I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi. Messi is a genius. – Diego Maradona3

Lionel Messi

Without a doubt one of the best soccer players of all time, Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina on June 24, 1987. Messi is a forward and a captain for both FC Barcelona as well as the Argentinian national team. He has been honored with FIFA’s Player of the Year award 5 times and the Ballon D’or for being the top scorer in Europe on 6 occasions.4

Messi was born into a working class family of somewhat limited means. He learned how to play soccer as a little boy by following around his older brothers and their friends and insisting on joining in on their activities. By the time he was 8 years old he was so good that he was recruited to join the youth soccer club in Rosario.7

Always a small boy, doctors diagnosed Messi with a hormone deficiency that was stunting his growth. His parents had trouble affording the nightly injections required to properly treat the condition. When, at the age of 13, FC Barcelona’s youth academy offered him the chance to train as a player with full medical expenses paid, his parents moved the family to Spain. Although this diagnosis affected his future prospects as a player, he was determined not to let it get in the way of his success. Messi was given Spanish citizenship in 2005.7

Among other things, Messi is an advocate who quietly uses his influence to fight for children’s rights all over the world. He started the Leo Messi Foundation, which aims to help disadvantaged young people to succeed in life. In addition, UNICEF gave him the honor of goodwill ambassador for global children’s rights in 2010.

Career History:  Lionel Messi

Since the beginning of his career with FC Barcelona, Messi has played in 687 games, made 603 goals, and won 33 club titles.4 He first played with FC Barcelona in 2002, when he was 16 years old. His incredible talent led him to his first contract with the team in 2004 as a senior player. He broke his first record 3 years later, in 2005, as the youngest person on the team to ever score a goal, when he was sent in as a substitute late in the game.7

It was during the next season, 2006-7, that Messi emerged as one of the world’s most skilled soccer players on the planet. One of the events that led to this was during the Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe when he scored an amazing goal which became known as the ‘goal of the century’.6

Another career highlight occurred when Messi was instrumental in winning Barcelona the La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2010 and 2011, and the ’11 Champions League title. During the 2012 season, Messi broke record after record. He scored 5 goals during a Champions League Match, which was a first. By the end of the year, he had become Barcelona’s top scorer of all time. That year, he was immortalized in the Guinness Book of World Records for scoring the highest number of goals in a season, which was 91.

In 2015, Messi led the team in winning the Club World Cup Final. Following the game, he was awarded the Silver Ball for his contribution to the victory. During the 2015-6, 2016-17, and 2017-8 seasons, he scored so many goals that he won the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey for his team. Following this, Messi was named team captain during the 2018–2019 season after Andres Iniesta left the team.

Despite his wildly successful career with Barcelona, his record with the Argentinean national team has been less fortunate. Although he always plays like a star, there have been many losses due to mistakes made late in the game. As captain and as a player, Messi has come under heavy criticism due to the fact that the team hasn’t won a major title yet.7

Getting in Shape Like Lionel Messi

Successful athletes like Lionel Messi have to have rigorous workout routines in order to stay in optimal physical condition. For a professional soccer player, it’s most important to develop power and stability in the legs, ankles, hips, and torso. They have to be able to drive the ball forward, and in the correct direction. Messi achieves this through his stringent workouts.1

Workouts

Messi normally works out a minimum of 5 days every week. He has 2 standard workout routines that he does on alternate days. Both routines focus on movement preparation, plyometrics, and movement skills.

The first routine is aimed at enhancing linear speed and includes exercises like the inverted hamstring stretch and the knee hug lunge. The second focuses on multidirectional speed and includes exercises such as the lateral lunge and the mirror drill. All of these exercises can be carried out by the average person at the gym.1

Nutrition

For any professional athlete, food is the fuel they require to make sure their bodies are functioning at the highest level. Before training or game time, they load up on healthy carbohydrates for energy. Most athletes also consume high amounts of protein.

According to his nutritionist, Messi’s diet is primarily composed of water, high-quality olive oil, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and fresh fruits and vegetables. He follows professional advice and avoids sugar and refined flours.1

Supplementation

Athletes must take in the proper nutrition to provide their bodies with energy to function. There are some professional athletes who take supplements in the hopes of enhancing their performance. Creatine, protein, and amino acid supplements are popular, as they build and strengthen the muscles and improve physical stamina. Athletes who are trying to lose weight sometimes take diet supplements. Vitamin and mineral supplements help to resolve any deficiencies, which keeps the body running at top form. Testosterone support products like HF Labs Delta Prime are also quite popular.

Lionel Messi Stats

Lionel Messi’s age as of June 24 was 32 years old. The average age of retirement for a professional soccer player is 35 years old, generally speaking. Lionel Messi’s height is 5’6″ (1.69m). This is quite a bit shorter than the average player, who stands at 5’11” ½ inches. Lionel Messi’s weight is148 lbs (67 kg).

For the 2018 season, Messi played in 34 matches, scored 36 goals, and made 13 assists. He received 3 yellow cards for the season, and no red cards. For the current 2019 season, he has appeared in 6 matches, scored 1 goal, made 1 assist, and received 1 red card.

Lionel Messi Net Worth

If you want to hear about big money, then let’s consider Lionel Messi. Salary-wise alone he makes 80 million a year with Barcelona. He also has a permanent contract with Adidas, Pepsi, Mastercard, and Jacob and Co. to endorse their products. His total salary is 127 million dollars. His current net worth is estimated at 400 million USD.5

 

References

 

  1. Critchley, Mark (April 2016). Lionel Messi Diet: What it Takes to be the World’s Best Player. Independent.  Retrieved online at  https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/lionel-messi-barcelona-forwards-nutritionist-reveals-the-diet-behind-the-worlds-greatest-player-a7006706.html

 

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica (June 2019). Lionel Messi.  Encyclopaedia Britannica Ltd. Retrieved online at https://www.britannica.com/print/article/1550939

 

  1. Eurosport (2016). The Greatest Ever Quotes About Lionel Messi. Eurosport. Retrieved online at https://www.eurosport.com/football/liga/2015-2016/he-s-a-miracle-from-god-the-greatest-ever-quotes-about-lionel-messi_sto5055556/story.shtml

 

  1. Forbes Staff (2019). Celebrity 100 2019. Forbes. Retrieved online at

https://www.forbes.com/profile/lionel-messi/#681bd01b5e9f

 

  1. Settimi, Christina (June 18, 2018). The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2019: Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar Dominate the Sporting World. Forbes. Retrieved online at https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinasettimi/2019/06/18/the-worlds-highest-paid-soccer-players-2019-messi-ronaldo-and-neymar-dominate-the-sporting-world/#47f28645b55e

 

  1. Staff (January 2019). Lionel Messi Biography Facts, Childhood and Personal Life. Sporty Tell.com. Retrieved online at https://sportytell.com/football/lionel-messi-biography-facts-childhood-personal-life/

 

  1. Staff (2019). Lionel Messi Biography.Biography.com.  Retrieved online at https://www.biography.com/athlete/lionel-messi