- Growth hormone: As a child, Messi had a growth hormone deficiency, which was only discovered when he was 11 years old
- Height: Besides being a fantastic footballer, Messi is also known for his short height; he is 1.70 meters tall. His modest height is partly due to a lack of growth hormone in his childhood
- First club: Messi started playing football at a young age at the relatively unknown local club ‘Grandoli’ in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. Messi’s father was a coach at the club!
- Newell’s Old Boys: He later switched to the Argentinian team Newell’s Old Boys. The team did well; at one point they lost only one match in 4 years. Despite his massive success, today he still keeps in touch with his friends from the youth team
- River Plate : Argentinian club River Plate were the first to show interest in Messi, but due to his growth hormone deficiency, they didn’t want to risk paying his medical bills – a decision they’ve probably regretted a little since!
- F.C. Barcelona: F.C. Barcelona were so impressed with Messi’s talent that they offered to pay his medical bills and move his family to Spain when he was just 13 years old
- First contract: His first contract with F.C. Barcelona was made on a napkin. The then coach Carles Rexach immediately recognized Messi’s incredible talent and – in the absence of a real contract – used a napkin to secure Messi’s signature as quickly as possible
- Charity: In his foundation, the Leo Messi Foundation, he supports poor and sick children. He set up the foundation because he “suffered a lot as a child and can therefore empathize with the suffering of all these children”
- Loyalty: In 2004, he was offered a place on the Spanish national team, which he turned down – mainly due to loyalty for his home country
- Shyness: Lionel Messi has been a very shy person since childhood. He reportedly has difficulty talking on the phone! In addition, he is known for not being very social or outgoing
Fact: Besides being an excellent footballer, Lionel Messi is known for his modest height of 1.69 meters
Facts about Lionel Messi’s background
- Birth: Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. Argentine revolutionary guerrilla leader Che Guevara was also born in Rosario
- Name: Messi’s full name is Lionel Andrés Messi. His nickname among his teammates is ‘The Flea’ (‘La Pulga’ in Spanish). He is also known as ‘Leo Messi’.
- Parents: His father, Jorge, was a factory worker and his mother, Ceclia, a cleaner
- Roots: His family has roots in Italy
- Get: He has two cousins, Emanuel and Maxi Biancucchi, who also play professional football. They both play for well-established South American clubs
- Sun: Lionel Messi became a father in November 2012 when his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo gave birth to their son: Thiago
Lionel Messi is the only footballer in world history to have won the FIFA Ballon d’Or 5 times
Records and economy
- Youngest soccer player: When Lionel Messi was 17 years and 114 days old, he held the record as the youngest ever player in La Liga. This record was quickly taken by former teammate Bojan Krkic
- 5 goals: In March 2012, he became the first ever footballer to score 5 goals in a Champions League match
- Top scorer: A few weeks later, he broke Cesar Rodriguez’s record as top scorer at F.C. Barcelona with 232 goals – despite his young age. It doesn’t make it any less impressive that F.C. Barcelona is a more than 100-year-old club
- Highest paid player: In 2012, his income was approximately 33 million euros, making him the highest paid footballer in the world. In 2013, his income dropped to 30 million euros, making him the 2nd highest paid player – after David Beckham
- 250 million euros: In Messi’s contract with F.C. Barcelona, there is a clause that guarantees Messi 250 million euros if the club does not want him anymore. There are 10 countries in the world that have a gross domestic product of less than 250 million euros…
- Net worth: His net worth is estimated to be around 81 million euros
- First Ballon d’Or: Lionel Messi was the first Argentinian footballer to be awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) – and not Diego Maradona as many people think!
- 5 x best player in the world: He is one of only two players in history to have won the famous FIFA Ballon d’Or 5 times! (the other is Cristiano Ronaldo)
- 3 x Gold shoes: Messi is the only footballer in the history of the sport to have won the European Golden Shoe 3 times
