Best football player of the world "Lionel Messi"

Name : Lionel Messi

Full Name : Lionel Andres Messi

Birth Date : June 24, 1987

Birth Place : Rosario, Santa F, Argentina

Nationality : Argentinian

2nd Nationality : Spanish

EU Passport : Yes

Height : 169 cm

Weight : 67 kg

Club : FC Barcelona

Position : Forward 

Number : 10

Idol : Maradona

Compared To : Maradona

Best Known As : Goal-scoring Argentine forward for FC Barcelona

Summary

 

"Lionel Andres 'Leo' Messi" ( born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team as a forward 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 both by the age of 22. He also won the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or at the age of 23. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his 'successor'.

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004-05 season, he broke his team record for the youngest footballer to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in the 2006-07 season; he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clasico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Messi then had the most successful season of his playing career, the 2008-09 season, in which 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, equalling Ronaldo's record total for Barcelona. He surpassed this record in the 2010-11 season.

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's senior international 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 America tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.

Early life

Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, to parents Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory worker, and Celia Marํa Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner. His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona, from which his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883. He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matํas as well as a sister named Marํa Sol. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Primera Division club River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for treatment for his condition as it cost $900 a month. Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial. Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain. His family moved to Europe and he started in the club's youth teams.

Club career

Barcelona

Messi made his official debut for the first-team on 16 November 2003 aged 16 years and 145 days, in a friendly match against Porto. Less than a year later, Frank Rijkaard let him make his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga. This record was broken by Bojan Krkic? in September 2007. When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompie on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, ten months and seven days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona until it was again broken by Bojan Krkic? in 2007, scoring from a Messi assist. Messi said about his ex-coach Rijkaard: 'I'll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only sixteen or seventeen.'

2005-06 season

On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract; this time it was improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014. Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September 2005 and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. Messi's first home outing in the Champions League came on 27 September against Italian club Udinese. Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona.

Messi netted six goals in 17 league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea. Rijkaard's Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.

2006-07 season

Messi in a match against in 2007

In the 2006-07 season, Messi established himself as a regular first team player, scoring 14 times in 26 matches. On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months. Messi recuperated from his injury in Argentina, and his return to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February, where he came on as a second-half substitute. On 11 March, "El Clasico" saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3-3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time. In doing so he became the first player since Ivแn Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994-95 season) to score a hat-trick in "El Clasico". Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture. Towards the end of the season he began finding the net more often; 11 of his 14 league goals for the season came from the last 13 games.

Messi shortly before scoring a goal against Getafe

Messi also proved the 'new Maradona' tag was not all hype, by nearly replicating Maradona's most famous goals in the space of the single season. On 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century. The world's sports press drew comparisons with Maradona, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as 'Messidona'. He ran about the same distance, , beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before. In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: 'It was the best goal I have ever seen in my life.' Against RCD Espanyol Messi also scored a goal which was remarkably similar to Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal against England in the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi launched himself at the ball and connected with his hand to guide the ball past the goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. Despite protests by Espanyol players and replays showing it was clear handball, the goal stood.

2007-08 season

Messi takes Barcelona to 2-0 against Sevilla at Camp Nou on 22 September 2007

During the 2007-08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week leading Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. On 19 September he scored once as Barcelona defeated Lyon 3-0 at home in a Champions League match. He scored two goals against Sevilla FC on 22 September and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4-1 victory over Real Zaragoza. Next goal came in 4-1 away win against Levante UD in 29 September 2007. His second Champions League goal of the season came against VfB Stuttgart. On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Barcelona against Valencia.

Messi was nominated for a FIFPro World XI Player Award under the category of Forward. A poll conducted in the online edition of the Spanish newspaper "Marca" had him as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the vote. Columnists from Barcelona-based newspapers "El Mundo Deportivo" and "Sport" stated that the Ballon d'Or should be given to Messi, a view supported by Franz Beckenbauer. Football personalities such as Francesco Totti have declared that they consider Messi to be one of the current best footballers in the world.

Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that Messi suffered this type of injury. After coming back from the injury Messi scored his last goal of 2007-08 season against Valencia on 4 May 2008 in a 6-0 win. When the season was over Messi managed to score 16 goals and assisted 13 times in all competition.

2008-09 season

Messi in a match against

Upon Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey. On 1 October 2008, during a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes, after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 victory for Barcelona. The next league game was versus Atl้tico Madrid, a match billed as a friendly battle between Messi and his good friend Sergio Agero. Messi scored a goal from a free kick and assisted another as Bar็a went on to win the match 6-1. Messi netted another impressive brace against Sevilla scoring a volley from and then dribbling round the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle for the other. On 13 December 2008, during the first Clasico of the season, Messi scored the second goal in Barcelona's 2-0 win over Real Madrid. He was also named second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.

Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atletico Madrid which Barcelona won 3-1. Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing Santander 1-2 after being 1-0 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal. In the 28th round of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, helping his team to a 6-0 victory over Malaga CF in the process. On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, setting a personal record of eight goals in the competition. On 18 April, Messi notched his 20th league goal of the season in a 1-0 win at Getafe, allowing Barcelona to maintain their six-point advantage at the top of the league table over Real Madrid.

As Barcelona's season was drawing to a close, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a 6-2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930. After scoring each goal, he ran towards the fans and the cameras lifting up his Barcelona jersey and showing another T-shirt that read "Sํndrome X Frเgil", Catalan for Fragile X Syndrome, to show his support for children who suffer from the affliction. Messi was involved in the build-up to Andr้s Iniesta's injury time goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to send Barcelona through to face Manchester United in the final. He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one goal and assisting another two, in a 4-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao. He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the Champions League by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead; he also became the top scorer in the Champions League, the youngest in the tournament's history, with nine goals. Messi also won the UEFA Club Forward of the Year: and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year rounding off a spectacular year in Europe. This victory meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and Champions League in the one season, and was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.

2009-10 season

Messi in action during the Joan Gamper Trophy match between Barcelona and at

After winning the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola asserted that Messi was probably the best player he had ever seen.

On 18 September, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, running until 2016 and with a buy-out clause of ?250 million included, making Messi, along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic?, the highest paid players in La Liga, with earnings of around ?9.5 million yearly. Four days later, on 22 September, Messi scored two goals and assisted another in Barca's 4-1 win over Racing Santander in La Liga. He scored his first European goal of the season on 29 September in a 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv, and then took his goal tally to six goals in seven games in La Liga with a strike during a 6-1 routing of Real Zaragoza at Camp Nou.

Messi was named winner of the 2009 Ballon d'Or on 1 December 2009, beating runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo by largest ever margin of 473 to 233. Afterwards, France Football magazine quoted Messi as saying: 'I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me.'

On 19 December, Messi scored the winner in the final of the 2009 Club World Cup against Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi, giving the club their sixth title of the year. Two days later, he was given the FIFA World Player of the Year award, beating Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Kaka and Andres Iniesta to the award. This was the first time he had won the award, and he became the first Argentinean to ever receive this honour. On 10 January 2010, Messi scored his first hat-trick in 2010 and his first hat-trick of the season against CD Tenerife in the 0-5 victory, and on 17 January he scored his 100th goal for the club in the 4-0 victory over Sevilla.

Messi then started an impressive run scoring 11 goals in five games. First he scored on the 84th minute against Malaga for a 2-1 win, then he scored two goals against UD Almeria in a 2-2 tie. He continued his spree with an impressive week where he scored eight goals; he started by scoring a hat-trick against Valencia CF in a 3-0 home win, then he scored two goals against Stuttgart, in a 4-0 win that secured Barcelona's qualification to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and finally he scored another hat-trick against Zaragoza in a 4-2 away win, becoming the first Barcelona player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in La Liga. He played his 200th official match for Barcelona against Osasuna on 24 March 2010.

On 6 April 2010, for the first time in Messi's career he scored four goals in a single match, netting the lot in a 4-1 home win over Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. This also saw him overtake Rivaldo as Barcelona's all time greatest scorer in the competition. On 10 April, Messi scored his 40th goal of the season when he netted the first goal in a 2-0 away win against title-rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico. On 1 May, Messi played his 50th game of the season and scored two goals on a 4-1 away win against Villarreal. Just three days later, on 4 May, Messi scored two goals in another 4-1 win at home against Tenerife. Messi scored his 32nd goal of the La Liga season on 8 May, during an away win against Sevilla, and in the final match against Valladolid, he scored two goals in the second half to tie Ronaldo's club record of 34 goals in a single league season, set in 1996-97, and to finish four goals behind the all-time record held by Telmo Zarra. He was named La Liga player of the year for the second year in a row on 3 June 2010.

2010-11 season

On 21 August 2010, Messi scored a hat-trick in his first start of the season in a 4-0 victory over Sevilla FC in the Supercopa de Espana, helping Barcelona secure their first trophy of the season after a 1-3 first leg loss. He also began his league season with a goal, scoring after just three minutes against Racing Santander on 29 August 2010. He then continued his excellent form into the UEFA Champions League group stage match against Panathinaikos where he scored two goals, assisted another two and also hit the frame of the goal on two separate occasions.

On 19 September 2010, Messi suffered an ankle injury due to an ill-advised tackle by Atletico Madrid defender Tom Ujfalusi in the 92nd minute of their Round 3 match at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. At first sight it was feared that Messi suffered a broken ankle that could have kept the star player away from the pitch for a minimum of six months, but MRI performed the next day in Barcelona showed he suffered a sprain in the internal and external ligaments of his right ankle. Team-mate David Villa stated 'the tackle on Messi was brutal' after watching the video of the play and also added that he believed the Atletico defender 'didn't go into the tackle to hurt'. The incident caused widespread media attention and brought up the debate of equality in protecting all players in the game.

When Messi recovered he scored in a 1-1 tie against RCD Mallorca. He then scored another brace on the UEFA Champions League against K๘benhavn and helped the team to a 2-0 home win. He continued his impressive scoring run with braces against Zaragoza and Sevilla. After a prolific October, he started November scoring on an away 1-1 tie against Kobenhavn and an away 3-1 win against Getafe where he also assisted team-mates David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez. In the next fixture against Villarreal CF, he scored an amazing goal combining with Pedro, which gave Barcelona a 2-1 lead. He scored another goal and Barcelona won 3-1. This was the 7th consecutive match in which Messi scored, breaking his own previous record of 6. He also achieved the feat of scoring 50 goals in the calender year of 2010 with the 1st goal, while with the second goal, he achieved the same feat again, this time considering the goals he scored wearing a Barcelona shirt in the year 2010. Against Almeria he scored his second hat-trick of the season in an impressive 8-0 away win, the second goal was his 100th La Liga goal. He scored on his ninth game in a row (10th including a friendly against Brazil) on a 3-0 away win against Panathinaikos.

Messi in action against , with in the background.

Messi's goalscoring run ended on 29 November at El Clasico but Barcelona still managed to win 5-0 with Messi assisting Villa twice. The next match day he scored a brace and gave an assist against Osasuna. He followed with another brace against Real Sociedad. In El Derbi, a match Barcelona won 1-5, he assisted teammates Pedro and Villa to score one goal each. His first goal in 2011 came against Deportivo La Coruna with a free kick on a 4-0 away win, where he once again assisted both Pedro and Villa.

Messi won the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, beating his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Iniesta. Messi had been nominated for the awards for the fourth consecutive year. Only two days after he won the award he scored his first hat-trick of the year and third of the season against Real Betis. He began the second round of the league with a goal, scoring his second penalty against Racing Santander. After scoring the penalty kick, Messi revealed a message on his undershirt that said, 'Happy birthday, mami.'. He continued his goalscoring form with a brace against Almeria in the Copa del Rey semifinal, and followed it up with another brace less than a week later against Hercules CF. On 5 February, Barcelona broke the record for most consecutive league wins with 16 victories after they defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to ensure the victory for his side and after the match he stated, 'it's an honor to be able to pass a record set by a great like Di Stfano' and 'if the record has been around for so long is because it's very complicated to achieve and we have reached it by defeating a very difficult team who's going through a bad situation, which makes it even more difficult.'

After two scoreless games he scored the winner against Athletic Bilbao in which Barcelona won 2-1. The next week he scored the first header of the season against Mallorca on a 3-0 away win. This victory was the equalising a La Liga record set by Basque club Real Sociedad in the 1979-80 campaign with a 19 unbeaten away matches.

The record was broken after three days later when Messi scored the only goal on an away victory over Valencia.

On 8 March, Messi scored two goals against Arsenal FC in a UEFA Champions League match at the Camp Nou, helping Barcelona win 3-1 and qualify to the quarter-finals of the competition.

After failing to score for a month he scored a brace against Almeria; the second goal was his 47th of the season, equalling his club record return of the previous season. He surpassed his record on 12 April 2011 by scoring the winner against Shakhtar Donetsk in a UEFA Champions League game, which put him in the record book as all time top scorer in a single season for Barcelona. He scored his eight goal on El Clasico on a 1-1 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. On April, 23, Messi scored his 50th goal of the season against Osasuna in a 2-0 home victory which he came on as a substitutes in the 60th minutes.

In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals he gave a memorable performance, scoring twice against Real Madrid in a 2-0 win, the second goal (a dribble past several players) being acclaimed as one of the best ever at that stage of the competition.

International career

In June 2004, he debuted for Argentina, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005 he was part of a team that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. There, he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe, scoring in the last four of Argentina's matches and netting a total of six for the tournament.

He made his full international debut on 17 August 2005 against Hungary at the age of 18. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off on the 65th minute because the referee, Markus Merk, found he had headbutted defender Vilmos Vanczk, who was tugging Messi's shirt. The decision was contentious and Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated. Messi returned to the team on 3 September in Argentina's 1-0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay. Ahead of the match he had said 'This is a re-debut. The first one was a bit short.' He then started his first game for Argentina against Peru; after the match Pekerman described Messi as 'a jewel'.

On 28 March 2009, in a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the number 10 jersey for the first time with Argentina. This match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as the Argentina manager. Argentina won the match 4-0 with Messi opening the scoring.

On 17 November 2010, Messi scored a last-minute goal against South American rivals Brazil after an individual effort to help his team to a 1-0 win in the friendly match, which was held in Doha. This was the first time that he had scored against Brazil at senior level. Messi scored another last-minute goal on 9 February 2011 against Portugal in a penalty kick which he give his side a 2-1 victory in the friendly match, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland.

2006 World Cup

The injury that kept Messi from playing for two months at the end of the 2005-06 season jeopardised his presence in the 2006 World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentine U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th minute.

He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the substitute's bench. In the next match against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodriguez in the 74th minute. He assisted Hernan Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6-0 victory, making him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Messi started in Argentina's following 0-0 draw against the Netherlands.

In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, with the score tied at 1-1. He appeared to score a goal, but it was ruled offside with Argentina needing a late goal in extra time to proceed. Coach Jose Pekerman left Messi on the bench during the quarter-final match against Germany, which they lost 4-2 on a penalty shootout.

2007 Copa Amrica

Messi played his first game in the 2007 Copa America on 29 June 2007, when Argentina defeated United States 4-1 in the first game. In this game, he showed his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hernan Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.

His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1-1. He also played a part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3-1. The final score of the game was 4-2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.

In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0-0. In the 79th minute, he assisted a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4-0 win. During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo Sanchez to see Argentina through to the final with a 3-0 win. Argentina went on to lose 3-0 to Brazil in the final.

2008 Summer Olympics

Messi in the semi-final against Brazil at the

Having barred Messi from playing for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics, Barcelona agreed to release him after he held talks with newly appointed coach Josep Guardiola. He joined the Argentina squad and scored the first goal in a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast. He then scored the opening goal and assisted angel di Maria in the second to help his side to a 2-1 extra-time win against the Netherlands. He also featured in Argentina's match against rivals Brazil, in which Argentina took a 3-0 victory, thus advancing to the final. In the gold medal match, Messi again assisted Di Maria for the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Nigeria.

2010 World Cup

Messi played the entire game on Argentina's opening match 1-0 victory against Nigeria. He had several opportunities to score but was repeatedly denied by Vincent Enyeama. Messi started in Argentina's following 4-1 win against Korea Republic; he participated in all of the goals of his team and helped Gonzalo Higuaํn score a hat-trick. On the third and last group stage match Messi captained during Argentina's 2-0 win over Greece, again being the centrepoint of Argentina's play and was voted man of the match.

At the Round of 16 he assisted Carlos Tevez for the first goal in a 3-1 win against Mexico. The referee awarded that goal even though it was a clear offside. The World Cup ended for Argentina with a 4-0 loss against Germany.

Outside football

Personal life

Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup. He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine glamour model Luciana Salazar. In January 2009 he told 'Hat Trick Bar็a', a programme on Canal 33: 'I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina. I am relaxed and happy'. He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario.

Messi has two cousins also involved in football: Maxi, a winger for Club Olimpia of Paraguay, and Emanuel Biancucchi, who plays as a midfielder for Spain's Girona FC.

Charity

In 2007 Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation , a charity supporting access to education and health care for vulnerable children. In an 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 childhood medical difficulties, the Leo Messi Foundation supports Argentine children diagnosed with medical conditions by offering treatment in Spain and covering the transport, hospital and recuperation costs. Messi's foundation is supported by his own fundraising activity with additional assistance from Herbalife .

On 11 March 2010 Messi was announced as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Messi's UNICEF ambassador activities are aimed at supporting children's rights. Messi is supported in this by FC Barcelona, who also have a strong association with UNICEF.

Media

He is featured on the front cover of the video game "Pro Evolution Soccer 2009" and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the game. Messi, along with Fernando Torres, is the face of "Pro Evolution Soccer 2010", and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer. Messi is sponsored by the German sportswear company Adidas and features in their television advertisements. In June 2010, Messi also signed a three-year contract with Herbalife which further supports the Leo Messi Foundation.

Facts:

Messi became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for Barça  in 2005 in a match against Albacete – aged just 17 years, 10 months and 7 days.

At 18 Messi played for Argentina in the Under 20 World Cup and won the title. He was also voted best player of the tournament and was its leading goal scorer.

Argentinean great Maradona has named Messi as his natural successor.  The Spanish press have nicknamed him ‘Messidona’.

Messi is a left-footed player comfortable in the middle, on the wings or in a centre forward position.

As a child Messi suffered from a hormonal problem that was preventing him from growing as normal. Barcelona tempted him to Spain by offering to help with his medical bills.

Messi’s nickname with the Barcelona fans is Leo.

He was asked to play his national football for Spain but chose to wait for a call up from Argentina.

His first senior call up to the Argentinean team ended in disaster - he was sent off after 40 seconds.

When he came on to the pitch against Serbia and Montenegro in the 2006 World Cup, Messi became the youngest player to play for Argentina in a World Cup tournament. His goal in this match made him the youngest scorer of this World Cup and the sixth youngest scorer in the history of the tournament.

He has won two Spanish Supercups (2005-6/2006-7), two League Titles (2004-5/2005-6) and the Champions League (2005-6) with Barcelona.

Messi is contracted to stay with Barcelona until 2016.

Reference

http://www.simplybarcelonatickets.com/news/player-profile/player-profile-lionel-messi.htm

http://www.bollywoodwallpaper.org/Lionel-Messi-Profile.php

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/Lionel-Messi/biography/

Super star of football "David Beckham"



David Beckham was born in Leytonstone to parents Ted, a kitchen fitter, and Sandra, a hairdresser.

Beckham's parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who frequently travelled to Old Trafford from London to attend the club's home matches, so he naturally inherited their love of the team and chose football as his main sporting passion.

His love of football meant that his schooling took second place. In 1991, aged 16, he left school and signed up to Manchester United's youth training scheme after his talent for the game had become evident. He had initially been on trial at Tottenham.

Beckham scored in the second leg of the FA Youth Cup final against Crystal Palace in 1992 and was part of a talented group of young players that included the likes of Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers. Fresh from collecting his first piece of silverware with the youth team, Beckham made his first appearance for United's senior side that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton. He signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards.

United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in the defeat to Leeds United.

During the 1994–95 season, Sir Alex Ferguson sent Beckham on loan to Preston North End for some first-team experience. It wasn't until 2 April 1995 that he made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United in a goalless draw against Leeds United.

Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. When three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs drew a great deal of criticism in the media.

Beckham became a regular in the first team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double, scoring the winning goal in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Eric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final.

England manager Glenn Hoddle took a chance on Beckham by including him in the starting line up for a match against Moldova in September 1996. It was Beckham's England debut and the team went on to win the game 3-0.

United started the 1997-98 season well, yet their performance deteriorated when several players got injured and they subsequently finished the season in second place, behind Arsenal. Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad that travelled to France for the showpiece event. However, Hoddle publicly accused Beckham of not concentrating on the tournament and omitted him from the first two matches.

Beckham was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England. In the second round of the tournament, Beckham received a red card in the match against Argentina. The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed Beckham for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub and death threats.

In that same year, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, better know as Posh Spice from The Spice Girls, and the couple were soon dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media, which has since stuck.



Victoria   Adams



In the 1998-99 season, United enjoyed a tremendously successful year when they won the 'treble' of league, FA Cup and Champions League - a unique feat in English football. Beckham was pivotal in United's FA Cup final win over Newcastle United and for the 1999 Uefa Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, which led to him finishing as runner up to Rivaldo at the European Footballer of the Year and Fifa World Player of the Year awards in 1999.

Despite his achievements that year, he remained unpopular among some opposition fans and journalists, and was criticised after being sent off for a questionable challenge in Manchester United's World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that 'Posh' was a bad influence on him (they married at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland on 4 July 1999, four months after the birth of their first son, Brooklyn). However, Sir Alex Ferguson publicly backed Beckham and he remained at the club.

The relationship between Ferguson and Beckham soon began to deteriorate though. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who was ill with gastroenteritis. Ferguson was livid, however, when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night and claimed that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn instead. Ferguson responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages - which was £50,000 at that time) and dropped him for a crucial match against Leeds United.

The tension between the two culminated in a dressing room bust up that saw the manager kick a football boot at Beckham, resulting in a cut on his face. Rather than playing the incident down, the ever media hungry Beckham walked the streets of Manchester the next day showing off the stitches above his eye.

On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager, Beckham was made captain. He responded by helping England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, following a number of impressive performances that included a famous 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich.

Beckham's relationship with Alex Ferguson had completely deteriorated by the end of the 2002 season though and in 2003, Beckham agreed a four-year contract with Real Madrid. Manchester United accepted a fee of £24.5m for the England captain.

Beckham's Spanish career got off to the perfect start when he scored on his debut during Real's Spanish Super Cup win against Real Mallorca. Sadly, his first season at the club was tainted by claims that he'd had an affair with his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos. Beckham denied the allegations but the usual tabloid frenzy ensued.

The Beckhams made it through the press intrusion though and managed to establish a happy life in Madrid with their third son Cruz being born on 20 February 2005 in the Spanish capital. (Their second son, Romeo, was born 1 September 2002.)

At the start of the 2006-2007 season, Beckham was reduced to a bit-part role under new coach Fabio Capello and he subsequently stalled on contract renewal talks. On 11 January, Beckham announced he had signed a five-year deal with MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy worth $250 million.

Capello responded by saying the midfielder would not play for Real again and Beckham spent the next month watching the team playing from the sidelines. "He (Beckham) has always been a great professional, but a player who has such an important contract with another club, we cannot count on him. He is not going to play any more," Capello commented.

However, Beckham continued to train hard and eventually regained his place for Real and England. Indeed, his Real Madrid career finished in glory as the team pipped Barcelona for the Spanish league title. This ended the team's four-year trophy drought and was a suitably happy ending for Beckham in Spain.

The 32-year-old was delighted his family could experience the occasion at the Bernabeu. He added: "It's amazing to have my family here. They have been with me for four years in Spain and they've been through the ups and downs - and they've felt the euphoria tonight. It meant the world to have everyone that supported me throughout my career - my whole family, my wife, my mum and dad, my sister and children. It's incredible."

The move to Hollywood saw Posh and Becks enter the celebrity A-List. Indeed, Beckham cites an hour-and-a-half long telephone conversation with Tom Cruise as having a huge influence on his decision to join LA Galaxy.

Beckham was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player at the Home Depot Center in July 2007 in an event that was watched by more than 5,000 fans and covered by 700 accredited members of the media. Even before he appeared on the pitch, the publicity surrounding his move to the US resulted in Galaxy jersey sales soaring. He made his debut for LA Galaxy later that month, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute of a friendly match with Chelsea, which was won by the English football club.

Despite his move to the US, where he achieved mixed results for LA Galaxy, Beckham was still keen to appear for England and joined Milan on loan in January 2009 in order to keep this hope alive. During this period Beckham revealed a desire for a permanent move to Milan, but Galaxy's valuation of Beckham proved too much for the Serie A club. This displeased LA Galaxy fans and they made their feelings known upon his return to the club. He went on to have a second stint at Milan only to return to the US.

In March 2010, Beckham's dreams of playing for England were ruined when a ruptured Achilles tendon ruled him out of selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. However, manager Fabio Capello allowed him to go to the tournament as part of the England back-room staff.

After England's dismal performance at the event, Beckham went on to represent the nation in a slightly different capacity when he helped campaign for the 2018 World Cup hosting bid. Russia was chosen to host the tournament.

Further proof of his importance to the game came in December 2010 when the BBC honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show.

It was an emotional event for both Beckham and his family, and less than a month later David and Victoria were back in the headlines again as the couple announced that they are expecting a much longed-for fourth child.

Announcing the news on his Facebook page, David said: "The boys are very excited about the arrival of their new brother or sister."

As well as a new family member, Beckham also announced in the same week that he will return to the United Kingdom to train with north London team Tottenham Hotspur. He is scheduled to train with the squad until February when he will return to the US to play for LA Galaxy.

It is unclear at the moment as to whether or not the football icon will sign a contract with the team, but speculation is rife and he is once again the centre of media attention across the globe.

Reference

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065743/bio

http://www.biggeststars.com/d/david-beckham-biography.html

http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Beckham/Beckham_bio.html