MUSIC: Pearl Jam Rearviewmirror&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/KZnUr8lcqjo&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://2.gvt0.com/vi/KZnUr8lcqjo/default.jpg&celebrity=Lionel Messi)
The top 10 stars of the Libertadores in shop window
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SI.com - Found Jul. 1, 2009 ... in recent years, and his acceleration, combined with dribbling skills, have earned him comparisons with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. |
Thierry Henry
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SI.com - Found Jun. 26, 2009 Barça, but turned it around last year, bagging 25 goals of the 97 scored by the front three that included him, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o. |
2010 Technical Issue - USA "Soccer" and Basketball
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FOXSports.com - Found Jun. 20, 2009 Hence the love for teams like Barca and players that 'play beautifully' like Lionel Messi, the adoration Asia has for Kobe, the derogatory... |
Lionel Messi calls Liverpool FC man to Barcelona
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Daily Post - Found Jun. 27, 2009 Javier Mascherano LIONEL MESSI has urged his Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano to join him at Barcelona. |
Liverpool's Javier Mascherano wanted by Lionel Messi at Barcelona
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Telegraph - Found Jun. 25, 2009 Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has once again risked the wrath of Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez by pleading with Javier Mascherano to leave Anfield |
The Equalizer: Lionel Messi vs. Crisitano Ronaldo makes Manchester ...
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AM New York - Found Jun. 13, 2009 Lionel Messi, the Argentine forward, leads Barcelona. |
Lionel Messi Drunk During Barcelona Victory Celebration
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FanIQ Blog - Found Jun. 2, 2009 Lionel Messi scored one of Barcelona's 2 goals in the UEFA Championship game against English Premier League champs Manchester United. |
Phil Holland asks if Lionel Messi is now better than Ronaldo? - UEFA ...
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ESPNsoccernet - Found May. 29, 2009 Lionel Messi celebrates his goal in Rome But who emerged from the 2009 Champions League final with the victor's laurel, Barcelona's Lionel... |
Bayern Munich remain interested in signing Chelsea's Jose Bosingwa - ...
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ESPNsoccernet - Found Jul. 3, 2009 GettyImages Bosingwa battles with Barca's Lionel Messi The German club have refused to meet the Blues' valuation of the 26-year-old Portugal... Bayern remains hopeful over Bosingwa - Sports Network Bayern Munich still keen on Chelsea defender - Fans FC Bayern Still Eye Bosingwa Swoop - Orange UK Bayern still chasing Bosingwa - Sky Sports Explore All |
Football.co.uk |
The bigger the better
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Sydney Morning Herald - Found Jul. 3, 2009 Footballer Lionel Messi, arguably the world's best soccer player, is 169 centimetres; his predecessor Maradona 165 centimetres. |
Lionel Messi Biography
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Lionel Messi
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||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lionel Andrés Messi12 | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 24 June 1987 | |||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)1 | |||||||||||
| Playing position | Winger | |||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||
| Current club | FC Barcelona | |||||||||||
| Number | 10 | |||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||
| 1995–2000 | Newell's Old Boys | |||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | FC Barcelona | |||||||||||
| Senior career1 | ||||||||||||
| Years | Club | Apps2 | (Gls)2 | |||||||||
| 2003–2004 | FC Barcelona B | |||||||||||
| 2004– | FC Barcelona | 109 | (54) | |||||||||
| National team3 | ||||||||||||
| 2005 | Argentina U20 | 7 | (6) | |||||||||
| 2008 | Argentina U23 | 5 | (2) | |||||||||
| 2005– | Argentina | 38 | (12) | |||||||||
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Honours
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| 1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 May 2009. 2 Appearances (Goals) 3 National team caps and goals correct as of 14 June 2009. |
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Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (pronounced /'li:É’nÉ›l æn'drÉ›s 'mÉ›siË/; born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine footballer of Italian descent34 who plays currently for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Messi is considered to be one of the best football players of his generation,567 having received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21. He was selected as both the FIFPro and World Soccer Magazine Young Player of the Year for three years running from 2005–2008. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona.8 Indeed, Maradona himself declared Messi his "successor".9
Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by FC Barcelona. He left Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07: he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble winning campaign.
Messi was the top scorer with six goals, including two in the final game of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In Beijing in 2008 he won his first senior international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.
Contents |
Early life
Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, to parents Jorge Messi, a factory worker, and Celia (née Cuccitini), a part-time cleaner.1011 He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and MatÃas as well as a sister named Maria Sol.12 At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge.13 In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario.13 At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.14 Primera División club River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment of the illness that cost $900 a month.11 Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, was made aware of Messi's talent as Messi had relatives in Catalonia so Messi and his father managed to arrange a trial,11 and FC Barcelona signed him after watching him play,15 offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain.13 His family moved to Europe and he started in the club's youth teams.15
FC Barcelona
Messi made his unofficial debut for the first team against F.C. Porto on 16 November 2003 (at 16 years and 145 days).1617 Less than a year later, he made his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga (a record broken by team mate Bojan Krkić in September 2007).161 When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona until 2007 when Bojan Krkić, again, broke this record, scoring from a Messi assist.18
2005–06 season
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"Messi I think is like me, he is the best in the world along with Ronaldinho."
—Diego Maradona.19
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On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract – this time improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014.1320 Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September21 and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because Barcelona had filled their quota of non-EU players. Messi's first home outing in the UEFA Champions League came on 27 September against Italian club Udinese.16 Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona.22
Messi netted six goals in seventeen league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. However, his season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006 when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea.23 Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.2425
2006–07 season
Messi established himself as a regular first team player with strong performances against Chelsea and Real Madrid.26 On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months.2728 Messi recuperated from his injury in Argentina, and his return to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February,29 where he came on as a second-half substitute. Frank Rijkaard carefully managed his complete return, gradually increasing playing minutes with each game. One month after his return, on 10 March, he played his first full league match since the injury against Real Madrid. Once again, El Clásico saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3–3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time.30 In doing so he became the first player since Iván Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994–95 season)31 and the first Barcelona player since Romário (1993–94 season) to hit a hat-trick in El Clásico. Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture (scheduled match). Towards the end of the season he began finding the net more often; 11 of his 14 league goals for the season came from the last 13 games.32
Messi also proved the "new Maradona" tag was not all hype, by near-replicating Maradona's most famous goals in the space of the single season.33 On 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century.34 The world's sports press exploded with Maradona comparisons, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as "Messidona".35 He ran about the same distance, 62 metres (200 ft), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before.33 In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: "There's no other like Leo."36 Against Espanyol Messi also scored a goal which was remarkably similar to Maradona's goal against England in the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi launched himself at the ball and connected with his hand to guide the ball past the goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.37 Despite protests by Espanyol players the goal was allowed despite replays showing it was clear handball (use of the hand, illegal in football).
2007–08 season
During the 2007–08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week leading Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. He scored two goals against FC Sevilla on 22 September.38 A few days earlier he had scored as Barcelona defeated Olympique Lyonnais 3–0 at home in a Champions League match39 and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4–1 victory over Real Zaragoza.40
He was nominated for a FIFPro World XI Player Award under the category of Forward.41 A recent poll conducted in the online edition of the Spanish newspaper Marca had him as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the vote.42 Columnists from Barcelona-based newspapers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport stated that the Ballon d'Or should be given to Leo Messi, a view supported by Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff.43 Various football personalities such as Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Frank Rijkaard, VÃctor Fernández, Bernd Schuster, Guti, Raúl, Gianluca Zambrotta, Francesco Totti, Antonio Cassano, Alfredo di Stéfano, Diego Maradona and Pelé have all, at one time or another, declared that they consider Messi to be one of the current best footballers in the world.4445
On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Barça against Valencia.46
Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that the player suffered this type of injury.47
2008–09 season
With Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey.48 On 1 October 2008, during a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn the score from 0–1 to a victory for Barcelona 2–1.49 The next league game was versus Atlético Madrid, a match billed as a friendly battle between Messi and good friend Sergio Agüero.50 Messi scored a goal from a free kick and assisted another as Barça went on to win the match 6–1.51 Messi netted another impressive brace (two goals) against Sevilla scoring a volley from 23 metres (25 yd) and then dribbling round the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle for the other.52 On 13 December 2008, during the first Clásico of the season, Messi scored the second goal in Barcelona's 2–0 win over Real Madrid.53 He was also named second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.54
Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atlético Madrid which Barcelona won 3–1.55 Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing de Santander 2–1 after being 0–1 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal.56 In the 28th round of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, helping his team to a 6–0 victory over Málaga CF in the process.57 On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions' League, setting a personal record of nine goals in the competition.58 On 18 April, Messi notched his 20th league goal of the season in a 1–0 at Getafe, allowing Barcelona to maintain their six point advantage at the top of the league table over Real Madrid.59
As a frantic end to Barcelona's season began, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a wonderful performance in a 6–2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu60 in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930.61 After scoring each goal, he ran towards the fans and the cameras lifting up his Barcelona jersey and showing another T-shirt that read SÃndrome X Frà gil, Catalan for Fragile X Syndrome, to show his support for children who suffer from the affliction.62 Messi was involved in the build-up to Andrés Iniesta's injury time goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to send Barcelona through to face Manchester United in the final. He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one and assisting another two, in a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.63 He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead, he also became the top scorer in the Champions League with nine goals.64 Samuel Eto'o scored the first in the 10th minute and Messi sealed it in the 70th with a beautifully placed header (the use of the head in football).65 That meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and UEFA Champions League this season.66 This was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.67
International career
In June 2004, he debuted for Argentina, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay.68 In 2005 he was part of a team of talented new players that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. There, he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe.69
On 4 August 2005, José Pekerman called Messi up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut on 17 August against Hungary at 18 years and 54 days, but it was a forgettable occasion. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off after just 40 seconds because the referee, Markus Merk, found he had elbowed defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was tugging Messi's shirt. The decision was contentious. Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated.7071 Messi then had his first international start on 3 September in Argentina's 1–0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay.72 Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-début. The first one was a bit short."73
On 28 March 2009 in a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the coveted number 10 Argentine senior national team jersey for the first time. This match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as Argentine Coach. Argentina won the match 4–0 with Lionel Messi opening the scoring.74
FIFA World Cup 2006
The injury that kept him from playing for two months at the end of the 2005–06 season jeopardised his presence in the World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the farewell match against the Argentine U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th minute.7576 He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the bench.77 In the next match against Serbia, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Maxi RodrÃguez in the 74th minute. He assisted Hernán Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6–0 victory, that made him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup.78 Messi started in Argentina's following 0–0 tie against the Netherlands.79 In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, with the score tied 1–1. He appeared to score a goal, but was ruled offside8081 Argentina needing a late goal in extra time to proceed. Coach José Pekerman controversially left Messi on the bench during the quarter-finals match against Germany.82 Argentina lost 4–2 on penalties.
Copa America 2007
When the Copa started, Messi was the youngest player in the tournament. He played his first game in Copa America on 29 June 2007, when Argentina defeated United States 4–1 in the first game. In this game, Messi showed his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hernán Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.83
His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1–1. He also played a part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3–1. The final score of the game was 4–2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.84
In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0–0. In the 79th minute he created a goal for Javier Mascherano.85 In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4–0 win.86 During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo Sanchez to see Argentina through to the final with a 3-0 win.87 Argentina went on to lose 3-0 to Brazil in the final.88
2008 Summer Olympics
Having barred Messi from playing for his country in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,89 Barcelona agreed to release him after he held talks with Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola.90 He joined the Argentina squad and scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over Ivory Coast.90 He then scored the opening goal and assisted Ãngel Di MarÃa in the second to help his side to a 2–1 extra-time win against the Netherlands.91 He gave another strong performance in Argentina's match against rival Brazil, in which Argentina took a 3–0 victory, thus advancing to the final.92 In the gold medal match, Messi again assisted Ãngel Di MarÃa for the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Nigeria.93
Club statistics
As of 27 May 2009
| Club | Season | League | Cup94 | Europe95 | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| FC Barcelona | 2004–05 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2006–07 | 26 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 17 | 3 | |
| 2007–08 | 28 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 16 | 13 | |
| 2008–09 | 31 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 51 | 38 | 18 | |
| Career totals | 109 | 54 | 28 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 34 | 17 | 8 | 161 | 80 | 38 | |
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 March 2006 | Basel, Switzerland |  Croatia |
2 – 3 | Loss | Friendly |
| 2 | 16 June 2006 | Gelsenkirchen, Germany |  Serbia and Montenegro |
6 – 0 | Win | 2006 World Cup |
| 3 | 5 June 2007 | Barcelona, Spain |  Algeria |
4 – 3 | Win | Friendly |
| 4 | 5 June 2007 | Barcelona, Spain | Algeria |
4 – 3 | Win | Friendly |
| 5 | 8 July 2007 | Barquisimeto, Venezuela |  Peru |
4 – 0 | Win | 2007 Copa America |
| 6 | 11 July 2007 | Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela |  Mexico |
0 – 3 | Win | 2007 Copa America |
| 7 | 16 October 2007 | Maracaibo, Venezuela |  Venezuela |
0 – 2 | Win | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
| 8 | 20 November 2007 | Bogotá, Colombia |  Colombia |
2 – 1 | Loss | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
| 9 | 4 June 2008 | California, United States | Mexico |
1 – 4 | Win | Friendly |
| 10 | 11 October 2008 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Uruguay |
2 – 1 | Win | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
| 11 | 11 February 2009 | Marseille, France |  France |
0 – 2 | Win | Friendly |
| 12 | 28 March 2009 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Venezuela |
4 – 0 | Win | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
Honours
Club
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2008-2009
- Copa del Rey: 2008-2009
- UEFA Champions League: 2005-2006, 2008-2009
- Supercopa de España: 2005-2006, 2006-2007
National team
Individual
- U-21 European Footballer of the Year: 2007
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Top Scorer: 2005
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Player of the Tournament: 2005
- Copa América Young Player of the Tournament: 2007
- Player of the Year of Argentina: 2005, 2007
- FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2006-2007, 2007-2008
- FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008
- World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008
- Premio Don Balón (Best Foreign Player in La Liga): 2006-2007
- EFE Trophy (Best Ibero-American Player in La Liga): 2006-2007, 2007-2008
- FIFPro World XI: 2006-2007, 2007-2008
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2008-2009
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2007-2008
- FIFA Team of the Year: 2007-2008
Personal life
Messi was at one stage linked to Macarena Lemos, a young Argentine from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup.9697 He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine model, Luciana Salazar.98
In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina, I am relaxed and happy"99. He was seen with the girl, Antonella, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Antonella is a fellow native of Rosario.100
He features on the front cover of the video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the game.101102 Messi is the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 where he is also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer.103104105
References
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- ^ "Lionel Andrés Messi at Soccerway". Soccerway. http://www.soccerway.com/players/lionel-andres-messi/119/. Retrieved on 14 June 2009.
- ^ "El origen de los Messi está en Italia". aldia.cr. 24 February 2006. http://www.aldia.cr/ad_ee/2006/febrero/24/ovacion11.html. Retrieved on 24 February 2006.
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- ^ Gardner, Neil (19 April 2007). "Is Messi the new Maradona?". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article1676692.ece. Retrieved on 31 March 2009.
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- ^ "Meteoric rise in three years". fcbarcelona.com. http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/noticies/futbol/temporada07-08/10/n071016101878.html. Retrieved on 3 May 2008.
- ^ Steve Bartram (31 August 2005). "Funnies: McCarthy's Language Barriers". ManUtd.com. http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={83A644F4-1A7E-48B9-AF95-4605613A9A18}&newsid=232152&page=2. Retrieved on 12 June 2009.
- ^ "FOOTBALL: Bara free to play Messi". The Independent. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20050927/ai_n15617525.
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- ^ Reuters (28 September 2005). "Ronaldinho scores the goals, Messi takes the plaudits". rediff.com. http://in.rediff.com/sports/2005/sep/28messi.htm. Retrieved on 23 August 2006.
- ^ "Frustrated Messi suffers another injury setback". ESPNsoccernet. 26 April 2006. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=366008&cc=3436. Retrieved on 2006-07-22.
- ^ Sam Wallace (2006-05-18). "Arsenal 1 Barcelona 2: Barcelona crush heroic Arsenal in space of four brutal minutes". Independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/arsenal-1-barcelona-2-barcelona-crush-heroic-arsenal-in-space-of-four-brutal-minutes-478659.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-03.
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- ^ The fans crown Messi as the best (Spanish)
- ^ Si Messi sigue trabajando asÃ, será como Maradona y Pelé
- ^ Leo Messi vs Kun Agüero - Marca.com
- ^ Totti le darÃa el Balón de Oro a Messi antes que a Kaká - Marca.com
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- ^ "Barcelona hit Malaga for six". Al Jazeera English. 2009-03-23. http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2009/03/2009322164115611397.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-02.
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- ^ Leo Messi biography in Lionel-Messi.ws Accessed 28 May 2009.
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- ^ Vickery, Tim: Messi handles 'new Maradona' tag on bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
- ^ Argentine striker Messi recalled for World Cup qualifier in People's Daily Online. Accessed on 30 December 2006.
- ^ Reuters: Pekerman: "Messi is a jewel" in eurosport.com. Accessed 6 January 2007.
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- ^ Vickery, Tom: Messi comes of age in bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
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- ^ Messi weiter auf der Bank in kicker.de. Accessed 30 December 2006
- ^ Argentina 6-0 Serbia & Montenegro in bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
- ^ Holland 0-0 Argentina in bbc.co.uk. Accessed 30 December 2006.
- ^ RodrÃguez finds an answer but many questions still remain in football.guardian.co.uk. Accessed 10 October 2007.
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- ^ Includes Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España
- ^ Includes UEFA Supercup
- ^ Diosas Reportajes - Gente Online
- ^ Macarena Lemos: Aún le mueve el tapete a Messi
- ^ Luciana Salazar y Messi serÃan pareja Cronica Viva.com]
- ^ Messi y Antonella pasean por el Carnaval de Sitges su noviazgo
- ^ Taringa! - La verdad sobre la nueva novia de Messi
- ^ "Konami names Messi as face of PES 2009". Gamezine.co.uk. 2008-08-01. http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/game-types/sports/football/konami-names-messi-as-face-pes-2009-$1234471.htm. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
- ^ "PES Unites - Messi". PESunites.com. http://www.pesunites.com/eng/index.htm. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
- ^ "Motions and Emotions in Barcelona". Konami. 2009-06-08. http://uk.games.konami-europe.com/blog.do;jsessionid=E3F32E431E73A1D6AF0B71D695498692#blog-entry-116. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
- ^ "E3 2009: PES 2010: Messi fronts exclusive E3 trailer". Konami. 2009-06-02. http://uk.games.konami-europe.com/news.do;jsessionid=A2FD1270B2C75DE70A52446CBF821D5A?idNews=411. Retrieved on 2009-06-09.
- ^ "MOTD magazine crew meet Messi in Barcelona". PESFan (Match of the Day Magazine). http://www.pesfan.com/news/8212537/Messi-mo-cap-photos/#newsarticle. Retrieved on 2009-06-18.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lionel Messi |
- Lionel Messi biography at FC Barcelona website
- Official website
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