10 Lesser Known Facts about Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi Is an Argentine Football player who is currently playing his professional football  at the Spanish Football club FC Barcelona. Below are 10 undisclosed facts about Lionel Messi that so many people did not know

1.  Lionel Messi was born on 24th June 1987 in the Rosario region of Argentina. At the tender age of 11, Lionel Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency syndrome that played a big part in reducing his body height. Despite all these difficulties, Messi went on developing his football skills to become one of the world’s finest footballers. With his fast and witty tricks, Lionel Messi is an arsenal, a one man army that any football team would like to have on its side.

2.  The middle name of Lionel Messi, probably the greatest football player in the World is Andres; a name that is rarely used to refer to this ingenious player. The name was given by his parents who are believed to be the descendants of early Italian immigrants who settled in the Rosario region of Argentina. Only a few people refer to Messi with this name. His full name is Lionel Andre’s Messi.


 3.  Lionel Messi played his Youth football career for Newell’s Old Boys football club between the year 1995 and 2000 before being signed by FC club Barcelona in Spain. This Argentine club recruited Messi when he was at a tender age. Newell’s Old Boys football club is accredited for sharpening Messi’s football skills at early times of his life when he was so vulnerable.

4.  One striking fact about Lionel Messi is that he is among the shortest forwards in the world. This gifted striker is only 1.69 meters high. With this shorter body height as compared with the average height of other football players, Lionel Messi continues to amaze the World with his unusual football tricks that tear apart the defence systems of the opponent teams. Lionel Messi is well endowed with abilities that make the ball to stick on his legs, despite the strenuous efforts by opponents to get the ball off him.

5.   Lionel Messi received the prestigious FIFA World Player of the year nominations in 2008 when he was only 21 years old. Although he did not win it, he is among the youngest football players to be nominated for this award. He went on winning the award for the next four consecutive years.

6.   In 2009, Lionel Messi won his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. He was 22 years old at the time. He went on winning this award for the next three years. He became the first player to win this award in four consecutive seasons, an achievement that has made many sports pundits to refer to Lionel Messi as the greatest football player ever to appear on the World’s surface.

7.  At age 24, Lionel Messi became the all time top scorer for the soccer club Barcelona. He is also the player who has scored the most hat-tricks in the history of the club. His unrivalled speed and nifty movements with the ball has seen him score goals with both his right and left legs. He is also a good header with great heading capabilities when up in the air.

8.  Lionel Messi became the youngest player to score 200 goals in the Spanish La Liga at the age of 25. He also holds the Guinness World Record title for scoring the most goals in a single calendar year. Lionel Messi also holds the record of scoring most consecutive league matches in a competitive league.

9.  Lionel Messi is the first football player in the World to win three European Golden Shoe awards. The European Golden shoe award is given to a player who scores the most goals in a competitive European league. By winning three awards of this caliber, there is no reason why Lionel Messi should not be regarded as the best football player in the history of the sport.

10.   Lionel Messi is also the first and only player to become a top scorer in four consecutive Champions League campaigns. It is important to note that achieving this feat is not easy, considering the fact that it is in the Champions league that you get the highest levels of football being played with well marshaled defense lines.

Lionel Messi continues to amaze the world with his skills, it is very clear that he is poised to win much more awards in the coming years.