LIONEL MESSI

ABOUT LIONEL MESSI:
Full name: Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birthday: June 24, 1987
Birth place: Rosario, Argentina
Country: Argentina
EU passport: Yes
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67.5 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward

 Lionel messi is an Argentine football  player. He started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.  At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment of the illness, which cost over £500 a month. As Argentina's economy was collapsing, Carles Rexach, then sporting director of FC Barcelona, was made aware of Messi's talent, and Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to start a new life in Spain. His family moved with the young player to Europe and he starred in the club’s youth teams.
                          On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division.Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese.
                                                                             His first appearance with Barcelona is the 2004-2005 season and a record as the youngest player to play and score goals in La Liga.

                                                                 In his first season at Barcelona, Messi helped lead El Barça won La Liga, and double winner that is La Liga and Champions League. In the 2006-2007 season, Messi scored a hat trick to Real Madrid in the match wicket 'el classico' and scored 14 goals in 26 matches.

              In the Argentine national team, Messi won the Junior World Cup title in 2005 and in 2008 won the Olympics in Beijing. Joint team of senior Tango, the first appearance on August 17, 2005 at the age of 18 years 54 days.

Lionel Messi – World Cup 2006
                                                            The injury that kept Messi from playing for two months at the end of the 2005/06 league, jeopardized his presence in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Nonetheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup on May 15, 2006. He also played in the farewell match against the Argentinian U-20 team and a friendly against Angola. Messi witnessed Argentina’s opening match win against Ivory Coast from the bench. In the next match against Serbia and Montenegro, he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodríguez in the 74th minute. In doing so he became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup. He assisted Hernán Crespo’s goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6-0 victory. This goal made him the youngest scorer in the 2006 World Cup and the sixth youngest scorer in World Cup history.So, today messi is known by the world.