Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, … See more

At the age of 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, Messi made his first-team debut as a 75th-minute substitute during a friendly against Porto on 16 November 2003. Under Frank Rijkaard, who promoted him to the first team i… See more

Due to his short stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than taller players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly and evade opposing tackles; this has led the Spanish media to d… See more

Messi was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014; he was the first player to exceed the €40 million benchmark, with earnings of €41 million in 2013, and the €50–€60 m… See more