Messi: The must-read biography of the World Cup champion, now fully updated (Guillem Balague's Books)

Product Information

For all his success with Barcelona, Messi repeatedly came under fire for his inability to help Argentina’s national team win a major title. In the 2014 World Cup, Argentina lost to Germany in the final, though Messi was named player of the tournament that year. In 2016, following Argentina’s second consecutive loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America tournament, Messi announced he was ending his run with the national team. Lionel Messi, seen here in a September 2023 game, has played for Inter Miami since July. Getty Images In the 2010 World Cup, Messi wore the number 10 shirt and played well to help Argentina reach the quarter-finals, but Messi struggled to score, and Argentina disappointingly lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-final. Messi has admitted he is desperate to play in a world cup final. Success for Messi in the World Cup would be the last test of greatness. Pele, by contrast, was part of Brazil’s three times winning World Cup side ’58, ’62 and ’70. The amazing biography written by Leonardo Faccio on the best player in the world gives the reader an overview of how Messi became the best player in the world. Lionel Andress Messi was born on June 24th,1987 in Rosario, Argentina. At the age of only 13 years old, young Lionel Messi was moved to Spain after that Fc Barcelona agreed to pay hormone deficiency treatments. Hormone deficiency restricted Messi’s grown and could not grow as tall as the kids his age. Messi was an amazing player for his age, so Fc Barcelona offered a chance to Messi to train at La Masia and help his parents pay the meditation bills. Messi was an amazing player at the age of 13, he got to the Barcelona Junior team at the age of 16 while that people get there at the age of 18. Messi made several achievements that year, he broke the record of being the first youngest player at Barcelona to score for the first team and also let his national team to the under 20 World Cup. In 2009, Messi led Barcelona to win The UEFA Champions League, The League, and the Spanish Cup. Messi also took home with him his first Ballon d'Or. Messi broke all the records and scored more goals than legends who have played at the club. Today, Messi is the best player in the world, holding five Ballon D’ors, four Champions League, three UEFA best player of Europe, eight leagues, and four Spanish cup winners. Messi was also named a player of the year three times, top scorer fifteen times, one-time Olympic gold medalist and much more wins with the amazing Fc Barcelona team. Finally, one would describe Messi in three words: God of Soccer. However, Messi returned to international football and led Argentina in the 2018 World Cup. Despite carrying the weight of expectation of a nation, the World Cup was considered a great disappointment. However, in the 2018/19 season, Messi returned to his usual scintillating performance with Barcelona. World Cup 2022

Amazingly, the soccer wizard continued to improve, discovering new ways to elude defenders while leading Barcelona to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as the ’11 Champions League title. His local club, River Plate were interested in signing Messi but didn’t want to pay for his medical treatment. However, Messi was given a trial with Barcelona, and coach Carles Rexach was impressed – offering Messi a contract (written on a paper napkin!) which included paying for Messi’s treatment in Spain. Messi moved to Barcelona with his father and became part of the prestigious FC Barcelona youth academy. After helping Barcelona achieve a historic second treble in 2015, he was honored with his fifth Ballon d’Or trophy. Four years later, following another La Liga title, Messi again established a new standard for excellence by claiming his sixth Ballon d’Or. At last, in 2021 and 2022, Argentina and Messi found enough traction to bring home trophies that had long evaded them. First, the team won the Copa America—Argentina’s first major title in 28 years—in August 2021, besting Brazil in the final. Captain Messi tied for top goal scorer, alongside Colombia’s Luis Diaz, and was named player of the tournament. The next year, greater glory awaited at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Argentina captured the trophy after a thrilling game against France that ended in a penalty shootout. Messi was named the Best FIFA Men’s Player for a second time and broke the record for most World Cup appearances with 26 games. StatsMessi and Roccuzzo have three children together: Thiago, born in November 2012; Mateo, born in September 2015; and Ciro, born in March 2018. Lionel Messi faced a major problem with reaching his goal of becoming a professional soccer player. At an early age Messi otherwise known as “La Pulga”, small fly, was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Seen by many as a weakness was later made into a strength by Messi. Not giving up Messi at the age of 13 found himself getting a contract by a professional soccer club called Fc Barcelona. Treating a growth hormone deficiency takes a lot of money which Messi’s parents didn’t have at the time. Looking pass Messi’s disability the club fully paid for the treatment and brought him and his family to Barcelona, Spain to begin their new life. Every time I start a year, I start with the objective of trying to achieve everything, without comparing it to how I’ve done in other seasons. Messi has often been compared to prolific Real Madrid goalscorer Christiano Ronaldo, but both have been keen to downplay the rivalry.

Messi steered Barcelona to a wealth of success, most notably in 2009, when the left-footer’s team captured the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. That same year, after two consecutive runner-up finishes, he took home his first FIFA World Player of the Year honor, as well as his first Ballon d’Or award, the top European individual honor in football. Leonardo Faccio does an extremely good job getting the reader into Messi’s head. It is like we can feel his struggle as he goes through his obstacles in life, and when he is happy, we can feel his happiness too. It is very descriptive and gives good in-match detail about some of his more famous games and goals Luis Lionel Andres “Leo” Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. As a young boy, Messi tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, unintimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-based club.

His potential is limitless, and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player.” At the end of 2012, Messi turned down a very lucrative offer to play for an unnamed Russian side. It would have given Messi a salary of €20 million a year and made Messi the most expensive player in the world (Barcelona would have been paid €250 million). He turned down the offer because he was unsure if he would be playing in major European championships and the difficulties in moving to Russia. Instead, he signed a contract with Barcelona until the end of 2018. When asked about moving to the English Premier League, Messi revealed his sense of commitment to Barcelona. In July 2016, Messi suffered a blow off the soccer field when a Barcelona court found him and his father guilty of three counts of tax fraud. During a four-day trial, Messi and his father denied breaking the law and claimed they were unaware of any tax illegalities they had committed. For soccer enthusiasts and sports fans in general, an in-depth look at the life of the beautiful game’s greatest star, Argentine footballer Lionel Messi. In Messi, we learn more about the best soccer player in the world than we would have ever thought. This book made me want to play with him, go to Barça, and go to his hometown and meet all of the people in his life. I want to go there.

My record stood for 40 years – 85 goals in a year – and now the best player in the world has broken it, and I’m delighted for him. He is an incredible player, gigantic.”

I have changed nothing, my style of play is still that of a child. I know that above all it is my job and that I should approach it in another way, but one must not lose sight of the fact that football is a game. It is imperative one plays to amuse oneself, to be happy. That is what children do and I do the same thing.” (total Barca) Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth. Messi’s parents, Jorge and Ceclia, decided on a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved impossible to pay several hundred dollars per month for the medication. By any standards, Messi’s goal scoring record is exceptional. By June 2019, he has scored 419 goals in 445 official matches for Barcelona FC.