Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljonel andɾes mesi], born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is a footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona and Argentina National Team as a winger or striker. Considered one of the best footballers of his generation, has received several Messi Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations at the age of 21 years, and won in 2009 and 2010.His style of play and skills has been drawing comparisons with Diego Maradona, Messi has said as his "successor".

Messi started playing football as a young man and his potential was quickly identified in Barcelona. Rosario left the youth team based Newell Old Boys in 2000 and moved with his family in Europe, from Barcelona to provide assistance for its growth hormone deficiency. He made his debut in the 2004-05 season, the team broke the record as the youngest player to score goals in the league. Great honors soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in season debut of Messi, and won the championship twice and the Champions League in 2006. His season was carried out the 2006-07 season, he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico, and finishing 26 games 14 goals League. Messi then had his most successful period of his career, 2008-09 season, where he made 38 goals to play an integral part of the high-winning campaign.

This season's record was later eclipsed in the upcoming 2009-10 season, where Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, tying a record total of Ronaldo at Barcelona. It broke the record in the 2010-11 season with 53 goals in all competitions.

Messi won five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, scoring two of the finals against Manchester United in 2009 and 2011. He was not on the ground that Barcelona beat Arsenal in 2006 but won the medal winners of the tournament. After scoring 12 goals in 2010-11 Champions League, Messi was the third player (after Gerd Müller and Jean-Pierre Papin) to score in the countryside Cup three successive European Champion Clubs. But Messi is the first to win the Champions League top scorer title three consecutive years after the Champions League format changed in 1992.

Messi was top scorer in 2005 FIFA World Youth, with six goals, including two in the final game. Soon after, he became an established member of Argentina's leading international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a second place in the Copa America tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international fame, an Olympic gold medal with Argentina's Olympic football team.