47 Fun Facts About Lionel Messi

In which Argentine city was Lionel Messi born in June 1987?

Rosario: Messi left his home city at 13, when Barcelona agreed to pay for medical treatment his family could no longer afford, and so he never played in Argentina's top division.

As a boy, Messi was diagnosed with what condition, which threatened his future in football?

A growth hormone deficiency: the injections cost more than his family or Argentine clubs would keep paying for, so Barcelona's offer to fund the treatment sealed his move.

Barcelona's first commitment to sign the 13-year-old Messi was famously written on what?

A paper napkin: with Barcelona's board hesitating and Messi's camp demanding proof of commitment, Carles Rexach wrote the pledge on one at a tennis club restaurant on 14 December 2000.

Which club in his home city did Messi play for before moving to Barcelona?

Newell's Old Boys: Messi came up through its youth teams in a side nicknamed 'The Machine of '87'; a trial at River Plate came to nothing before Barcelona took him at 13.

Which Barcelona star nicknamed the teenage Messi 'little brother' and eased his way into the first team?

Ronaldinho took the teenage Messi under his wing, calling him 'little brother', and the Brazilian set up Messi's first senior goal, a chip against Albacete on 1 May 2005.

What record did Messi's first senior Barcelona goal, against Albacete in May 2005, set?

Barcelona's youngest league scorer at the time: aged 17, Messi chipped the Albacete goalkeeper moments after an almost identical chip had been ruled out for offside.

Messi's first senior hat-trick, in March 2007, came against which opponent?

Real Madrid led three times in the 3-3 Clásico of 10 March 2007, and each time the 19-year-old Messi equalised, the last for a Barcelona side down to ten men.

Messi's 2007 goals against Getafe and Espanyol were compared to whose two most famous goals?

Diego Maradona: Messi's solo run through Getafe's defence in April 2007 mirrored the 'Goal of the Century', and his handball finish against Espanyol that June echoed the 'Hand of God'.

Which club beat Barcelona 8-2 in 2020, days before Messi asked to leave?

Bayern Munich won the one-off Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon; Messi then gave Barcelona formal notice that he wanted out, but stayed for the last year of his contract rather than fight the club in court.

Which feat, never before managed by any club, did Messi's Barcelona achieve in 2009?

The sextuple: Barcelona won all six trophies open to them in 2009, completing the set when Messi chested in an extra-time winner against Estudiantes in the Club World Cup final.

Whose 40-year-old record of 85 goals in a calendar year did Messi break in 2012?

Gerd Müller scored 85 for club and country in 1972; Messi passed him with two goals against Betis in December 2012 and finished the year on 91.

Which award did Messi win for a record eighth time in 2023?

The Ballon d'Or: voters put Messi, fresh from winning the World Cup, ahead of Erling Haaland, who had scored 56 goals for club and country that season.

Messi scored in two Champions League finals against which English club?

Manchester United lost both finals: Messi's header sealed a 2-0 win in Rome in 2009, and his long-range drive put Barcelona ahead for good in the 3-1 win at Wembley in 2011.

Whose record of 643 goals for a single club did Messi break at Barcelona in December 2020?

Pelé scored 643 times for Santos, a record that stood for 46 years; Messi drew level against Valencia and passed it three days later with his 644th Barcelona goal, at Valladolid.

Barcelona's 2009 Champions League final win in Rome completed which landmark?

The first treble in Spanish football history: a rare header from Messi sealed the 2-0 final win, adding the Champions League to that season's La Liga and Copa del Rey titles.

In 2005 Messi was top scorer and best player as Argentina won the world title at which age level?

Under-20: Messi turned 18 during the tournament in the Netherlands, then scored both goals of the 2-1 final win from the penalty spot.

Whom did Argentina beat in the 2008 Olympic final to win Messi his gold medal?

Nigeria: Argentina's under-23s, with Messi, beat Nigeria 1-0 in the Beijing final on 23 August 2008 through an Ángel Di María goal, after Barcelona had tried to block his release.

Which country's youth selectors tried to recruit the teenage Messi before Argentina had capped him?

Spain's federation wanted him for its youth teams, so Argentina hurriedly staged a friendly in June 2004 just to field Messi and settle his allegiance.

At the 2014 World Cup, Argentina lost the final to Germany, but Messi still received which award?

The Golden Ball for best player went to Messi after four goals, all in the group stage; FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitted he was 'a little bit surprised' by the choice.

After captaining Argentina to three straight lost finals (2014–16), what did Messi announce in 2016?

His retirement from international football: after missing a penalty in the Copa América Centenario shootout against Chile in June 2016, Messi said the national team was over for him, then reversed the decision within weeks.

Which team did Argentina beat in the 2021 Copa América final for Messi's first senior international trophy?

Brazil lost 1-0 at the Maracanã to an Ángel Di María lob, ending Argentina's 28-year trophy drought; the tournament had been switched to Brazil only two weeks before it began.

Why did Barcelona say in August 2021 that they could not re-sign Messi?

La Liga's salary limit: Messi had agreed a new five-year deal on half his wages, but Barcelona's wage bill still broke the league's cap, so the contract could not be registered.

Which PSG teammate wore the number 10 in 2021, so Messi took 30 instead?

Neymar, his old Barcelona teammate, kept PSG's number 10, so Messi went back to 30, the number he wore when he first broke into Barcelona's senior side as a teenager.

The 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France was played at which venue?

Lusail Stadium, an 88,000-seat ground built for the tournament north of Doha, hosted the 18 December 2022 final and, earlier, Argentina's shock 2-1 opening defeat by Saudi Arabia.

Which France player scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final and still finished on the losing side?

Kylian Mbappé scored three in the 2022 final, including two goals 97 seconds apart, becoming only the second man after Geoff Hurst in 1966 to score a World Cup final hat-trick, and the first to lose one.

Who draped a black cloak over Messi's shoulders before he lifted the 2022 World Cup?

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, put the bisht, a traditional Arab men's cloak, on Messi just before the trophy handover, so his Argentina shirt was partly hidden in the photos.

Which Argentina goalkeeper saved Kingsley Coman's penalty in the 2022 World Cup final shootout?

Emiliano Martínez saved Coman's kick before Aurélien Tchouaméni shot wide; minutes earlier, in the last seconds of extra time, he had blocked Randal Kolo Muani's one-on-one to keep it 3-3.

Which former England captain co-owns the MLS club that signed Messi in 2023?

David Beckham's MLS playing contract gave him the option to buy an expansion team for a fixed fee; he used it to found Inter Miami, which began play in 2020 and signed Messi three years later.

Whom did Inter Miami beat in the 2023 Leagues Cup final, Messi's first US trophy?

Nashville SC: Inter Miami won the 2023 Leagues Cup final 10-9 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Nashville, Messi scoring the opening goal and converting in the shootout, the club's first trophy.

Which trophy did Messi's Inter Miami win in 2024?

The Supporters' Shield goes to the team with MLS's best regular-season record; Miami's 74 points beat New England's 73 from 2021, yet they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Who scored Argentina's winner over Colombia in the 2024 Copa América final after Messi went off hurt?

Lautaro Martínez came off the bench and scored the only goal in extra time after Messi had gone off hurt and in tears in the 66th minute; it sealed a record 16th Copa América for Argentina.

Which magazine named Messi its Athlete of the Year for 2023?

Time made Messi its 2023 Athlete of the Year, the first male footballer chosen, citing the surge of interest in the sport in the United States after his move to Inter Miami.

Which sportswear company has sponsored Messi since 2006?

Adidas lured Messi away in 2006 from Nike, his boot supplier since his youth-team days; Nike went to court claiming he was already committed to it, but a Spanish judge ruled in Messi's favour.

What happened to Messi less than two minutes into his Argentina debut in 2005?

Sent off: a Hungary defender grabbed his shirt, Messi used an arm to shake him off and the referee showed a red card within two minutes of his coming on as a substitute.

Whose extra-time goal beat Messi's Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final?

Mario Götze, sent on as a substitute late in normal time, took André Schürrle's cross on his chest and volleyed in the only goal for Germany at the Maracanã.

What is the name of the Barcelona youth academy that Messi joined at 13?

La Masia, Catalan for 'the farmhouse', put Messi in a youth side with Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué that swept three trophies in 2002-03 and is remembered as the 'Baby Dream Team'.

Which manager, taking over Barcelona in 2008, made Messi the team's tactical focal point?

Pep Guardiola, appointed in 2008, moved Messi into a 'false nine' role from the 6-2 Clásico win of May 2009, and his goalscoring exploded: 38 goals in 2008-09 rose to 73 in 2011-12.

Which of these nicknames belongs to Messi?

La Pulga, 'the Flea': Messi's small build lets him turn faster than the defenders chasing him, and the Spanish press took to calling him 'La Pulga Atómica', the Atomic Flea.

In 2025 Messi became the first player in MLS history to do what?

Win the MVP award in back-to-back years: Messi took the Landon Donovan MVP award in 2024 and again in 2025, the first consecutive winner in league history, and that year led Inter Miami to their first MLS Cup.

Messi's habit of pointing to the sky after scoring is a tribute to whom?

His maternal grandmother: Celia, his mother's mother, walked him to training from the age of four and died shortly before his eleventh birthday; Messi dedicates each goal to her by pointing skyward.

At the 2022 Finalissima, Messi's Argentina beat which European champion 3-0?

Italy: the Finalissima at Wembley on 1 June 2022 pitted Copa América winners Argentina against Euro 2020 champions Italy; Messi made two assists in the 3-0 win and was named player of the match.

Which English club, which did sign his teammate Cesc Fàbregas, also made an offer for the 15-year-old Messi in 2003?

Arsenal: Arsène Wenger wanted Messi, Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué from Barcelona's youth team, but, as he later put it, 'it worked only for Fàbregas'; Messi chose to stay at Barcelona.

In 2014 Messi passed whose 59-year-old La Liga record of 251 goals?

Telmo Zarra: the Athletic Bilbao striker's 251 La Liga goals had stood as the record since 1955 until Messi's hat-trick against Sevilla on 22 November 2014 took him past it.

Messi's first-team debut, aged 16, came in a 2003 friendly that opened which club's new stadium?

FC Porto: Messi came on in the 75th minute against José Mourinho's side as the Estádio do Dragão was inaugurated on 16 November 2003, then waited almost a year for his first competitive game.

Against which club did Messi play his final match for Barcelona, in May 2021?

Celta Vigo won 2-1 at the Camp Nou on 16 May 2021; Messi headed the opening goal, his 30th in the league that season, in what nobody yet knew was his farewell.

In a 2003 youth cup final against Espanyol, what did Messi take off before scoring twice?

A protective mask: he had broken a cheekbone a week earlier and was cleared to play only in a mask; he took it off early, scored twice, and the 4-1 win became known as the 'final of the mask'.

Which childhood friend from his home city did Messi marry in 2017?

Antonela Roccuzzo is the cousin of Messi's boyhood best friend Lucas Scaglia; he had known her since he was five, left for Barcelona at 13, and they became a couple as adults.