A satirical video on communication platforms on the Argentine legend

Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi moved to Spain to join Barcelona at the age of 13, where he made his league debut at the age of 17 in October 2004. He established himself as a key player for the club over the next three years, and in his first season as a starter in 2008–09 Helps Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. That year, at the age of 22, Messi won his first Ballon d'Or. Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning four consecutive Ballons d'Or, making him the first player to win the award four times in a row.[22] During the 2011–12 season, he set a La Liga and European record for most goals in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top goalscorer. In the following two seasons, Messi finished second in the Golden Ball award behind Cristiano Ronaldo (his first rival), before regaining his best levels during the 2014-15 season, becoming the top scorer in the historic Spanish League and leading Barcelona to another historic treble, after which he won the Golden Ball award. Fifth in 2015. Messi assumed the Barcelona captaincy in 2018, and in 2019 he won his sixth Ballon d'Or.

 At the international level with Argentina, Messi is the all-time top scorer for his country. At youth level, he won the 2005 World Youth Championship, finished the tournament with both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot, and won the Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His playing style as a short, left-footed dribbler has drawn comparisons to compatriot Diego Maradona, who has been described as Messi as his successor. After his first participation in August 2005, Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in the World Cup during the 2006 edition, and he reached the 2007 Copa America final, where he was chosen as the best young player in the tournament. As captain since August 2011, he has led Argentina to three consecutive finals: the 2014 World Cup, for which he won the Ballon d'Or, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa America. After announcing his international retirement in 2016, he retracted his decision and led his country to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and third place in the 2019 Copa America.

 One of the most famous athletes in the world, Messi has been sponsored by sportswear company Adidas since 2006 and has established himself as a key leader for their brand. According to France Football, he was the best soccer player in the world for five out of six years between 2009 and 2014, and was named the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019. Messi was among the 100 most influential people in football. The world according to Time magazine in 2011 and 2012. In February 2020, he was awarded the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year, thus becoming the first footballer and also the first in a team sport to win the award.