotesandclaimedhisfourth.[221]
Argentinanationalteam
200405:Successatyouthlevel
AsadualArgentineSpanishnational,Messiwaseligibletoplayforthenationalteamofbothcountries.[222]
SelectorsforSpain'sUnder17squadbeganpursuinghimin2003afterBarcelona'sdirectoroffootball,Carles
Rexach,alertedtheRoyalSpanishFootballFederationtotheiryoungplayer.Messideclinedtheoffer,having
aspiredtorepresentLaAlbicelestesincechildhood.TofurtherpreventSpainfromtakinghim,theArgentine
FootballAssociationorganisedtwoUnder20friendliesinJune2004,againstParaguayandUruguay,withthe
purposeoffinalisinghisstatusasanArgentinaplayerinFIFA.Fivedaysafterhisseventeenthbirthday,on29
June,hemadehisdebutforhiscountryagainstParaguay,scoringonceandprovidingtwoassistsintheir80
victory.HewassubsequentlyincludedinthesquadfortheSouthAmericanYouthChampionship,heldin
ColombiainFebruary2005.Ashelackedthestaminaofhisteammates,theresultofhisformergrowth
hormonedeficiency,hewasusedasasubstituteinsixoftheninegames,provingmoreeffectivewhencoming
oninthesecondhalf.AfterbeingnamedmanofthematchagainstVenezuela,hescoredthewinning21goal
inthecruciallastmatchagainstBrazil,therebysecuringtheirthirdplacequalificationfortheFIFAWorld
YouthChampionship.[223]
Awareofhisphysicallimitations,Messiemployedapersonaltrainertoincreasehismusclemass,returningto
thesquadinimprovedconditionintimefortheWorldYouthChampionship,hostedbytheNetherlandsinJune
2005.AfterhewasleftoutofthestartinglineupintheirfirstmatchagainsttheUnitedStates,a10defeat,the
squad'sseniorplayersaskedmanagerFranciscoFerrarotoletMessistart,astheyconsideredhimtheirbest
player.AfterhelpingtheteamdefeatEgyptandGermanytoprogresspastthegroupstage,Messiproved
decisiveintheknockoutphaseashescoredtheirequaliseragainstColombia,providedagoalandanassist
againsttitlefavouritesSpain,andscoredtheiropeninggoalagainstreigningchampionsBrazil.Aheadofthe
final,hewasawardedtheGoldenBallasthebestplayerofthetournament.Hescoredtwopenaltiesintheir21
victoryoverNigeria,clinchingArgentina'sfifthchampionshipandfinishingthetournamentastopscorerwith
6goals.[224][225]HisperformancesdrewcomparisonswithcompatriotDiegoMaradona,whohadledArgentina
tothetitlein1979.[225]
200506:SeniorandWorldCupdebuts
InrecognitionofhisachievementswiththeUnder20side,seniormanagerJosPkermangaveMessihisfirst
callupforafriendlyagainstHungaryon17August2005.Aged18,MessimadehisseniordebutforArgentina
whenhecameoninthe63rdminute,onlytobesentoffaftertwominutesforaperceivedfoulagainstVilmos
Vanczkwhohadgrabbedhisshirt.Hehadstruckthedefenderwithhisarmwhiletryingtoshakehimoff,
whichtherefereeinterpretedasanintentionalelbowing,acontentiousdecision.[226]Messiwasreportedly
foundweepinginthedressingroomafterhissendingoff.[227]Hereturnedtotheteamon3Septemberintheir
WorldCupqualifierdefeattoParaguay,whichhehaddeclaredhis"redebut"aheadofthematch.[228]Messi
startedhisfirstgameinthenextqualifyingmatchagainstPeru,inwhichhewasabletowinacrucialpenalty
thatsecuredtheirvictoryafterthematchPkermandescribedhimas"ajewel".[229]Hesubsequentlymade
regularappearancesfortheteamaheadofArgentina'sparticipationinthe2006FIFAWorldCup,scoringhis
firstgoalinafriendlyagainstCroatiaon1March2006.[230]Ahamstringinjurysustainedaweeklater
jeopardisedhispresenceintheWorldCup,buthewasneverthelessselectedforPkerman'ssquadandregained
fitnessintimeforthestartofthetournament.[231]
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DuringtheWorldCupinGermany,MessiwitnessedtheiropeningmatchvictoryagainstIvoryCoastfromthe
substitutes'bench.InthenextmatchagainstSerbiaandMontenegro,hebecametheyoungestplayerto
representArgentinaataWorldCupwhenhecameonasasubstituteinthe74thminute.Heassistedtheirfourth
strikewithinminutesandscoredthefinalgoalintheir60victory,makinghimtheyoungestscorerinthe
tournamentandthesixthyoungestgoalscorerinthehistoryoftheWorldCup.[232]Astheirprogressiontothe
knockoutphasewassecured,severalstarterswererestedduringthelastgroupmatch.Messiconsequently
startedthegameagainsttheNetherlands,a00draw,astheywontheirgroupongoaldifferential.[233][234]In
theroundof16matchagainstMexico,playedonhisnineteenthbirthday,Messicameoninthe84thminute,
withthescoretiedat11.Heappearedtoscoreagoal,butitwascontentiouslyruledoffside,withtheteam
needingalategoalinextratimetoproceed.[235][236]HedidnotplayinthequarterfinalagainstGermany,
duringwhichArgentinawereeliminated42inapenaltyshootout.[237][238]Backhome,Pkerman'sdecisionto
leavehimonthebenchagainstGermanyledtowidespreadcriticismfromthosewhobelievedMessicouldhave
changedtheoutcomeofthematchinArgentina'sfavour.[239][240]
200708:CopaAmricafinalandOlympicgold
AsMessievolvedintooneofthebestplayersintheworld,hesecureda
placeinCocoBasile'sstartinglineup,aspartofateamconsidered
favouritestowinthe2007CopaAmrica,heldinVenezuela.[51][241]He
setupthegamewinninggoaloftheir41victoryovertheUnitedStates
intheopeningmatch,beforewinningapenaltythatledtothegame
tyingfirststrikeoftheir42wininthenextmatchagainst
Colombia.[242][243]Astheyhadsecuredtheirplaceintheknockout
phase,Messistartedthenextgameonthebench,comingoninthelast
25minuteswiththescoreat00tohelphisteamdefeatParaguayby
assistingtheironlygoal.Atthequarterfinalstage,wherethegroup
MessievadesBrazil'sMarcelointhe
winnersfacedPeru,hescoredthesecondgoalofa40victorythatsaw
semifinalofthe2008Summer
themthroughtothesemifinal,duringwhichhechippedtheballover
Olympics.
[241]
Mexico'sgoalkeepertoensureanother30win.
Inasurprisedefeat,
Argentinalostthefinal30toaBrazilthatlackedseveraloftheirbestplayers.[244]Theirunexpectedlosswas
followedbymuchcriticisminArgentina,thoughMessiwasmostlyexemptduetohisyoungageandsecondary
statustostarplayerJuanRomnRiquelme.[241]Hewasnamedthebestyoungplayerofthetournamentby
CONMEBOL.[245]
Aheadofthe2008SummerOlympics,BarcelonalegallybarredMessifromrepresentingArgentinaatthe
tournamentasitcoincidedwiththeirChampionsLeaguequalifyingmatches.[246]Afterinterferencefromnewly
appointedmanagerPepGuardiola,whohadwonthetournamentin1992,MessiwaspermittedtojoinSergio
Batista'sUnder23squadinBeijing.[247]Duringthefirstmatch,hescoredtheopeninggoalandassistedanother
intheir21victoryoverIvoryCoast.Followinga10wininthenextgroupmatchagainstAustralia,ensuring
theirquarterfinalqualification,MessiwasrestedduringthegameagainstSerbia,whilehissidewonthematch
tofinishfirstintheirgroup.AgainsttheNetherlands,heagainscoredthefirstgoalandassistedasecondstrike
tohelphisteamtoa21wininextratime.Aftera30semifinalvictoryoverBrazil,Messiassistedtheonly
goalinthefinalasArgentinadefeatedNigeriatoclaimOlympicgoldmedals.[248]AlongwithRiquelme,Messi
wassingledoutbyFIFAasthestandoutplayerfromthetournament'sbestteam.[249]
200811:Collectivedecline
Fromlate2008,thenationalteamexperiencedathreeyearperiodmarkedbypoorperformances.[241]Under
managerDiegoMaradona,whohadledArgentinatoWorldCupvictoryasaplayer,theteamstruggledto
qualifyforthe2010FIFAWorldCup,securingtheirplaceinthetournamentonlyafterdefeatingUruguay10
intheirlastqualifyingmatch.MaradonawascriticisedforhisstrategicdecisionsasheplayedMessioutof
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12/16/2016
position,positionedtoodeepforhimtobeabletocontributetotheattacktohisfullability.Ineightqualifying
matchesunderMaradona'sstewardship,Messiscoredonlyonegoal,nettingtheopeninggoalinthefirstsuch
match,a40victoryoverVenezuela.[230][250]Duringthatgame,playedon28March2009,heworeArgentina's
number10shirtforthefirsttime,followingtheinternationalretirementofRiquelme.[251]Overall,Messiscored
fourgoalsin18appearancesduringthequalifyingprocess.[230]Aheadofthetournament,Maradonavisited
MessiinBarcelonatorequesthistacticalinputMessithenoutlineda4312formationwithhimselfplaying
behindthetwostrikers,aplaymakingpositionknownastheengancheinArgentinefootball,whichhadbeen
hispreferredpositionsincechildhood.[252]
Messiinactionduringthe
openingmatchagainst
Boliviainthe2011Copa
Amrica
Despitetheirpoorqualifyingcampaign,Argentinawereconsideredtitle
contendersattheWorldCupinSouthAfrica.Atthestartofthetournament,the
newformationprovedeffectiveMessimanagedatleastfourattemptsongoal
duringtheiropeningmatchbutwasrepeatedlydeniedbyNigeria'sgoalkeeper,
resultingina10win.DuringthenextmatchagainstKorea,heexcelledinhis
playmakingrole,participatinginallfourgoalsofhisside's41victory.Astheir
placeintheknockoutphasewasguaranteed,mostofthestarterswererested
duringthelastgroupmatch,butMessireportedlyrefusedtobebenched.[250]He
worethecaptain'sarmbandforthefirsttimeintheir20winagainstGreeceas
thefocalpointoftheirplay,hehelpedcreatetheirsecondgoaltoseeArgentina
finishasgroupwinners.[253][254]Intheroundof16,theydefeatedMexico31,
withMessiassistingtheirfirstgoal,acontroversialstrikethatstooddespite
beingoffside.[255]
Argentina'sunstructureddefencehadprovedaliabilitythroughouttheWorld
CupandfinallyledtotheireliminationinthequarterfinalagainstGermany,at
thesamestageofthetournamentandbythesameopponentasfouryears
earlier.Their40losswastheirworstmarginofdefeatsince1974.[255]FIFA
subsequentlyidentifiedMessiasoneofthetournament's10bestplayers,citinghis"outstanding"paceand
creativityand"spectacularandefficient"dribbling,shooting,andpassing.[256]Backhome,however,Messiwas
thesubjectoffarharsherjudgement.Astheperceivedbestplayerintheworld,hehadbeenexpectedtoleadan
averageteamtothetitle,asMaradonaarguablydidin1986,buthehadfailedtoreplicatehisperformancesat
Barcelonawiththenationalteam,leadingtotheaccusationthathecaredlessabouthiscountrythanhis
club.[257][258]
MaradonawasreplacedbySergioBatista,whohadorchestratedtheirOlympicvictory.Batistapubliclystated
thatheintendedtobuildtheteamaroundMessi,employinghimasafalseninewithina433system,asused
tomuchsuccessbyBarcelona.[257][259]AlthoughMessiscoredarecord53goalsduringthe201011club
season,hehadnotscoredforArgentinainanofficialmatchsinceMarch2009.[103][230]Despitethetactical
change,hisgoaldroughtcontinuedduringthe2011CopaAmrica,hostedbyArgentina.Theirfirsttwo
matches,againstBoliviaandColombia,endedindraws,withMessiunderperformingbyhisstandards.Media
andfansnotedthathedidnotcombinewellwithstrikerCarlosTvez,whoenjoyedfargreaterpopularity
amongtheArgentinepublicMessiwasconsequentlybooedbyhisownteam'ssupportersforthefirsttimein
hiscareer.Duringthecrucialnextmatch,withTvezonthebench,hegaveawellreceivedperformance,
assistingtwogoalsintheir30victoryoverCostaRica.AfterthequarterfinalagainstUruguayendedina11
drawfollowingextratime,withMessihavingassistedtheirequaliser,Argentinawereeliminated45inthe
penaltyshootoutbytheeventualchampions.[257]
201113:Assumingthecaptaincy
AfterArgentina'sunsuccessfulperformanceintheCopaAmrica,BatistawasreplacedbyAlejandroSabella.
UponhisappointmentinAugust2011,Sabellaawardedthe24yearoldMessithecaptaincyofthesquad,in
accordwiththencaptainJavierMascherano.Reservedbynature,Messiwentontoleadhissquadbyexample
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astheirbestplayer,whileMascheranocontinuedtofulfiltheroleoftheteam's
onfieldleaderandmotivator.[260][261]Inafurtherredesignoftheteam,Sabella
dismissedTvezandbroughtinplayerswithwhomMessihadwontheWorld
YouthChampionshipandOlympicGames.Nowplayinginafreeroleinan
improvingteam,Messifinallyendedhisgoaldroughtbyscoringduringtheir
firstWorldCupqualifyingmatchagainstChileon7October,hisfirstofficial
goalforArgentinaintwoandahalfyears.[230][260]
UnderSabella,hisgoalscoringratedrasticallyincreasedwherehehadscored
only17goalsin61matchesunderhispreviousmanagers,hescored25timesin
32appearancesduringthefollowingthreeyears.[230][260]Messinettedatotalof
12goalsinninegamesforArgentinain2012,equallingtherecordheldby
GabrielBatistuta,Argentina'salltimetopscorer,forthemostgoalsscoredina
Messiscoredhisfirst
calendaryearfortheircountry.[262][263]HisfirsthattrickwiththeAlbicelestes
internationalhattrickagainst
cameinafriendlyagainstSwitzerlandon29February2012,followedbytwo
SwitzerlandinFebruary
morehattricksoverthenextyearandahalfinfriendliesagainstBraziland
2012.
Guatemala.Messithenhelpedtheteamsecuretheirplaceinthe2014FIFA
WorldCupwitha52victoryoverParaguayon10September2013inaddition
toprovidinganassist,hescoredtwicefromapenaltykick,takinghisinternationaltallyto37goalstobecome
Argentina'ssecondhighestgoalscorerbehindonlyBatistuta.Overall,hehadscoredatotalof10goalsin14
matchesduringthequalifyingcampaign.[230][264]Concurrentlywithhisbetteredperformances,hisrelationship
withhiscompatriotsimproved,ashegraduallybegantobeperceivedmorefavourablyinArgentina.[260]
201415:WorldCupandCopaAmricafinals
AheadoftheWorldCupinBrazil,doubtspersistedoverMessi'sform,ashefinishedanunsuccessfuland
injuryplaguedseasonwithBarcelona.Atthestartofthetournament,however,hegavestrongperformances,
beingelectedmanofthematchintheirfirstfourmatches.[157][265]InhisfirstWorldCupmatchascaptain,he
ledthemtoa21victoryoverBosniaandHerzegovinahehelpedcreatetheirearlyopeninggoalandscored
theirsecondstrikeafteradribblepastthreeplayers,hisfirstWorldCupgoalsincehisdebutinthetournament
eightyearsearlier.[266]DuringthesecondmatchagainstIran,hescoredaninjurytimegoalfrom23metresout
toendthegameina10win,securingtheirqualificationfortheknockoutphase.[267]Hescoredtwiceinthe
lastgroupmatch,a32victoryoverNigeria,hissecondgoalfromafreekick,astheyfinishedfirstintheir
group.[268]Messiassistedalategoalinextratimetoensurea10winagainstSwitzerlandintheroundof16,
beforestartingtheplaythatledtotheirmatchwinning10goalinthequarterfinalagainstBelgium,helping
ArgentinaprogresstothesemifinaloftheWorldCupforthefirsttimesince1990.[269][270]Followinga00
drawinextratime,theyeliminatedtheNetherlands42inapenaltyshootouttoreachthefinal.[271]
BilledasMessiversusGermany,theworld'sbestplayeragainstthebestteam,thefinalwasarepeatofthe1990
finalfeaturingDiegoMaradona.[272][273]Withinthefirsthalfhour,Messihadstartedtheplaythatledtoagoal,
butitwasruledoffside.Hemissedseveralopportunitiestoopenthescoringthroughoutthematch,inparticular
atthestartofthesecondhalfwhenhisbreakawayeffortwentwideofthefarpost.SubstituteMarioGtze
finallyscoredinthe113thminute,followedinthelastminuteofextratimebyafreekickthatMessisentover
thenet,asGermanywonthematch10toclaimtheWorldCup.[274]Attheconclusionofthefinal,Messiwas
awardedtheGoldenBallasthebestplayerofthetournament.Inadditiontobeingthejointthirdhighest
goalscorer,withfourgoalsandanassist,hecreatedthemostchances,completedthemostdribblingruns,made
themostdeliveriesintothepenaltyarea,andproducedthemostthroughballsinthecompetition.[265][275]
However,hisselectiondrewcriticismduetohislackofgoalsintheknockoutroundFIFApresidentSepp
Blatterexpressedhissurprise,whileMaradonasuggestedthatMessihadundeservedlybeenchosenfor
marketingpurposes.[276]
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Anotherfinalappearance,thethirdofMessi'sseniorinternationalcareer,
followedinthe2015CopaAmrica,heldinChile.Underthestewardshipof
formerBarcelonamanagerTataMartino,Argentinaenteredthetournamentas
titlecontendersduetotheirsecondplaceachievementattheWorld
Cup.[277][278]DuringtheopeningmatchagainstParaguay,theywereaheadtwo
goalsbyhalftimebutlosttheirleadtoendthematchina22drawMessihad
scoredfromapenaltykick,nettinghisonlygoalinthetournament.[279]
Followinga10winagainstdefendingchampionsUruguay,Messiearnedhis
hundredthcapforhiscountryinthefinalgroupmatch,a10winoverJamaica,
becomingonlythefifthArgentinetoachievethismilestone.[280][281]Inhis100
appearances,hehadscoredatotalof46goalsforArgentina,22ofwhichcame
inofficialcompetitivematches.[230][281]
MessibattlesGermany's
MatsHummelsfortheball
duringthefinalofthe2014
FIFAWorldCup.
AsMessievolvedfromtheteam'ssymboliccaptainintoagenuineleader,heled
Argentinatotheknockoutstageasgroupwinners.[282][283]Inthequarterfinal,
theycreatednumerouschances,includingareboundheaderbyMessi,butwere
repeatedlydeniedbyColombia'sgoalkeeper,andultimatelyendedthematch
scoreless,leadingtoa54penaltyshootoutintheirfavour.[284]Atthesemifinalstage,Messiexcelledas
playmakerasheprovidedthreeassistsandhelpedcreatethreemoregoalsinhisside's61victoryover
Paraguay,receivingapplausefromtheinitiallyhostilecrowd.[282]Argentinastartedthefinalastheoddsontitle
favourites,butweredefeatedbyChile41inapenaltyshootoutafteran00extratimedraw.Facedwith
aggressionfromopposingplayers,includingtakingaboottothemidriff,Messiplayedbelowhisstandards,
thoughhewastheonlyArgentinetosuccessfullyconverthispenalty.[285][286]Atthecloseofthetournament,he
wasreportedlyselectedtoreceivetheMostValuablePlayerawardbutrejectedthehonour.[287]AsArgentina
continuedatrophydroughtthatbeganin1993,theWorldCupandCopaAmricadefeatsagainbroughtintense
criticismforMessifromArgentinemediaandfans.[288][289]
2016:CopaAmricaCentenario,retirement,andreturn
Messi'splaceinArgentina'sCopaAmricaCentenariosquadwasinitiallyputinjeopardywhenhesustaineda
backinjuryina10friendlywinoverHondurasinapreCopaAmricawarmupmatchon27May2016.[290]
Itwaslaterreportedthathehadsufferedadeepbruiseinhislumbarregion,butthathewouldremainin
Martino'ssquadforthetournament,[291][292]althoughhewaslaterleftonthebenchinArgentina's21opening
winoverdefendingchampionsChileon6Juneduetoconcernsregardinghisfitness.[293]AlthoughMessiwas
declaredmatchfitforhisnation'ssecondgroupmatchagainstPanamaon10June,Martinolefthimonthe
benchonceagainhereplacedAugustoFernndezinthe61stminuteandsubsequentlyscoredahattrickin19
minutes,alsostartingtheplaywhichledtoAgero'sgoal,asthematchendedina50victory,sealing
Argentina'splaceinthequarterfinalsofthecompetition[294]hewaselectedmanofthematchforhis
performance.[295]
On18June2016,inthequarterfinaloftheCopaAmricaagainstVenezuela,Messiproducedanothermanof
thematchperformance,[296]assistingtwogoalsandscoringanotherina41victory,whichenabledhimto
equalGabrielBatistuta'snationalrecordof54goalsinofficialinternationalmatches.[297]Thisrecordwas
brokenthreedayslaterwhenMessiscoredina40wininthesemifinaloftheCopaAmricaagainsthoststhe
UnitedStateshealsoassistedtwogoalsduringthematchasArgentinasealedaplaceinthefinalofthe
competitionforasecondconsecutiveyear,[298]andwasnamedmanofthematchonceagain.[299]
Duringarepeatofthepreviousyear'sfinalon26June,Argentina
onceagainlosttoChileonpenaltiesaftera00deadlock,resultingin
Messi'sthirdconsecutivedefeatinamajortournamentfinalwith
Argentina,andhisfourthoverall.Afterthematch,Messi,whohad
"Itriedmyhardest.Ithasbeenfour
finals,Iwantmorethananyonetowina
titlewiththenationalteam,but
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unfortunately,itdidnothappen...Ithink
missedhispenaltyintheshootout,announcedhisretirementfrom
thisisbestforeveryone,firstlyforme
internationalfootball.SourcesreportedthatotherArgentineplayers,
andforalotofpeoplethatwishthis.The
SergioAgero,JavierMascherano,GonzaloHiguan,LucasBiglia,
teamhasendedforme,adecisionmade."
verBanega,EzequielLavezziandngelDiMaracouldfollow
Messiannouncinghisretirementon27
theircaptaininretiringfrominternationalfootball.[301]TheChile
June2016[300][301]
coachJuanAntonioPizzisaidafterthematch:"Mygenerationcant
comparehimtoMaradonathatsformygeneration,becauseofwhat
MaradonadidforArgentinefootball.ButIthinkthebestplayereverplayedtodayhereintheUnited
States."[302]Messifinishedthetournamentasthesecondhighestscorer,behindEduardoVargas,withfive
goals,andwasthehighestassistproviderwithfourassists,alsowinningmoreManoftheMatchawardsthan
anyotherplayerinthetournament(3)[303]hewasnamedtotheteamofthetournamentforhisperformances,
butmissedoutontheGoldenBallAwardforbestplayer,whichwenttoAlexisSnchez.[304]
"Don'tgo,Leo"
Followinghisannouncement,acampaignbeganinArgentinaforMessitochangehismindaboutretiring.[305]
Hewasgreetedbyfanswithsignslike"Don'tgo,Leo"whentheteamlandedinBuenosAires.Argentina's
PresidentMauricioMacriurgedMessinottoquit,stating:"Wearelucky,itisoneoflife'spleasures,itisagift
fromGodtohavethebestplayerintheworldinafootballingcountrylikeours...LionelMessiisthegreatest
thingwehaveinArgentinaandwemusttakecareofhim."[306]TheBuenosAiresmayorHoracioRodrguez
LarretaunveiledastatueofMessiinthecapitaltoconvincehimreconsiderretirement.[307][308]Onsocial
networks,NoTeVayasLeobecameaglobaltrendingtopic,andevenaplaylistonSpotify.[309][310]Thecampaign
alsocontinuedinthestreetsandavenuesoftheArgentinecapital,withabout50,000supportersgoingtothe
ObeliscodeBuenosAireson2July,usingthesameslogan.[311][312]
Return
JustaweekafterMessiannouncedhisinternationalretirement,
ArgentinenewspaperLaNacinreportedthathewasreconsidering
playingforArgentinaatthe2018FIFAWorldCupqualifiersin
September.[314]On12August,itwasconfirmedthatMessihadreversed
hisdecisiontoretirefrominternationalfootball,andhewasincludedin
thesquadforthenationalteam'supcomingWorldCupqualifiers.[315]On
1September,inhisfirstgameforArgentinaafterreversinghisdecision
toretire,hescoredtheonlygoalina10homewinoverUruguayina
2018WorldCupqualifier.[316]
"Alotofthingswentthroughmy
mindonthenightofthefinalandI
gaveseriousthoughttoquitting,but
myloveformycountryandthisshirt
istoogreat."
Messireversinghisdecisionfrom
retiringon12August2016[313]
Playerprofile
Styleofplay
Duetohisshortstature,Messihasalowercentreofgravitythan
tallerplayers,whichgiveshimgreateragility,allowinghimto
"Ihavefunlikeachildinthestreet.
changedirectionmorequicklyandevadeopposingtackles[317][318]
WhenthedaycomeswhenI'mnot
enjoyingit,Iwillleavefootball."
thishasledtheSpanishmediatodubhimLaPulgaAtmica("The
AtomicFlea").[319][320][321]Despitebeingphysicallyunimposing,he
Messiexplainshisapproachtothe
possessessignificantupperbodystrength,which,combinedwithhis
gameinMay2011. [17]
lowcentreofgravityandresultingbalance,aidshiminwithstanding
physicalchallengesfromopponentshehasconsequentlybeennoted
forhislackofdivinginasportrifewithplayacting.[11][318][322]Hisshort,stronglegsallowhimtoexcelin
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shortburstsofaccelerationwhilehisquickfeetenablehimtoretaincontroloftheballwhendribblingat
speed.[323]HisformerBarcelonamanager,PepGuardiola,oncestated:"Messiistheonlyplayerthatrunsfaster
withtheballthanhedoeswithoutit."[38]Althoughhehasimprovedhisabilitywithhisweakerfootsincehis
mid20s,Messiispredominantlyaleftfootedplayerwiththeoutsideofhisleftfoot,heusuallybegins
dribblingruns,whileheusestheinsideofhisfoottofinishandprovidepassesandassists.[324][325]
Aprolificgoalscorer,Messiisknownforhisfinishing,positioning,
quickreactions,andabilitytomakeattackingrunstobeatthedefensive
line.Healsofunctionsinaplaymakingrole,courtesyofhisvisionand
precisepassing,andisanaccuratefreekickandpenaltykick
taker,[318][326]thoughhisabilityonpenaltieshassomewhatdeteriorated
inrecentseasons.[327]Hispaceandtechnicalabilityenablehimto
undertakeindividualdribblingrunstowardsgoal,inparticularduring
counterattacks,usuallystartingfromthehalfwaylineortherightsideof
thepitch.[317][326]Widelyconsideredtobethebestdribblerinthe
Messipreparestoshootwithhis
world,[328]andoneofthegreatestofalltime,[329]withregardtothis
dominantleftfootduringthefinalof
ability,hisformerArgentinamanagerDiegoMaradonahassaidofhim:
the2014FIFAWorldCup.
"TheballstaysgluedtohisfootI'veseengreatplayersinmycareer,
butI'veneverseenanyonewithMessi'sballcontrol."[325]Beyondhis
individualqualities,heisalsoawellrounded,hardworkingteamplayer,knownforhiscreativecombinations,
inparticularwithBarcelonamidfieldersXaviandAndrsIniesta.[317][318]
Tactically,Messiplaysinafreeattackingroleaversatileplayer,heiscapableofattackingoneitherwingor
throughthecentreofthepitch.Hisfavouredpositioninchildhoodwastheplaymakerbehindtwostrikers,
knownastheengancheinArgentinefootball,buthebeganhiscareerinSpainasaleftwingerorleftsided
forward.[252]Uponhisfirstteamdebut,hewasmovedontotherightwingbymanagerFrankRijkaardfrom
thisposition,hecouldmoreeasilycutthroughthedefenceintothemiddleofthepitchandcurlshotsongoal
withhisleftfoot,ratherthanpredominantlycrossballsforteammates.[38]UnderGuardiolaandsubsequent
managers,hemostoftenplayedinafalseninerolepositionedasacentreforwardorlonestriker,hewould
roamthecentre,oftenmovingdeepintomidfieldanddrawingdefenderswithhim,inordertocreateand
exploitspacesforpasses,dribblingrunsorcombinationswithXaviandIniesta.[17]Underthestewardshipof
LuisEnrique,hereturnedtoplayingintherightsidedpositionthatcharacterisedmuchofhisearlycareer,[172]
whilealsobeingdeployedinadeeper,freerole.[330]WiththeArgentinanationalteam,Messihassimilarly
playedanywherealongthefrontlineundervariousmanagers,hehasbeenemployedontherightwing,asa
falsenine,orinadeeper,creativeroleasaclassicnumber10orattackingmidfielder.[259]
Reception
Aprodigioustalentasateenager,Messiestablishedhimselfamongtheworld'sbestplayersbeforeage20.[51]
DiegoMaradonaconsideredthe18yearoldMessithebestplayerintheworldalongsideRonaldinho,whilethe
Brazilianhimself,shortlyafterwinningtheBallond'Or,commented:"I'mnoteventhebestatBara,"in
referencetohisprotg.[331][332]Fouryearslater,afterMessihadwonhisfirstBallond'Orbyarecord
margin,[65]thepublicdebateregardinghisqualitiesasaplayermovedbeyondhisstatusincontemporary
footballtothepossibilitythathewasthegreatestplayerinhistory.[7][322][333]Anearlyproponentwashisthen
manager,PepGuardiola,whohadasearlyasAugust2009declaredMessitobethebestplayerhehadever
seen.[334]Inthefollowingyears,thisopiniongainedgreateracceptanceamongpundits,managers,formerand
currentplayers,[105][335][336]andbytheendofBara'ssecondtreblewinningseason,Messi'ssuperiority,ahead
ofMaradonaandPel,hadbecomethepredominantviewamonginsidersincontinentalEurope.[337][338]A
frequentdismissal,however,hascentredonthefactthatMessihasnotwontheFIFAWorldCupwith
Argentina,leadingsomeinthesporttoinsteadcitehimasthebestclubplayerinhistory.[339][340][341]
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Throughouthiscareer,Messihasbeencomparedwithhiscompatriot
DiegoMaradona,duetotheirsimilarplayingstylesasdiminutive,
"I'veseentheplayerwhowillinheritmy
leftfooteddribblers.Initially,hewasmerelyoneofmanyyoung
placeinArgentinianfootballandhis
Argentineplayers,includinghisboyhoodidolPabloAimar,to
nameisMessi."
receivethe"NewMaradona"moniker,butashiscareerprogressed,
Messiprovedhissimilaritybeyondallpreviouscontenders,
DiegoMaradonahailsthe18yearold
establishinghimselfasthegreatestplayerArgentinahadproduced
MessiashissuccessorinFebruary
[15][250]
2006. [58]
sinceMaradona.
JorgeValdano,whowonthe1986World
CupalongsideMaradona,saidinOctober2013:"MessiisMaradona
everyday.Forthelastfiveyears,MessihasbeentheMaradonaoftheWorldCupinMexico."[342]Csar
Menotti,whoasmanagerorchestratedtheir1978WorldCupvictory,echoedthissentimentwhenheopinedthat
Messiplays"atthelevelofthebestMaradona."[343]OthernotableArgentinesinthesport,suchasOsvaldo
Ardiles,JavierZanetti,andDiegoSimeone,haveexpressedtheirbeliefthatMessihasovertakenMaradonaas
thebestplayerinhistory.[344][345][346]
InArgentinesociety,MessiisgenerallyheldinlesseresteemthanMaradona,aconsequenceofnotonlyhis
unevenperformanceswiththenationalteam,butalsoofdifferencesinclass,personality,andbackground.
Messiisinsomewaystheantithesisofhispredecessor:whereMaradonawasanextroverted,controversial
characterwhorosetogreatnessfromtheslums,Messiisreservedandunassuming,anunremarkableman
outsideoffootball.[222][347][348]Anenduringmarkagainsthimisthefactthat,althoughthroughnofaultofhis
own,heneverprovedhimselfintheArgentinePrimeraDivisinasanupcomingplayer,achievingstardom
overseasfromayoungage,[11][222]whilehislackofoutwardpassionfortheAlbicelesteshirthedoesnot
singthenationalanthemandisdisinclinedtoemotionaldisplayshaveinthepastledtothefalseperception
thathefeltCatalanratherthantrulyArgentine.[257][258]DespitehavinglivedinSpainsinceage13,Messihas
said:"Argentinaismycountry,myfamily,mywayofexpressingmyself.Iwouldchangeallmyrecordsto
makethepeopleinmycountryhappy."[349]InNovember2016,withtheArgentineFootballAssociationbeing
runbyaFIFAcommitteeforemergencyduetoaneconomiccrisis,itwasreportedthatthreeofthenational
team'ssecuritystafftoldMessithattheyhaven'tbeengiventheirsalariesforsixmonths.Hehassteppedinand
paidthesalariesofthethreemembers.[350][351][352]
ComparisonstoCristianoRonaldo
Amonghiscontemporarypeers,Messiismostoftencomparedandcontrasted
withPortugueseforwardCristianoRonaldo,aspartofanongoingrivalrythat
hasbeencomparedtopastsportsrivalriesliketheMuhammadAliJoeFrazier
rivalryinboxing,theBjrnBorgJohnMcEnroerivalryintennis,andthe
AyrtonSennaAlainProstrivalryfromFormulaOne.[353][354]AlthoughMessi
hasattimesdeniedanyrivalry,[355][356]theyarewidelybelievedtopushone
anotherintheiraimtobethebestplayerintheworld:[155]since2008,Ronaldo
haswonfourBallonsd'OrtoMessi'sfive,andfourEuropeanGoldenShoesto
Messi'sthree.[357][358]Punditsandfansregularlyarguetheindividualmeritsof
bothplayers[155][359]beyondtheirplayingstyles,thedebatealsorevolves
aroundtheirdifferingphysiquesRonaldois1.85m(6ft1in)witha
muscularbuildandcontrastingpublicpersonalities,withRonaldo'sself
confidenceandtheatricsafoiltoMessi'shumility.[360][361][362]Messifaces
RonaldoatleasttwiceeveryseasoninElClsico,whichranksamongthe
world'smostviewedannualsportsevents.[363]Offthepitch,Ronaldoishis
directcompetitorintermsofsalary,sponsorships,andsocialmediafanbase.[363]
Messihasbeencomparedto
CristianoRonaldo(left)for
muchoftheircareers.
Inpopularculture
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AccordingtoFranceFootball,Messiwastheworld'shighestpaid
footballerforfiveyearsoutofsixbetween2009and2014hewasthefirst
"ThatismeandMessi.Were
playertoexceedthe40millionbenchmark,withearningsof41millionin
rightupthere.Absolutely."
2013,andthe5060millionpoints,withincomeof65millionin
USpresidentBarackObama
2014.[163][365]In2016,MessiwassecondonForbeslistoftheworld's
whengivenanhonorarynumber
highestpaidathletes(afterCristianoRonaldo)withincomeof$81.4million
10jerseyattheWhiteHouse. [364]
fromhissalaryandendorsementsin201516.[366]Since2008,hehasbeen
Barcelona'shighestpaidplayer,receivingasalarythatincreased
incrementallyfrom7.8millionto13millionoverthenextfiveyears.[71][72][139]Hiscurrentsalaryof
20millionnet(36millionbeforetaxes),establishedin2014,isthehighesteverinthesport.[163]Inaddition
tohissalaryandmultimillioneurobonuses,muchofhisincomederivesfromendorsementsSportsProhas
consequentlycitedhimasoneoftheworld'smostmarketableathleteseveryyearsincetheirresearchbeganin
2010.[367]Hismainsponsorsince2006isthesportswearcompanyAdidas.AsBara'sleadingyouthprospect,
hehadbeensignedwithNikesinceage14,buttransferredtoAdidasaftertheysuccessfullychallengedtheir
rival'sclaimtohisimagerightsincourt.[368]Overtime,Messiestablishedhimselfastheirleadingbrand
endorser[363]from2008,hehadalongrunningsignaturecollectionofAdidasF50boots,andin2015,he
becamethefirstfootballertoreceivehisownsubbrandofboots,theAdidasMessi.[369][370]
Asacommercialentity,Messi'smarketingbrandhasbeenbased
exclusivelyonhistalentsandachievementsasaplayer,incontrastto
arguablymoreglamorousplayerslikeCristianoRonaldoandDavid
Beckham.Atthestartofhiscareer,hethusmainlyheldsponsorship
contractswithcompaniesthatemploysportsorientedmarketing,such
asAdidas,Pepsi,andKonami.[371][372]From2010onwards,
concurrentlywithhisincreasedachievementsasaplayer,hismarketing
appealwidened,leadingtolongtermendorsementdealswithluxury
brandsDolce&GabbanaandAudemarsPiguet.[371][373][374]Messiis
alsoaglobalbrandambassadorforGillette,TurkishAirlines,Ooredoo,
AmuralofMessi'slikenessinthe
SanSirodistrictofMilan,
andTataMotors,amongothercompanies.[375][376][377][378]Additionally,
photographedin2013
MessiwasthefaceofKonami'svideogameseriesProEvolution
Soccer,appearingonthecoversofPES2009,PES2010,andPES2011.
HesubsequentlysignedwithrivalcompanyEASportstobecomethefaceoftheirseriesFIFAandhassince
appearedonfourconsecutivecoversfromFIFA13toFIFA16.[379][380]
Messi'sglobalpopularityandinfluencearewelldocumented.HewasamongtheTime100,anannuallistofthe
world'smostinfluentialpeopleaspublishedbyTime,in2011and2012.[381][382]Hisfanbaseonthesocial
mediawebsiteFacebookisamongthelargestofallpublicfigures:withinsevenhoursofitslaunchinApril
2011,hisFacebookpagehadnearlysevenmillionfollowers,andbyNovember2013,hehadbecomeonlythe
secondsportsperson,afterCristianoRonaldo,toamassover50millionfollowers.[362][383][384]Accordingtoa
2014surveybysportsresearchfirmRepucomin15internationalmarkets,Messiwasfamiliarto87%of
respondentsaroundtheworld,ofwhom78%perceivedhimfavourably,makinghimthesecondmost
recognisedplayerglobally,behindRonaldo,andthemostlikableofallcontemporaryplayers.[385][386]
OthereventshaveillustratedMessi'spresenceinpopularculture.Asolidgoldreplicaofhisleftfoot,weighing
25kg(55lb)andvaluedat$5.25million,wentonsaleinJapaninMarch2013toraisefundsforvictimsofthe
2011Thokuearthquakeandtsunami.[387]A2013TurkishAirlinesadvertisementstarringMessi,inwhichhe
engagesinaselfiecompetitionwithLosAngelesLakersstarKobeBryant,wasthemostwatchedadon
YouTubeintheyearofitsrelease,receiving137millionviews,andwassubsequentlyvotedthebest
advertisementofthe200515decadetocommemorateYouTube'sfounding.[388][389]WorldPressPhoto
21/40
12/16/2016
selected"TheFinalGame",aphotographofMessifacingtheWorldCuptrophyafterArgentina'sfinaldefeatto
Germany,asthebestsportsimageof2014.[390]Messi,adocumentaryabouthislifebyfilmmakerlexdela
Iglesia,premieredattheVeniceFilmFestivalinAugust2014.[391]
Personallife
Familyandrelationships
Since2008,whenhewas20,MessihasbeeninarelationshipwithAntonellaRoccuzzo,afellownativeof
Rosario.HehasknownRoccuzzosincehewasfiveyearsold,assheisthecousinofhisbestfriendsince
childhood,LucasScaglia,whoisalsoafootballplayer.Afterkeepingtheirrelationshipprivateforayear,
MessifirstconfirmedtheirromanceinaninterviewinJanuary2009,beforegoingpublicamonthlaterduringa
carnivalinSitgesaftertheBarcelonaEspanyolderby.Hehadpreviouslybeenromanticallylinkedwith
ArgentinemodelsMacarenaLemosandLucianaSalazar.[392]
MessipicturedinJuly2014
MessiandRoccuzzohavetwosons:Thiago(born2012)andMateo(born
2015).Tocelebratehispartner'sfirstpregnancy,Messiplacedtheballunderhis
shirtafterscoringinArgentina's40winagainstEcuadoron2June2012,
beforeconfirmingthepregnancyinaninterviewtwoweekslater.[393]Thiago
wasborninBarcelonaon2November2012,withMessiattendingthebirth
afterbeinggivenpermissionbyBarcelonatomisstraining.Heannouncedhis
son'sarrivalonhisFacebookpage,writing:"TodayIamthehappiestmaninthe
world,mysonwasbornandthankstoGodforthisgift!"[394]Thiago'snameand
handprintsaretattooedonhisleftcalf.[142]InApril2015,Messiconfirmedon
Facebookthattheywereexpectinganotherchild.[395]Hemissedtrainingahead
ofamatchagainstAtlticoMadridtoattendthebirthofhissecondson,Mateo,
on11September2015inBarcelona.[396]
Messienjoysacloserelationshipwithhisimmediatefamilymembers,
particularlyhismother,Celia,whosefacehehastattooedonhisleftshoulder.Hisprofessionalaffairsare
largelyrunasafamilybusiness:hisfather,Jorge,hasbeenhisagentsincehewas14,andhisoldestbrother,
Rodrigo,handleshisdailyscheduleandpublicity.Hismotherandotherbrother,Matas,managehischaritable
organisation,theLeoMessiFoundation,andtakecareofpersonalandprofessionalmattersinRosario.[397]
SinceleavingforSpainatage13,MessihasmaintainedclosetiestohishometownofRosario,evenpreserving
hisdistinctRosarinoaccent.Hehaskeptownershipofhisfamily'soldhouse,althoughithaslongstoodempty
hemaintainsapenthouseapartmentinanexclusiveresidentialbuildingforhismother,aswellasafamily
compoundjustoutsidethecity.OncewhenhewasintrainingwiththenationalteaminBuenosAires,hemade
athreehourtripbycartoRosarioimmediatelyafterpracticetohavedinnerwithhisfamily,spentthenight
withthem,andreturnedtoBuenosAiresthenextdayintimeforpractice.Messikeepsindailycontactvia
phoneandtextwithasmallgroupofconfidantsinRosario,mostofwhomwerefellowmembersof"The
Machineof'87"atNewell'sOldBoys.Althoughconsideredaoneclubman,hehaslongplannedtoreturnto
RosariotoendhisplayingcareeratNewell's.HewasonbadtermswiththeclubafterhistransfertoBarcelona,
butby2012theirpublicfeudhadended,withNewell'sembracingtheirtieswithMessi,evenissuingaclub
membershipcardtohisnewbornson.[11][398][399]
Charity
Throughouthiscareer,Messihasbeeninvolvedincharitableeffortsaimedatvulnerablechildren,a
commitmentthatstemsinpartfromthemedicaldifficultieshefacedinhisownchildhood.Since2004,hehas
contributedhistimeandfinancestotheUnitedNationsChildren'sFund(UNICEF),anorganisationwithwhich
Barcelonaalsohaveastrongassociation.[400][401]MessihasservedasaUNICEFgoodwillambassadorsince
22/40
12/16/2016
hisappointmentinMarch2010,completinghisfirstfieldmissionfortheorganisationfourmonthslaterashe
travelledtoHaititobringpublicawarenesstotheplightofthecountry'schildreninthewakeoftherecent
earthquake.HehassinceparticipatedinUNICEFcampaignstargetingHIVprevention,education,andthe
socialinclusionofdisabledchildren.[402]Tocelebratehisson'sfirstbirthday,inNovember2013,Messiand
Thiagowerepartofapublicitycampaigntoraiseawarenessofmortalityratesamongdisadvantaged
children.[403]
InadditiontohisworkwithUNICEF,Messifoundedhisowncharitableorganisation,theLeoMessi
Foundation,whichsupportsaccesstohealthcare,education,andsportforchildren.[404]Itwasestablishedin
2007followingavisitMessipaidtoahospitalforterminallyillchildreninBoston,anexperiencethat
resonatedwithhimtothepointthathedecidedtoreinvestpartofhisearningsintosociety.[398]Throughhis
foundation,Messihasawardedresearchgrants,financedmedicaltraining,andinvestedinthedevelopmentof
medicalcentresandprojectsinArgentina,Spain,andelsewhereintheworld.[398][405]Inadditiontohisown
fundraisingactivities,suchashisglobal"MessiandFriends"footballmatches,hisfoundationreceivesfinancial
supportfromvariouscompaniestowhichhehasassignedhisnameinendorsementagreements,withAdidasas
theirmainsponsor.[406][407]
MessihasalsoinvestedinyouthfootballinArgentina:hefinanciallysupportsSarmiento,afootballclubbased
intheRosarioneighbourhoodwherehewasborn,committingin2013totherefurbishmentoftheirfacilities
andtheinstallationofallweatherpitches,andfundsthemanagementofseveralyouthplayersatNewell'sOld
BoysandrivalclubRosarioCentral,aswellasatRiverPlateandBocaJuniorsinBuenosAires.[398]At
Newell'sOldBoys,hisboyhoodclub,hefundedthe2012constructionofanewgymnasiumandadormitory
insidetheclub'sstadiumfortheiryouthacademy.HisformeryouthcoachatNewell's,ErnestoVecchio,is
employedbytheLeoMessiFoundationasatalentscoutforyoungplayers.[11]On7June2016,Messiwona
libelcaseagainstLaRaznnewspaperandwasawarded65,000indamages,whichhedonatedtothecharity
DoctorswithoutBorders.[408][409]
Legalissues
Messi'sfinancialaffairscameunderinvestigationin2013forsuspectedtaxevasion.Offshorecompaniesintax
havensUruguayandBelizewereallegedlyusedtoevade4.1millionintaxesrelatedtosponsorshipearnings
between2007and2009.AnunrelatedshellcompanyinPanama,setupin2012,wassubsequentlyidentifiedas
belongingtotheMessisinthePanamaPapersdataleak.Messi,whopleadedignoranceoftheallegedscheme,
voluntarilypaidarrearsof5.1millioninAugust2013.Hestoodtrialalongsidehisfatheronthreecountsof
taxevasioninMay2016.[410]On6July2016,Messiandhisfatherwerebothfoundguiltyoftaxfraudand
werehandedsuspended21monthprisonsentencesandrespectivelyorderedtopay1.7millionand1.4
millioninfines.[411]
WhilethedistrictattorneydidnotconsidertheretobemotivestoaccuseMessi,thestatelawyer'soffice
becametheonlypartythatrequestedapunishmentforhim,despitehisdeclarationsthathewasnotawareof
anyofthedealsthatweretakingplacewithhismoney.Facingthejudge,hesaid:"Ijustplayedfootball."[412]
Careerstatistics
Club
Asof10December2016
23/40
12/16/2016
Club
Season
Division
Barcelona
C
Barcelona
B
2003
04[413]
Tercera
Divisin
Champions
League
Other
Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
10
10
17
17
22
22
2004
05[36]
2005
06[49]
17
25
2006
07[52]
26
14
3[a]
36
17
2007
08[67]
28
10
40
16
2008
09[75]
31
23
12
51
38
2009
10[88]
35
34
11
4[b]
53
47
33
31
13
12
2[c]
55
53
2011
12[109]
37
50
11
14
5[d]
60
73
2012
13[151]
32
46
11
2[c]
50
60
2013
14[151]
31
28
2[c]
46
41
2014
15[176]
38
43
13
10
57
58
2015
16[414]
33
26
4[e]
49
41
2016
17[415]
12
11
10
2[c]
19
22
360
323
55
39
111
93
24
20
550
475
392
334
55
39
111
93
24
20
582
486
2003
04[35]
Segunda
DivisinB
2004
05[36]
Total
Barcelona
Copadel
Rey
League
2010
11[103]
LaLiga
Total
Careertotal
Notes
a.OneappearanceinUEFASuperCup,twoappearancesinSupercopadeEspaa
b.OneappearanceinUEFASuperCup,oneappearanceandtwogoalsinSupercopadeEspaa,twoappearancesandtwo
goalsinFIFAClubWorldCup
c.AppearancesinSupercopadeEspaa
d.OneappearanceandonegoalinUEFASuperCup,twoappearancesandthreegoalsinSupercopadeEspaa,two
appearancesandtwogoalsinFIFAClubWorldCup
24/40
12/16/2016
e.OneappearanceandtwogoalsinUEFASuperCup,twoappearancesandonegoalinSupercopadeEspaa,one
appearanceandonegoalinFIFAClubWorldCup
International
Asof16November2016
Team
Year
Tournament
ArgentinaU20[223][224] 2005 16[a]

ArgentinaU23[248]
Argentina[230][416]
Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
2004
Total
Friendly
2
11
16
11
18
14
11
2008 5[b]
2005 3[c]
2006 3[d]
2007 10[e]
14
2008 6[c]
2009 8[c]
10
2010 5[d]
10
8[f]
13
2012 5[c]
12
2013 5[c]
2014 7[d]
14
2015 6[g]
2016 10[h]
11
Total
76
30
40
27
116
57
97
43
42
30
139
73
Careertotal
16
2011
Notes
a.NineappearancesandfivegoalsinSouthAmericanYouthFootballChampionship,sevenappearancesandsixgoalsin
FIFAWorldYouthChampionship
b.AppearancesinSummerOlympics
c.AppearancesinFIFAWorldCupqualification
d.AppearancesinFIFAWorldCup
e.SixappearancesandtwogoalsinCopaAmrica,fourappearancesandtwogoalsinFIFAWorldCupqualification
f.FourappearancesinCopaAmrica,fourappearancesandtwogoalsinFIFAWorldCupqualification
g.AppearancesinCopaAmrica
h.FiveappearancesandthreegoalsinFIFAWorldCupqualification,fiveappearancesandfivegoalsinCopaAmrica
Honoursandachievements
Barcelona
LaLiga:200405,200506,200809,200910,201011,201213,201415,201516
CopadelRey:200809,201112,201415,201516
SupercopadeEspaa:2005,2006,2009,2010,2011,2013,2016
25/40
12/16/2016
UEFAChampionsLeague:200506,200809,201011,201415
UEFASuperCup:2009,2011,2015
FIFAClubWorldCup:2009,2011,2015[417]
International
FIFAU20WorldCup:2005
OlympicGoldMedal:2008
Individual
Awards
Ballond'Or:2009[418]
FIFABallond'Or:2010,2011,2012,2015[418]
FIFAWorldPlayeroftheYear:2009[418]
IFFHSWorld'sBestTopGoalscorer:2011,2012[419]
IFFHSWorld'sBestTopDivisionGoalscorer:2012,2013[419]
IFFHSWorld'sBestPlaymaker:2015[420]
UEFAClubFootballeroftheYear:2009[421]
UEFAClubForwardoftheYear:2009[421]
UEFABestPlayerinEurope:2011,2015[191]
EuropeanGoldenShoe:2010,2012,2013[150]
BestPlayerinLaLiga:2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015[422][423][424]
BestForwardinLaLiga:2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015,2016[422][423][424][425]
LaLigaPlayeroftheMonth:January2016[426]
OlimpiadePlata(ArgentineFootballeroftheYear):2005,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,
2015[422][427]
OlimpiadeOro(ArgentineSportspersonoftheYear):2011[422]
FIFAClubWorldCupGoldenBall:2009,2011[428]
FIFAClubWorldCupSilverBall:2015[429]
FIFAWorldCupGoldenBall:2014[430]
CopaAmricaMostValuablePlayer:2015(rejected)[287]
FIFAFIFProWorldXI:2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015[431][432]
UEFATeamoftheYear:2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2014,2015[421][433]
LaLigaTeamoftheYear:2015[434]
AFATeamofAllTime(published2015)[435]
FIFAWorldCupDreamTeam:2014[436]
CopaAmricaDreamTeam:2007,2011,2015,2016[437][438][439][304]
UEFAGoaloftheSeason:200607,201415,201516[422][186][440]
CopaAmricaBestGoal:2007[441][442]
FIFProYoungWorldPlayeroftheYear:2006,2007,2008[431]
GoldenBoy(YoungEuropeanFootballeroftheYear):2005[48]
FIFAWorldYouthChampionshipGoldenBall:2005[443]
FIFAWorldYouthChampionshipGoldenShoe:2005[443]
CopaAmricaBestYoungPlayer:2007[431]
Performances
LaLigatopgoalscorer:200910,201112,201213[444]
26/40
12/16/2016
LaLigatopassistprovider:201011,201415,201516[445]
CopadelReytopgoalscorer:200809,201011,201314,201516[446]
UEFAChampionsLeaguetopgoalscorer:200809,200910,201011,201112,201415[447]
UEFAChampionsLeaguetopassistprovider:201112,201415[448]
FIFAClubWorldCuptopgoalscorer:2011[449]
FIFAWorldYouthChampionshiptopgoalscorer:2005[225]
CopaAmricatopassistprovider:2011,2015,2016[438][450][451]
Records
Asof10November2016
MostFIFABallonsd'Or:5(200912,2015)[note5][452]
MostconsecutiveFIFABallonsd'Or:4[453]
YoungesttwotimeandthreetimeFIFABallond'Orwinner:23and24yearsold[453]
MostUEFABestPlayerinEuropeawards:3(2009,2011,2015)(sharedwithCristianoRonaldo)
[note5][191][454]
MostLaLigaBestPlayerawards:6(200913,2015)[note5][455]
TopgoalscorerinLaLiga:319goals[456]
TopassistproviderinLaLiga:130assists[note4][180][181]
TopgoalscorerintheSupercopadeEspaa:12goals[262]
TopgoalscorerinElClsico:21goals[158]
TopgoalscorerintheDerbibarcelon:16goals[167]
TopgoalscorerintheUEFASuperCup:3goals(sharedwithArieHaan,OlegBlokhin,GerdMller,Rob
Rensenbrink,FranoisVanderElst,TerryMcDermott,andRadamelFalcao) [457]
TopgoalscorerintheFIFAClubWorldCup:5goals(sharedwithCsarDelgadoandLuisSurez)[458]
Topgoalscorerinallclubcompetitionsinacalendaryear:79goalsin2012[132][134]
Topgoalscorerinallclubcompetitionsinaseason:73goalsin201112[459][262]
Longestgoalscoringruninadomesticleague:21matches,33goalsin201213[148][147]
TopgoalscorerinaLaLigaseason:50goalsin201112[460]
MosthattricksscoredinaLaLigaseason:8in201112(sharedwithCristianoRonaldo)[262]
OnlyplayertoscoreconsecutivelyagainstalloppositionteamsinLaLiga:19matches,30goalsin
201213[141]
OnlyplayertohavewonmorethanoneFIFAClubWorldCupGoldenBall.[461]
Youngestplayertoscore200goalsinLaLiga:25yearsin2013[462]
OnlyplayertobetopgoalscorerinfiveUEFAChampionsLeagueseasons(200809to201112,2014
15)[189][190]
OnlyplayertobetopgoalscorerinfourconsecutiveUEFAChampionsLeagueseasons[262]
MosthattricksscoredintheUEFAChampionsLeague:7[463]
MostgoalsscoredinaUEFAChampionsLeaguematch:5in2012(sharedwithLuizAdriano)[464]
Youngestplayertomake100appearancesintheUEFAChampionsLeague:28years,84daysin
2015[465]
MosttitleswonwithBarcelona:29(sharedwithAndrsIniesta)[466]
TopgoalscorerforBarcelonainofficialcompetitions:475goals[467]
TopgoalscorerforBarcelonaincludingfriendlies:498goals[467]
TopgoalscorerforBarcelonaintheUEFAChampionsLeague:93goals[467]
MosthattricksscoredinallcompetitionsbyaBarcelonaplayer:36[178]
MosthattricksscoredinLaLigabyaBarcelonaplayer:26[468]
OnlyBarcelonaplayertobetopgoalscorerinthreeLaLigaseasons(200910,201112,201213)[467]
AlltimetopassistproviderinCopaAmrica:11assists[469]
Argentinaalltimetopgoalscorer:56goals[470][471][472]
27/40
12/16/2016
TopgoalscorerforArgentinainacalendaryear:12goalsin2012(sharedwithGabrielBatistuta)[262]
YoungestplayertoplayforArgentinainaFIFAWorldCup:18years,357daysin2006[232]
YoungestplayertoscoreforArgentinainaFIFAWorldCup:18years,357daysin2006[232]
Youngestplayertoreach100capsforacountryunderCONMEBOL'sjurisdiction:27years,361daysin
2015[473]
Seealso
ListofpeoplenamedinthePanamaPapers
References
Notes
1.Accordingtohisclub'sofficialwebsite,FCBarcelona.com,andhisauthorisedbiography,MessibyGuillemBalagu,
hissurnameisthesingle"Messi",inaccordancewithArgentinecustoms.[1][2]Othersources,includinga2014
documentbyFIFA,givehissurnameasthedouble"MessiCuccittini".[3]
2.InadditiontofourFIFABallonsd'Or,MessireceivedFranceFootball'sBallond'OrandFIFA'sWorldPlayerofthe
Yearawardpriortotheirfusionbothorganisationscredithimwithfive(FIFA)Ballonsd'Or.[4][5]
3.SincesurpassedbyCristianoRonaldo,MessiisthesecondhighestgoalscorerintheEuropeanCup/Champions
LeagueasofDecember2016.
4.Assiststatisticsbeganin1990.
5.ThisfederationorleaguesanctionedPlayeroftheYearawardwaspreviouslyissuedunderadifferentnameand/or
format.
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3."2014FIFAWorldCupBrazil:ListofPlayers"
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8September2015.
4.Lacombe,Rmy(11January2016)."Messi,le
Cinquimelment".FranceFootball.Retrieved
26May2016.
5."Messi,Lloyd,LuisEnriqueandEllisTriumphat
FIFABallond'Or2015".FIFA.11January2016.
Retrieved26May2016.
6.Caioli2012,pp.910.
7.Carlin,John(27March2010)."LionelMessi:Magic
inHisFeet".TheIndependent.Retrieved18July
2015.
8.Balagu2013,pp.4445.
9.Maume,Chris(11July2014)."LionelMessi:The
WorldatHisFeet".TheIndependent.Retrieved
18July2015.
10.Caioli2012,p.38.
11.Thompson,Wright(22October2012)."Hereand
Gone:TheStrangeRelationshipbetweenLionel
MessiandHisHometowninArgentina".Outsidethe
Lines.ESPNFC.Retrieved18July2015.
12.Caioli2012,pp.3135.
13.Cazadieu,JrmeJuillard,AlexandreTrani,
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Lgended'ElEnano"[LeoMessi:TheLegendofEl
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51."Messi:I'mNottheBest".FIFA.31May2007.
53."MessiNeedsSurgeryonBrokenFoot".CNN.13
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aboutMessi".TheGuardian.Retrieved21July2015.
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HailsHisSuccessor".TheDailyTelegraph.Retrieved
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Barcelona
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LionelMessiprofile(http://www.soccerway.com/players/lionelandresmessi/119/)atSoccerway
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LionelMessi(http://www.nationalfootballteams.com/player/12066.html)atNationalFootball
Teams.com
LionelMessi(http://www.fifa.com/fifatournaments/playerscoaches/people=229397/index.html)FIFA
competitionrecord
LionelMessi(http://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/players/player=95803/profile/index.html)UEFA
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Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lionel_Messi&oldid=754787931"
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