They call him ‘The Atomic Flea’. His achievements on Earth have been completely cosmic. Lionel Messi, they said, completed football when he raised the FIFA World Cup™ trophy to the skies in 2022. Yet he’s still going. So, too, is the questioning, from fellow gods of the game, over whether Messi is man or Martian.
Achievements and attributes
Messi propelled Barcelona to 34 titles during 17 seraphic seasons. He then won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain, before inspiring Inter Miami to their first MLS Cup. Overall, his 40 trophies at club level is a global record.
In sky blue and white stripes, Messi won the FIFA U-20 World Cup™, Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, Finalissima and two Copas America. His crowning glory came at Qatar 2022 when, aged 35, he played the leading role in Argentina seizing a third star.
Messi, an incomparable hip-shaker and an exceptionally crafty exponent of the nutmeg, is arguably the greatest dribbler in football history. He is also a palatial passer, having provided the most assists of any player ever registered, and elite finisher, having averaged around a goal per game for Barça and Inter Miami. Furthermore, he has been crowned the best player on the planet by FIFA a record eight times.
Tributes
“They once said you could only stop me with a pistol. Today you need a machine gun to stop Messi.”
Hristo Stoichkov
“When I met Messi I reached out and touched him. I needed to make sure he was human like the rest of us.”
Gigi Buffon
“Even though I’ve played with him many times, I still can’t begin to understand the things he does. He’s not human. He can’t be. He’s an alien. Leo is the greatest player in history. I’m very proud of my career, but the best thing I’ll have to look back on was playing with Leo.”
Angel Di Maria
“Messi is a joke. The best joke my eyes have ever seen.”
Wayne Rooney
“When I look back on my career, the most enjoyable thing was seeing the early years of Leo Messi. When he retires, football – not just Barcelona – should retire the No10 shirt.”
Ronaldinho
“Although he may not be human, it’s good that Messi still thinks he is.”
Javier Mascherano
Trivia
Messi’s forename is in honour of Motown megastar Lionel Ritchie. The Rosario native was born shortly after the Alabaman singer had released the album Dancing on the Ceiling, which Celia Cuccittini, Messi’s mother, loved. Ritchie is esteemed for the US number-one hits Endless Love, Truly, All Night Long (All Night), Hello and Say You, Say Me, as well as Three Times A Lady and Still while part of the Commodores. The two Lionels finally met last year in Miami.
Messi suffered a growth-hormone deficiency when growing up. He was merely 4ft 6ins when, as a 13-year-old, he had a trial at Barcelona. “We’d written this kid off before he’d kicked a ball,” recalled Gerard Pique, who was over a foot taller. “Then he kicked a ball. The doubts were gone.”
Barcelona’s shot-callers decided against signing Messi due to his size and what it would cost to put him through growth-hormone therapy. However, technical director Charly Rexach went against club policy and, over lunch with Messi’s agents at Pompeia Tennis Club, signed him on a napkin!
@leomessi posted photos of himself celebrating Argentina winning the 2022 World Cup hours after the final. It remains comfortably the most-liked post in Instagram history (74.7 million). Another post from the same account two days later, of Messi in bed with the trophy, is third on the list.
Stats
World Cup history
Messi made a memorable World Cup debut in 2006, registering an assist and a goal in a 15-minute substitute appearance against Serbia and Montenegro. He was, however, kept on the bench as they lost on penalties to Germany in the quarter-finals. ‘La Pulga Atomica’ flickered his brilliance at South Africa 2010, but failed to score as the Albiceleste fell to the same side at the same stage.
The Rosario native illuminated Brazil 2014 with mind-blowing dribbles and wonder goals. Those exploits earned him the adidas Golden Ball, but it accompanied a silver medal following an extra-time defeat to Germany in the final. France KO’d Argentina in the last 16 of Russia 2018, leaving many wondering if Messi’s shot at seizing football’s most prestigious prize had vanished.
It hadn’t. Messi produced one of the greatest individual tournaments ever in 2022, scoring seven goals and headlining an exhilarating final against France. This time he went home not only with a Golden Ball, but with a champion’s medal he had wholeheartedly craved.
2026 hopes
No team has won back-to-back World Cups in 62 years, but that isn’t diluting Argentina’s confidence. They still have Lionel Scaloni at their controls, Emiliano Martinez guarding net, Cristian Romero bossing the backline, the “exceptional bond” Messi said was central to conquering Qatar, and their main man swindling markers and scoring for fun.
Moreover, Enzo Fernandez, the FIFA Young Player Award recipient at the last World Cup, has evolved into one of the most influential midfielders on the planet, and has Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister for engine-room company, while Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez are elite attackers.
One loss has been that of Angel Di Maria, but the emergence of Thiago Almada, Nico Paz and 18-year-old Franco Mastantuono gives Argentina invention aplenty.
