Argentinian football legend, Lionel Messi, needs no introduction. He is one, if not the most, beloved and renowned player in the world. 

His amazing talent has landed him many awards like the European Golden Shoe in 2013, 2017, and 2018, and the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2022. But his talent and awards aren’t what define him.

Lionel Andres Messi was born to father Jorge Messi, and mother Celia Maria Cuccittini, on June 24th, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. Messi is the 3rd child born to his parents. He has 2 older brothers named Matias Messi, and Rodrigo Messi, and a younger sister named Maria Sol Messi.

Messi started playing football (Soccer in the US) at the age of 5 for Grandoli, a club coached by his father. In 1995, he switched to play with Newell’s Old Boys. 

Messi lived and grew up in central Argentina until the age of 13 when he moved to Spain in order to join Barcelona. 

At age 11, he was unfortunately diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. He had to inject growth hormones into his leg at only 12 years old. His family was struggling to keep up and pay for his treatment until FC Barcelona came to the rescue and sponsored his treatment.

He soon started playing for the Barcelona B team and managed to score 35 goals in just 30 matches. In October of 2004, he made his official debut against RCD Espanyol and became the youngest player to ever play for FC Barcelona. He then became the youngest player to ever score in a La Liga game at just 17 years old in 2005.

He continued to play and rapidly improved over the years. By 2008, he was one of the most prominent and important players in the world. In the early months of 2009, Messi had one of best 2008-09 seasons and helped FC Barcelona capture their first “treble”. The team won the La Liga championship, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League title. 

He won his sixth Ballon D’Or and was named FIFA’S best male player of the year. In the 2020-21 season, Barcelona claimed the Copa del Rey title once again, the seventh of Messi’s career. He later left Barcelone due to financial issues which prevented him from re-signing with them. He went on to sign with Paris St.-Germain and also win another Ballon D’Or in 2021. 

Though we might agree that he deserves to be praised for his outstanding talent and work, his charity work is often overlooked by the public.

Throughout his career, Messi has been involved in charitable efforts in order to help malnourished and vulnerable children. His commitment comes from the fact that he had a great deal of medical issues as a child.

In March of 2010, he was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He traveled to Haiti with UNICEF to bring awareness to the condition of children after a wrecking earthquake.

Other than working with UNICEF, he has founded and created his own charitable organizations. The Leo Messi Foundation invests in healthcare services to improve children’s way of living. He has most recently supported the efforts to fight COVID-19 while sharing practices and fundraisers. 

Many soccer players that attend WMS have agreed that Leo has impacted their way of playing and that he is an extraordinary role model.

8th grader, Ciara Murphy, said, “Messi influenced so many people to start playing soccer and even myself. He’s a great player and has a good attitude toward everyone. At just 11 years old, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. And even though he had to go through people saying he couldn’t make it, he made his way all the way to the top and is worldwide known.”

Another 8th grader, Julianne McSorley, said, “He has influenced the world of soccer because he started out as a normal soccer player and worked his way up to being the ‘goat’ and accomplishing more than I could imagine. He does inspire me because I look up to him when I’m upset and he makes me want to get better.”

Katie Cadwell, also an 8th grader, said, “Messi has the ability to not fall when the defenders try to stop him. If you watch some clips of Messi playing you can see his footwork and how he can go through the defense being pushed and can still get a goal.” 

If you’d like to watch Messi, along with other fabulous players that play on Paris St.-Germain, here are the confirmed playing dates and where to watch: 

Paris VS Angers – Wednesday, January 11th, 2023

Rennes VS Paris – Sunday, January 15th, 2023

Paris VS Reims – Sunday, January 29th, 2023

Montpellier VS Paris – Wednesday, January 1st, 2023

Paris VS Bayern Munich – Tuesday, February 14th, 2023

Marseille VS Paris – Sunday, February 26th, 2023

Bayern Munich VS Paris – Wednesday, March 8th, 2023

Paris VS Lyon – Sunday, April 2nd, 2023