Full Name: Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
Birthdate: 24 June 1987(Age 31)
Current Team: Barcelona
Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini widely known as Lionel Messi, Born in Rosario,Argentina plays as a winger, forward and sometimes as a Attacking midfielder for La liga Giants FC Barcelona and National Team Argentina. He is also the Captain of FC Barcelona as well as Argentina NT. He is often considered as best player or rather a greatest player of all time alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi has 5 Ballon d’or and 6 European Golden shoes. Of those 5 Ballon d’or, he won 4 consecutively. By some Football pundits and fans, Messi is considered as GOD of Football.
Growing in Rosario in Argentina, Messi suffered a disease called growth hormone deficiency. At that time he used to play for his boyhood club named Newell’s Old Boys. He played in these club from age 6 to age 13 wherein he scored almost scored 500 goals. The coach used to play tricks on him by saying if you score 1 goal every game he will give him a chocolate. By then he always used to score 2-3 goals every match and coach used to give him a chocolates. Once tired coach told him if he scored a header he will give him 2 chocolates. This trick was played by the coach as he was smallest. But in the next match he dribble past every player even the goalkeeper flipped the ball in the air and scored a header and ran to the coach for the chocolates. He kept scoring goals by dribbling every defender but due to his growth diseases treatment used to cost $ 1000 per year. His father’s Insurance could only cover 2 years of treatment. Then he went to Barcelona,Spain where he had some relatives where Barcelona’s First team director Carles Rexach immediately wanted to sign Messi and the club were ready to pay for all of his treatment and the first contract was sign on a paper napkin and his family shifted to Barcelona. He used to get bullied by players at La Masia as he was small and also from different country and also Messi was a quite kid and didnt used to talk much. Pique and Fabregas were his 2 first friends in La Masia. But then they both left for Manchester United and Arsenal Respectively.
Awards Received by Leo Messi:
Barcelona:
- La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 20
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
- Supercopa de España: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
- UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
- UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015 15–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
Argentina:
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2014
- Copa América runner-up: 2007, 2015, 2016
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2008
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
Individual Awards:
- FIFA Ballon d’Or/Ballon d’Or: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015[550][551]
- European Golden Shoe: 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19[162][243][264][296]
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2009[551]
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2014[552]
- Copa América Golden Ball: 2015[553][554][555][556]
- UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award: 2011, 2015[203]
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2009[557]
- UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2009[557]
- Onze d’Or: 2009, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2017–18[558][559]
- Globe Soccer Awards Best Player of the Year: 2015[560]
- La Liga Best Player: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2017–18[561][562][563][564]
- La Liga Best Forward: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16[561][562][563][565]
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2009, 2011[566]
- FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2015[567]
- FIFA Club World Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2011[566]
- FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Ball: 2005[568]
- FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Shoe: 2005[568]
- Olimpia de Plata (Argentine Footballer of the Year): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017[561][569][570][571]
- Copa América Best Young Player: 2007[572]
- FIFPro Young World Player of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008[572]
- Bravo Award: 2007[573]
- Golden Boy (Young European Footballer of the Year): 2005[58]
- IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker: 2015, 2016, 2017[574][575][576]
- IFFHS Men’s World Team: 2017,[577] 2018[578]
- La Liga Player of the Month: January 2016, April 2017, April 2018, September 2018, March 2019 [579][580][581]
- FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018[572][582][583][584][585]
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018[557][586][587][588]
- UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year[589]
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16[590]
- UEFA La Liga Team of The Season: 2015–16, 2016–17[591][592]
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014[593]
- Copa América Dream Team: 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016[594][595][596][381]
- AFA Team of All Time (published 2015)[597]
- UEFA Goal of the Season: 2006–07, 2014–15, 2015–16[561][198][598]
- World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time (published 2013)[599]
- Creu de Sant Jordi: 2019[600]
FIFA WORLD 