PROFILE AND HONORS OF FOOTBALLERS AND COACHES: LIONEL MESSI

Lionel Andrés Messi born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for La Liga giants FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Messi is considered to be one of the best football players of his generation, having received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his "successor".

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based 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. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble winning campaign.

Messi was the top scorer with six goals, including two in the final game of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's 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. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.

Personal information
Full name	Lionel Andrés Messi
Date of birth	24 June 1987 (1987-06-24) (age 22)
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	FC Barcelona
Number	10
Youth career
1995–2000	Newell's Old Boys
2000–2003	FC Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Club	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2003–2004	FC Barcelona B	5	(0)
2004–	FC Barcelona	113	(59)
National team^‡
2005	Argentina U-20	7	(6)
2008	Argentina Olympic	5	(2)
2005–	Argentina	40	(12)

Club statistics

As of 26 September 2009

Club	Season	League			Cup^{[nb 1]}			Europe^{[nb 2]}			Club World Cup			Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	2004–05	7	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	9	1	0
	2005–06	17	6	3	2	1	0	6	1	1	0	0	0	25	8	4
	2006–07	26	14	2	4	2	1	6	1	0	0	0	0	36	17	3
	2007–08	28	10	12	3	0	0	9	6	1	0	0	0	40	16	13
	2008–09	31	23	11	8	6	2	12	9	5	0	0	0	51	38	18
	2009–10	4	5	3	1	2	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	7	7	4
Career totals		113	59	31	19	11	3	36	17	8	0	0	0	168	87	42

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 March 2006	Basel, Switzerland	Croatia	2 – 3	Loss	Friendly
2	16 June 2006	Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Serbia and Montenegro	6 – 0	Win	2006 World Cup
3	5 June 2007	Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	4 – 3	Win	Friendly
4	5 June 2007	Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	4 – 3	Win	Friendly
5	8 July 2007	Barquisimeto, Venezuela	Peru	4 – 0	Win	2007 Copa América
6	11 July 2007	Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela	Mexico	0 – 3	Win	2007 Copa América
7	16 October 2007	Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezuela	0 – 2	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying
8	20 November 2007	Bogotá, Colombia	Colombia	2 – 1	Loss	2010 World Cup qualifying
9	4 June 2008	California, United States	Mexico	1 – 4	Win	Friendly
10	11 October 2008	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Uruguay	2 – 1	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying
11	11 February 2009	Marseille, France	France	0 – 2	Win	Friendly
12	28 March 2009	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Venezuela	4 – 0	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying