February 22, 2016

In January, Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi won his record fifth Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball), an annual award given to the best men’s soccer player in the world. The Ballon d’Or was just the latest tip of the cap for Messi, who has captivated soccer fans since his debut with FC (football club) Barcelona in 2004. One of the best scorers ever to step on the pitch, Messi has racked up 297 goals in his Barcelona career—more than any other player in Spanish league history.

Lionel Messi is an Argentine soccer star who is internationally famous for his speed, his ball handling skills, and his goal scoring. Credit: © AP Photo

In 2008, Messi led the Argentine national team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in China. In 2012, playing for both Barcelona and Argentina, he scored 91 goals, the most by a player during one calendar year in professional soccer history. In 2014, he powered Argentina to the FIFA World Cup final in Brazil (a 1-0 extra time loss to Germany). FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. Such was his presence at that tournament that the final was often billed “Messi versus Germany.” Statistically, he didn’t qualify for the all-tournament team, but on reputation alone he was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player in the World Cup.

Lionel Andrés Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. He began playing soccer as a child, playing on local teams. From the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with a deficiency of human growth hormone. Human growth hormone is the main hormone that regulates human growth and development during childhood and adolescence. FC Barcelona signed Messi to a contract and agreed to pay for the treatment he needed to attain a normal height. He and his family moved to Barcelona. Messi obtained Spanish citizenship in 2005 but kept his Argentine citizenship as well.

Other World Book articles: 

• Soccer (2005) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2009) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2010) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2011) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2012) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2013) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2014) – A Back in Time article
• Argentina (2014) – A Back in Time article
• Latin America (2014) – A Back in Time article
• The 2014 World Cup (2014) – A Special Report