Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a … 展开

Barcelona
2004–2008: Rise to the first team
Messi began the 2004–05 season as a guaranteed starter for the Barcelona B team, but after some lobbying by the senior players, he was promoted to the first team by manager 展开

Style of play
Due to his short stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than taller players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly and evade opposing tackles; this has led the Spanish media to dub him La … 展开

Popularity
Messi was among the Time 100, an annual list of the world's most influential people, in 2011, 2012 and … 展开

Newell's Old Boys
A lifelong supporter of Newell's Old Boys, Messi joined the Rosario club when he was seven years old. … 展开

As a dual Argentine-Spanish national, Messi was eligible to play for the national team of both countries. He debuted for Argentina in 2004 for Argentina's U20 team against Paraguay, and was subsequently included in the squad for the 2005 South American U … 展开

Messi is widely regarded as one of the two best players of his generation, alongside Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, and one of the greatest … 展开