About Lionel Messi
Game Style
Messi
is an unusual player. He is highly creative, and has the skills to take
on defenders with ease. He is a versatile left-footed player who can
play either in the middle or on either wing, or even as a centre
forward.
Not
very tall Messi makes up for the lack of height in speed and
agility,allowing him to change speed and direction in a heart beat.
Making him a true problem for the larger defenders. Also his shot power
and accuracy make him truly unique in free kick and corner situations.
Leo
Messi is cool-headed and able to assume several responsibilities in
times of need. He is a player who is destined to have a very successful
career in football.
He has drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, and indeed Maradona himself named Messi his “successor”.
Messi's Background
Lionel
Messi was born in Rosario city on June 24, 1987. At the age of five, he
started playing football for Grandoli, a club coached by his father. In
1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys. At the age of 11, he was
diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. River Plate showed interest
in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the
treatment of the illness that cost over £500 a month. Carles Rexach, the
sporting director of FC Barcelona, was made aware of Messi's talent,
and Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for
the medical bills if he was willing to move to start a new life in
Spain. His family moved with the young player to Europe and he starred
in the club’s youth teams.
Club Football
FC Barcelona
Messi
made his unofficial debut for the first team against FC Porto on
November 16, 2003. Less than a year later he made his official debut
against Espanyol on October 16, 2004, becoming the third-youngest player
ever to play for FC Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La
Liga (a record broken by team mate Bojan Krkić in September 2007). When
he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié
on May 1, 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming
the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for FC Barcelona until 2007
when Bojan Krkić broke this record, a goal assisted by Messi.
Messi
made spectacular progress at each of the different age levels, climbing
through the ranks of the different youth teams and then Barça C,
followed by Barça B and the first team in record time.
In
the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first
team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new
Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made
his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in
Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).
With
several first team players seriously injured, the services of several
reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular
feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player
ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when
Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old. That record would
eventually be beaten by Bojan.
At
the Under 20 World Cup in Holland, Messi not only won the title with
Argentina, but was also the leading goalscorer and was voted best player
in the tournament. Aged 18 years, he had become one of the hottest
properties in the world game. Shortly after, he made his first full
international appearance in a friendly against Hungary.
His
breakthrough as a player came in the 2005-06 season, starting with an
amazing performance in the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Juventus. He
was also outstanding at the Santiago Bernabéu, in Barcelona's
unforgettable 3-0 win, and also at Stamford Bridge, in the Champions
League match against Chelsea. Injury kept him sidelined for much of the
latter stage of the season. Messi played a total of 17 league games, 6
in the Champions League and 2 in the Copa del Rey. Messi scored eight
goals.
International Football
Argentina Under-20
In
June 2004, he got his chance, playing in an under-20 friendly match
against Paraguay. In 2005 he was part of the team that won the Under-20
World Cup in Holland. He also won the prize for best player of the
tournament and became top-scorer.
Argentina National Team
On
August 4, 2005, José Pekerman called Messi up to the senior Argentine
national team. He made his debut on August 17, 2005 against Hungary, 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 Vanczák, who was
tugging Messi's shirt, and left the pitch in tears. The decision was
contentious. Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated. Messi
then had his first international start on September 3 in Argentina's
0-1 World Cup qualifier away loss against Paraguay. Ahead of the match
he had said "This is a re-début. The first one was a bit short."
Copa America 2007
Messi
played his first game in Copa America on 29 June, 2007, when Argentina
defeated United States 4-1 in the first game. In this game, Messi showed
his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker
Hernán Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a
substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.
His
second game was against Colombia, in which he caused a penalty that
Crespo converted to tie the game at 1-1. He also played 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 3-1. The final score of the game was 4-2 in Argentina's favor
and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.
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 0-0. In the 79th minute he
created a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarterfinals, as Argentina
faced Peru, Riquelme made a pass to Messi and the latter scored the
second goal for Argentina, which advanced to the semifinals after a 4-0
win.
In
the semi finals against Mexico, Messi scored when he spotted the
Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez off of his line and chipped the ball
into the goal. The goal ultimately helped his team to a 3-0 victory and
earned them a place in the final against Brazil, which Argentina
subsequently lost 3-0.
International Goals
| Date | Team | Competition | Goals Scored |
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Awards and Honours
With Argentina National Team;
- 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup
- 2007 Copa América, second place
With FC Barcelona;
- 2004-2005 La Liga Championship
- 2005-2006 La Liga Chmapionship
- 2005 Supercopa de España
- 2006 Supercopa de España
- 2005-2006 UEFA Champions League
Personal Awards
- Golden Ball: 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup
- Golden Boot: 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup
- Golden Boy: 2005
- Bravo Award: 2007
- World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2006, 2007
- Olimpia de Plata: 2005 Argentinian Player of the Year
- FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 2006
- FIFPro World XI: 2007
- EFE Trophy: 2006-2007 Best Ibero-American Player in La Liga
- Best Foreign Player in La Liga: 2007
- Copa America Best Young Player: 2007
- World Soccer Footballer of the Year: 2nd Place, 2007
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2nd Place, 2007
- SI Latino's 2007 Sportsman of the Year
( source: Wikipedia & Barcelona's official website )
| Previous Winner | Award | Year | Successor |
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Career Statistics
| Team | Season | Domestic League | Domestic Cups | International | Total |
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| M | G | A | M | G | A | M | G | A | M | G | A |
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| Total |
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M = Matches, G = Goals, A = Assists
Personal Info
There
has been ongoing scandals as to weather Messi has a significant other
in his life. According to some people he was dating a 14 year old model
at one point in time. The two met when Messi came back to Argentina, in
order to recover from his injuries. Knowing his daughter is a huge fan
of Messi’s, the father set up a meeting between the two individuals.
According to some rumours Messi was instantly attracted to her when the
two met. However, this could have been a publicity stunt for the girl
trying to get attention by the media.
Wife / Girlfriend
