Lionel Andres 'Leo' Messi Spanish pronunciation born 24 June 1987 is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team. By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Orand FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He followed this up by winning the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010, and again in 2011,and 2012. He also won the 2010--11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. At the age of 24, Messi became Barcelona's all-time top scorer in all official club competitions.
Consistently rated by commentators, coaches and colleagues as the best footballer in the world and as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, Messi is the first football player in history to win four FIFA/Ballons d'Or, which he won consecutively. Messi has won five La Ligas, two Copas del Rey, five Supercopas de España, three Champions Leagues, two Super Cups and two Club World Cups. In March 2012, Messi made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match, achieving the feat in a 7--1 win over Bayer Leverkusen. He also matched José Altafini's record of 14 goals in a single Champions League season............