1- His full name is Luis Lionel Andres Messi.
2- He was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina.
3- Messi’s father, Jorge, was a steelworker and coach of the local youth football team.
4- Messi had growth hormone deficiency, which was stopping his normal growth rate at a tender age of 11. Most importantly, his parents couldn’t afford his treatment of $900 per month.
5- Because his father’s medical insurance could only cover two years of treatment, Messi’s father started looking for alternatives. In addition, Buenos Aires club scouted Lionel Messi, but they couldn’t afford his treatment as well.
6- Through their relatives in Catalonia, Messi’s family arranged a trial with Barcelona in September 2000. Secondly, he impressed the first team director and he wanted to sign him immediately. Having no paper at hand, he wrote Messi’s first contract on a paper napkin.
7- Messi suffered from homesickness after his mother left for Argentina. He stayed with his father in Barcelona.
8- Messi was part of the “Baby Dream Team,” which was Barcelona’s greatest ever youth side.
9- During his full season in 2002, Messi was the top scorer with 36 goals in 30 games.
10- Messi made his debut for Barcelona against RCD Espanyol at age 17
11-Moreover, he became the third-youngest player to start for Barcelona and the youngest ever to score for the club. Above all, this is one of the best facts about Lionel Messi.
12- In the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina in this competition.
13- In his debut match, Messi became the sixth youngest player to score in FIFA World Cup.
14- On March 10, 2007, Messi scored his first hat-trick in an El-Clasico, the first player to do so in 12 years. His goals equalized those of Real Madrid and the match ended in a 3-3 draw in extra time.
15- Messi played his first final against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey. His goal and assist won Barcelona the fixture 4-1. Barcelona became La Liga champions three days later, largely because of Messi’s performances.
16- Messi finished his season as the Champion of Europe after beating Manchester United 2-0 in the final. Messi scored from a header in this match. Barcelona thus achieved the first ever treble in the Spanish football history.
17- Barcelona completed their Quadruple after winning the Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. Because of these incredible achievements, a 22-year-old Messi won his first Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award, both times by the greatest voting margin in each trophy’s history.
18- Messi scored 4 times in the Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal and became Barcelona’s all-time top-scorer in the competition.
19- Messi wore Argentina’s captain arm-band for the first time against Greece in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
20- Messi scored his first hat-trick of the 2010-11 campaign in the Supercopa de Espana against Sevilla, winning another trophy for his team.
21- He won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d’Or (FIFA World Player of the Year) in 2010, despite under criticism because of his lack of success with Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
22- Messi scored an unprecedented 73 goals and provided 29 assists in all competitions during the 2011-12 campaign. He produced a hat-trick on more than 10 occasions that season.
23- Messi became captain of the Argentina National team in August 2011.
24- Messi won his third FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2011, becoming only the fourth player in history to win the Ballon d’Or three times.
25- He also won the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe award.
26- He received the Guinness World Records title for most goals scored in a calendar year.
27- At the end of 2012, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or for a record fourth time, becoming the first ever player to do so. This was his fourth consecutive win
28- Messi wore the captain armband for the first time on February 7, 2013, in a league fixture against Rayo Vallecano.
29- In his first World Cup as captain, Messi led the Argentina team to the final, which they lost against Germany
30- In the conclusion of the tournament, Messi won the Golden Ball and the best player of the tournament. Coupled with being the joint third-highest goal scorer, this was a good campaign overall for Messi.
31- On September 16, 2015, Messi became the youngest player to make 100 appearances in the UEFA Champions League.
32- On January 11, 2016, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or for a record fifth time.
33- Messi, Suarez, and Neymar broke their own record from last season and scored 131 goals throughout the 2015-16 season, which is a Spanish record.
34- Messi is the fastest player to score 100 goals in the UEFA Champions League.
35- Messi has been in a relationship with Antonella Roccuzzo since 2008 when he was 20 years old. Roccuzzo is the cousin of Messi’s childhood friend, and they’ve known each other since age 5. Messi and Roccuzzo have three sons together.
