Messi: The must-read biography of the World Cup champion, now fully updated (Guillem Balague's Books)

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During the 2010–11 season Messi led Barcelona to La Liga and Champions League titles. He became the first player to win a third straight world player of the year award. In March 2012, at the age of 24, he scored his 233rd goal. This made him Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer in La Liga play. Messi went on to break a 39-year-old major European football league record when he finished the 2011–12 season with 73 goals in all competitions. This performance led to him being the first player to ever win a fourth world player of the year award. Messi embarked on an all-out assault on the record books in 2012. He became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match in early March, and a few weeks later he surpassed Cesar Rodriguez's club-record 232 goals to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer. By the end of 2012, Messi had accumulated an astounding 91 goals in club and international play, eclipsing the 85 netted in a single calendar year by Gerd Muller in 1972. Fittingly, he broke one more record when he was named the FIFA Ballon d'Or winner for the fourth time in January 2013.Messi led team Argentina to the finals of the 2014 World Cup. Although his team lost to Germany, he was named best player of the tournament. Activism and Fatherhood Messi joined Barcelona's academy, La Masia, when he was 13. This was the footballing school of excellence that produced players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas. Messi progressed through the ranks of Barcelona’s junior team, leading to his move to the senior team. He debuted for five teams in a season. During the international break, Messi was among the few players who helped strengthen the first team in the absence of the players. Messi finally debuted for the senior team at the age of 16. Messi’s wondrous performance earned him the friendship of Barcelona’s star Ronaldinho, who enabled him to have a smooth transition into the first team. His remarkable antics earned him a juicy contract in 2004 set to expire in 2012, the first professional contract he signed, had a buyout clause of 30 million euros which increased to 80 million euros.

Messi also supports grassroots football. He has an investment with youth football team Sarmiento, based in Rosario. In 2010, Messi won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d’Or despite his failure at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Messi finished the 2010–2011 season as Barcelona’s all-time single-season highest scorer and the first player in Spain to pass the 50-goal benchmark. Thanks to his wonderful performance, Messi created a reputation for himself as a creator (no. 8), a scorer (no. 9) and an assistant (no. 10). He received the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or award as well as the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Due to his numerous achievements, Messi was regarded as one of the best in the history of the game. Born and raised in Rosario, Lionel Messi comes from a working-class family that has been by his side throughout his entire life. His father Jorge worked as section manager in a steel factory, while her mother Celia worked in a magnetic oil workshop and occasionally cleaned houses for a living. Leo also has two elder brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and a younger sister, María Sol. Before leaving the club in 2021, Messi helped Barcelona win 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies, seven Copas del Rey and eight Spanish super cups. Messi's family had to split for him to stay in Barcelona Messi with his brother Rodrigo, sister Maria Sol, father Jorge, mother Celia, nephew Tomas and brother Matias in 2003

At age 13, Messi signed with FC Barcelona. His first appearance for the team was when he was 16. On May 1, 2005, Messi put himself in the record books as the youngest player to ever score a goal for the franchise.

Cristiano gave him an extra push to become a better player," he says, adding: "Cristiano and Leo probably won't admit it. I am convinced they used to keep an eye on each other. If you're competitive, you want to be the best."In the 2010 World Cup, Messi wore the number 10 shirt and played well to help Argentina reach the quarter-finals, but Messi struggled to score, and Argentina disappointingly lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-final. Messi has admitted he is desperate to play in a world cup final. Success for Messi in the World Cup would be the last test of greatness. Pele, by contrast, was part of Brazil’s three times winning World Cup side ’58, ’62 and ’70. European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . Retrieved 9 May 2017.

International career statistics [ change | change source ] As of 17 November 2020 Appearances and goals by national team, year and competition He However won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the year in 2009, at the age of 22. That season Messi had a successful campaign, winning the second consecutive La Liga title.Messi, Mejor Delantero y Mejor Jugador"[Messi, Best Forward and Best Player] (in Spanish). Liga de Fútbol Profesional. 2 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 . Retrieved 13 September 2015.

Spanish La Liga title (*10) : 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16 Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 [37] [50] [51] [52] IFFHS (International Federation of Football for History & Statistics". iffhs.de. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28 . Retrieved 2020-12-29. On 7 June 2023, Messi confirmed in an interview that he was joining Inter Miami of Major League Soccer (MLS). [15] International career [ change | change source ] Argentina [ change | change source ]By any standards, Messi’s goal scoring record is exceptional. By June 2019, he has scored 419 goals in 445 official matches for Barcelona FC. On 26 June, Argentina once again lost to Chile on penalties 4-2 in the Copa América Centenario final after a 0–0 tie. Messi missed his penalty in the penalty shootout. This was Messi's third consecutive defeat in a major tournament final with Argentina, and his fourth overall. A day after the match, Messi announced his retirement from international football. In an emotional interview after the game, he said he was very sad that he missed the penalty and also sad that he wasn't able to win any trophies in four finals. [18] [19] [20] Return from Retirement [ change | change source ]