Leo Messi Timeline
Timeline of Leo Messi. From the first contract on a paper napkin to record-breaking years, PSG transfer and the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy.
Lionel Messi is Born
Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, the third of four children of Jorge Messi and his wife Celia Cuccittini.
Young Messi joins Newell's Old Boys
A lifelong supporter of Newell's Old Boys, Messi joined the Rosario club when he was six years old. During the six years he played for Newell's, he scored 234 goals in 176 games (according to Rosario Football Association).
The Trial with Barcelona & First Contract
As the Messi family had relatives in Catalonia, they sought to arrange a trial with Barcelona in September 2000. First team director Carles Rexach immediately wanted to sign him, but the board of directors hesitated; at the time it was highly unusual for European clubs to sign foreign players of such a young age. On 14 December, an ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their commitment, and Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered a contract on a paper napkin.
La Masia & RFEF
Messi enrolled at Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, when he was 13. After a year at Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, Messi was finally enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in 2 February 2002.
First Professional Contract
Messi signed his first professional contract on 4 February 2004, which lasted until 2012 and contained an initial buyout clause of €30 million.
First appearance in an official match
After being called up to the senior team, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, against Espanyol in La Liga, coming on the field in the 82′ minute.
First Goal in an official match
Messi scored his first goal on May 1, 2005, against Albacete, assisted by Ronaldinho, becoming the youngest ever goalscorer for the club at that time.
First La Liga Trophy
Messi won his first La Liga trophy on the season 2004/05. Messi played in 7 games that season all as subtitute, scoring 1 goal.
Argentina Debut
Messi made his first-team international debut in August 2005, during a friendly game against Hungary. Messi was sent off just one minute after he entered the field. There are still debates on whether he actually deserved the red card.
First Goal in Champions League
On 2 November 2005, Messi scored his first Champions League goal in his 4th appearance, against the Greek team Panathinaikos in a 5-0 win at Camp Nou.
First Goal with Argentina
In his sixth appearance with national team, Messi scored his first international goal in a friendly game against Croatia.
First Champions League Trophy
Messi won his first Champions League trophy at age of 18. Messi didn't play in the final against Arsenal (2-1) because he was injured in the return leg against Chelsea in round of 16. He played 6 games having 1 goal and 1 assist.
First Hat-trick
On March 10, in El Clasico against Real Madrid, Messi scored his first hat-trick in a 3-3 draw. Messi became the first player to score a hat-trick in El Clasico, since Ivan Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 94–95 season).
Solo goal vs Getafe
During a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe on 18 April, Messi scored the best goal in Barcelona’s history (according to fans) and one of the best in football ever. Messi collected the ball on the right side near the halfway line, ran 60 metres (66 yd), and beat five defenders before scoring with an angled finish.
Copa America 2007 Lost Final
In a surprise defeat, Argentina lost the 2007 Copa America final 3–0 to a Brazil squad that lacked several of the nation's best players. Messi, who was voted as the best young player of the tournament, played in all 6 games having 2 goals and 1 assist.
Gold Medal at Olympic Games
On 23 August 2008 Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 with an assist from Messi in front of 89,102 fans at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing to win Olympic gold. Argentina became the first team to win back-to-back Olympic titles since Uruguay did so in 1964 and 1968. Messi scored twice and assisted twice in the tournament.
First Ballon d'Or
At the age of 22, Messi won his first Ballon d’Or and FIFA Award for Best Player of the Year, both awards with the largest voting margin in the history of each trophy at that time.
First Golden Shoe
Messi won his first Golden Shoe as the top scorer of season 2009/10 with 34 goals. He helped Barcelona win La Liga trophy for the second year in a row, with just one loss.
Five Goals in a single Champions League Game
On 7 March, Messi scored five goals in a Champions League last 16-round game against Bayer Leverkusen, an unprecedented achievement in the history of the competition at that time (Luis Adriano did it too vs Bate Borisov, two years later).
Barcelona's All-time Top Scorer
On 20 March 2012, Messi became the top goalscorer in Barcelona's history at 24 years old, overtaking the 57-year record of Cesar Rodriguez's 232 goals with a hat-trick against Granada.
A Record Breaking Year
Messi ended the season as the top scorer in Spain and Europe with 50 goals, a record in La Liga, while his 73 goals in all competitions surpassed 67 goals from Gerd Muller in the 1972-73 Bundesliga season, making Messi the best scorer in European football history in a single season.
At the end of the year, Messi had a record of 91 goals in all competitions with Barcelona and Argentina, surpassing Gerd Muller’s 85 goals in 1972 for Bayern Munich and Germany.
4 Ballon D'or in a Row
On 7 January 2013 become the first and only player in football history to win the Ballon d'Or four times in a row easily outpacing Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Andres Iniesta in voting.
FIFA World Cup 2014 Lost Final
Substitute Mario Götze scored in the 113th minute and Germany won the game 1-0 to win the FIFA World Cup. At the conclusion of the final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player with 4 goals and 1 assist.
All-Time Top Scorer in La Liga
Messi scored a hat-trick against Sevilla on November 22 which made him the top scorer in La Liga after surpassing the 59-year record of 251 goals held by Telmo Zarra.
Copa America 2015 Lost Final
Chile defeated Argentina 4-1 on penalties after the 0-0 final score on the 2015 Copa America. Messi, who scored the only penalty (Higuain, Banega missed) won the player of the tournament award with 1 goal and 3 assists.
Top Scorer with Argentina National Team
At Copa America 2016, in the quarter-final against Venezuela, Messi performed another great performance by assisting two goals and scoring another in a 4-1 victory, which made it equal to the 54-goal record held by Gabriel Batistuta. That record was broken three days later, when Messi scored a free-kick in a 4-0 win against USA in semifinals.
Copa America 2016 (Centenario) Lost Final
The Copa America 2016 was a celebration of the centenary of CONMEBOL and the Copa America. Argentina reached the final once again but after another 0-0 , Chile won the game 4–2 on penalties. Messi, who missed the first penalty, scored 5 goals and assisted 4 times in 5 games.
500 goals with Barcelona
On April 23, Messi scored twice in a 3-2 win over Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabeu. The goal he scored in overtime and gave Barcelona the win was the 500th goal with Barcelona in all competitions, celebrating it in a special way by showing the jersey to the fans of the stadium.
6th Ballon d'Or
Leo Messi won for the sixth time the Ballon d’Or, a record in the history of competition, beating top contenders Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to lift the most prestigious individual football trophy. Messi scored 50 goals and assisted 18 times in 59 games.
Top Goalscorer with a Single Club
Messi surpassed Brazilian legend Pele record for most goals with a single club, scoring his 644th goal in all competitions for Barcelona.
Pele scored 643 with Santos in his native country, a record that stood for 46 years until Messi broke it in the 0-3 victory over Real Valladolid.
1st Title with Argentina (Copa America 2021)
Argentina won against Brazil 1-0 in Copa America final 2021 to secure the national team’s first title in 28 years and Messi’s first major international trophy.
Messi was named the player of the tournament, best goalscorer with 4 goals (shared with Luis Diaz) and most assists given (5).
PSG Transfer
After joining Barcelona at age 13 and 35 trophies won, Messi completed a free transfer at French club Paris Saint-Germain, following the expiration of his contract at Barcelona. Messi chose 30 as his squad number, which was the number he wore on his Barcelona debut in 2003.
Seventh Ballon d'Or
On 29 November 2021 Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or. He helped the Argentina win the 2021 Copa America and he scored 40 goals for club and national team in all competitions.
2022 Finalissima
Argentina won against Italy with 3-0 in the 2022 Finalissima at Wembley. This final, which pitted the winner of the European championship against the winner of the Copa America, Messi was once again decisive, with two assists and was named player of the match.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Trophy
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, Messi made his record 26th World Cup finals appearance at Lusail Stadium.
Messi scored Argentina's opening goal with a penalty but after Argentina's eventual two-goal lead was erased by France forward Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice inside two minutes, Messi would score again in extra-time to restore Argentina's lead, before Mbappé again drew France level. Tied 3-3 after extra-time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Messi scored Argentina's first goal in the shoot-out, with Argentina eventually winning 4-2, ending the nation's 36-year wait for the trophy.
Messi, who broke many records in the tournament also won the Golden Ball as the best player with 7 goals and 3 assists.