One of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi celebrates his 37th birthday today. Known for his mesmerising style of play, the Argentine has enthralled fans over the last two decades. Being one of the most gifted footballers in history, Messi is particularly known for otherworldly dribbling, accurate freekicks, spectacular finishing and supreme leadership quality.
Over the years, Messi has amassed several trophies including, UEFA Champions League, Copa America, World Cup and other domestic titles. He has also won a record eight Ballon d’Ors and six European Golden Shoe awards. Today let’s take a look at the 10 most memorable moments of Messi’s illustrious career.
La Liga debut
Lionel Messi made his Barcelona debut on October 16, 2004. He acted as a substitute against city-rivals Espanyol and played eight minutes. At the age of 17 years and 22 days, Messi became the team’s youngest star to appear in the competition at the time.
International debut
Lionel Messi made his international debut in August 2005. He came on as a substitute against Hungary. But his international debut turned out to be a heartbreaking one as he was sent off within minutes after seemingly striking Vilmos Vanczak.
Iconic goal against Getafe
Lionel Messi took the world by storm after replicating Diego Maradona’s goal of the century in 2007. Playing against Getafe at Camp Nou during the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, a 19-year-old Messi dribbled past six of Getage’s players to find the back of the net.
Olympic gold medal
Lionel Messi won his first major honour with Argentina in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Messi set up the winning goal to lead La Albiceleste to their second straight Olympic gold. They beat Nigeria 1-0 in the final.
First Champions League trophy
Lionel Messi was just on a different level during the Champions League final in 2009. Playing in Rome, the Argentine notched a header against Manchester United, eventually winning the match 2-0. This was his first-ever appearance in a Champions League final.
Coming back after retirement
Lionel Messi had previously once retired from international football after back-to-back losses in Copa America to Chile in 2016. But the Argentine legend just could not contain his passion for his national side, eventually making a return in August of the same year.
Breaking Pele’s record
Playing against Real Valladolid in 2020, Lionel Messi netted his 644th goal in a 3-0 win for Barcelona. By doing so, Messi broke the record for the most goals scored for a single club. The previous record was held by Brazilian legend Pele who had scored 643 goals for Santos FC.
Record Ballon d’Or trophy wins
Lionel Messi won his record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or recently. Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo comes next with five Ballon d’Or trophies to his name.
Copa America victory
Lionel Messi won his first Copa America trophy getting the better of Brazil in the final in 2021. Playing at the Maracana stadium, Argentina clinched a 1-0 win against Brazil. This victory also marked the end of Messi’s long wait for his first major international title.
FIFA World Cup triumph
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Arguably, the greatest moment of Lionel Messi’s career was winning the FIFA World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022. Messi scored a brace against France in the final. After a penalty shootout, Argentina emerged as the world champions after a gap of 36 years.
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