Some Lesser Known Facts About Lionel Messi

• Lionel Messi is one of the most celebrated players in the world of football. He is considered one of the greatest football players of all time. He plays for the Argentina national football team and the Spanish football club “FC Barcelona.”

• He had developed a passion for sports at an early age and joined a local football club “Grandoli” at the age of 4, where he was coached by his father.

• Messi was greatly affected by his grandmother’s death; as she used to accompany him to training and matches during his childhood. To pay her a tribute, Messi celebrates all his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky.

• Messi shares his birthplace (Rosario, Argentina) with the Argentine revolutionary, Che Guevara. Messi is also the international ambassador of Rasario.

• He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency when he was 10 years old.

• On 16 November 2003, he made his first-team debut at the age of 16 years, 4 months and 23 days, when he came in the 75th minute during a friendly match against “FC Porto.”

• After seeing Messi playing at the age of 16, Ronaldinho told his teammates- “Messi would become an even better player than me.”

• Messi holds passports of both Spain and Argentina. Even though he has spent a lot of time in Spain, he turned down the offer to play with the Spanish national team.

• Carles Rexach (Barcelona Coach) was so impressed with Messi that he wanted to sign him up without wasting any time, so, he signed a contract with Messi on a paper napkin; as at that time, Messi just had a napkin which could be used to write something.

• In 2005, he made his international debut against Hungary, but he lasted for only 47 seconds; as he was soon given a “Red Card.”

• Spanish Media calls him “La Pulga” (The Atomic Flea) as he has a low centre of gravity because of his short stature which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change directions quickly.

• He is the only player who runs faster with the ball than without it. He is predominantly a left-footed player.

• Messi is considered to be the best dribbler (a technique to propel the ball towards the opposition goal by traveling with the ball) in the world.

• Messi has been compared to Diego Maradona throughout his career.

• Messi does not sing the National Anthem of Argentina. Once, in an interview, he explained as to why he doesn’t sing it-

I get annoyed by the people who attack you without thinking, I won’t sing the national anthem on purpose. I don’t need to sing it to feel it. It reaches me, every person feels it in their own way. The Pumas cry, they feel it differently, and that’s ok. I play with the national team always as a priority and I want to win everything I play.”

• In 2015, Forbes magazine listed him as the world’s second-highest-paid athlete (after Cristiano Ronaldo).

• In March 2013, a solid gold replica of his left foot weighing 55 pounds (25 kg) worth $5.25 million went on sale in Japan to raise funds for the 2011 tsunami and earthquake victims. The gold foot has very fine detailing, which shows the blood vessels on his foot and also the swirls skin on the bottom of the foot.

• Filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia made a documentary “Messi” about his life. The documentary premiered at the “Venice Film Festival” in August 2014.

• Throughout his career, he has been involved with charitable activities, and he was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in March 2010.

• He has also founded a charitable organization “Leo Messi Foundation,” which supports education, health, and sports for children.

• On 26 June 2016, when Messi missed a penalty in the final shootout in the “Copa America Final” and Argentina lost to Chile, he announced his retirement from international football. However, he reversed his decision later, and he led Argentina to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

• His longtime girlfriend-turned-wife, Antonella Roccuzzo is his cousin’s best friend, Lucas Scaglia, who is also a footballer.

• In 2018, Forbes listed him as the world’s highest-paid athlete (with $84 million salary/winnings) after Floyd Mayweather.

• In 2019, he was named as the Best Player of the Year for the sixth time, and he was awarded the “Ballon d’Or Award”. This also made him the player with the most number of Ballon d’Or awards, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 5 awards. Megan Rapinoe was also named as the “Best Female Player of the Year” in the Ballon d’Or event. In 2023, he got the Ballon d’Or award for the eighth time. [3]Eurosport

• On 11 July 2021, Messi lifted his first trophy with Argentina by winning the Copa America 1-0 against Brazil in Rio de Janeiro; Messi had previously tasted defeat in one World Cup final and three Copa finals with Argentina. After the match, an emotional Messi told reporters –
  

  I was close many times. I knew it would happen eventually. I am grateful to God for giving me this moment, in Brazil against Brazil. I think He was saving this moment for me.”

• In August 2021, Messi had to leave his favourite club Barcelona for which he won 35 trophies, including 10 league titles and four UEFA Champions League crowns. Messi’s exit from the club sent shock waves among his fans, and the reason cited behind his exit was the Spanish LaLiga’s financial fair-play rules, which are among the strictest in the world. On 8 August 2021, during a press conference, a teary-eyed Messi bid goodbye to his favourite club while telling the Catalan media that he had no choice but to leave. He said,
  

  The club did not want to go into more debt.”

• In November 2022, Byju’s, an Indian multinational educational technology company, roped Lionel Messi as the first global brand ambassador of its social impact arm ‘Education For All;’ BYJU’S became the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. [4]NDTV

Dear India, please welcome the man, the legend, the GOAT.The one and only. The MESSI-ah of football… Namaste, Lionel Messi!Here’s to achieving our goals together & bringing access to education to every child in the world.#MessiXBYJUS #EnhanceYourPotential #EducationForAll pic.twitter.com/7okgNYjKwg

— BYJU’S (@BYJUS) November 7, 2022

• In June 2023, he gave a cameo performance on the popular Argentinian TV show Los Protectores on Star+. The show centers around three football agents who join forces to revive their professional lives and evade financial ruin. In the first episode of the second season, which aired on 25 June 2023, Messi made an appearance. In this episode, the agents travel to Paris to meet Messi and present him with a proposal for a project that aims to assist young players. [5]Goal

El debut actoral de Messi en Los Protectores, la serie de Adrián Suar.

Me vuelvo loco. pic.twitter.com/mWWo9jRXnV

— Messismo (@Messismo10) June 26, 2023