Lionel Messi is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time, both by fans and his peers.
As the face of the world’s most popular sport for nearly two decades, certain facts about the Argentine superstar are well known.
Most fans (or at least they should) know that he made his name at FC Barcelona, won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina in 2022, and has had a long-standing rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, beyond the obvious, there’s plenty that many may not know about Messi— from his personal life to his achievements on the pitch and even his soccer idols.
How many of these Messi facts did you know?
Early Life Facts About Lionel Messi
1. Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
2. Messi was just four years old when joined his first club, Grandoli, where he was coached by his father, Jorge Messi.
3. Messi's first major influence as a player was his grandmother, Celia, who supported him by attending his training sessions and matches. To this day, he honors her memory by pointing to the sky after scoring a goal.
4. Messi joined his childhood club, Newell's Old Boys, at the age of seven, where he scored nearly 500 goals before making the move to FC Barcelona in 2000.
5. At the age of 10, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency and underwent years of medical treatment to address the condition.
Career Facts About Messi
6. Messi scored 672 goals in 778 appearances for FC Barcelona, making him the club’s all-time top scorer.
7. In 2012, Messi scored an incredible 91 goals during the calendar year, breaking the record set by Bayern Munich legend Gerd Müller in 1972.
8. During his FC Barcelona career, Messi scored 26 goals against rivals Real Madrid—a record for the El Clásico fixture.
9. Messi left FC Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 due to the club’s severe financial troubles. Overcome with emotion, he broke down in tears during his final press conference.
10. Messi's most frequent teammate is Sergio Busquets, with whom he has shared the pitch over 600 times for FC Barcelona and Inter Miami.
Facts About Messi’s Personal Life
11. Messi is married to his childhood sweetheart, Antonela Roccuzzo. The two have known each other since they were children growing up in Rosario.
12. Messi and Roccuzzo share three children: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.
13. Messi is close friends with his former Argentina teammate Sergio Agüero and is also the godfather of Agüero's son, Benjamin.
14. Messi has a massive tattoo collection dedicated to his family, including his wife's eyes, his sons' names and handprints, and a tribute to his mother on his back.
15. Messi is one of the wealthiest athletes in the world, having earned well over $1.15 billion throughout his career.
Fun Facts About Messi
16. Messi signed his first-ever FC Barcelona contract on a napkin during a meeting with the club's director, Charly Rexach. In 2024, that napkin was sold at auction for nearly $1 million.
17. Messi was named after Lionel Richie, his mother’s favorite singer.
18. Messi's idol growing up was former Argentina, Valencia and Real Zaragoza playmaker Pablo Aimar.
19. Messi was sent off on his Argentina debut against Hungary in August 2005, receiving a red card just two minutes after coming off the bench for elbowing an opponent.
20. Messi has the most-liked post in Instagram history, with his photo lifting the 2022 World Cup receiving over 74 million likes to date.
Records and Achievements
21. Messi has won eight Ballon d'Or awards, the most of any soccer player in history, three more than Cristiano Ronaldo.
22. Messi is the only player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice, awarded to the tournament’s best player, having claimed it in 2014 and 2022.
23. Messi won an Olympic gold medal with Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
24. Messi holds the record for the most assists in soccer history, with over 400 in his career for club and country.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lionel Messi Facts: Amazing Things You Didn’t Know About the Soccer Legend.
