Lionel Messi, or Leo as his friends call him, was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. While soccer has always been one of the most popular sports in Argentina, Leo began playing the game at an early age, long before he had ever stepped foot on an actual pitch. At just three years old, Messi's parents took him to see a local team in action and it was then that he began kicking the ball around with his dad and other family members whenever he could get his hands on one.
The early years
Born in Rosario, Argentina on June 24, 1987, Lionel Andrés Messi was raised by his father Jorge and grandmother Maria. Jorge taught his son how to play soccer, sometimes kicking a ball into a goal that he had set up for his son in their backyard. At only 5 years old, a coach noticed young Leo playing with other kids in his neighborhood and asked him to join a club team called Newell’s Old Boys.
He began playing at age 6 in 1993. His first game was against another local club named Grandoli, where he scored five goals. By age 11, Leo moved up to an older group of players who played more competitively than those of his previous teams. His talent was recognized when Barcelona scouts came across a video of him playing with Grandoli and invited him to come try out for their youth academy. The rest is history!
His beginning at Barcelona
Lionel Andrés Leo Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team. He serves as Barcelona's captain, while also being their all-time top scorer in all official club competitions. By his current club, he has won 26 trophies: 23 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and three Copas del Rey.
2011–12 season with Barcelona
The 2011–12 season was a very successful one for Messi, as he won several individual awards for his performances and led Barcelona to another La Liga title. He won all of his individual awards by large margins, claiming four out of five Ballon d'Or slots and narrowly losing out on FIFA World Player of the Year, which went to Cristiano Ronaldo. In March 2012, it was announced that Ronaldinho had chosen not to renew his contract with Barcelona, effectively ending his stint at Barcelona after 2005-06.
2017-18 season with FC Barcelona
On 16 September 2017, in a 2–1 win over Getafe CF, Messi extended his goal scoring streak to eight consecutive La Liga games. On 28 September, in a 2–0 home win over Celta de Vigo, he scored his 600th career goal for Barcelona and became only the third player to do so with one club after Cristiano Ronaldo and Alfredo Di Stéfano. The following week, on 5 October, Messi scored twice against Tottenham Hotspur in a Champions League group stage match at Wembley Stadium to take his tally up to 60 goals in all competitions that season.
In November 2017, it was announced that Messi had signed a new contract with Barcelona until 2021. He finished 2017 by winning both FIFA Club World Cup and Copa del Rey as well as being shortlisted for The Best FIFA Men's Player award for a record sixth time.
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