On 26 February 2023, PSG defeated Marseille 3–0 in Le Classique, with Messi scoring his 700th senior career club goal as well as assisting two goals for Mbappé. [351] On 11 March, PSG defeated Brest 2–1, with Messi setting up a last-minute winner for Mbappé, registering his 300th career assist. [352] On 8 April, he scored and provided an assist in a 2–0 away win over Nice in Ligue 1, which saw him overtake Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time highest goalscorer in European club football with 702 goals; during the match, he also achieved 1,000 career direct goal contributions at club level. [353] [354] On 2 May, Messi was suspended for two weeks and fined after taking an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia with his family as part of a promotional commercial agreement. His visit to Saudi Arabia meant he did not show up to training the previous day following a 3–1 defeat to Lorient. [355] The next day, on 3 May, it was reported that Messi would leave PSG at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract. [356] Afterwards, several PSG supporters demanded his exit from the club, viewing his absence as evidence of a team not fighting for the shirt, within a context of perceived disconnect between themselves and the club's identity. [357] Two days later, Messi apologised to the club and his teammates for the trip, stating he thought he had a free day after the match [against Lorient], and already had the trip planned, which he had canceled previously. [358] On 28 May, Messi scored in a 1–1 draw against Strasbourg helping PSG clinch their 11th Ligue 1 title and his second in a row; in the process Messi became the player with the most goals in the history of Europe's top five leagues, with 496 goals. [359] [360]

Messi mentions Ronaldo in his statement, as I've mentioned before. He taught me a lot of things. I learned from what he did for me. For that, I shall be eternally thankful to him. I had the opportunity to use the same changing room as a renowned athlete. I usually feel fortunate for this. His smile will be in my memory forever. Lionel Messi's Achievements and RecordsLionel Messi allegedly refuses best player award at Copa America as trophy removed from ceremony". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 5 December 2015. The MARCA 2019 football awards: Messi collects sixth Pichichi". Marca. 2019-12-16 . Retrieved 2020-12-29. Messi was arrested off the football pitch in July 2016 after a Barcelona court found him and his father guilty of three tax fraud charges. During the four-day trial, Messi and his father argued that they had not broken any laws and were unaware of tax fraud. He received a 21-month sentence, nevertheless. According to Spanish legislation, Messi and his father would have to pay a fine of 2 million euros if the charges were suspended within two years instead of going to jail. DE GEA, KANTE AND MBAPPE IN WORLD 11". FIFPro World Players' Union. 24 September 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019 . Retrieved 25 September 2018.

Former Results". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019 . Retrieved 30 November 2019. Team of the Year 2015: Lionel Messi". UEFA. 8 January 2016. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016 . Retrieved 8 January 2016. During the 2006–2007 season, at the age of 19, Messi became one of the best players in the world. Despite suffering injuries, Messi proved his similarity to Argentina’s legend Diego Maradona after several comparisons. A notable event which speaks of this truth was the 2006–2007 Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe, where he scored a goal similar to Maradona’s 1986 FIFA World Cup goal dubbed as the Goal of the Century. Following the decline of Ronaldinho, Messi became Barcelona’s new star, with Spanish media calling him “Messiah”. He emerged second third in the 2007 Ballon d’Or and second in the FIFA World Player of the Year Award. Following the departure of Ronaldinho, Messi was given the no.10 jersey and signed a new contract with an annual salary of 7.8 million euros, Barcelona’s highest. Lionel Messi scores a similar goal to Maradona’s 1986 FIFA World Cup goal which was dubbed as the Goal of the Century during the 2006–2007 Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe. Photo Credit: Jordi Cotrina/AP Messi was born at Hospital Provincial de Rosario in Rosario, Argentina. Messi is the third of four children of Jorge Messi and his wife Celia Cuccittini. He has two brothers named Rodrigo and Matias and two cousins named Maximiliano and Emanuel. The FIFA Football Awards Voting Results 2019" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 September 2019 . Retrieved 23 September 2019.Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini was given birth to on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina, to a steel factory manager, Jorge Messi and his wife Celia Cuccittini. Messi was the third of four children they gave birth to. He grew up in a family where the game of football was adored. Young Lionel Messi in Argentina around 1993. Photo credit: The Messi Family Six appearances and two goals in Copa América, four appearances and two goals in FIFA World Cup qualification FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be last says Lionel Messi". footballcoal.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18 . Retrieved 2022-05-21. In a comprehensive new one-hour film for the BBC, a host of his former team-mates and players who have faced him, as well as journalists who have covered him, delve deep into the enigma that is Messi.

When Messi scores the header, everyone's like, 'the size of you, compared to the size of him'," says Ferdinand. "He hasn't scored many of them in his career, but he's done it at the big moment." Messi made his MLS debut on 26 August, coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute, scoring a late goal in a 2–0 away win against New York Red Bulls, which put an end to Inter's eleven-match league winless streak. [376] Messi's first goal in the regular season earned him Goal of the Matchday with 89.7% of the vote. [377] On 30 October, following his World Cup win with Argentina and Ligue 1 trophy with PSG, Messi was awarded a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or. [378] International career 2004–2005: success at youth level On 4 September, Jorge Messi, Lionel's father and agent, released a statement in response to La Liga claiming the release clause "is not valid when the termination of the contract is by the player's unilateral decision from the end of the 2019–20 season", as stated in Messi's contract with Barcelona; [294] moments later, La Liga issued a response reiterating their statement published on 30 August. [295] Later that evening, Messi announced in an interview with Goal that he would continue at Barcelona for the final year of his contract. In the interview, Messi claimed to have informed Barcelona of his desire to leave multiple times, and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said Messi could decide at the end of every season if he wanted to stay or leave, only for Bartomeu to refer to the release clause. [296] This left Messi with two options: to stay or go to court against the club, with the player saying "I would never go to court against the club of my life". [297] 2020–21: final season at Barcelona He was under scrutiny in 2013 for possible tax evasion. His identity was also disclosed in the 2016 Panama Papers data breach. Lionel Messi to join Inter Miami after leaving Paris St-Germain". BBC Sport . Retrieved 9 June 2023.Other honours include four Champions League triumphs, 11 top-flight titles and Copa America glory in 2021. The World Cup is the only glaring omission. One appearance and one goal in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances and three goals in Supercopa de España, two appearances and two goals in FIFA Club World Cup Lionel Messi for Barcelona: तो सध्या एफसी बार्सिलोना आणि अर्जेंटिनाच्या राष्ट्रीय संघासाठी फॉरवर्ड म्हणून खेळतो.

On 1 July, Messi became a free agent after his contract expired, [317] with negotiations on a new deal complicated due to financial issues at Barcelona. [318] On 5 August, Barcelona announced that Messi would not be staying at the club, even though both parties reached an agreement and were due to sign a contract that day. [319] The club cited financial and structural obstacles posed by La Liga regulations as a reason for Messi's departure. [320] Club president Joan Laporta also blamed the previous board for Messi's exit by saying "the basis of everything is the calamitous and disastrous situation left by the previous board", he added by saying "the expected debt is much higher and we had some sports contracts in place that meant we had no margin on salary". [321] Three days later, in a tearful press conference held at the Camp Nou, Messi confirmed that he would be leaving Barcelona. [322] Paris Saint-Germain 2021–22: first season adjustments and seventh Ballon d'Or Messi (middle) with PSG team-mates Kylian Mbappé (left) and Neymar But is this rivalry one that is inflated by pundits, journalists and fans? Messi's former team-mate Xavi believes it's very real. El Once Ideal de la Copa América"[The Ideal Eleven of the Copa América]. La República (in Spanish). 16 July 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016 . Retrieved 16 February 2016. Messi relocated to Spain from Argentina aged 13 to join Barcelona, for whom he made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. He established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, and in his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09 he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football; that year, aged 22, Messi won his first Ballon d'Or. Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning four consecutive Ballons d'Or, making him the first player to win the award four times. During the 2011–12 season, he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. The following two seasons, Messi finished second for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo (his perceived career rival), before regaining his best form during the 2014–15 campaign, becoming the all-time top scorer in La Liga and leading Barcelona to a historic second treble, after which he was awarded a fifth Ballon d'Or in 2015. Messi assumed captaincy of Barcelona in 2018, and won a record sixth Ballon d'Or in 2019. Out of contract, he signed for French club Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, spending two seasons at the club and winning Ligue 1 twice. Messi joined American club Inter Miami in July 2023, winning the Leagues Cup in August of that year. On 1 June, Galtier confirmed that PSG's home game against Clermont on 3 June would be Messi's last for the club, with the club confirming his departure two days later; [361] the match ended in 3–2 defeat. He ended the season with the highest number of assists in the league with 16 and was also included in the UNFP's Ligue 1 Team of the Season alongside teammates Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Mbappé. [362] [363] Inter Miami Messi with Inter Miami in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup

Messi, Mejor Delantero y Mejor Jugador"[Messi, Best Forward and Best Player] (in Spanish). Liga de Fútbol Profesional. 2 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 . Retrieved 13 September 2015. I wasn't happy and I wanted to leave. I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute. The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a disaster. My love for Barça will never change."