My first memories are from when I was very little, maybe three or four years old playing in my neighbourhood at home. I can picture myself with the ball at my feet from a very young age.
Catalog
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi Cuccittini (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈðɾes ˈmesi] ( listen); born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as the greatest of all time, Messi is the only player in history to win five FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record-tying four European Golden Shoes. He has won 29 trophies with Barcelona, including eight La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and five Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (362), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), as well as those for most assists made in La Liga (141) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 600 senior career goals for club and country. Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child. At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona, who agreed to pay for his medical treatment. After a fast progression through Barcelona's youth academy, Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. Despite being injury-prone during his early career, he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award, a feat he repeated the following year. His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish footbal
I have never considered myself greedy or a ball hog, even if some people thought I was. I have grown as a player and learnt from those people who tried to help me improve.
There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it's just by signing an autograph. A child's smile is worth more than all the money in the world.
My first memories are from when I was very little, maybe three or four years old playing in my neighbourhood at home. I can picture myself with the ball at my feet from a very young age.
I'm always trying to be my best, first for my team, for myself, for the fans, and to try and win.
I am competitive and I feel bad when we lose. You can see it in me when we've lost. I'm in a bad way. I don't like to talk to anyone.
I’d always played football on the street since I was tiny, and it was great fun. After that, I started playing for a local neighbourhood team when I was about five or six.
I’m always proudest whenever I’ve been part of trophy-winning team. Lifting a title makes me feel so happy because it’s what I want to do in football: be successful.
Pressure in football is an interesting topic. Personally, I try to help myself as best I can. I’m always looking to remain as calm and relaxed as possible when I go onto the pitch. When I feel the grass beneath my feat I feel sure, because playing football is what I enjoy most.
I start preparing for a game, much like the rest of the squad, after the previous match finishes. We talk about what we did well and what we can improve. We play a lot of games in a very short space of time, so I think it’s important to always look forwards and never backwards in football.
Everyone’s got their own style. Everybody’s different. I think I’m just normal, jeans and T-shirt.
I try to not to look at the future and to just focus on the day-to-day and set objectives in the near future.