Lionel Messi is one of the most successful and well-known football players in the world. Born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina, he started playing football at a young age and quickly became known for his exceptional skills on the field.
Messi’s Early Career
Messi began his career playing for local club Grandoli before moving to Newell’s Old Boys when he was just six years old. He rapidly progressed through the ranks and made his debut for the senior team at just 16 years old.
In 2003, Messi moved to Barcelona to join their youth academy. Despite being diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child that stunted his growth, he worked hard to overcome this obstacle and continued to develop into an outstanding player.
He made his first-team debut in October 2004 against Espanyol and quickly established himself as a pivotal member of the squad. In December of that same year, he scored his first goal for Barcelona against Albacete Balompié.
Success with Barcelona
Over time Messi would go on to become arguably one of Barcelona’s greatest ever players. He has won numerous accolades during his time with the club including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies and four Champions League titles among others.
In addition to these team awards, Messi has also won multiple individual honors including seven Ballon d’Or awards (given annually by France Football), which recognize him as the best player in world football over that period.
During Barca’s treble-winning season in 2014-15 campaign where they secured victories over Juventus in UEFA Champions League final – scoring once – Athletic Club Bilbao in Copa del Rey final – netting twice – and Atletico Madrid en route to winning La Liga title; Messi played an instrumental role scoring crucial goals throughout each competition.
Messi’s International Career
Despite all of this success with Barcelona, Messi has not been as successful when it comes to the international stage. He has represented Argentina since he was 18 years old and has won numerous individual awards for his performances.
However, despite reaching the final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and losing in extra time to Germany, Messi is yet to win a major international trophy. He has come close on several occasions, including at the Copa America where Argentina were runners-up in both 2015 and 2016 – with Messi missing a crucial penalty against Chile in the latter tournament.
Messi’s Finances
Messi’s success on the field has brought him great wealth over time. According to Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for 2021, he earned $130 million between May 2020 and May 2021 making him one of the highest-paid football players globally.
In addition to his salary from Barcelona, Messi also earns significant amounts from endorsements deals with companies such as Adidas, PepsiCo and Huawei among others.
Despite this wealth however he hasn’t always had an easy relationship with tax authorities in Spain where he was investigated for alleged tax evasion over earnings from his image rights backdating to between 2007-2009 which resulted in him being fined €2m by Spanish courts.
Conclusion
Lionel Messi is undoubtedly one of football’s greatest-ever players. His skill on the pitch has helped inspire countless young people around the world who aspire to follow in his footsteps.
Overcoming challenges early on due to a medical condition that could have held him back throughout his career shows how determined Lionel truly is when setting out goals – something that should be admired by all aspiring professionals no matter their field or industry they are involved within.
While still striving for more success internationally with Argentine national team; there can be little doubt about Lionel’s place amongst football royalty given everything achieved during illustrious club career representing FC Barcelona so far.