It’s difficult to put into words a man who has scored over 700 goals and won countless major trophies. When it comes to Lionel Messi, adjectives fall short. When one delves further into the Inter Miami goal-scorers stellar career, statistics become nothing more than numbers. Messi is perhaps the greatest player ever to grace a football pitch, having won seven Ballon d’Or medals. Few expected a tiny lad from Rosario who left his hometown at the age of 13 to go on to control the world of football. As Messi celebrates his 36th birthday today, it’s time to relive some of the great Argentine footballer’s most memorable moments.
Lionel Messi’s first goal
For all Lionel Messi fans, May 1, 2005, is a significant day. After all, Messi, then 17, had scored his first goal for Barcelona against Albacete that night. He would eventually score over 600 goals for the Catalan powerhouse.
Argentina debut
Lionel Messi made his Argentina debut in an August 2005 friendly match. Messi, 18, came on as a substitute in the second half against Hungary. Messi received a red card after 43 seconds, thus the outcome was not ideal.
Messi’s Olympic gold
Lionel Messi won the World Cup in 2022 after a long wait and hard work. Long before his spectacular World Cup triumph, he won a piece of international football trophy at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2008, Messi won the coveted gold medal.
Messi is a Barcelona legend
After scoring a hat-trick in 2012, Lionel Messi broke Barcelona’s goal-scoring record. With his first goal against Granada, Messi broke Cesar Rodriguez’s record of 232 goals. The Argentine went on to create a new goal-scoring record by scoring twice more in the encounter.
Records and Stats of Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi holds the record for most goals scored in a league. After scoring 474 goals in La Liga, Messi achieved this feat. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in a single calendar year. Messi reached this remarkable record in 2012, scoring 91 goals. He holds the club record for most goals scored for a single team. Messi accomplished this feat while playing for his childhood club Barcelona. For the Blaugranas, he has 672 goals. Messi also became the first player in World Cup history to win two Golden Ball honours – in 2014 and 2022. No other footballer has received more Ballon d’Or honours than Messi. So far, the former Barcelona striker has won the prized individual award seven times: in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021.
Messi breaches final frontier with World Cup glory
Winning the World Cup would go down as the most extraordinary event in Lionel Messi’s career. Messi led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup final in 2014, but the Albiceleste were defeated by Germany and had to settle for a runner-up trophy. In 2022, the plot shifted. Argentina won their third World Cup in Qatar, spearheaded by Messi. Argentina won the World Cup after defeating France in the final in Qatar.
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