Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel … See more

A lifelong supporter of Newell's Old Boys, Messi joined the Rosario club when he was six years old. During the six years he played for Newell's, he scored almost 500 goals as a member of "The Machine of '87", the near-un… See more

Messi would begin the 2004–05 season as a guaranteed starter for the Barcelona B team, but after some lobbying by the senior players, he would be promoted to the first team by manager Frank Rijkaard. He made his … See more

As a dual Argentine-Spanish national, Messi was eligible to play for the national team of both countries. He debuted for Argentina in 2004 for Argentina's U20 team against Paraguay, and was subsequently included in … See more

Due to his short stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than taller players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly and evade opposing tackles; this has led the Spanish media to d… See more

Messi is widely regarded as one of the two best players of his generation, alongside Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, and one of the greatest footballers of all time. A prodigious talent as a teenager, Messi establishe… See more