Lionel Messi
Argentine soccer player, Paris Saint-Germain club striker
Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine soccer player, French club PSG striker, six-time Ballon d'Or winner, World Champion with Team Argentina 2022.
Short biographyMessi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina.
He began playing soccer at the age of five. First steps made in the amateur club Grandoli, coached by his father Jorge. However, the little Leo footballer saw only his grandmother Celia, who took him to training. Subsequently, Messi dedicated his goals to her.
Since 1995 Messi played for the Argentine club Newell's Old Boys, with which he won the Peruvian Friendship Cup.
In 1998 doctors diagnosed Messi with growth hormone deficiency. At that time one of the most popular clubs in Argentina, River Plate, had already shown interest in young Leo, but the treatment would have cost the club a large sum, and therefore they decided to refuse the player.
However, two years later Messi became known to one of the functionaries of the Spanish Barcelona. The player's talent during the screening so impressed the club's sports director that Barça took not only Messi. The club organized the relocation of Leo's parents to Europe, and also agreed to pay for his treatment, which cost about 90 thousand euros per year.
Messi at BarcelonaMessi made his way into the first team at the age of 17. Since then, he has won the Spanish championship 10 times, the Champions League four times, and has also become the top scorer in the club's history, scoring 634 goals in 731 games (as of August 2020).
Also with Barcelona Messi won the Spanish Cup six times and the Spanish Super Cup eight times. He won the UEFA Super Cup three times and the Club World Cup.
During his career at Barcelona, Leo won the UEFA Champions League title six times and the Spanish league title seven times.
He won the Golden Boot six times as the top scorer of the European championships.
Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 at the end of his contract. The club and the player could not agree on a new contract because of Barcelona's financial problems.
Argentina national teamMessi has played for the Argentinian National Team since 2005. As part of it, he became the silver medalist of the 2014 World Cup. Three times he played in the finals of the America's Cup, and once with the team took third place.
He was the winner of the World Youth Championship in 2005, as well as the champion of the Olympic Games in 2008. With 76 goals he is the top scorer of the national team (as of August 2021).
Messi and Argentina won the 2021 America's Cup.
In 2022, together with the national team, Messi won the World Cup for the first time in his career. It was Argentina's third World Cup title and first since 1986.
Messi wanted to leave Barcelona (2020)In August 2020, after losing the Spanish championship to Real Madrid and a smashing Champions League exit from Bayern Munich, Messi allegedly notified the club of his intention to leave. He is rumored to have faxed information about this to the club's management, as well as told in a personal conversation with the new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman. However, the club management allegedly refuses to let their main star. There is no official information about the situation yet.
The player's contract with the Catalan club runs until July 2021.
According to media reports Messi is angry with Barcelona for their failed transfer policy and appointment of weak coaches. The player also had a conflict with the club's previous sporting director, Eric Abidal, who shifted responsibility for the crisis at the club to "some players."
Where could Messi go in 2020Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side were interested in the player's services. Paris Saint-Germain of France, Inter of Milan and Chelsea and Manchester United of the UK were also interested in the player.
Messi stayed at Barcelona (2020)On September 4, 2020 Messi officially announced that he had decided to stay at Barcelona. However, one of the main reasons for this decision is that the club refused to let the player go, demanding to pay the prescribed 700 million in contractual penalties.
End of contract and transfer to PSGIn the summer of 2021 Leo's contract with Barcelona ended and he became a free agent. At the same time Barcelona faced a financial crisis due to which they had to significantly reduce the payroll. The player and the club negotiated until early August, after which it was announced that Messi would leave Barcelona.
On August 10, Messi's move to PSG was officially announced. At the new club, Leo will play under number 30, which he wore at the beginning of his career at Barcelona.
Messi's salary.In 2018, it was reported in the media that Messi's annual salary was 70 million euros. In his contract, he was given a payout of 700 million euros.
At PSG, the salary of the six-time winner of the Golden Ball will be about 35 million euros per year, including bonuses.
