Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina) is a football player who currently plays for FC Barcelona and Argentina as a striker or winger. Considered one of the best football players of his generation, Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010 playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as "substitute" him.
Messi began playing football at a young age and potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left a young team Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004-05 season, he broke his team record for the youngest player to score a league goal. Major honors soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won the league and Champions League double in 2006.
Breakthrough season in 2006-07, he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finished with 14 goals in 26 league games. Messi then had the most successful season of his playing career, the 2008-09 season, where he scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign. This record-breaking season was then eclipsed in the following 2009-10 campaign, where Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equaling Ronaldo's record total for Barcelona. He surpassed this record again in the 2010-11 season with 53 goals in all competitions. Messi has won five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, scoring in two of those finals, against Manchester United in both 2009 and 2011. He was not on the pitch as Barcelona defeated Arsenal in 2006, but received a winners' medal from the tournament. After scoring 12 goals in [UEFA Champions League 2010-11 [| Champions League 2010-11]], Messi became only the third player (after Gerd Müller and Jean-Pierre Papin) to top-score in three campaigns European Champion Clubs Cup row participate.
However, Messi is the first one to win the Champions League top scorer for three consecutive years after Champions League changed format in 1992. Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina international senior 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 honor, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.
In 2007 Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity supporting access to education and health care for vulnerable children. In a fansite interview, Messi said. "Being a bit famous now gives me the opportunity to help people who really need it, especially children," In response to Messi's own difficulties medical son, Leo Messi Foundation supports Argentine children diagnosed with medical conditions by offering treatment in Spain and covering the cost transport, hospital and recuperation. Messi's foundation is supported by its own fundraising activity with additional assistance from Herbalife. On 11 March 2010 Messi was announced as an ambassador for UNICEF. Messi's UNICEF ambassador activities aimed at supporting children's rights. Messi is supported in this by FC Barcelona, who also have a strong association with UNICEF.
Lionel Messi's secret to success is very simple, namely liked what he did and do what he likes:
"I always think about myself. You have to remember, football games to have fun and you play for it. I have my game plan and anticipate, 'I do not have a picture of Messi that exactly what he did when he entered the field.
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