Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for La Liga team Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Considered one of the best football players of his generation and frequently cited as the world's best contemporary player. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21 and won both by the age of 22. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his "successor".

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal.

Lionel Andres Messi
Lionel Messi - Ultimate Skills Video | HD

Lionel Messi - From an Ordinary Boy to a Legend | The Official Movie 2012 ||HD|| By Vahan Jan

Lionel Messi - Best Passes (New Compilation) | HD



Champions League Team of the Tournament: Drogba, Gomez and Messi light up Europe in 2011-12

The prolific trio provided plenty of firepower during the course of the campaign and are included in our XI as we choose the best performers from the competition

20/05/2012 01:00

Liverpool ace Suarez: Real Madrid's Ronaldo better than Messi

Liverpool ace Luis Suarez says Real Madrid

19/05/2012 19:28

Messi finishes as top-scorer of the 2011-12 Champions League with 14 goals

The Argentina international beat Mario Gomez and Cristiano Ronaldo to the individual trophy this term following his 14 strikes throughout the season

19/05/2012 14:15

Why Bayern's home form and Gomez's top goal scoring abilities can lead them to win the Champions League

Goal.com looks at Bayern Munich's lethal home run and the form of German striker Mario Gomez who is only second to Messi in European goalscoring this season.

19/05/2012 06:27

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi & the nominees for Goal.com's Liga Goal of the Season

A lively Primera Division season has come to an end with Real Madrid emerging champions, and with 1050 strikes this term, we ask you to choose the one that stood out

19/05/2012 04:00

Real Madrid star Ronaldo: Messi rivalry makes me better

Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo says competition with Barcelona's Lionel Messi

19/05/2012 01:16

Cristiano Ronaldo: 'I'm better than Messi'

In an exclusive interview with CNN ahead of this weekend's Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he believes he is "better than Messi". The Portuguese ...

18/05/2012 04:18

'He beat Messi by a landslide' - When Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the Ballon d'Or at Manchester United in 2008

Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Luca Caioli's new book, Ronaldo: The Obsession for Perfection. This ninth excerpt looks at his Golden Ball success in England

18/05/2012 02:30

Cristiano Ronaldo claims Lionel Messi rivalry improves both players

Cristiano Ronaldo gets tired of the comparisons between him and Lionel Messi but believes the pair push each other to keep improving.

18/05/2012 02:23

Cristiano Ronaldo says comparing him with Lionel Messi like comparing a "Ferrari with a Porsche"

Real Madrid forward has rejected comparisons with Lionel Messi because two have "different engines".Related Stories

18/05/2012 02:03

Christiano Ronaldo says comparing him with Lionel Messi like comparing a "Ferrari with a Porsche"

Real Madrid forward has rejected comparisons with Lionel Messi because two have "different engines".

18/05/2012 02:03

Football blog – live!

18/05/2012 01:50

Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo - the final Head-To-Head: Barcelona star comes out on top

In the last instalment of Goal.com's Head-To-Head, we look at how the votes were split and what the readers thought

18/05/2012 01:40

RONALDO: MESSI MAKES ME BETTER

Cristiano Ronaldo believes he and Lionel Messi push each other to keep improving.

17/05/2012 23:50

Deadly 'Dixie' still leads the way

Lionel Messi claimed many records during 2011/12, but one which eluded him was the tally of 60 league goals in a season, set by Everton's William Ralph 'Dixie' Dean in 1927/28. FIFA.com looks at this goalscoring great of yesteryear.

17/05/2012 23:46

Cristiano Ronaldo: I think I'm better than Messi at the moment

The Portugal international has stressed that he cannot be compared to the Barcelona star as they do different things, but feels he is the better player at this point

17/05/2012 23:32

More to life than Messi and Ronaldo

While the remarkable scoring feats of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated attention, plenty of other players have been racking up the goals this season. FIFA.com looks at some of the most prolific. 

17/05/2012 03:53

Visitor's comments

Yes, Lionel Messi proved all the naysayers that he is number one. A thousand kisses and a million hugs for both goals!

Thank you god, what a wonderful way to win a game! I was so worried about the Arsenal game. I guess I should have trusted my all time favorite player in the whole world. Thank you Messi!
bob

Don’t bury Real Madrid yet. There is a long way to go before the league is over. If they can win the Copa del Rey, it will give them a push. They are just seven points behind Barcelona.
smit

It looks like Real and Barca will play each other in the Copa del Rey finals. It will be a chance for Messi to show that he can score in big games. My guess is 4-2 to Barca with Messi nailing two goals.
david

I don’t know about Maradona, but I think the next time Real Madrid and Barca will play It’s going to be Ronaldo’s turn. He will get revenge big time
ana

Will you guys just shut up? Messi is the best player ever! Maradona and Rolando suck! Using your hand to get the world cup is low. Messi would never do something like that.
nik

Give Maradona some respect, amigo. Messi has a long way to go before he will be as good as Maradona. Maradona took the world cup and Messi couldn’t even score one goal.
rojer

I just got back from Spain and I saw Messi play there. He is just awesome! I think there was never a player quite like him and he is so young! He will break all the records and he is not crazy like Maradona.
eitan

You are not a true fan. It is not possible to like both Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is almost like a nationality, it is about loyalty and honor. Ronaldo sucks, his legs turned to jello when he played Messi in the El Classico.
rudi

Can you people stop with all the stupid who is better Ronaldo or Messi wars? They are two great players. I like both of them and that’s it. So cut it out, it is possible to be a fan of both of them.
margaret

My friend, you need to go back to soccer school! There is no way Ronaldo is better. Messi is a team player, if he would play for himself, like Ronaldo does, he would score ten goals in every game. And just to remind you, Messi was chosen as player of the year for the second time in a row.
brad

I think he is definitely one of the best, but it’s hard to know if a part of his success in not related with the fact that he is playing for Barcelona. This is a special team with a lot of talent and you cannot separate his success with that of his team.
bil

There is no question in my mind that Messi is the best player in the world. I say that as someone who has been following professional football for many years.
anni

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Messi’s beautiful goal in the first semi final game against Real Madrid. It was a masterpiece of football.
eve

Yes, it was unbelievable. One of Messi’s and Barcelona’s best performances, they all rose to the occasion brilliantly.
dan

The moment when Messi scored the goal in the finals game was one of the happiest of my life. What a game and what a player!
rozi

Now that the Copa America is over, I can say that I am really disappointed by Messi’s performance. He should have found a way to do more.
bar

Messi is proving again just how good he is. Even if Barcelona will not win the championship this season, Messi is still the best player in Spain and probably in the world.
ilan