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Lionel Messi
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Lionel Messi
Personal information
Full name Lionel Andr茅s Messi12
Date of birth 24 June 1987 (1987-06-24) (age 22)
Place of birth Rosario, Argentina
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)1
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current club FC Barcelona
Number 10
Youth career
1995鈥2000 Newell's Old Boys
2000鈥2003 FC Barcelona
Senior career1
Years Club Apps2 (Gls)2
2003鈥2004 FC Barcelona B
2004鈥 FC Barcelona 109 (54)
National team3
2005 Argentina U20 7 (6)
2008 Argentina U23 5 (2)
2005鈥 Argentina 38 (12)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 May 2009.

2 Appearances (Goals)

3 National team caps and goals correct as of 14 June 2009.

Lionel Andr茅s "Leo" Messi (pronounced /'li:蓲n蓻l 忙n'dr蓻s 'm蓻si藧/; born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine footballer of Italian descent34 who plays currently for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Messi is considered to be one of the best football players of his generation,567 having received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21. He was selected as both the FIFPro and World Soccer Magazine Young Player of the Year for three years running from 2005鈥2008. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona.8 Indeed, Maradona himself declared Messi his "successor".9

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by FC Barcelona. He left Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004鈥05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006鈥07: he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Cl谩sico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008鈥09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble winning campaign.

Messi was the top scorer with six goals, including two in the final game of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa Am茅rica tournament the following year. In Beijing in 2008 he won his first senior international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.

Contents

Early life

Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, to parents Jorge Messi, a factory worker, and Celia (n茅e Cuccitini), a part-time cleaner.1011 He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Mat铆as as well as a sister named Maria Sol.12 At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge.13 In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario.13 At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.14 Primera Divisi贸n club River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment of the illness that cost $900 a month.11 Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, was made aware of Messi's talent as Messi had relatives in Catalonia so Messi and his father managed to arrange a trial,11 and FC Barcelona signed him after watching him play,15 offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain.13 His family moved to Europe and he started in the club's youth teams.15

FC Barcelona

Messi made his unofficial debut for the first team against F.C. Porto on 16 November 2003 (at 16 years and 145 days).1617 Less than a year later, he made his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga (a record broken by team mate Bojan Krki膰 in September 2007).161 When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompi茅 on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona until 2007 when Bojan Krki膰, again, broke this record, scoring from a Messi assist.18

2005鈥06 season

"Messi I think is like me, he is the best in the world along with Ronaldinho."

On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract 鈥 this time improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014.1320 Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September21 and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because Barcelona had filled their quota of non-EU players. Messi's first home outing in the UEFA Champions League came on 27 September against Italian club Udinese.16 Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona.22

Messi netted six goals in seventeen league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. However, his season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006 when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea.23 Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.2425

2006鈥07 season

Messi shortly before scoring a goal against Getafe

Messi established himself as a regular first team player with strong performances against Chelsea and Real Madrid.26 On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months.2728 Messi recuperated from his injury in Argentina, and his return to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February,29 where he came on as a second-half substitute. Frank Rijkaard carefully managed his complete return, gradually increasing playing minutes with each game. One month after his return, on 10 March, he played his first full league match since the injury against Real Madrid. Once again, El Cl谩sico saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3鈥3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time.30 In doing so he became the first player since Iv谩n Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994鈥95 season)31 and the first Barcelona player since Rom谩rio (1993鈥94 season) to hit a hat-trick in El Cl谩sico. Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture (scheduled match). Towards the end of the season he began finding the net more often; 11 of his 14 league goals for the season came from the last 13 games.32

Messi in a match against Rangers in 2007

Messi also proved the "new Maradona" tag was not all hype, by near-replicating Maradona's most famous goals in the space of the single season.33 On 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century.34 The world's sports press exploded with Maradona comparisons, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as "Messidona".35 He ran about the same distance, 62 metres (200 ft), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before.33 In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: "There's no other like Leo."36 Against Espanyol Messi also scored a goal which was remarkably similar to Maradona's goal against England in the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi launched himself at the ball and connected with his hand to guide the ball past the goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.37 Despite protests by Espanyol players the goal was allowed despite replays showing it was clear handball (use of the hand, illegal in football).

2007鈥08 season

Messi takes Bar莽a to 2:0 against Sevilla at Camp Nou on 22 September 2007

During the 2007鈥08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week leading Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. He scored two goals against FC Sevilla on 22 September.38 A few days earlier he had scored as Barcelona defeated Olympique Lyonnais 3鈥0 at home in a Champions League match39 and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4鈥1 victory over Real Zaragoza.40

He was nominated for a FIFPro World XI Player Award under the category of Forward.41 A recent poll conducted in the online edition of the Spanish newspaper Marca had him as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the vote.42 Columnists from Barcelona-based newspapers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport stated that the Ballon d'Or should be given to Leo Messi, a view supported by Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff.43 Various football personalities such as Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Frank Rijkaard, V铆ctor Fern谩ndez, Bernd Schuster, Guti, Ra煤l, Gianluca Zambrotta, Francesco Totti, Antonio Cassano, Alfredo di St茅fano, Diego Maradona and Pel茅 have all, at one time or another, declared that they consider Messi to be one of the current best footballers in the world.4445

On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Bar莽a against Valencia.46

Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that the player suffered this type of injury.47

2008鈥09 season

Messi in a match against Deportivo de La Coru帽a

With Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey.48 On 1 October 2008, during a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn the score from 0鈥1 to a victory for Barcelona 2鈥1.49 The next league game was versus Atl茅tico Madrid, a match billed as a friendly battle between Messi and good friend Sergio Ag眉ero.50 Messi scored a goal from a free kick and assisted another as Bar莽a went on to win the match 6鈥1.51 Messi netted another impressive brace (two goals) against Sevilla scoring a volley from 23 metres (25 yd) and then dribbling round the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle for the other.52 On 13 December 2008, during the first Cl谩sico of the season, Messi scored the second goal in Barcelona's 2鈥0 win over Real Madrid.53 He was also named second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.54

Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atl茅tico Madrid which Barcelona won 3鈥1.55 Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing de Santander 2鈥1 after being 0鈥1 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal.56 In the 28th round of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, helping his team to a 6鈥0 victory over M谩laga CF in the process.57 On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions' League, setting a personal record of nine goals in the competition.58 On 18 April, Messi notched his 20th league goal of the season in a 1鈥0 at Getafe, allowing Barcelona to maintain their six point advantage at the top of the league table over Real Madrid.59

Michael Carrick (background) watches as Lionel Messi shoots in 2009 UEFA Champions League Final

As a frantic end to Barcelona's season began, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a wonderful performance in a 6鈥2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernab茅u60 in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930.61 After scoring each goal, he ran towards the fans and the cameras lifting up his Barcelona jersey and showing another T-shirt that read S铆ndrome X Fr脿gil, Catalan for Fragile X Syndrome, to show his support for children who suffer from the affliction.62 Messi was involved in the build-up to Andr茅s Iniesta's injury time goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to send Barcelona through to face Manchester United in the final. He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one and assisting another two, in a 4鈥1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.63 He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead, he also became the top scorer in the Champions League with nine goals.64 Samuel Eto'o scored the first in the 10th minute and Messi sealed it in the 70th with a beautifully placed header (the use of the head in football).65 That meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and UEFA Champions League this season.66 This was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.67

International career

In June 2004, he debuted for Argentina, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay.68 In 2005 he was part of a team of talented new players that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. There, he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe.69

On 4 August 2005, Jos茅 Pekerman called Messi up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut on 17 August against Hungary at 18 years and 54 days, but it was a forgettable occasion. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off after just 40 seconds because the referee, Markus Merk, found he had elbowed defender Vilmos Vancz谩k, who was tugging Messi's shirt. The decision was contentious. Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated.7071 Messi then had his first international start on 3 September in Argentina's 1鈥0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay.72 Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-d茅but. The first one was a bit short."73

On 28 March 2009 in a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the coveted number 10 Argentine senior national team jersey for the first time. This match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as Argentine Coach. Argentina won the match 4鈥0 with Lionel Messi opening the scoring.74

FIFA World Cup 2006

Messi in 2006 FIFA World Cup

The injury that kept him from playing for two months at the end of the 2005鈥06 season jeopardised his presence in the World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the farewell match against the Argentine U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th minute.7576 He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the bench.77 In the next match against Serbia, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodr铆guez in the 74th minute. He assisted Hern谩n Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6鈥0 victory, that made him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup.78 Messi started in Argentina's following 0鈥0 tie against the Netherlands.79 In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, with the score tied 1鈥1. He appeared to score a goal, but was ruled offside8081 Argentina needing a late goal in extra time to proceed. Coach Jos茅 Pekerman controversially left Messi on the bench during the quarter-finals match against Germany.82 Argentina lost 4鈥2 on penalties.

Copa America 2007

Messi at the Copa America 2007

When the Copa started, Messi was the youngest player in the tournament. He played his first game in Copa America on 29 June 2007, when Argentina defeated United States 4鈥1 in the first game. In this game, Messi showed his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hern谩n Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.83

His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1鈥1. He also played a part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3鈥1. The final score of the game was 4鈥2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.84

In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0鈥0. In the 79th minute he created a goal for Javier Mascherano.85 In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4鈥0 win.86 During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo Sanchez to see Argentina through to the final with a 3-0 win.87 Argentina went on to lose 3-0 to Brazil in the final.88

Messi in the game against Brazil in the 2008 Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

Having barred Messi from playing for his country in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,89 Barcelona agreed to release him after he held talks with Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola.90 He joined the Argentina squad and scored the first goal in a 2鈥1 victory over Ivory Coast.90 He then scored the opening goal and assisted 脕ngel Di Mar铆a in the second to help his side to a 2鈥1 extra-time win against the Netherlands.91 He gave another strong performance in Argentina's match against rival Brazil, in which Argentina took a 3鈥0 victory, thus advancing to the final.92 In the gold medal match, Messi again assisted 脕ngel Di Mar铆a for the only goal in a 1鈥0 victory over Nigeria.93

Club statistics

As of 27 May 2009

Club Season League Cup94 Europe95 Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
FC Barcelona 2004鈥05 7 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 9 1 0
2005鈥06 17 6 3 2 1 0 6 1 1 25 8 4
2006鈥07 26 14 2 4 2 1 6 1 0 36 17 3
2007鈥08 28 10 12 3 0 0 9 6 1 40 16 13
2008鈥09 31 23 11 8 6 2 12 9 5 51 38 18
Career totals 109 54 28 18 9 3 34 17 8 161 80 38

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 1 March 2006 Basel, Switzerland  Croatia 2 鈥 3 Loss Friendly
2 16 June 2006 Gelsenkirchen, Germany  Serbia and Montenegro 6 鈥 0 Win 2006 World Cup
3 5 June 2007 Barcelona, Spain  Algeria 4 鈥 3 Win Friendly
4 5 June 2007 Barcelona, Spain  Algeria 4 鈥 3 Win Friendly
5 8 July 2007 Barquisimeto, Venezuela  Peru 4 鈥 0 Win 2007 Copa America
6 11 July 2007 Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela  Mexico 0 鈥 3 Win 2007 Copa America
7 16 October 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Venezuela 0 鈥 2 Win 2010 World Cup qualifying
8 20 November 2007 Bogot谩, Colombia  Colombia 2 鈥 1 Loss 2010 World Cup qualifying
9 4 June 2008 California, United States  Mexico 1 鈥 4 Win Friendly
10 11 October 2008 Buenos Aires, Argentina  Uruguay 2 鈥 1 Win 2010 World Cup qualifying
11 11 February 2009 Marseille, France  France 0 鈥 2 Win Friendly
12 28 March 2009 Buenos Aires, Argentina  Venezuela 4 鈥 0 Win 2010 World Cup qualifying

Honours

Club

Barcelona

National team

Individual

Personal life

Messi was at one stage linked to Macarena Lemos, a young Argentine from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup.9697 He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine model, Luciana Salazar.98

In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Bar莽a", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina, I am relaxed and happy"99. He was seen with the girl, Antonella, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Antonella is a fellow native of Rosario.100

He features on the front cover of the video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the game.101102 Messi is the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 where he is also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer.103104105

References

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  42. ^ The fans crown Messi as the best (Spanish)
  43. ^ Si Messi sigue trabajando as铆, ser谩 como Maradona y Pel茅
  44. ^ Leo Messi vs Kun Ag眉ero - Marca.com
  45. ^ Totti le dar铆a el Bal贸n de Oro a Messi antes que a Kak谩 - Marca.com
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  56. ^ Supersub Messi fires 5,000-goal Barcelona to comeback victory. AFP (2009-02-01). Retrieved on 2009-02-01.
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  58. ^ Barcelona returns to earth with league match. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-04-09.
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  60. ^ Sid Lowe (2009-05-02). "Barcelona run riot at Real Madrid and put Chelsea on notice". Guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/may/02/la-liga-real-madrid-barcelona. Retrieved on 2009-05-31. 
  61. ^ Paul Macdonald (2009-05-03). "Real Madrid Fan Poll Says Barcelona Loss Is Most Painful In Club History". Goal.com. http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/05/03/1244468/real-madrid-fan-poll-says-barcelona-loss-is-most-painful-in-club. Retrieved on 2009-05-31. 
  62. ^ "What Lionel Messi's T-Shirt At The Bernabeu Meant". Goal.com. 2009-05-02. http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/05/02/1242691/what-lionel-messis-t-shirt-at-the-bernabeu-meant. Retrieved on 2009-06-02. 
  63. ^ "Barcelona defeat Athletic Bilbao to win Copa del Rey". Telegraph.co.uk. 2009-05-14. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/5321324/Barcelona-defeat-Athletic-Bilbao-to-win-Copa-del-Rey.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-28. 
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  66. ^ "Barcelona win treble in style". Gulf Daily News. 2009-05-28. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=251667. Retrieved on 2009-05-28. 
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  69. ^ FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005 in FIFA.com Accessed 28 May 2009.
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  71. ^ Argentine striker Messi recalled for World Cup qualifier in People's Daily Online. Accessed on 30 December 2006.
  72. ^ Reuters: Pekerman: "Messi is a jewel" in eurosport.com. Accessed 6 January 2007.
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  75. ^ Vickery, Tom: Messi comes of age in bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
  76. ^ Argentina allay fears over Messi in bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
  77. ^ Messi weiter auf der Bank in kicker.de. Accessed 30 December 2006
  78. ^ Argentina 6-0 Serbia & Montenegro in bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
  79. ^ Holland 0-0 Argentina in bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
  80. ^ Rodr铆guez finds an answer but many questions still remain in football.guardian.co.uk. Accessed 10 October 2007.
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  94. ^ Includes Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espa帽a
  95. ^ Includes UEFA Supercup
  96. ^ Diosas Reportajes - Gente Online
  97. ^ Macarena Lemos: A煤n le mueve el tapete a Messi
  98. ^ Luciana Salazar y Messi ser铆an pareja Cronica Viva.com]
  99. ^ Messi y Antonella pasean por el Carnaval de Sitges su noviazgo
  100. ^ Taringa! - La verdad sobre la nueva novia de Messi
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FC Barcelona 鈥 current squad

1 V. Vald茅s 路 2 C谩ceres 路 3 Piqu茅 路 4 M谩rquez 路 5 Puyol (c) 路 6 Xavi 路 7 Gu冒johnsen 路 8 A. Iniesta 路 9 Eto'o 路 10 Messi 路 11 Bojan 路 13 Pinto 路 14 Henry 路 15 Keita 路 18 Milito 路 20 Dani Alves 路 21 Hleb 路 22 Abidal 路 24 Tour茅 Yaya 路 25 Jorquera 路 27 Pedro 路 28 Sergio B. 路 29 V. S谩nchez 路 -- Henrique 路 -- Keirrison 路 Coach: Guardiola