Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team.
Messi is the only player in history to win five FIFA Ballon d'Or awards,four of which he won consecutively, and a record-tying four European Golden Shoes.
Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (349), a La Liga season (50) and a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91).
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team.
Messi is the only player in history to win five FIFA Ballon d'Or awards,four of which he won consecutively, and a record-tying four European Golden Shoes.
He has won 29 trophies with Barcelona, including eight La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and five Copas del Rey.
Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (349), a La Liga season (50) and a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91).
He has scored over 500 senior career goals for club and country.
Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child.
At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona, who agreed to pay for his medical treatment.
After a fast progression through Barcelona's youth academy, Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004.
His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football.
At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins.
Messi regained his best form during the 2014–15 campaign, breaking the all-time goalscoring records in both La Liga and the Champions League.