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By Matias Grez, CNN
3 minute read
Published 7:06 AM EST, Mon December 19, 2022
Lionel Messi is carried around the Lusail Stadium in Qatar after Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final in December 2022.
Messi, right, attends elementary school in Rosario, Argentina, in 1992. He was born in Rosario on June 24, 1987, and is the third of four children born to Jorge Messi, a steel factory worker, and Celia María Cuccittini.
Messi, top, poses with members of his family in Rosario in 2003. Below him, from left, are brother Rodrigo, sister Maria Sol, father Jorge, mother Celia, nephew Tomás and brother Matías. As a young boy, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. He played for the local club team, Newell's Old Boys, before signing with Spanish club FC Barcelona at age of 13. As part of the contract, Barcelona agreed to pay for Messi's hormone treatments.
Messi is congratulated by Barcelona teammates after scoring his first goal for the club on May 1, 2005. Messi was 17 years old.
Messi poses with an Argentina shirt for the magazine El Gráfico in June 2005. He would make his senior debut for his country a couple of months later.
Messi makes his Argentina debut against Hungary in August 2005. He came on in the 63rd minute but was given a red card after just two minutes for a perceived elbow against a defender.
Messi, left, celebrates with teammates Ronaldinho, center, and Rafael Márquez after Barcelona won the Spanish league title in May 2006. Less than two weeks later, Barcelona won the Champions League — Messi's first with the club.
Messi, left, and Argentina teammate Julio Cruz arrive in Italy for a friendly match in May 2006. Argentina was preparing for the World Cup in June.
Messi signs autographs while training ahead of the World Cup in Germany in June 2006.
A poster of Messi is seen at Argentina's World Cup base in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in June 2006.
Messi scores against Serbia and Montenegro during a World Cup group-stage match in June 2006. Messi was the youngest Argentine to play and score in a World Cup. Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals that year and lost to Germany in a penalty shootout.
Messi, left, and Argentina teammate Sergio Agüero celebrate after winning gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Messi kisses his boot after scoring his header against Manchester United. His boot had come off while landing on his jump.
Messi leaps for a header, scoring a goal in the Champions League final against Manchester United in May 2009. Barcelona won 2-0.
In December 2009, Messi was recognized as the world's best footballer when he won the Ballon d'Or for the first time. He has now won the award a record seven times.
Argentina legend Diego Maradona touches Messi's head prior to a World Cup match in South Africa in 2010. Maradona was Argentina's coach for the tournament. Argentina lost to Germany in the quarterfinals, just as it did in 2006.
Messi takes a free kick during a Spanish league match against Atlético Madrid in 2011. During the 2011-12 season, Messi scored 73 goals, setting the all-time record for most goals scored in a season for a major European football league.
Messi, left, stands next to Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo during a match in Madrid in March 2014. The two superstars faced each other many times over the years, both on the field and off the field as they competed for awards.
Messi walks with Argentina teammates after losing the World Cup final to Germany in July 2014. Messi won the Golden Ball award that is given to the tournament's top player.
Messi scores a goal during a Spanish league match against Sevilla in November 2014. He had a hat trick and became the league's all-time leading goalscorer with 253 goals.
Messi takes the microphone from Ronaldo after they were selected for the FIFA World XI in 2015.
Messi leaves a courthouse in Barcelona in June 2016. A Barcelona court fined Messi €2 million ($2.3 million) and sentenced him to 21 months in prison for tax fraud. But because it was his first offense and his sentence was less than two years, he wouldn't serve any jail time. In July 2017, the Spanish courts reduced Messi's prison sentence to an additional fine of €252,000 ($287,000).
Messi collapses to the ground after missing in the penalty shootout that decided the Copa América final in June 2016. After the loss to Chile, Messi said he would probably retire from international soccer. He did not.
Messi celebrates with Barcelona teammates after winning the Spanish Super Cup in August 2016.
Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo in Rosario in 2017. They have three sons together: Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
Messi collects his sixth Ballon d'Or award in 2019. He added a seventh in 2021.
Messi arrives for a Barcelona training session in September 2020. It was his first time back since a failed attempt to leave the club that summer.
After years of heartbreak with Argentina, Messi finally won a major international trophy when he captained the Albiceleste to a Copa América title in July 2021. It was Argentina's first major title in 28 years.
Messi bids a tearful farewell to Barcelona after it was announced in August 2021 that he would be leaving the club after more than 20 years. Messi won 10 league titles and four Champions League titles with Barcelona.
Messi is unveiled with his new club, Paris Saint-Germain, in August 2021.
Messi celebrates after scoring during Argentina's shootout victory over the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinals in December 2022.
Messi and teammates celebrate after winning the World Cup final in a penalty shootout over France in December 2022.
Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after the 2022 final. Messi is holding the Golden Ball trophy, which is awarded to the tournament's best player.
Messi lifts the World Cup trophy.
Messi played his final match with Paris Saint-Germain in June 2023.
Messi waves to Inter Miami fans during his unveiling ceremony in July 2023. He signed a contract with the club until the end of the 2025 MLS season. According to multiple reports, Messi's new deal includes an option for part-ownership of the club and a cut of revenue from new subscribers to Apple TV's MLS Season Pass streaming service.
Messi celebrates after scoring a spectacular goal in his Inter Miami debut in July 2023. He curled in a free kick in stoppage time to give his club a 2-1 win over Mexican side Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup competition.
Messi holds the trophies for top scorer and best player after Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup tournament in August 2023. Messi scored 10 goals in seven matches.
Lionel Messi's life in pictures
CNN —
Ever since he was a young boy growing up in Rosario, Lionel Messi’s ultimate dream was to win the World Cup for Argentina.
He finally achieved that dream on Sunday, in the last World Cup match of his career, after a month that featured some of the finest individual moments fans have ever seen from the little magician.
Messi has never hidden his desire to win the World Cup for his homeland and it’s been a goal that has bordered on an obsession for much of his life.
That was evident in Qatar as he dragged his team through matches by sheer force of will and a little sprinkling of magic.
While Messi had previously stated this would be his final World Cup, the 35-year-old told reporters after Sunday’s penalty shootout victory over France that he intended to play for Argentina for a little while longer.
“Obviously I wanted to close my career with this, I can’t ask for anything more,” Messi told Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports. “Thank God he gave me everything. Almost finishing my career in this way is amazing.
Messi of Argentina poses with the Golden Ball award, which is given to the best player at the World Cup.
“
After this, what else is there? I was able to win the Copa América, the World Cup … almost at the end. I love football, what I do. I enjoy being with the national team, the group, I want to continue living a few more games being world champion.
“It’s crazy, we really wanted it but it is the most beautiful thing there is. Look at what it is, it’s beautiful. I wanted it so badly. God was going to give it to me … we suffered a lot but we made it. I can’t wait to be back in Argentina to see how crazy that is going to be.”
“It’s the dream of every little kid, I was lucky enough to have achieved everything and what I was missing is here.”
‘The debates are over’
For large parts of his career, Messi had struggled to step out of Diego Maradona’s shadow, a man who was loved in Argentina for both his greatness and his flaws and who, ultimately, had delivered World Cup glory for the country.
Now, Messi has answered every question posed by his critics, according to Guillem Balague, football journalist and authorized biographer of Messi.
Lionel Messi has finally achieved his lifelong dream.
“It means that the debates are over,” Ballague told CNN Sport. “The [Cristiano] Ronaldo debate is over, the [Diego] Maradona debate is over, the best player in the world ever [debate] is over. That’s what it means. In terms of what he had done for 15 years, he was just the best player in the world.
“Try to equal the kind of consistency delivered at the top, the fact that he’s won so many leagues, so many Champions Leagues – Maradona didn’t – but of course now you’re going to start every sentence with ‘World Cup winner Leo Messi.’ The end of all debates. It is over. For his legacy, in a way it’s the end of an era.
“It finishes on a massive high of somebody that has delivered at the top. It has a sadness to it – it’s not just that he’s going, find me another Messi. Find me another player that’s like him, that is short, tiny, not the fastest, but can still manage to dominate the game and to influence the game.
“It doesn’t happen anymore. The coaches just get little robots, they want them to do a good job and he [Messi] just tears up the script every single time. He’s done it in the World Cup final. Nothing bigger, is there?”
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