On Monday, the renowned Argentine football player Lionel Messi, who is frequently referred to as the “greatest footballer of all time,” celebrates his 37th birthday. Messi, who was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1987, just made a record by winning his eighth Ballon d’Or. Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese legend with five Ballon d’Or victories, is the next player. Messi moved to Barcelona with his family when he was 13 years old, and the team helped him get treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. The U14 team of FC Barcelona was where the Argentinean started his career. He advanced quickly through the ranks, making an impression on everyone with his exceptional talent and abilities.
At the age of 17, he made his senior debut for the club against Espanyol, and the FC Barcelona team, known as the Blaugranas, largely relied on him. At the time of his competition debut, the 37-year-old was the youngest star of the team.
Messi spent 17 years as a player with the Spanish team, winning 10 La Liga championships, 4 Champions League crowns, and 7 Copa del Rey medals. With an incredible 474 goals in La Liga, he holds the record as the league’s highest scorer ever.
In 2007, Messi astonished everyone by replicating Diego Maradona’s century-long goal. The football player dribbled past six Getage defenders in a match versus Getafe at Camp Nou during the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal to score the goal.
Messi earned his first-ever UEFA Champions League championship in 2009. Barcelona won the championship game 2-0 over Manchester United. The captain of Argentina’s national football team scored a header in the championship game.
Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s 644th goal in 2020, a 3-0 victory over Real Valladolid. By doing this, Messi shattered the record for the most goals scored for a single club. The previous record belonged to the iconic Brazilian Pele, who scored 643 goals for Santos FC.
The 2021–2023 season saw the Argentinean national player play for Paris Saint–Germain, a team in the French Premier League. He participated in 58 games overall, scoring 22 goals for the team. Messi joined the Inter Miami team, owned by David Beckham, in 2023. He has participated in 18 games thus far and scored 13 goals.
Messi made his debut on the international scene in August of 2005. Against Hungary, he took the place of an injured player. But his sad debut for his country was short-lived, as he was dismissed minutes after colliding with Vilmos Vanczak.
In 2008, Messi squad, Argentina, won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Messi set up the game-winning goal to enable La Albiceleste, another term for Argentina, win their second consecutive Olympic gold. They triumphed 1-0 over Nigeria in the final.
The pinnacle of Lionel Messi was the FIFA World Cup title he won in Qatar in 2022. Messi scored two goals in the championship match against France. Argentina won the world championship via penalty shootout following a 36-year hiatus.
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