Six World Cups, one Lionel Messi: 39 facts about soccer’s immortal star

Lionel Messi turned 39 on June 24. And still, through the group stage of this, his sixth World Cup, he leads all scoring with five goals in just two games. As he and his Argentine mates head into the knockout round, looking to repeat as champions, here is a look at 39 facts about Lionel Messi: 1. Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency at age 10 He underwent a lengthy and expensive treatment that involved Messi giving himself shots. Some clubs passed on him because of his size and cost of the treatment. 2. Barcelona was not swayed by his small stature The Spanish club was so eager to sign him as a 13-year-old that the club inked him to a deal on a napkin. 3. Messi was 17 when he made his Barcelona debut It happened on Oct. 16, 2004. His first goal came the following season, on a pass from the great Ronaldinho. Avui fa 20 anys del primer gol de Messi amb el Barça. La resta és història. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/9eVAx0tRR1 — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) May 1, 2025 4. He first wore No. 30 You might notice above that Messi did not wear the No. 10 when he made his debut. Instead, he sported No. 30. The No. 10, typically for the club's primary playmaker, was worn by the aforementioned Ronaldinho, who predicted Messi's greatness. 5. Messi is notoriously quiet He's never been a vocal leader, doing most of his talking with this feet. 6. And speaking of his feet Most of Messi's goals have come off his left foot, his dominant foot. 7. Messi is actually right handed 8. Messi first wore No. 10 in his fifth season with Barcelona When Ronaldinho left Barcelona after the 2008 season, Messi inherited the No. 10 jersey, which he wore for the rest of his time at Barça. 9. That season, he won his first Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or honors the best player in the world, as voted on by a panel of international journalists. After scoring 23 goals and assisting on 11 more, won his first Ballon d'Or over second place Cristiano Ronaldo. 10. Messi wins four in a row That Ballon d'Or would be the first of four straight for Messi, who scored 34, 31, 50 and 46 goals for Barcelona in that span. 11. Messi has won a record 8 Ballon d'Ors Awarded since 1956, only 10 players have won multiple Ballon d'Ors. Messi's 8 is the most ever, with Cristiano Ronaldo's 5 the only other player who's come close. 12. Messi has scored the most goals ever in a single season In 2012, Messi scored an astonishing 91 goals across 69 club and international matches, a record. He broke Ger Muller's record of 85, which was set in 1972. 13. Messi won 12 European league championships In 19 European club seasons, Messi won 12 championships — 10 with Barcelona, 2 with Paris Saint-Germain. That's a winning percentage of 63%. 14. Messi's greatest goal Where do you start, and where do you end? This is obviously up for debate, but when it comes to a singular effort, it's hard to top this one from a then 19-year-old Messi: 19 year old Lionel Messi dribbling past the whole team pic.twitter.com/TlybynwihK — Time Trip (@TimeTriping) February 19, 2024 15. Or this one … On this day in 2015, Lionel Messi took on the entire Athletic Bilbao team to score one of the greatest goals of all-time 🙌 (via @fcbarcelona_tr ) pic.twitter.com/jrvOjCZ3Zj — ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 30, 2020 16. Messi's greatest assist That Messi & Molina link-up 🤩 🥳 Happy birthday, Nahuel! #FIFAWorldCup | @AFASeleccionEN pic.twitter.com/RuYAGvmkhW — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 6, 2023 17. Ohh, the vomiting Yes, even Lionel Messi gets nervous. For years, Messi was infamous for his on-field vomiting, including during the 2014 World Cup final. He says he has remedied the vomiting through a better diet. 18. Messi is quite average at penalty kicks Including his miss in the Group Stage against Austria, Messi is 25 of 31 in his international career, and 116 of 149 in his club career, per The Athletic. That's a 77-80% clip, which is about average. 19. Spain wanted Messi Rising through the ranks at Barcelona, Messi obtained dual citizenship, and Spain wanted him. But Messi's heart was always with Argentina, and he never played internationally for anywhere else. 20. Messi's first red card He drew it under 50 seconds into his international debut, when he was sent off for an elbow. 21. What is Messi always drinking? Just do a search for Messi drinking and you will find image after image of Messi drinking yerba mate, a South American herbal tea, his favorite. 22. Messi’s world record streak From November 2012 to May 2013, Messi scored in 21 straight La Liga games, a record. In the span, he scored a total of 33 goals. 23. Messi's nickname: La Pulga La Pulga is Spanish for "The Flea," an appropriate nickname for someone who stands just 5-foot-7. 24. Messi has scored in every minute but one There are 90 minutes in a soccer match. Messi has scored in 89 of them. The only minute he hasn’t scored in? Minute 1. His quickest goal came 1 minute, 19 seconds in. 25. Messi retired from international play in 2016 After losing the 2016 Copa America final, yet another disappointment for his country, Messi retired from international play. However, a national campaign convinced him to return for the 2018 World Cup … where Argentina lost in the round of 16. 26. Messi’s record-breaking hat trick In Argentina’s opener against Algeria, Messi’s three goals made him the oldest player (38 years, 357 days) to record a hat trick in a World Cup, breaking the record held by … Ronaldo, who scored one at the 2018 World Cup when he was just 33 years old. 27. One record Messi doesn’t have France’s Just Fontaine has the record for most goals at a single World Cup, with 13 in the 1958 tournament. Through two games, Messi already has five goals, which is on pace for 20 if Argentina were to make it all the way to the final. 28. Messi vs. Ronaldo Category Messi Ronaldo Ballon d'Ors 8 5 World Cup titles 1 0 World Cup Golden Balls 2 0 World Cup goals 18 10 Career club goals 558 600 League titles 13 8 Champions League titles 4 5 European Golden Boots 6 4 29. Where Ronaldo has him beat On Instagram, where Ronaldo has the most followers of anyone — 640 million — to Messi's minuscule 520 million. 30. Messi’s two Golden Balls is a record In every World Cup since 1982, the best overall player has been recognized with the Golden Ball award. Only one player has won it more than once, and that’s Messi, who won it at the 2014 and 2022 World Cups. 31. No one has played more World Cup matches Messi has played in 28 World Cup games and counting. That is three more than anyone else, four more than Ronaldo, who he could meet later in this tournament. 32. Messi scored 5 goals in Champions League match It happened in 2012, when Messi scored five times against Leverkusen. It’s believe he’s the only player ever to do this in the modern era. 33. Why he points to the sky after he scores It's a tribute to his grandmother, Celia, who took him to practices and games as a child. She died when Messi was just 10. 34. Messi is married to his hometown sweetheart He met Antonela Roccuzzo when he was just 5-years-old. They married in 2017 in their hometown of Rosario, and have three sons. 35. Messi's career earnings It's estimated that he's made mover $700 million in salary, plus about as much in endorsements and other business ventures, making him a billionaire. 36. Messi is superstitious At the team hotel in Kansas City, Messi is staying in room 202, reportedly because the numbers add up to four — the number of World Cup victories Argentina would have if they win this year. Four years ago, Messi reportedly stayed in room 201. Hmmm. 37. The World Cup record breaker The GOAT stands alone. MESSI BECOMES THE ALL-TIME LEADING GOALSCORER IN MEN’S FIFA WORLD CUP HISTORY 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/aWY9thIuUG — FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 22, 2026 38. Messi stands alone Messi is generally considered the only player in history to win all of the following major honors: World Cup Copa América Champions League Olympic Gold Ballon d'Or FIFA World Player/FIFA Best awards Domestic league titles in multiple countries 39. Messi’s age in perspective At 39, Messi is older than 99% of the players he'll face at this World Cup. The average age of a World Cup player is typically around 27 years old. That means Messi is roughly 12 years older than the average opponent. To put that in perspective: many of the players marking Messi this World Cup were still in elementary school when he won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009.