Stats
Read more Creating. Carrying. A class apart.
La Liga 2015/16 · players with at least 900 minutes.
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StatsBomb Open Data ☀ ROSARIO → THE WORLD
AN EXTRAORDINARY CAREER, EXPLORED. Lionel Messi.
A LIFE IN NUMBERS
From the streets of Rosario to the top-right corner of football. Explore the goals, the records, and the life behind the number 10.
672 Barça goals 8 Ballons d’Or 1 unforgettable story
10 LIONEL ANDRÉS MESSI Rosario, Argentina · 24 June 1987
EXPLORE THE ATLAS
Many ways to know the number 10.
Records
Read more A few extraordinary numbers.
- 8Ballon d’Or awardsCareer
- 6European Golden ShoesCareer
- 474La Liga goals2004–2021
- 672Official goals for Barcelona2004–2021
- 91Official goals in a calendar year2012
Selected historical records · full sources and context in Records.
Photo Gallery
Read more The moments that stay.
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Rosario was only the beginning.
A childhood shaped by football, a move across the Atlantic at thirteen, and a career that changed the sport. Meet the person behind the records.
Read moreInterviews
In his own words.
Long conversations about football, family and the moments that changed everything.
Read morePraise
Read more Two stories. One extraordinary life.
Gracias por hacerme amar aún más el fútbol
Neymar
A farewell from a rival who became a teammate and friend. Neymar celebrates their shared history and the pleasure Messi brought to football, extending the thanks beyond Argentina to the world. Read the full message in Spanish at the source.
Read more ↗Te vi sufrir, caer y levantarte
Antonela Roccuzzo
Antonela remembers the difficult years as well as the triumphs. At the heart of her letter are their children: they watched their father persevere, keep believing and finally lift the World Cup. Her pride centres on the person behind the achievements.
Read more ↗Y por suerte volviste
Enzo Fernández
Enzo recalls being a young fan during Messi’s 2016 retirement. He would calculate their age difference and wonder whether he could reach the national team in time to share a pitch with his idol. The letter traces that childhood hope into their eventual partnership.
Read more ↗Leo, me gusta escuchar cómo sentís el juego
Matías Manna
Argentina’s video analyst writes about a footballing inheritance: patience on the ball, midfielders who think creatively, and a team that finds its strength through possession. He hopes the national team continues to teach and seek that style after Messi leaves.
Read more ↗Messi es un perro
Hernán Casciari
«Messi is a dog»Translated from Spanish
A childhood dog, a yellow sponge, and a footballer whose attention belongs entirely to the ball. Casciari finds a wonderfully unusual way to explain Messi’s persistence.
Read more ↗La valija de Lionel
Hernán Casciari
«The first time I heard the surname “Messi” was in a chat among Argentines in Barcelona.»Translated from Spanish
The story of an emigrant who never quite leaves home. Messi’s journey runs alongside a community of Argentines in Barcelona, with a suitcase as the thread connecting two lives.
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