Labeled by many as the greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi celebrates his 34th birthday today (June 24, 2021). The Argentine’s fans took to social media to wish the Barcelona skipper on his special day. Born on 24 June, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, Messi signed up with Spain’s FC Barcelona at the age of 13 and has since become one of the greatest footballers to have played the game.
The Argentine continues to set new benchmarks for the others to follow, some maybe untouchable. He overcame a potential career-threatening medical condition at a young age before he began his goalscoring spree and winning trophies both. The Argentinian icon is currently on national duty and featuring in the ongoing Copa America. Messi made his FC Barcelona debut in 2003 in a match against RCD Espanyol. He was all of 17 at that time and was the third youngest person ever to play for Barcelona. Messi inherited the Barcelona jersey No.10 from iconic footballer Ronaldinho in 2008. Messi is the only footballer to win four prestigious awards — Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player, Pichichi Trophy and Golden Boot – in a single season. He achieved the feat during the 2009/10 campaign. He is the only player to win six Ballon d’Or (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019) awards in the history of the game.
Messi holds the record for being the youngest player to score 100 goals for Barcelona in official matches. He achieved this in 2010 and at that time he was just 22 years old. Messi is one of the richest football players in the world. His net worth is around $126 million. Messi is also the Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). footballer is also known as ‘The Flea’ for his agility and speed.
