Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Messi is considered to be one of the best football players of his generation,[2][3][4] having received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21. He was selected as both the FIFPro and World Soccer Magazine Young Player of the Year for three years running from 2005–2008. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona.[5] Indeed, Maradona himself declared Messi his "successor".[6]
Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by FC Barcelona. He left Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07: he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games.
Messi was the top scorer and winner of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina and soon established himself in the senior international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. He won his first senior international honours in 2008, winning an Olympic gold medal with the Argentina Olympic football team in Beijing.
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