Lionel Messi

  Lionel Andres Messi[note 1] (Spanish pronunciation: [ljo'nel and'dres 'mesi] (listen); born on the 24th of June, 1987), also called Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who is a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and is the captain of the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards,[note 2] an unprecedented six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. He was a professional for the entirety of his life with Barcelona until he quit the club in 2021. He won 35 trophies for the club, a record which included 10 La Liga titles (7 Copa del Rey titles) and four UEFA Champions Leagues (4 UEFA Champions Leagues). He was the 2021 winner of the Copa America with his country as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goal-scorer and an inventive playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa America (17). He has also the most international goals scored by a South American male (98). Messi has scored over 790 career senior goals for both country and club and is the player with the highest number of goals by a player for one club (672).