Lionel Messi

His full name is Luis Lionel Andres Messi.  He was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina.  Messi's father, Jorge, was a steelworker who also coached the local youth football team.  Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, which was stopping his normal growth rate at a tender age.

 Messi started playing football as a boy and was noticed by clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. When he was 13, his family relocated to Barcelona. He played for FC Barcelona's under-14 team, quickly graduating through the higher-level teams until his informal debut at age 16 with FC Barcelona in a friendly match.

Lionel Messi Biography. Lionel Messi is a soccer player with FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He has established records for goals scored and won individual awards en route to worldwide recognition as one of the best players in soccer.

The man who helped Barcelona discover Lionel Messi said he made him sign a contract on a paper napkin when he was just 12 years old because he knew he was too talented to let slip away. Carles Rexach was a Barcelona executive when he met Messi as a boy during a trial with the club.

The more scientific minds at FIFA have recorded Messi at a top speed of 32.5 kph (20.3 mph) during a game. ... Messi is definitely not the fastest footballer in the world. 32.5 kph is also nowhere near the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt.

Messi says that when he plays soccer, he has so much fun that he feels like a kid playing in the street with his friends. He admits that whenever the day comes where he no longer feels that joy is when he knows it will be time to retire.

Currently the highest paid soccer player along with his impressive endorsement deals, he was ranked by Forbes as the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2019. As mentioned before, he is reportedly worth $400 million.

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has become only the second billionaire footballer after arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo achieved the feat earlier this year. Messi has now reportedly earned over $1 billion in pre-tax earnings throughout the course of his stellar career.

During the 2011–12 season Messi scored 73 goals, breaking a 39-year-old record for single-season goals in a major European football league. In 2014 Messi led Argentina to the World Cup final for the first time in 24 years. Argentina lost to Germany, but Messi won the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player.