Lionel Messi

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi 20180626.jpg
Lionel Messi at the 2018 World Cup
Personnel
Surname Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
birthday 24th June 1987 (age 33)
place of birth Rosario ,  Argentina
size 170 cm
position Wings , storm
Juniors
Years station
1992-1995 Grandoli FC
1995-2000 Newell's Old Boys
2000-2004 FC Barcelona
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
2003-2004 FC Barcelona C 10 00(5)
2003-2005 FC Barcelona B 22 00(6)
2004– FC Barcelona 485 (444)
National team
Years selection Games (goals) 2
2004-2005 Argentina U20 18 0(14)
2008 Argentina Olympics 5 00(2)
2005– Argentina 138 0(70)
1 Only league games are given.
Status: July 19, 2020

2 As of July 19, 2020

Lionel "Leo" Andrés Messi Cuccittini [ ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi ] (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario ) is an Argentine football player who has also had Spanish nationality since 2005 .

Messi has played for FC Barcelona since he was 14 . At the age of 24 he became the record scorer for FC Barcelona, ​​and at 25 the youngest player in the history of the Primera División to score 200 goals. Messi has now scored 633 goals and 276 assists in 729 competitive games (as of July 19, 2020) for his club. He is the top goalscorer with 444 league goals in 485 games and the best preparer of the Spanish first division with 202 assists.

He is seven times the record top scorer in the Spanish league , six times the record winner of the Golden Shoe (top scorer in Europe) and six times the top scorer in the Copa del Rey , he is also six times the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League .

He is the record winner of the Ballon d'Or with six awards for the best player in the world (2009, 2019 as Ballon d'Or ; 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 as FIFA Ballon d'Or ) and with six other titles he is the record winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year (2009 as FIFA World Player ; 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 as FIFA Ballon d'Or ; 2019 as FIFA The Best FIFA Men's Player ). He was also voted Europe's Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2015 . In addition, there were numerous top 3 placements in these elections. Messi has been the only player to have been voted the best footballer of the year in his country 12 times since 2019 .

With FC Barcelona he won four Champions League titles, ten times the Spanish championship and six times the Spanish Cup competition Copa del Rey.

Messi is the captain and the record goalscorer for the Argentina national team with 72 goals . In 2005 he won the Junior World Championship and was the top scorer, and in 2008 he received the Olympic gold medal .

youth

Messi joined Grandoli FC football club at the age of five . After three years, he moved to Newell's Old Boys in 1995 . When he was 13 years old, his parents emigrated with him and three siblings after Barcelona made to the Argentine economic crisis to escape and further treatment of his hormonal disorder to allow whose costs around 900 US dollars amounted per month. Messi suffered from stunted growth caused by a lack of somatropin , so that he was barely 1.40 m tall at 13 years old. Due to his small size and speed, he was nicknamed La Pulga ( Spanish for: 'The Flea ') in childhood , which he still wears today. After he was not accepted into well-known Argentine teams because of his small body size and the high treatment costs by local standards, his parents turned to FC Barcelona . During a trial session, the FC Barcelona youth coach was so enthusiastic about Messi's talent that he immediately had him sign a contract on a napkin. FC Barcelona paid a starting salary of 600 euros and covered the therapy costs. He was used from 2000 in the youth team of FC Barcelona. In his first game he scored five goals, in his first season he scored 35 goals in 30 games.

Professional career

FC Barcelona

League debut in the 2004/05 season

Lionel Messi (2005)

Messi has been with FC Barcelona's first team since the 2004/05 season and made his league debut as a substitute for Espanyol Barcelona on October 16, 2004 . He contributed a goal to the won Barças championship on May 1, 2005 against Albacete Balompié as the youngest league goal scorer in the club's history after Ronaldinho (meanwhile Ansu Fati holds this record). Overall, he came in his first season in the Primera División on seven missions.

2005/06 season

In September 2005, Messi extended his contract, obtained Spanish citizenship and was no longer subject to the foreigner regulation . He was after good performances like u. a. in the UEFA Champions League 2005/06 in a 2-0 win against Werder Bremen named the world's best young player in 2005. In this 2005/06 season he won his second championship with FC Barcelona and the Champions League for the first time in his career, but has not been used since the beginning of March due to an injury sustained in the game against Chelsea and remained in six appearances and a gate.

Messi just before his goal in the cup match against Getafe CF on April 18, 2007

2006/07 season

Messi first gained international attention after scoring all three goals for FC Barcelona on March 10, 2007 at El Clásico against Real Madrid at the age of only 19, and especially with the Catalans , who have been outnumbered since the end of the first half Equalizing goal in stoppage time had helped to draw.

His goal to 2-0 for FC Barcelona in the cup game against FC Getafe on April 18, 2007, in which he sprinted halfway across the field within twelve seconds and outplayed four field players and the goalkeeper, was scored with the World Cup goal of the Century by Diego Maradona on June 22, 1986 in the World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina against England. Maradona scored another goal in the said World Cup game with the help of what he called the Hand of God . Messi scored a similar goal on June 9, 2007 against city rivals Espanyol Barcelona . The game ended 2-2 with Messi scoring both goals for FC Barcelona. The referees could not see the handball, but later press photos clearly showed how Messi's hand had last touched the ball. The media used the term “hand of God” without reservation, but Messi, unlike Maradona in 1986, did not comment on the hit. Messi was considered to be one of the greatest talents in Argentine football at the time and was also seen as the successor to Maradona because of these parallels. Maradona himself told the press that Messi would become a better footballer than he had ever been.

2008/09 season

Messi in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, here against Michael Carrick

In March 2009, he turned down an offer from Manchester City with a transfer fee of 112.5 million euros. He also turned down an improved offer from Manchester City in May 2009 with a transfer fee of 150 million euros and a net annual salary of over 12 million euros (excluding advertising money). On May 27, 2009 he won the final of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League against Manchester United with FC Barcelona at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and scored with a header to make it 2-0. With nine goals he was also the top scorer in this competition. After winning the Spanish championship and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona before, he helped his team achieve the first triple in club history by winning the Champions League .

2009/10 season

In September 2009 Messi extended his contract with Barcelona until 2016, the salary was set at 12.5 million euros per year and the transfer fee at 250 million euros. It was Messi's sixth raise at Barça in five years, making him the highest-paid player in the squad. With a total annual income of almost 33 million euros, he was the top earner among soccer professionals.

At the end of 2009, Messi was named Europe's Footballer of the Year with the greatest lead in the 54-year history of the prestigious award. Messi reached 240 points more than the runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo, he received 473 of the 480 maximum possible points. In the same year, Messi was repeatedly featured in the media as the best player in the world. The Brazilian legendary striker Pelé had already referred to him as such in 2008 . Messi himself was rather uncomfortable with such superlatives in the past. In 2010, after eight goals and two hat-tricks from Messi within a week, which he finished with a 4-2 draw against Real Zaragoza on March 21, 2010, Maradona demanded a “subject Messi”.

On April 6, 2010, Messi scored all four goals in the 4-1 win in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal , including a hat trick in the first half. This makes him the first player to score four goals in a Champions League game outside of the group stage. Five other players had previously succeeded in this in group matches. Arsène Wenger named Messi the best footballer in the world after the game and described him as "unstoppable" and "like from the Playstation". In the 2009/10 season he scored 47 goals in 53 competitive games, making him the best scorer on his team. He was also the top scorer in the league with 34 goals. So he set both times the club record of the Brazilian Ronaldo Nazario , who had also scored 47 competitive goals in the 1996/97 season, including 34 league goals. According to studies, he was the most valuable player in the world at the time.

Messi in the 2011 FC Barcelona shirt

2010/11 season

Messi and Neymar (2011)

In the league game on April 23, 2011 he scored his 50th goal of the season in the 49th competitive game against CA Osasuna, setting the goal record per season for Ferenc Puskás . With his goal for the intermittent 2-1 in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium against Manchester United (final score: 3-1), he increased his yield to 53 competitive goals in 55 games. It was his 12th goal in the current Champions League season, setting Ruud van Nistelrooy's record . When he won the final in 2011, he was voted Man of the Match and won his third Champions League title. At the end of the season he received the Alfredo Di Stéfano trophy for the best player in the Spanish league for the third time in a row . He was also named Best Player in Europe by UEFA . He is the first title holder of the new award.

2011/12 season

In January 2012, he was also the first player to be voted World Footballer of the Year for the third time in a row . On February 19, 2012 he played his 200th league game for FC Barcelona, ​​scoring four of his team's five goals. On March 7, 2012, Messi became the first player to score five goals in a game in the history of this competition in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League in a 7-1 home win in the second leg of the round of 16 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen . For the then Leverkusen sports manager and former German player Rudi Völler , Messi was “on a par with Cruyff , Maradona and Pelé” and Leverkusen's trainer Robin Dutt spoke of an “extraterrestrial”. Also in March, Messi became the youngest player in league history to reach 150 goals and overtook César as the most successful competitive goalscorer in the club's history with 234 competitive goals ( Paulino Alcántara holds the record as a goalscorer in competitive and friendly matches with 369 goals ). In the Champions League , he was the top scorer for the fourth time in a row, which no one had achieved before him. This season he also surpassed Gerd Müller's record , who scored 67 competitive goals in the 1972/73 season.

2012/13 season

In the 2012 calendar year he scored 91 goals in 69 competitive games, overtaking Gerd Müller, who scored 85 goals in 60 competitive games in 1972. At the beginning of 2013 he was the first player to receive the award for World Footballer of the Year for the fourth time . A month later, Messi extended his contract for two more years and was thus contractually tied to FC Barcelona until 2018. His annual salary is said to have been 13 million euros. Including advertising income, he came to 35 million euros net per year, making him the world's best-earning professional footballer after David Beckham .

Messi celebrated a goal against Granada CF in October 2014.

2014/15 season

On November 22, 2014 in the 2014/15 season , Messi scored his 251st to 253rd league goals in a 5-1 win over Sevilla FC, overtaking Zarra , who had the record with 251 goals since 1955, as the record scorer in the Primera División . On the following Champions League matchday on November 25, 2014, Messi broke Raúl's 71-goal record in a 4-0 win at APOEL Nicosia with goals 72 to 74. Messi secured the second triple in the club's history with FC Barcelona after Juventus in the final of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League with 3: was defeated first They also won the UEFA Supercup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2015 . Since Messi also scored in the Supercopa de España 2015 (Spanish Supercup) against Bilbao and in the Copa America 2015 , he was the first player to score at least one goal in seven different competitions within a calendar year.

2015/16 season

In the 2015/16 season , Barcelona successfully defended the league and cup double. Messi won his eighth national championship. With 26 goals he was the third top scorer behind Luis Suárez (40) and Cristiano Ronaldo (35).

With 80 goals, Ronaldo von Messi took the lead as top scorer in the Champions League for the first time on the first group match day of the 2015/16 Champions League season . Both players have since increased the number of goals to over a hundred goals each, with Messi showing the better percentage of goals per game.

Season 2016/17

On April 23, 2017, the 33rd matchday of the Primera División 2016/17 , he scored his 500th competitive goal with the winning goal in stoppage time in the second half of the 3-2 away win against Real Madrid in the 174th Clásico in Spanish league history FC Barcelona., Barcelona ended the season with their third Copa del Rey win in a row. Messi ended 2017 with a total of 54 goals for the club and national team, in the last game of the year against Real Madrid with his 526th competitive goal for FC Barcelona, ​​he overtook Gerd Müller's record for the most goals for a club from the European top leagues.

Season 2017/18

In the season 2017/18 won Messi with Barcelona his ninth championship. With his 34 league goals he also secured his fifth Pichichi as the top scorer in La Liga and the Golden Shoe as the top scorer in European football leagues. With the fourth win of the Copa del Rey in a row, he achieved the third double in his career with his club, in addition to two wins in the triple. On January 7, 2018, Messi scored his 1000th officially registered goal of his career in a 3-0 win over Levante.

Season 2018/19

In the 2018/19 season , Messi became the new team captain to succeed Andrés Iniesta . Messi won his 33rd trophy with FC Barcelona on August 12, 2018 at the Supercopa de España 2018 against FC Sevilla 2-1 and thus achieved the most as a record player (18 games) and record goalscorer (13 hits) with 8 titles Success in this competition.

On August 18, 2018, he scored the 6,000th first division goal of FC Barcelona in a 3-0 win against Deportivo Alavés . On January 13, 2019, Messi improved his scoring record in the Spanish league in a 3-0 win against SD Eibar with the 400th goal in 435 games, averaging almost one goal per game (0.92 goal rate) since his debut.

In the second leg of the Copa del Rey 2018/19 against Sevilla FC, Messi scored his 50th goal in 70 games in this competition and is the only player still active after three more goals in the list of the ten top scorers of the Copa del Rey 5th place ahead of Mundo , Ferenc Puskás and László Kubala .

On February 22, 2019, he scored two goals in a 2-2 draw against FC Valencia and not only secured FC Barcelona one point, but also scored at least 20 straight goals with 21 league goals in 20 games in his eleventh season in the league What no player before him has achieved in one of the top five European leagues. On February 23, 2019, Messi turned the game around in a 4-2 draw against FC Sevilla and, in addition to an assist, scored his third hat trick of the season (Champions League, LaLiga), the 33rd hat trick in the league, the 44th with Barcelona and the 36th goal in 37 games against Sevilla FC. He also reached the 50th game in his career with three or more goals (six of them with the national team of Argentina).

On March 31, 2019, Messi scored his 30 and 31 goals in the Spanish league in the 2-0 (0-0) in the Catalan derby against Espanyol Barcelona and scored together with the goals in the Champions League (8) and the Spanish Cup (2 ) that means more than 40 competitive goals each season in the past ten years. On April 6, 2019, he scored 2-0 in the game against second table Atletico Madrid and with his team's victory secured the record of the player with the most wins (335) in LaLiga.

Messi won his tenth championship with FC Barcelona in the Primera División. In all competitions (La Liga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa, Champions League) he scored a total of 51 goals and 22 assists in 50 games. With 36 league goals he secured the sixth Pichichi (record) as the top scorer in La Liga and for the sixth time the golden shoe as Europe's top scorer. At 31 years, eleven months and 25 days, Messi became the oldest Golden Shoe winner ahead of the Mexican Hugo Sanchez . Messi was the UEFA Champions League top scorer for the sixth time with 12 goals in 10 games. On May 1, 2019, he scored two goals and thus his 600th goal in a 3-0 win in the semi-final first leg against Liverpool . This goal against reigning world goalkeeper Alisson Becker was later chosen by UEFA as Goal of the Season 2018/19, a prize that Messi had already received from UEFA in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 rounds. Messi was named Europe's best attacker for the 2018/19 season on August 29, 2019, and Europe's second best player after Virgil Van Dijk . On September 24, 2019, he was voted best player in the world for the sixth time at the Best FIFA Football Awards, ahead of Virgil Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo . In addition, on December 2, 2019, in the election for World Player of the Year 2019, he received his sixth Ballon d'Or ahead of Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Season 2019/20

Lionel Messi became the first player to score at least one goal in 15 consecutive UEFA Champions League seasons with his goal in the 2-1 win over Slavia Prague . He also drew level with the previous record holders Cristiano Ronaldo and Raúl , who scored against 33 different teams in the premier class.

On October 29, 2019, Lionel Messi provided two assists and also scored two goals in the 5-1 win against Real Valladolid. He overtook Cristiano Ronaldo in the career classification with 608 goals scored at club level, although he needed 118 fewer games for his number of goals. He also scored the 50th direct free kick goal of his career.

Messi increased his direct free-kick goals to 52 in the 4-1 win over Celta Vigo on November 9, 2019 after scoring his first goal from a penalty. With his 34th three-pack, Messi set Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick record in the Primera Division.He has scored a total of 52 hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League (8), in the Spanish League (34), in the Copa del Rey (3 ), in the Spanish Super Cup (1) and in the national team (6). With his 35th three-pack on December 8, 2019 in FC Barcelona's 5-2 win against Real Mallorca , Messi became the sole record holder in the Spanish league. In the 5-0 win in the league game against Eibar on February 22, 2020, Messi first scored another hat trick and increased to a total of four goals after being presented by debut new strike partner Martin Braithwaite . Messi scored a goal and two assists in a 4-0 win against Real Mallorca on June 14 , making him the first Spanish league player to score 20 or more goals in 12 consecutive rounds. On July 11, 2020, Messi set Xavi's league record from the 2008-09 season after making the 20th assist in 31 competitive games in a 1-0 win against Real Valladolid . He also achieved another record, making him the first player in the history of the Spanish league to score at least 20 goals and 20 assists in a season with 22 goals. In Europe, this was only possible in the top five leagues in the 21st century by his former strike partner Thierry Henry with Arsenal FC in the 2002/03 season with 24 goals and 20 assists. On July 19, 2020, on the last matchday against Alaves, he scored two goals and provided one assist: as a result, he overtook Xavi and became the sole record holder for the record of assists in the Spanish league. With his goals he also became the sole record holder with the seventh Pichichi before Zarra in the history of the Primera División. At the same time he set Hugo Sánchez's record with 4 consecutive Pichichi trophies, which he had won from 1984-85 to 1988-88 with Atlético and Real Madrid.

In the Champions League, Messi scored 3 goals in 8 games. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the season had to end with a final tournament in Lisbon from the quarter-finals in August 2020 . There, FC Barcelona lost 8-2 in the quarter-finals against eventual winners FC Bayern Munich . Then the head coach Quique Setién was replaced by Ronald Koeman .

On August 25, 2020, FC Barcelona confirmed to the news and press agency AP that Messi had unilaterally terminated his contract, which runs until June 30, 2021, with a mandatory release clause of 700 million euros in Spain, by fax . According to a clause, this is possible for him until June 10th every year. Due to the break in the season, however, the end of the season was postponed to August. As a result, around 100 Barça fans gathered in front of the Camp Nou and demanded Messi's stay and the resignation of President Josep Maria Bartomeu .

National team

Messi in the semi-finals of the 2008 Olympics against Brazil
Messi in a duel with Lukas Podolski during the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup (back: Ángel Di María )
Lionel Messi (2011)
Lionel Messi alongside Sergio Aguero in the Argentine national team on February 29, 2012
Lionel Messi in the final of the 2014 World Cup in front of Mats Hummels

U-20 World Cup 2005

Messi scored six goals at the 2005 U-20 World Cup , making it the top scorer. He was also voted the tournament's best player. His decisive goals in the last sixteen and quarter-finals as well as in the semi-finals against favorites Brazil (2-1) secured Argentina’s entry into the final. There he converted two penalties in a 2-1 win against Nigeria .

Debut for the national team in 2005

On August 17, 2005 Lionel Messi made his debut against Hungary in the Albiceleste , the Argentine senior team . However, he saw the red card a few seconds after being substituted on for violent behavior . On October 9, 2005 he was in his third international match against Peru for the first time in the starting line-up of Argentina. In his sixth international match, Messi scored his first goal for the Albiceleste on March 1, 2006 against Croatia .

World Cup 2006 in Germany

At the 2006 World Cup , Messi was in the Argentine squad and appeared in three games. On June 16, 2006, he scored his first World Cup goal in the preliminary round match against Serbia and Montenegro at the age of 18 years and 357 days. He is the fourth youngest goalscorer at a World Cup after Pelé, Manuel Rosas and Michael Owen . Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals against Germany , with Messi not being used in that game.

Copa America 2007 in Venezuela and Olympic gold 2008 in China

Messi competed with Argentina in the 2007 Copa America , finishing second. His goal in the semi-final match against Mexico on July 11, 2007, in which he outsmarted goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez from around 15 meters with a lift from his ankle , caused a sensation among the spectators. "Only geniuses do that," said coach Alfio Basile after the final whistle. Messi appeared in all six games during the tournament and scored a total of two goals.

Messi won the gold medal with Argentina at the Olympic soccer tournament in China in August 2008 .

World Cup 2010 in South Africa and Copa América 2011 in Argentina

At the 2010 World Cup , Messi was given the shirt number 10 for the first time at a major tournament by the new national coach Diego Maradona . In the quarter-finals, however, Argentina lost 4-0 to the German selection after a good start. At the Copa America 2011 in his own country, he and his team were eliminated in the quarter-finals against Uruguay .

2014 World Cup in Brazil

At the 2014 World Cup , the Argentine national team won their first group game 2-1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina , with Messi scoring the second goal. Against Iran he scored the 1-0 winner in stoppage time and against Nigeria he contributed two goals in the first half to the 3-2 win. The press wrote many times that he had "single-handedly" brought Argentina into the round of 16. He later scored one more goal in the game against the Netherlands on penalties. He had a total of four goals (third-best goalscorer) and one assist. His goals against Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina were nominated for the most beautiful goal of the tournament. The Argentine team finally had to admit defeat in the final against Germany with 0: 1 n. V. After the final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball by FIFA as the best player of the tournament . This was subsequently criticized by football experts and the media alike.

Copa América 2015 in Chile

Messi ahead of crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier against Ecuador (2017)

At the Copa América 2015 , he made his 100th international match in the last group match against Jamaica as the youngest South American . In the final against hosts Chile , Argentina lost 4-1 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes, with Messi being the only Argentine to score. He was chosen as a striker in the team of the tournament by the technical commission of CONMEBOL . According to matching media reports, Messi was earmarked for the Best Player Award, but none of the players ended up receiving it. It was removed without an official justification before the award ceremony, with Messi apparently having waived the trophy, according to the media.

Copa América Centenario 2016 in USA

On March 29, 2016, he scored his 50th international goal with a penalty in a 2-0 World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in Córdoba . On June 26, 2016, Messi announced his retirement from the national team after Argentina lost the Copa América Centenario final to Chile on penalties and Messi missed a penalty. Messi was able to convince better than before with Argentina, but the team again fell short of their possibilities in the final. On August 12, 2016, Messi announced his retirement. With his international goal on September 1, 2016 in the World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, Messi scored 56 goals in 114 games and scored 56 goals in 114 games for the Argentine national team Gabriel Batistuta (56 goals in 78 games) and later expanded the record.

World Cup qualification 2017 and World Cup 2018 in Russia

Lionel Messi (2017)
Messi as the captain of the Argentina national team at the 2018 World Cup

On October 10, 2017, Messi scored all three goals in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup to win 3-1 in Ecuador , securing Argentina participation in the World Cup on the final day of the game.

As captain, Messi was part of the national team of Argentina at the World Cup in Russia . In the first group game in the 1-1 draw against Iceland , he missed a penalty. In the last group game, the 2-1 win against Nigeria , Messi laid the foundation for a place in the round of 16 with his 1-0 goal and was voted Man of the Match . Messi set up two goals in the round of 16 against France , with France ending 4-3 and Argentina knocked out. In the following friendlies, Messi was not part of the Argentine squad.

Copa América 2019 in Brazil

In March 2019, Messi returned to the national team for the preparation games for the Copa America 2019 . In the tournament he scored a penalty goal against Paraguay in the preliminary round and moved into the semi-finals with Argentina after a 2-0 victory in the quarter-finals against Venezuela . Argentina missed the final there after a 2-0 defeat against hosts Brazil . In the game for third place, Messi and Argentina won 2-1 against defending champions Chile. He provided the template for the first goal by Kun Agüero . In the 37th minute, Messi was sent off for the second time in his career. After a tussle with Gary Medel , both team captains were sent off, which the media rated as too tough a decision. Messi then complained massively about corruption in CONMEBOL and the referee's decisions. Despite a later apology, he was banned from playing with the national team for three months in early August 2019. He was also fined $ 50,000. Messi missed the next four friendlies due to the suspension. At the Superclásico de las Américas on November 15, 2019 in Riyadh ( Saudi Arabia ) he shot Argentina to a 1-0 victory over Brazil, against Uruguay on November 18, 2019 in Tel Aviv ( Israel ) Messi gave an assist and scored the equalizer (2: 2).

Style of play

Dribbling, speed and technique

Messi is considered an excellent dribbler who can easily control the ball even at high speeds. He is also awarded a high level of game intelligence and an overview of the field. Messi is able to assert himself against several players even in seemingly hopeless situations. Real Zaragoza coach José Aurelio Gay described his style of play as “It was like seeing Maradona play again. Only this time he was more agile and significantly faster. "

His spectacularly fast individual runs have made him one of the most feared players in the Primera División.

In addition to his dribbling and speed, his exceptionally good technique is a great strength.

Winger and center forward, playmaker and classic striker

Until the end of the 2009/10 season he played predominantly on the right as an inverse winger. His versatility allowed a tactical interplay with a teammate in the attack center, which can cause confusion in the opposing defense formation.

He has been used frequently as a center-forward since then and his flexibility comes to fruition in other ways. Messi plays a mixture of a “ten” and a “nine”, a cross between a playmaker and a classic striker. He does not wait at the edge of the penalty area for a pass to a shot, but drops himself to start tempo dribbles from a lower position or to “send” the inwardly moving wingers with passes to the opposing goal from the headquarters.

Passing game

In addition to his offensive qualities, he has increasingly appeared as a game designer since the 2015/16 season. Especially against defensively oriented teams you can often see how Messi gets the ball from the center line and looks for teammates starting between the lines with his excellent passing game. Messi prefers to play a ball on Jordi Alba , who is starting on the left wing , while he himself starts a run into the center of the penalty area and looks for the end of the goal.

Since the 2018/19 season and Andrés Iniesta's departure, Messi has been the creative head of Barcelona. In tight games or when FC Barcelona is behind, he is almost exclusively found in the central midfielder position. Thanks to his technique, Messi can bring high and flat balls precisely to the man. His overview enables him to find gaps in the chains of his opponents. He also has a very good short passing game, where he plays short, quick passes with just one touch without taking the ball. In combination with one or more other players you can watch the Barcelona-influenced style of Tiki-Taka .

Goal danger in different systems

First experiences with Frank Rijkaard's system

Messi made the first steps in the storm in Frank Rijkaard's system with foreign star strikers. These were the two world footballers Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o and the Swede Henrik Larsson .

Pep Guardiola's system with alternating storm partners and the "wrong nine"

Messi later continued to play under Guardiola in the storm with Samuel Eto'o and newcomer Thierry Henry . In the 2009/10 season Messi and Henry formed the storm trio with the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović . In the 2010/11 season , Messi should form the storm with David Villa , Pedro , Bojan Krkić , but also Jeffrén Suárez and Nolito instead of Henry and Ibrahimović . He scored "only" 31 goals. With the line-up variant as a "false nine" Messi's goal danger was increased. Alexis Sánchez joined in the 2011/12 season . In the first season he played fully as a center-forward, Messi set a new world record with 73 competitive goals, including 50 league goals in 37 games. The system with the wrong nine first attracted general attention at the 2012 European Championship , when the Spaniards adapted the style of play of FC Barcelona due to the failure of striker David Villa and has since found its way into more and more teams.

Luis Enrique's system with Suarez, Neymar and Messi

With the arrival of Luis Enrique as the new Barcelona coach and the simultaneous signing of Uruguayan center forward Luis Suárez in 2014, Messi played more and more on the right wing. Together with the Brazilian Neymar , the three South Americans formed the strongest storm trio in the history of Barcelona and Spanish football. In the 2015/16 season they scored 90 league goals (Suarez 40, Neymar 24, Messi 26) and with 131 hits across all competitions they not only exceeded the 100 goals of Barca's storm trio Messi (38), Samuel Eto'o (36) and Thierry Henry ( 26) from the 2008/09 season , but also the record of 118 goals from Real Madrid's storm trio - Cristiano Ronaldo , Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín - from the 2012/13 season . In the first three seasons, the total number of goals scored by the three strikers in all competitions was always over 100 goals per season.

Messi was very flexible in this system. He often played a bit withdrawn as a playmaker without losing any of the scoring threats. Also striking were his diagonal passes from right midfield to Jordi Alba or Neymar, who were pushing forward on the left , which created a lot of space and goal opportunities, as Messi usually attracted several opposing players. In this system, Messi showed that he is one of the most complete players, who can influence the game in almost any position and perfectly stage his teammates.

Ernesto Valverde's system with Suarez, Dembelé, Coutinho and Messi

After Neymar's departure to the French club Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 , Messi had to develop a teamwork under the new coach Ernesto Valverde on the offensive with Suarez and the newcomers Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool FC and Ousmane Dembélé from Borussia Dortmund Winning the Spanish championship 2017/18 (La Liga) and the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey). Even under the changed conditions, Messi showed a complete playing behavior with many assists (12) and goals (34) in the league, with which he secured the Pichichi trophy in the league and the golden shoe in Europe .

Ernesto Valverde's system with Griezmann and without Coutinho

In the 2019/20 season, Messi played by storm with Frenchman Antoine Griezmann , signed by runner-up Atlético Madrid , together with Suarez and Dembelé as well as Carles Pérez and 16-year-old Ansu Fati as alternatives from his own youth, but without the one at FC Bavaria awarded Coutinho.

Quique Setiéns system with Braithwaite and without Suarez, Pérez and Dembelé

Under the new coach Quique Setién (since January 13, 2020), Messi continues to play with Griezmann in the storm, as well as with the young player Ansu Fati, but without the Carles Pérez, who was sold to AS Roma , and the center forward Suarez, who is missing due to a knee operation. Martin Braithwaite became Messi's new strike partner as a short-term replacement for Dembelé, who was later also injured for several months. After the Spanish league was stopped until June 2020 due to the Corona crisis , Setien successfully played with the new storm trio in the 4-0 win against Real Mallorca with Messi, Griezmann and Braithwaite, when all three scored and Messi provided two assists; Suarez also came back as a substitute after his recovery in the storm.

Titles, achievements and awards

National team

society

Personal awards

  • Best eleven football players in the Copa America ( CONMEBOL ): 2007 , 2011 , 2015 , 2016
  • Argentina's best eleven football players of all time ( La Seleccion de todos los tiempos ) ( AFA ): 2015
  • UEFA Goal of the Season (3): 2014/15, 2015/16, 2018/19

Top scorer

Records

As a club player

FC Barcelona

  • Record goalscorer (633 goals in 729 competitive games) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record goal scorer in international competitions (108) (as of July 19, 2020)

Spanish League (Primera División)

  • Record winner (361 games) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record goalscorer (444 goals in 485 games) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record goalscorer in one season (across all competitions) (73 goals; 2011/12 season) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record goalscorer in one season (50 goals; 2011/12 season ) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record goalscorer of the Clásico (against Real Madrid) (26 goals in 43 games) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record top scorer (7 Pichichi trophies) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record hattricktor shooter (36 hattricks) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record double goalscorer (123 braces) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record assists (202) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Youngest player to score 150 (24 years, 270 days) and 200 goals (25 years, 217 days) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • only player who has scored against all 19 league opponents in a row (2012/13) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Player with the most consecutive games as goalscorer (21; 2012/13) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • only player who has scored at least one goal in seven different competitions within a calendar year (2015) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record players with the most games (278) with at least one hit (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record player with the most goals (37) against various clubs (as of July 19, 2020)

Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey)

  • Record holder (6) (as of July 19, 2020)

Spanish Supercup (Supercopa de España)

  • Record holder (8) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record goalscorer (14 goals) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record players (19 games) (as of July 19, 2020)

Champions League

  • Record scorer in one game (5 goals, 7-1 in the second leg of the second leg on March 7, 2012 against Bayer Leverkusen, shared with Luiz Adriano ) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record hat trick scorer (8 hat tricks shared with Cristiano Ronaldo) (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Most hits and most goals per game (average, at least 20 goals scored) in the group stage (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Goalscorer against most opponents (35) (as of August 8, 2020)

As a national player

Argentina

  • Record goalscorer in Argentina (70 goals in 138 games; without 2 goals in the Olympic Games) (as of July 19, 2020)

Copa America

  • Record goal assists (12): 1 × 2007, 3 × 2011, 3 × 2015, 4 × 2016, 1 × 2019 (as of July 19, 2020)
  • Record holder of the Man of the match (10): 2 × 2011, 4 × 2015, 3 × 2016, 1 × 2019 (as of July 19, 2020)
  • fastest hat trick as substitute: after 19 minutes (2016) (as of July 19, 2020)

Other records and successes

biography

family

Messi's father Jorge Horácio Messi was a factory worker, his mother Celia María Cuccittini a cleaning lady. His parents are both of Italian descent, although the family on his father's side comes from the Italian city of Ancona and emigrated to Argentina in 1883. Messi has two brothers - Matías and Rodrigo - and a sister - María Sol. His cousins Emanuel Biancucchi and Maxi Biancucchi are also professional footballers.

On June 30, 2017, Messi married his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo in his native Rosario (Santa Fe). Together they have three sons (* 2012, 2015 and 2018).

social commitment

In 2007, Messi founded the Leo Messi Foundation , an organization promoting access to education and health care for vulnerable children. In March 2010 Messi was appointed ambassador for UNICEF . In March 2013 he donated 600,000 euros to a children's hospital in his hometown of Rosario.

The Creu-de-Sant-Jordi was awarded to him in May 2019 as the highest honor of the Generalitat de Catalunya for having rendered outstanding services to Catalan culture. He is the second footballer after Johan Cruyff in 2006 to receive this honor.

During a cold spell in Argentina in 2019, Messi had the staff at his “VIP” restaurant in Rosario distribute free food and drink to the homeless.

media

2010 Lionel Messi made an appearance in the music video for the World Cup anthem Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira .

Messi was featured on several covers of the Pro Evolution Soccer video game series and was also active in other promotional campaigns for the series. In November 2011, he was confirmed as the new face of the FIFA franchise. PES then hired Cristiano Ronaldo as a new advertising character. For PES 2020 Konami has brought back Messi as an advertising character.

In April 2011, Messi had more than 6 million followers within hours of starting his Facebook page. In the meantime, his page is one of the most popular fan pages with over 90 million likes .

In 2011 and 2012, Messi was named one of the " 100 Most Influential Personalities " by US magazine Time .

The 2014 documentary film Messi by Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia deals with Lionel Messi's life story.

He is in 2019 with approximately 127 million dollars income of the highest-paid athlete in the world.

In 2019, Messi was honored with the Balón Educativo de Scholas during the Copa América, awarded by the Scholas Occurrentes , a worldwide network of schools founded by Pope Francis . The election, which was carried out among the students, was won by Messi with 34.28% of the vote, ahead of the Peruvians Edison Flores (15.56%) and Pedro Gallese (11.28%).

Lionel Messi has had his own show at Cirque du Soleil since October 2019 with "Messi10" , in which his life story is told, making him the first athlete to be the focus of an act by the world-famous Canadian circus troupe, where the Beatles and Michael Jackson , for example, were pioneers.

Conviction for tax evasion

On June 12, 2013, the Spanish news agency EFE reported that there were suspicions that Lionel Messi and his father Jorge, who acts as his player's agent, evaded taxes amounting to four million euros and that the prosecutor had filed a lawsuit. At an interrogation on September 27, 2013, Messi declared in a Spanish court that he wanted to cooperate with the judiciary. His father had assumed responsibility in a letter to the court and had also incriminated a former business partner. After initiating the investigation, Messi had paid 15 million euros in taxes.

In October 2015, an investigating judge ruled that Lionel Messi and his father were charged with tax evasion . The public prosecutor had applied for Messi to drop the case. For the years 2007 to 2009, the two should not have paid 4.1 million in taxes that were incurred for income from image rights . For this purpose, they are said to have set up letterbox companies in the tax havens of Belize and Uruguay . The criminal case ended in July 2016 with Messi's sentencing to 21 months probation and a fine of 3.7 million euros. In May 2017 this judgment was upheld by the Spanish Supreme Court.

In April 2016, in the course of the publication of the “ Panama Papers ”, it became known that Lionel Messi was one of the people who are said to have founded letterbox companies through a Panamanian law firm.

literature

Web links

Commons : Lionel Messi  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Scheda . fcbarcelona.
  2. ↑ UEFA.com: Messi receives Spanish passport. Retrieved July 26, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b Messi | Fitxa completa del Davanter | Canal Oficial FC Barcelona. Retrieved December 1, 2019 (Catalan).
  4. ↑ a b c Lionel Messi - Detailed performance data 1st division. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  5. ↑ FIFA.com: Live Results: Soccer results, goal scorers and tables live around the world - Official FIFA app: Soccer in focus - FIFA.com. Accessed January 21, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Premios Olimpia: todos los ganadores en la noche del deporte argentino. December 19, 2019, accessed January 21, 2020 (Spanish).
  7. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung of April 10, 2009, profile
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g DerWesten- derwesten.de: Ten years of professionalism - Lionel Messi has changed football. October 16, 2014, accessed January 29, 2019 .
  9. ↑ YouTube video: El primer gol de Messi (01/05/2005) (accessed January 29, 2019). It can also be seen that shortly before a regular goal was not recognized because of an incorrect offside decision.
  10. ↑ multisuperfanwwe: GOL DE MESSI CONTRA EL GETAFE (HISTORICO). Retrieved January 29, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Football: "Hand Messi (a) s" is not enough to win . ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed January 29, 2019]).
  12. ↑ FOCUS Online: Maradona: "Lionel is better than I ever was!" Archived from the original on July 2, 2018 ; accessed on January 29, 2019 .
  13. ↑ sport1.de:Messi to England?
  14. ↑ boerse-express: Lionel Messi gives Manchester City a rejection
  15. ↑ Sport-tonline.de: Messi rejects sheikh offer again.
  16. ↑ Sport1.de: Pellegrini: "At least Ronaldo scores"
  17. ↑ Sport1.de: Messi extended - Aquilani to the Reds
  18. ↑ Messi now best paid Barça professional. In: fussball.com , accessed on January 15, 2013.
  19. ↑ Messi replaces Beckham as the highest paid kicker
  20. ^ Sport1.de: Football / International. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Messi: Why he's the best player in the world. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .
  22. ^ Sven Flohr: Champions League winner: Lionel Messi - "The best player there is" . May 28, 2009 ( welt.de [accessed January 29, 2019]).
  23. ↑ Currently probably the best player in the world ( Memento from May 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  24. ↑ Pele: "Messi is the best player in the world"
  25. ↑ FIFA.com: Welcome to the latest FIFA.com news - Lionel Messi: "I'm not the best player in the world" - FIFA.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .
  26. ↑ a b Rafael Buschmann: Messi's goal gala: God destroys Leverkusen . In: Spiegel Online . March 8, 2012 ( spiegel.de [accessed January 29, 2019]).
  27. ↑ Lionel Messi enchants FC Barcelona . Welt online, April 7, 2010
  28. ↑ BBC Sport: Arsene Wenger hails Lionel Messi as world's best player
  29. ↑ goal.com: Spanish Inquisition: Barcelona And Their 99-Point La Liga Season , May 17, 2010
  30. ↑ FCBarcelona.cat: A record breaking season ( Memento from May 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), May 17, 2010
  31. ↑ sport1.de: Messi is the most valuable kicker
  32. ↑ kicker.de: Barca's fourth trick, Messi sets van Nistelrooy's goal record
  33. ↑ bbc.co.uk: Barcelona's Lionel Messi awarded his third Ballon d'Or
  34. ↑ sport1.de: Messi also best in Spain
  35. ↑ Lionel Messi voted “World Footballer of the Year” at focus.de, January 9, 2012 (accessed January 9, 2012).
  36. ↑ FC Barcelona: Messi scores 4 goals to celebrate his 200th game
  37. ↑ as.com: Leo Messi ya es el máximo goleador del Barcelona , March 20, 2012
  38. ↑ Messi breaks Gerd Müller's record. Spiegel Online, May 2, 2012.
  39. ↑ Messi ends year with 91 goals ORF: December 23, 2012, accessed on December 23, 2012
  40. ↑ Messi breaks Gerd Müller's goal record. Spiegel Online, December 9, 2012. Accessed December 23, 2012,
  41. ↑ faz.net: Again and again Messi.
  42. ↑ FC Barcelona: Messi extends contract through 2018
  43. ^ Daily Telegraph: David Beckham is football's highest earner beating Lionel Messi into second place
  44. ↑ FC Barcelona: Leo Messi is now the all-time La Liga scoring leader , November 22, 2014, accessed November 25, 2014.
  45. ↑ UEFA: Messi breaks Raul's record in the Champions League , November 22, 2014, accessed on November 25, 2014.
  46. ↑ Christoph Laskowski: 90th + 3: Messi's 500th goal is the winning goal in the Clasico! In: kicker.de . April 23, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017 .
  47. ↑ Harry Kane beats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to major record. Metro, December 26, 2017, accessed December 27, 2017 .
  48. ↑ Messi humiliates Real Madrid and overtakes striker Gerd Müller. Hamburger Abendblatt, accessed on December 27, 2017 .
  49. ↑ 7 De Enero De 2018: Tiembla Pelé: ante Levante, Lionel Messi llegó a los 1,000 goles. Retrieved July 26, 2019 (European Spanish).
  50. ^ Four captains from La Masia . In: fcbarcelona.com. August 10, 2018, accessed on August 10, 2018.
  51. ^ Spain - List of Super Cup Finals. In: rsssf.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
  52. ↑ ¡Así celebró la Supercopa de España el FC Barcelona! In: rfef.es. Retrieved February 3, 2019 (Spanish).
  53. ↑ Messi: ¡400 goles en Liga! In: sport.es. January 13, 2019, accessed January 13, 2019 (Spanish).
  54. ↑ El gol 50 de Messi en la Copa, una obra de arte. In: sport.es. January 31, 2019, accessed January 31, 2019 (Spanish).
  55. ↑ Messi: Always available for strokes of genius. In: kicker.de. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
  56. ↑ Messi saves Barca 2-2 against Valencia and injures himself. In: t-online.de. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
  57. ↑ Messi's record goals save FC Barcelona from bankruptcy. In: n-tv.de. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
  58. ↑ Barça's threat to Real: Messi celebrates his 33rd three-pack: Sevilla FC - Barcelona 2: 4 (2: 1). In: kicker.de. Retrieved February 23, 2019 .
  59. ↑ a b Hat trick de D10s Messi. In: sport.es. February 23, 2019, accessed February 23, 2019 (Spanish).
  60. ↑ a b La Liga: FC Barcelona, ​​Lionel Messi reaches two milestones. In: sport1.de. Retrieved April 1, 2019 .
  61. ↑ a b Superstar on record course: New Messi milestones with Barça. In: stern.de. March 31, 2019, accessed April 1, 2019 .
  62. ^ Messi sentenció la Liga con un toque sutil. In: sport.es. April 6, 2019, Retrieved April 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  63. ↑ Lionel Messi - performance data 18/19. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  64. ↑ Clasificación pichichi de LaLiga 2018-2019. In: sport.es. May 19, 2019, Retrieved May 19, 2019 (Spanish).
  65. ↑ Messi conquista su sexta Bota de Oro. In: marca.com. May 24, 2019, accessed May 24, 2019 (Spanish).
  66. ↑ Messi wins the Golden Shoe for the sixth time. In: kicker.de. Retrieved July 10, 2019 .
  67. ^ UCL Statistics. In: uefa.com. Retrieved May 19, 2019 .
  68. ↑ Messi alcanzó los goles 600 con la camiseta del Barcelona. In: goal.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019 .
  69. ↑ UEFA.com: Lionel Messi free-kick voted UEFA.com Goal of the Season. August 9, 2019, accessed November 11, 2019 .
  70. ^ Lionel Messi: Champions League attacker of the season. In: uefa.com. Retrieved August 29, 2019 .
  71. ↑ Virgil van Dijk voted UEFA Player of the Year. In: uefa.com. Retrieved August 29, 2019 .
  72. ↑ Lionel Messi votes for Ronaldo in the FIFA World Cup, CR7 not for Messi. In: sport1.de. Retrieved September 24, 2019 .
  73. ^ France Football, toute l'actualité du football. Retrieved December 2, 2019 .
  74. ↑ Champions League: Hit against 33 CL teams! Messi draws level with CR7. Retrieved October 23, 2019 .
  75. ↑ 5-1 win: Messi show against Valladolid. Retrieved October 30, 2019 .
  76. ↑ a b 5: 1 gala against Valladolid: Messi grabs Ronaldo's record. Retrieved October 30, 2019 .
  77. ↑ Ranking: Who is the best free kick taker of all time? Retrieved October 30, 2019 .
  78. ↑ Barcelona win against Celta Vigo: The triple resting Messi . In: Spiegel Online . November 10, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed November 11, 2019]).
  79. ↑ a b c UEFA.com: Lionel Messi breaks Ronaldo's three-pack record. November 9, 2019, accessed November 10, 2019 .
  80. ↑ 35. Triple pack! Messi pulls past Ronaldo. Retrieved December 10, 2019 .
  81. ^ Gran debut de Martin Braithwaite. Retrieved February 22, 2020 (Spanish).
  82. ^ Lionel Messi sets another LaLiga goalscoring record for Barcelona. June 14, 2020, accessed on July 11, 2020 .
  83. ↑ Messi sets new La Liga record for goals and assists during Barcelona's clash at Real Valladolid. Retrieved July 11, 2020 (Canadian English).
  84. ↑ Record man Messi has struck again. Retrieved July 11, 2020 .
  85. ↑ Rheinfussball: Müller like Messi - but someone else holds the record. Retrieved July 19, 2020 .
  86. ↑ Leo Messi Guanya el seu Sete Pitxitxi, record en la competició. Retrieved July 19, 2020 (Catalan).
  87. ^ Messi conquista su séptimo Trofeo Pichichi. July 19, 2020, accessed July 19, 2020 (Spanish).
  88. ↑ Sports: Messi Pichichi: Leo Messi consigue su séptimo Pichichi. July 19, 2020, accessed July 19, 2020 (Spanish).
  89. ↑ Lionel Messi signs new deal through 2020/21 Season. In: www.fcbarcelona.com. November 25, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017 .
  90. ↑ After 20 years: Messi before leaving FC Barcelona , kicker.de, August 25, 2020, accessed on August 25, 2020.
  91. ↑ The last day has come , spiegel.de, August 26, 2020, accessed on August 26, 2020.
  92. ↑ Messi-Bang: Fans on the barricades , sport1.de, August 26, 2020, accessed on August 26, 2020.
  93. ↑ Messi's dream goal - Argentina in the final Die Welt online, July 12, 2007.
  94. ↑ Hitzfeld wants to stop Messi Sport1.de, June 29, 2014.
  95. ↑ Goal of the Tournament FIFA.com, accessed January 7, 2015.
  96. ↑ World Cup awards: New best goalkeeper, Messi best player. In: Spiegel Online from July 13, 2014 (accessed on July 14, 2014)
  97. ↑ Harsh criticism of Messi's choice In: FAZ.NET of July 14, 2014 (accessed on July 14, 2014).
  98. ↑ fifa.com/SID: "Argentina after winning the 100th Messi game in the quarterfinals"
  99. ↑ Chile - Argentina 4: 1 i. E.
  100. ↑ Sport1.de: Copa America: Lionel Messi apparently renounces honoring as the best player. Retrieved October 15, 2019 .
  101. ↑ JJ Bull: Lionel Messi allegedly refuses best player award at Copa America as trophy removed from ceremony . July 6, 2015, ISSN  0307-1235 ( telegraph.co.uk [accessed October 15, 2019]).
  102. ↑ fifa.com: A dry spell ends - stars from all over the world inspire
  103. ↑ Defeat in the Copa America final: after penalty drama - Messi declares resignation from the national team. In: Spiegel Online . June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016 .
  104. ↑ Resignation from resignation: Lionel Messi wants to play for Argentina again. In: Spiegel Online . August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016 .
  105. ↑ “Thank you, Lionel Messi. You prove that God exists ”. In: welt.de , October 11, 2017.
  106. ↑ Messi sets historic record - and stays in the tournament . In: stern.de . June 26, 2018 ( stern.de [accessed June 28, 2018]).
  107. ^ Lionel Messi - national team. In: transfermarkt.de. Retrieved November 16, 2018 .
  108. ↑ Good news for Argentina: Messi and di Maria back in the national team. March 7, 2019, accessed March 7, 2019 .
  109. ↑ Sport: Resumen y goles del Argenina - Chile de la Copa América 2019. July 6, 2019, accessed on July 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  110. ↑ AP Jul 6, 2019 at 5: 36p ET: Copa América: Messi sent off as Argentina takes 3rd place. July 6, 2019, Retrieved July 6, 2019 (American English).
  111. ↑ Copa America: Red! Messi flies in Argentina win. Retrieved July 6, 2019 .
  112. ↑ Red for Messi! And nobody knows why ... Retrieved July 6, 2019 .
  113. ↑ Three months ban. In: augsburger-allgemeine.de . August 4, 2019, accessed August 5, 2019.
  114. ↑ After suspension: Messi shoots Argentina to defeat Brazil. Retrieved November 17, 2019 .
  115. ^ Lionel Messi Leads Argentina to Superclasico De Las Americas Title Against Brazil; Relieved Fans Praise La Pulga for Lifting International Trophy, Renew Cristiano Ronaldo Comparison. In: latestly.com. November 16, 2019, accessed November 17, 2019 .
  116. ↑ Thanks to Messi: Argentina and Uruguay split 2-2. Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  117. Jump up ↑ Argentina - Uruguay 2: 2 (Friendship 2019 November). Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  118. ^ "Like Maradona - only faster" RP online, March 22, 2010, accessed April 8, 2013
  119. ^ The Argentine Flea FAZ.net, May 27, 2009
  120. ↑ RM: in-depth play: Lionel Messi. In: Spielverlagerung.de. October 19, 2012, accessed December 5, 2019 .
  121. ↑ MR: How to Messi. In: Spielverlagerung.de. June 22, 2018, accessed December 5, 2019 .
  122. ↑ Striker: Wrong 9. Retrieved July 27, 2019 .
  123. ↑ Messi scores 73rd goal of season as Barca wins Copa del Rey. In: usatoday.com. USA Today , April 26, 2012, accessed May 27, 2012 .
  124. ^ Messi-Suárez-Neymar, historic trident. FC Barcelona, ​​May 31, 2015, archived from the original on May 31, 2015 ; accessed on February 3, 2019 .
  125. ↑ Sport: Luis Suárez conoce a Setién y empieza su recuperación. January 21, 2020, accessed January 21, 2020 (Spanish).
  126. ↑ FC Barcelona sign Martin Braithwaite. Retrieved February 22, 2020 (English).
  127. ↑ idowa, Straubing Germany: Back after the Corona interruption: International football: Messi shines, Ronaldo pale - idowa. Retrieved June 14, 2020 .
  128. ↑ La normalidad de Messi: 12 years consecutivos marcando 20 goles en LaLiga. June 13, 2020, accessed June 14, 2020 (Spanish).
  129. ^ Lionel Messi Leads Argentina to Superclasico De Las Americas Title Against Brazil; Relieved Fans Praise La Pulga for Lifting International Trophy, Renew Cristiano Ronaldo Comparison. LatestLY, November 16, 2019, accessed November 17, 2019 .
  130. ^ Spain - Footballer of the Year. Retrieved July 26, 2019 .
  131. ↑ World Soccer January 2020 - World Soccer Awards Issue. Retrieved January 22, 2020 (American English).
  132. ↑ The Copa América 2011 Dream Team - Copa America 2015. September 30, 2015, accessed October 15, 2019 .
  133. ↑ Copa América 2015 - Team of the tournament - Copa America 2015. September 2, 2015, accessed October 15, 2019 .
  134. ↑ La Selección de todos los tiempos - SITIO OFICIAL DE LA ASOCIACIÓN DEL FÚTBOL ARGENTINO. August 14, 2018, accessed October 15, 2019 .
  135. ↑ Messi recibe el trofeo de máximo goleador de la historia de la Liga. Retrieved July 12, 2019 (Spanish).
  136. ↑ a b admin: IFFHS Awards 2019 - The World's Best Playmaker: Lionel Messi (Argentina / FC Barcelona). IFFHS, November 28, 2019, accessed November 28, 2019 (American English).
  137. ↑ Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi share Laureus Sportsman Award in first ever tie - a moment of histor. Retrieved February 18, 2020 .
  138. ↑ Messi, mejor deportista argentino de 2011. Accessed August 5, 2019 .
  139. ↑ Lionel Messi wins ESPY award for Best International Athlete in 2015. Accessed on August 5, 2019 .
  140. ↑ 2019 ESPYS award winners. July 10, 2019, accessed on July 11, 2019 .
  141. ↑ UEFA.com: Lionel Messi free-kick voted UEFA.com Goal of the Season. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  142. ↑ a b Messi, Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini - Footballer. Retrieved April 14, 2020 .
  143. ↑ Ranking Goals in a Season First Division. Retrieved April 14, 2020 .
  144. ↑ Messi supera a Míchel como máximo asistente de la Liga. April 22, 2016, accessed November 11, 2019 .
  145. ^ Ranking Consecutive Days Scoring First Division. Retrieved April 14, 2020 .
  146. ^ Ranking Consecutive Played Scoring First Division. Retrieved April 14, 2020 .
  147. ↑ Ranking Braces First Division. Retrieved April 14, 2020 .
  148. ↑ Ranking Goals to more teams First Division. Retrieved April 14, 2020 .
  149. ↑ Lionel Messi - Detailed performance data. Retrieved December 21, 2019 .
  150. ↑ UEFA.com: All you ever wanted to know: Champions League hat-tricks. Accessed September 7, 2019 .
  151. ↑ UEFA.com: All-time highs: group stage top scorers . In: UEFA.com . ( uefa.com [accessed September 7, 2019]).
  152. ↑ Numbers: Messi finds a record 35th scalp; Lewandowski equals Ronaldo with 13. In: espn.com. August 9, 2020, accessed on August 9, 2020 .
  153. ↑ El ganador máximo, los goleadores, la mayor goleada y todos los Records de la Copa América - TyC Sports. Retrieved October 23, 2019 (Spanish).
  154. ↑ fifa.com: "World record: Ibrahimović for the tenth time footballer of the year" ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  155. ↑ Messi wins the Golden Shoe for the sixth time. In: kicker.de. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  156. ↑ a b Argentina - L. Messi - Profile with news, career statistics and history. Soccerway, accessed March 30, 2019 .
  157. ↑ His family makes him look strong , January 9, 2012.
  158. ↑ Messi marries childhood sweetheart in Rosario. Spiegel Online, June 30, 2017, accessed July 1, 2017 .
  159. ↑ Finally - A New Messi Is Born Die Welt online, November 2, 2012, accessed January 9, 2013.
  160. ↑ Another son! Lionel Messi became a dad for the second time Mopo, September 11, 2015.
  161. ↑ Lionel Messi has become a father for the third time. stern.de, March 10, 2018.
  162. ^ Nuestra Fundación ( Memento of October 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Fundación Leo Messi.
  163. ↑ Unicef.org - Lionel Messi
  164. ↑ La Creu de Sant Jordi devuelve la sonrisa a Messi. May 16, 2019, Retrieved May 20, 2019 (Spanish).
  165. ↑ Cold snap! Messi donates food. In: sport1.de. July 9, 2019, accessed July 11, 2019 .
  166. ↑ PES 2020: Konami announces release and brings Messi back. Retrieved June 11, 2019 .
  167. ↑ Official Facebook page , accessed February 14, 2016
  168. ↑ 2014 World Cup: First trailer for the film about superstar Lionel Messi by cult director Álex de la Iglesia Filmstarts.de, June 27, 2014, accessed on August 15, 2014.
  169. ↑ The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2019. Accessed June 11, 2019 .
  170. ↑ Messi is the highest paid athlete in the world. In: n-tv.de. Retrieved June 11, 2019 .
  171. ↑ Fundación Scholas Occurrentes. Retrieved July 10, 2019 .
  172. ↑ Messi fue por reconocido Fundación del Papa. In: espn.com datum = 2019-07-10. Retrieved July 10, 2019 (Spanish).
  173. ↑ Messi, ganador del Balón Educativo de Scholas. In: sport.es. July 10, 2019, accessed July 10, 2019 (Spanish).
  174. ↑ 11 October 2019 12:30 p.m.: Soccer star Messi celebrates circus premiere. Retrieved October 11, 2019 .
  175. ↑ Lionel Messi: Cirque du Soleil show celebrates world premiere. Retrieved October 11, 2019 .
  176. ↑ Messi is said to have evaded four million euros Die Welt online, June 12, 2013, accessed on June 12, 2013
  177. ↑ Messi wants to cooperate with justice Süddeutsche.de, September 27, 2013, accessed on January 17, 2014.
  178. ↑ Suspected tax evasion: Messi has to go to the dock Spiegel Online, October 8, 2015, accessed on October 8, 2015.
  179. ↑ Messi sentenced to 21 months in prison. Welt Online, July 6, 2016, accessed July 6, 2016 .
  180. ↑ Supreme Court upholds judgment against Messi Spiegel Online, May 24, 2017, accessed on May 26, 2017.
world Footballer of the Year
FIFA world footballer

1991 :  Lothar Matthäus  | 1992 :  Marco van Basten  | 1993 :  Roberto Baggio  | 1994 :  Romário  | 1995 :  George Weah  | 1996 ,  1997 :  Ronaldo  | 1998 :  Zinédine Zidane  | 1999 :  Rivaldo  | 2000 :  Zinédine Zidane  | 2001 :  Luís Figo  | 2002 :  Ronaldo  | 2003 :  Zinédine Zidane  | 2004 ,  2005 :  Ronaldinho  | 2006 :  Fabio Cannavaro

Ballon d'Or / FIFA World Footballer

2007: Kaká  ( Ballon d'Or  &  FIFA )  | 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo  ( Ballon d'Or  &  FIFA )  | 2009: Lionel Messi  ( Ballon d'Or  &  FIFA )

FIFA Ballon d'Or

2010 ,  2011 ,  2012 :  Lionel Messi  | 2013 ,  2014 :  Cristiano Ronaldo  | 2015 :  Lionel Messi

Ballon d'Or / FIFA World Footballer

2016:  Cristiano Ronaldo  ( Ballon d'Or  &  FIFA )  | 2017:  Cristiano Ronaldo  ( Ballon d'Or  &  FIFA )  | 2018:  Luka Modrić  ( Ballon d'Or  &  FIFA )  | 2019:  Lionel Messi  ( Ballon d'Or  &  FIFA )

France Football honored Europe's footballer of the year with the Ballon d'Or from 1956 to 2006. From 2007 to 2009 and since 2016, France Football and FIFA have independently honored the World Player of the Year ; from 2010 to 2015 the prize wasjointly awardedas the FIFA Ballon d'Or . The Ballon d'Or is considered the more prestigious award.
Europe's footballer of the year
Ballon d'Or
(European players only)

1956 : Stanley Matthews  | 1957 : Alfredo Di Stéfano  | 1958 : Raymond Kopa  | 1959 : Alfredo Di Stéfano  | 1960 : Luis Suárez  | 1961 : Omar Sívori  | 1962 : Josef Masopust  | 1963 : Lev Yashin  | 1964 : Denis Law  | 1965 : Eusébio  | 1966 : Bobby Charlton  | 1967 : Flórián Albert  | 1968 : George Best  | 1969 : Gianni Rivera  | 1970 : Gerd Müller  | 1971 : Johan Cruyff  | 1972 : Franz Beckenbauer  | 1973 , 1974 : Johan Cruyff  | 1975 : Oleh Blochin  | 1976 : Franz Beckenbauer  | 1977 : Allan Simonsen  | 1978 , 1979 : Kevin Keegan  | 1980 , 1981 : Karl-Heinz Rummenigge  | 1982 : Paolo Rossi  | 1983 , 1984 , 1985 : Michel Platini  | 1986 : Igor Belanov  | 1987 : Ruud Gullit  | 1988 , 1989 : Marco van Basten  | 1990 : Lothar Matthäus  | 1991 : Jean-Pierre Papin  | 1992 : Marco van Basten  | 1993 : Roberto Baggio  | 1994 : Christo Stoitschkow

Ballon d'Or

1995 : George Weah  | 1996 : Matthias Sammer  | 1997 : Ronaldo  | 1998 : Zinédine Zidane  | 1999 : Rivaldo  | 2000 : Luís Figo  | 2001 : Michael Owen  | 2002 : Ronaldo  | 2003 : Pavel Nedvěd  | 2004 : Andrij Shevchenko  | 2005 : Ronaldinho  | 2006 : Fabio Cannavaro

UEFA Player of the Year

2011:  Lionel Messi  | 2012:  Andrés Iniesta  | 2013:  Franck Ribéry  | 2014:  Cristiano Ronaldo  | 2015:  Lionel Messi  | 2016, 2017:  Cristiano Ronaldo  | 2018:  Luka Modrić  | 2019:  Virgil van Dijk

From 1956 to 1994, France Football (FF) honored only European players from European clubs with the Ballon d'Or ; from 1995 all players from European clubs could be elected. Since 2007, honors FF with the Ballon d'Or the FIFA World Player of the Year . In 2011, the election for Europe's Footballer of the Year was revived by UEFA .
Top scorer of the European Cup and the UEFA Champions League


European Champions Cup

1956 : Miloš Milutinović  | 1957 : Dennis Viollet  | 1958 : Alfredo Di Stéfano  | 1959 : Just Fontaine  | 1960 : Ferenc Puskás  | 1961 : José Águas  | 1962 : Bent Løfqvist / Ferenc Puskás / Alfredo Di Stéfano / Heinz Strehl / Justo Tejada  | 1963 : José Altafini  | 1964 : Vladimir Kovačević / Sandro Mazzola / Ferenc Puskás  | 1965 : Eusébio / José Augusto Torres  | 1966 : Flórián Albert / Eusébio  | 1967 : Jürgen Piepenburg / Paul Van Himst  | 1968 : Eusébio  | 1969 : Denis Law  | 1970 : Mick Jones / Ove Kindvall  | 1971 : Antonis Antoniadis  | 1972 : Johan Cruyff / Antal Dunai / Lou Macari / Silvester Takač  | 1973 , 1974 : Gerd Müller  | 1975 : Eduard Markarow / Gerd Müller  | 1976 : Jupp Heynckes  | 1977 : Franco Cucinotta / Gerd Müller  | 1978 : Allan Simonsen  | 1979 : Claudio Sulser  | 1980 : Søren Lerby  | 1981 : Terry McDermott / Karl-Heinz Rummenigge / Graeme Souness  | 1982 : Dieter Hoeneß  | 1983 : Paolo Rossi  | 1984 : Wiktar Sokal  | 1985 : Torbjörn Nilsson / Michel Platini  | 1986 : Torbjörn Nilsson  | 1987 : Borislav Cvetković  | 1988 : Rui Águas / Jean-Marc Ferreri / Gheorghe Hagi / Rabah Madjer / Ally McCoist / Míchel  | 1989 : Marco van Basten  | 1990 : Jean-Pierre Papin / Romário  | 1991 : Peter Pacult / Jean-Pierre Papin  | 1992 : Sergei Juran / Jean-Pierre Papin

UEFA Champions League

1993 : Romário  | 1994 : Ronald Koeman / Wynton Rufer  | 1995 : George Weah  | 1996 : Jari Litmanen  | 1997 : Milinko Pantić  | 1998 : Alessandro Del Piero  | 1999 : Andrij Shevchenko / Dwight Yorke  | 2000 : Mário Jardel / Raúl / Rivaldo  | 2001 : Raúl  | 2002 , 2003 : Ruud van Nistelrooy  | 2004 : Fernando Morientes  | 2005 : Ruud van Nistelrooy  | 2006 : Andrij Shevchenko  | 2007 : Kaká  | 2008 : Cristiano Ronaldo  | 2009 , 2010 , 2011 , 2012 : Lionel Messi  | 2013 , 2014 : Cristiano Ronaldo  | 2015 : Cristiano Ronaldo / Lionel Messi / Neymar  | 2016 , 2017 , 2018 : Cristiano Ronaldo  | 2019 : Lionel Messi  | 2020 : Robert Lewandowski

personal data
SURNAME Messi, Lionel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Messi, Lionel Andrés (full name); Messi, Leo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Argentinian-Spanish soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH June 24, 1987
PLACE OF BIRTH Rosario , Argentina