100 Facts About Lionel Messi: Football's Greatest Player

Lionel Messi is widely considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time. His extraordinary skills on the field have earned him numerous accolades and records. In this article, we present 100 fascinating facts about Lionel Messi, from his early life and career to his incredible achievements and success.

100 Facts About Lionel Messi: The Unmatched Achievements of Football's Greatest Player

Lionel Andrés Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina.
Messi is 5 feet 7 inches tall (1.70 meters).
He is the third of four children of Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini.
Messi's father was a factory steel worker and his mother worked part-time as a cleaner.
Messi has two older brothers, Rodrigo and Matias, and a younger sister, Maria Sol.
Messi began playing soccer at a very young age, and he joined a local club, Grandoli, at the age of four.
At the age of six, Messi joined the youth team of Newell's Old Boys, a professional soccer club in Rosario.
Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 11, which made it difficult for him to grow.
Messi's family could not afford the expensive treatments for his condition, so they reached out to the club, River Plate, for help.
River Plate was interested in signing Messi, but they could not afford the treatment either.
Messi's father contacted Barcelona, and they offered to pay for Messi's treatment if he would join their youth academy.
Messi and his family moved to Spain when he was 13 years old, and he joined Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia.
Messi's first contract with Barcelona was signed on a paper napkin.
Messi made his debut for Barcelona's first team in 2004, at the age of 17.
Messi scored his first goal for Barcelona's first team on May 1, 2005, against Albacete.
Messi has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, and he has played over 700 games for the club.
Messi has won the Ballon d'Or, an award given to the best soccer player in the world, seven times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021).
Messi has won the Golden Foot, an award given to the best goal scorer in Europe, four times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2017).
Messi has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times (2009, 2010, 2011).
Messi has won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award three times (2011, 2015, 2019).
Messi has won the Champions League, the top club competition in Europe, four times with Barcelona (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015).
Messi has won the Copa del Rey, the Spanish domestic cup competition, seven times with Barcelona (2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021).
Messi has won the La Liga, the Spanish domestic league, eleven times with Barcelona (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019).
Messi has scored over 700 goals in his professional career, including over 650 for Barcelona and over 70 for the Argentina national team.
Messi is the all-time top scorer for Barcelona and the Argentina national team.
Messi has scored over 50 hat-tricks in his professional career.
Messi has scored more free-kicks than any other player in La Liga history.
Messi is the only player to score five goals in a Champions League match twice.
Messi is the only player to score in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons.
Messi is the youngest player to score 200 La Liga goals.
Messi is the first player to score 400 goals in La Liga.
Messi is the first player to score five goals in a Copa del Rey final.
Messi has won the Golden Shoe, an award given to the top goal scorer in Europe, six times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019).
Messi has won the UEFA Champions League Forward of the Year award four times (2015, 2016, 2019, 2021).
Messi has won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award three times (2011, 2015, 2019).
Messi has won the FIFA Club World Cup four times with Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015, 2019).
Messi has scored in six different Club World Cup tournaments, a record.
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in El Clásico matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Messi is the only player to score in six different Champions League finals.
Messi has won the Pichichi Trophy, an award given to the top goal scorer in La Liga, eight times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019).
Messi has won the UEFA Champions League Goal of the Season award three times (2015, 2016, 2018).
Messi has won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, an award given to the best player in the tournament, once (2014).
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in a single European club season (73 goals in the 2011-2012 season).
Messi has scored more goals in a calendar year than any other player in history (91 goals in 2012).
Messi is the only player to have scored against every team in La Liga in a single season (2012-2013).
Messi is the fastest player to score 100 goals in the Champions League (123 games).
Messi is the first player to score in eight consecutive Champions League matches.
Messi is the only player to have scored in five different Copa del Rey finals.
Messi has won the FIFA World Youth Championship once with Argentina (2005).
Messi has won the Olympic gold medal once with Argentina (2008).
Messi has won the Copa América once with Argentina (2021).
Messi has finished as the runner-up in the Ballon d'Or voting three times (2008, 2013, 2014).
Messi has finished in the top three of the Ballon d'Or voting 13 times.
Messi has been included in the UEFA Team of the Year 12 times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).
Messi has been named the La Liga Player of the Year nine times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019).
Messi has been named the FIFA World Player of the Year five times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015).
Messi has been named the UEFA Men's Player.
Messi is the only player to have won the Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Player of the Year, and UEFA Best Player in Europe Award in the same year (2011 and 2015).
Messi has won the FIFA Fan Award twice (2019, 2020).
Messi is the all-time leading scorer for the Argentina national team.
Messi has scored 76 goals for Argentina, the most by any South American player.
Messi has been named the Argentine Footballer of the Year a record 13 times.
Messi has won the Golden Foot award twice (2011, 2014).
Messi is the only player to have scored 10 or more goals in UEFA Champions League group stage matches in two different seasons.
Messi is the fastest player to score 50 goals in a La Liga season.
Messi has scored more hat-tricks in La Liga than any other player (36).
Messi has scored more goals in the history of the Barcelona derby than any other player.
Messi has the most assists in La Liga history.
Messi has scored more goals in a single European club campaign than any other player (14 goals in the 2011-2012 Champions League).
Messi is the only player to have won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, UEFA Men's Player of the Year, and FIFA Best Player in the same year (2019).
Messi has won the FIFA Best Men's Player award four times (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).
Messi is the all-time top scorer in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in the UEFA Super Cup (5 goals).
Messi is the only player to have scored five goals in a single UEFA Champions League match.
Messi has scored more free-kick goals than any other player in La Liga history.
Messi is the all-time top scorer in the history of the Supercopa de España.
Messi is the only player to have won the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball twice (2009, 2011).
Messi has the most assists in the history of the Copa América.
Messi has the most goals and assists in the history of the Supercopa de España.
Messi has scored more goals from outside the box than any other player in La Liga history.
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in the history of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Messi has won the UEFA Champions League Player of the Week award a record 30 times.
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup final.
Messi has the most hat-tricks in the history of the Supercopa de España.
Messi has scored more goals in the history of El Clásico than any other player.
Messi has won the Copa del Rey more times than any other player (7 times).
Messi is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Argentina national team in World Cup qualifying matches.
Messi is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in the history of the Supercopa de España.
Messi has scored more goals from direct free-kicks than any other player in La Liga history.
Messi has scored more goals in the history of El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium than any other player.
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in the history of the Supercopa de España final.
Messi has won the European Golden Shoe award a record seven times (2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21).
Messi has scored more goals than any other player in the history of the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.
Messi is the all-time top scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League with 122 goals.
Messi has won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona four times (2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2014-15).
Messi has won the La Liga title with Barcelona ten times (2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19).
Messi has won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona seven times (2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2020-21).
Messi has won the Supercopa de España with Barcelona eight times (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018).
Messi has won the FIFA Club World Cup with Barcelona three times (2009, 2011, 2015).

Lionel Messi's impact on the world of football cannot be overstated. His exceptional talent, dedication, and hard work have made him a true icon of the sport. With countless records and accolades to his name, Messi has proven time and again that he is one of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch. As we look back on his remarkable career and continue to follow his journey, there's no doubt that Lionel Messi's legacy will continue to inspire generations of football fans and players around the world.