Lionel Messi is a soccer player. People call him Leo. He was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 24, 1987. He is famous for scoring lots of goals. As a young boy, he tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends. At age 8, he was recruited to the youth system of Newell's Old Boys, a club based in Rosario. At age 13, he joined FC Barcelona. His family moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain.

From a young age, Messi stood out at Barcelona because of his vision and his goalscoring ability. He moved quickly up through Barcelona's youth teams. He first played for the Barcelona first team in a friendly match with Porto, when he was 16. He made his first appearance in an official match for Barcelona on October 16, 2004. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player to score a goal for Barcelona. Messi is left-footed. As of November 2026, he is listed at 5 feet 7 inches tall.

Messi made his professional debut with Argentina in an August friendly match against Hungary. In 2008, Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 in the Olympic football final. Messi's pass helped set up the winning goal by Angel Di Maria. With the 2008 gold, Argentina defended its Olympic football title, and Messi won an Olympic gold medal. The 2021 Copa America was Messi's first title with Argentina's senior national team. In the final at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Argentina's winning goal came in the 22nd minute.

In 2022, Messi and Argentina won the World Cup. Messi scored two goals in the final. Argentina beat France on penalty kicks. As of November 2026, Messi plays for a team called Inter Miami CF. He wears number 10. Messi and Inter Miami won the MLS Cup in 2025. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 World Cup final, with the goal in the second period of extra time.

Words to know

• tagged: followed along
• recruited: invited
• debut: first match
• youngest: least old
• vision: sharp sight