STAR PLAYER PROFILE: LIONEL MESSI

Full name: Lionel Andrés Messi

Date of birth24 June 1987 (age 28)

Place of birth Rosario, Argentina

Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)

Playing position: forward

Current team: Barcelona

Number 10

                       Youth career

1994–2000 Newell's Old Boys

2001–2004 Barcelona.   
                     Senior career
Years.               Team.       Apps.              Goals
2003–2004. Barcelona C 10.                   (5)
2004–2005. Barcelona B. 22.                  (6)
2004–           Barcelona.    348.                (312)
                    National team
2004–2005 Argentina U20 18.                (14)
2008.           Argentina U23. 5.                  (2)
2005–         Argentina.         107.              (50)

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi]; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as aforward for Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He is often considered the best player in the world and is rated by many in the sport as the greatest of all time. Messi is the only football player in history to win the FIFA World Player of the Year/FIFABallon d'Or five times, four of which he won consecutively, and the first player to win three European Golden Shoes. With Barcelona he has won seven La Liga titles and four UEFA ChampionsLeague titles, as well as three Copa del Rey titles. A prolific goalscorer, Messi holds the records for most goals scored in La Liga, a La Liga season (50), a calendar year (91), a single season (73), a Champions League match (five), andmost Champions League seasons (five).

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. Despite being injury-prone during his early career, he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award, a feat he repeated the following year. His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treblein Spanish football. At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins.

Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning three consecutive FIFA Ballons d'Or, including an unprecedented fourth. His personal best campaign to date was the 2011–12 season, in which he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer in official competitions in March 2012. He again struggled with injury during the following two seasons, twice finishing second for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, his perceivedcareer rival. Messi regained his best form during the 2014–15 campaign, breaking the all-time goalscoring records in both La Liga and theChampionsLeague in November 2014, and led Barcelona to a historic second treble.

As an Argentine international, Messi has represented his country in six major tournaments. At youth level, he won the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, finishing the tournament as its best player and top scorer, and an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His style of play as a diminutive, left-footed dribbler drew comparisons with compatriot Diego Maradona, who declared the teenager his successor. After making his senior debut in August 2005, Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup during the2006 edition, and reached the final of the 2007 Copa América, where he was named young player of the tournament.

As the squad's captain since August 2011, he led Argentina to the finals of the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa América, and both times was selected as player of the tournament.