Lionel Andrs "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljonel andes mesi]

( listen); born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who

plays as a forward for Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team.
Often considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the sport
as the greatest of all time, Messi is the only football player in history to
win the FIFA Ballon d'Or four times, all of which he won consecutively, and
the first player to win three European Golden Shoes. With Barcelona he has won
seven La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, as well as three
Copa del Rey titles. A prolific goalscorer, Messi holds the Guinness World
Records titles for most goals scored in La Liga (289), a La Liga season (50),
a calendar year (91), a Champions League match (five), and most Champions
League seasons (five).

Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth
hormone deficiency as a child. At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join
Barcelona, who agreed to pay for his medical treatment. After a fast
progression through Barcelona's youth academy, Messi made his competitive
debut aged 17 in October 2004. Despite being injury-prone during his early
career, he established himself as an integral player for the club within the
next three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and
FIFA World Player of the Year award, a feat he repeated the following year.
His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 200809 season, during which he
helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. At 22 years
old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by
record voting margins.

Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning three consecutive FIFA
Ballons d'Or, including an unprecedented fourth. His personal best campaign to
date was the 201112 season, in which he set the La Liga and European records
for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as
Barcelona's all-time top scorer in official competitions in March 2012. He
again struggled with injury during the following two seasons, twice finishing
second for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, his perceived career
rival. Messi regained his best form during the 201415 campaign, breaking the
all-time goalscoring records in both La Liga and the Champions League in
November 2014, and led Barcelona to a historic second treble.

As an Argentine international, Messi has represented his country in six major

tournaments. At youth level, he won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship,
finishing the tournament as its best player and top scorer, and an Olympic
gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His style of play as a diminutive,
left-footed dribbler drew comparisons with compatriot Diego Maradona, who
declared the teenager his successor. After making his senior debut in August
2005, Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World

Cup during the 2006 edition, and reached the final of the 2007 Copa Amrica,
where he was named young player of the tournament. As the squad's captain
since August 2011, he led Argentina to the finals of the 2014 World Cup and
the 2015 Copa Amrica, and both times was selected as player of the
tournament.

Achievements

Performances
La Liga top goalscorer: 200910, 201112, 201213[375]
La Liga top assist provider: 201011, 201415[376]
Copa del Rey top goalscorer: 201011, 201314[377][378]
Copa del Rey top assist provider: 201415
UEFA Champions League top goalscorer: 200809, 200910, 201011, 201112,
201415[379]
UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 201112, 201415[380]
FIFA Club World Cup top goalscorer: 2011[381]
FIFA World Youth Championship top goalscorer: 2005[194]
Copa Amrica top assist provider: 2011, 2015[370][382]

Records
As of 15 September 2015WorldMost Ballons d'Or: 4 (200912)[383]
Most consecutive Ballons d'Or: 4 (200912)[384]
Youngest two-time and three-time Ballon d'Or winner: 23 and 24 years[383]
Most appearances as a Ballon d'Or finalist: 8 (200714)[385]
Most appearances in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI: 8 (200714, shared with
Cristiano Ronaldo)[386]
Most FIFA Club World Cup Golden Balls: 2 (2009, 2011)[387]
Most FIFA Club World Cup Finals Man of the Match awards: (2009, 2011)[388]
Most Man of the Match awards in one FIFA World Cup: 4 (2014)[389]

Top goalscorer for club and country in a calendar year: 91 goals in 2012
(Guinness World Records title)[130][390]
Top goalscorer for club and country in a calendar year including club
friendlies: 96 goals in 2012[391]
Top goalscorer for club and country in International competitions in a
calendar year: 25 goals in 2012 (shared with Vivian Woodward and Cristiano
Ronaldo)[231]
Longest goalscoring run in a league season: 33 goals in 21 matches in 2012
13[144][143]
Only player to score consecutively against all teams in a professional league:
201213[386]
Only player to both score and assist in all 6 club competitions in a calendar
year: 2011[392]
Europe
See also: European Cup and UEFA Champions League records and statistics
Most UEFA Best Player in Europe Awards: 2 (2011, 2015)[186]
Top goalscorer in all club competitions in a season: 73 goals in 201112[390]
Top goalscorer in all club competitions in a calendar year: 79 goals in
2012[393]
Top goalscorer in UEFA Super Cup: 3 goals (shared with Arie Haan, Oleg
Blokhin, Gerd Mller, Rob Rensenbrink, Franois Van der Elst, Terry McDermott
and Radamel Falcao)[394]
Only player to be top goalscorer in five UEFA Champions League seasons: 2008
09, 200910, 201011, 201112, 201415[184][185]
Only player to be top goalscorer in four consecutive UEFA Champions League
seasons: 200809, 200910, 201011, 201112[231]
Most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League: 5[395]
Most goals scored in a UEFA Champions League match: 5 goals (Guinness World
Records title, shared with Luiz Adriano)[396]
Most goals scored against the same opposition team in UEFA Champions League: 8
goals vs AC Milan (shared with Luiz Adriano vs BATE Borisov)[397]
Most cities scored in UEFA Champions League: 23[398]
Most countries scored in UEFA Champions League: 16[398]
Youngest player to make 100 appearances in the UEFA Champions League: 28 years

and 2 months in September 2015[189]

Argentina
See also: Argentina national football team Records and statistics
Top goalscorer for Argentina in a calendar year: 12 goals in 2012 (shared with
Gabriel Batistuta)[231]
Top goalscorer for Argentina in a FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign: 10 goals
for 2014[399]
Top goalscorer for Argentina in friendly matches: 27 goals
Top goalscorer for Argentina in U-20 competitions: 11 goals (shared with
Javier Saviola)
All-time top goalscorer for Argentina U-20: 14 goals (6 in Youth World
Championship, 5 in South American Championship, 3 in friendlies)
Youngest player to play for Argentina in a FIFA World Cup: 18 years, 357 days
in 2006[201]
Youngest player to score for Argentina in a FIFA World Cup: 18 years, 357 days
in 2006[201]
Youngest player to reach 100 caps in CONMEBOL history: 27 years, 361 days in
2015[400]
Youngest player to captain Argentina in a FIFA World Cup match: 22 years and
363 days in 2010[401]
Most Man of the Match Awards in FIFA World Cup: 5 (1 in 2010 and 4 in 2014)
[402][403]
Most Man of the Match Awards in Copa Amrica: 6 (2 in 2011 and 4 in 2015)[404]
Spain
See also: Football records in Spain
Top goalscorer in La Liga: 289 goals (Guinness World Records title)[405]
Top assists provider in La Liga: 114 assists[note 2][176][177]
Top goalscorer in a La Liga season: 50 goals in 201112 (Guinness World
Records title)[406]
Top goalscorer in home matches in a La Liga season: 35 goals in 19 matches in
201112[391]
Top goalscorer in away matches in a La Liga season: 24 goals in 19 matches in
201213[407]

Top goalscorer in Supercopa de Espaa: 11 goals[231]

Only player to score in five Supercopa de Espaa editions: 2009, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2015[408]
Top goalscorer in El Clsico: 21 goals[154]
Top goalscorer in Derbi barcelon: 13 goals[163]
Top assists provider in El Clsico: 13 assists[409]
Most hat-tricks in El Clsico: 2[410]
Most hat-tricks scored in a La Liga season: 8 in 201112 (shared with
Cristiano Ronaldo)[231]
Most braces scored in La Liga: 84[411]
Only player to score consecutively against all opposition teams in La Liga: 30
goals in 19 matches in 201213[137]
Youngest player to reach the milestone of 200 La Liga goals: 25 years in
2013[412]
Only player to score at least 40 goals in 6 consecutive seasons: from 200910
to 201415[413][414]
Barcelona
See also: List of FC Barcelona records and statistics
Top goalscorer in official competitions: 418 goals[391]
Top goalscorer overall (including friendlies): 448 goals[391]
Top goalscorer in International club competitions: 84 goals[391]
Top goalscorer in European club competitions: 80 goals[415]
Top goalscorer in UEFA Champions League: 77 goals[415]
Top goalscorer in FIFA Club World Cup: 4 goals[415]
Top goalscorer in UEFA Super Cup: 3 goals[416]
Top goalscorer in La Liga: 289 goals[415]
Top goalscorer in Supercopa de Espaa: 11 goals[417]
Top goalscorer in El Clsico: 21 goals[418]
Top goalscorer in Derbi Barceloni: 13 goals[419]
Most goals scored at the halfway of La Liga: 22 goals (shared with Csar

Rodrguez)[415]
Most hat-tricks scored overall: 32[420]
Most hat-tricks scored in La Liga: 24[421]
Most hat-tricks scored in El Clsico: 2[422]
Most Pichichi Trophies: 3 (200910, 201112, 201213)[391]
Top assists provider in La Liga: 114 assists[423][424]
Top assists provider in El Clsico: 13 assists[409]
Only player to both score and assist in all 6 club competitions in a calendar
year: 2011[415]
Only player to be the leading goalscorer and leading assists provider in the
same La Liga season: 201112[415]
Most Barcelona Player of the Year awards (Aldo Rovira Award): 4 (2010, 2012,
2013, 2015)[425][426]
Most Major titles won: 25 (shared with Xavi and Andrs Iniesta)[427]