MESSI CREATED HISTORY !!
Lionel
Messi made history in Barcelona's 5-3 win over Granada, tuesday in a Spanish league match. Messi become Barcelona's all-time record goal
scorer with his eighth hat-trick of the season against Granada. The Argentina's latest treble, over took Cesar Rodriguez's
tally of 232 goals set in the 1950s.
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| Josep Guardiola |
“We are witnessing the best [player] in every sense. He does everything, and he does it every three days.
I’m sorry for those that want to sit on his throne, but this lad is the
best. Hopefully we can enjoy his football for many more years.” said, Josep Guardiola, Barcelona's Coach.
"We have to congratulate Messi, he has scored so many goals and is only 24," said Barca coach
"A living legend, that is what Messi is. A 24-year-old youth who rides
to infinity and who appears to have no limits," Said, Spanish media.
"Never before in recent years has a player given the sensation that what
will happen on the pitch depends so much on him as is the case with
Messi," sports daily AS wrote
BARCELONA ALL-TIME TOP SCORERS
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Ladislao Kubala (Hungary)
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Paulino Alcantara (Philippines)
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*Alcantara actually scored 357 goals for Barcelona, but over 200 of those came
in friendlies
**It had
been believed that Cesar's record had stood at 235 goals, but a recent study
conducted by Barcelona’s Center of Documentation and
Studies, in conjunction with newspaper La Vanguardia, confirms
that the legendary forward actually netted 232 strikes, and so his total has
been reassessed.
FEW FACTS ABOUT MAGIC MESSI:
Full name: Lionel Andres Messi
Nationality: Argentina
Date of birth: 24 June 1987
Age: 24 years
Country of birth: Argentina
Place of birth: Rosario
Position: Attacker
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Foot: Left
Number: 10
Lives in: Barcelona
Current club: FC Barcelona
Previous clubs: Barcelona B
Nickname(s): "the new Diego
Maradona", The Flea
Girlfriend: Antonella Rocuzzo
Youth clubs: Newell's Old Boy Damiens
Balerina School
FLASHBACK in MESSI's LIFE:
Considered by many as the best soccer player in the world, there are few
finer sights than Lionel Messi using a mixture of pace and trickery to beat
multiple defenders from his position on the right side of the Barcelona attack.
Pele and Maradona are considered by many to be the best players
ever to have kicked a ball and there are those that believe Messi can go on to
claim a position alongside these players in soccer's pantheon of greats. The Argentinean joined Barcelona
at the age of 13, with the club paying for treatment on a growth hormone
deficiency that threatened to stunt his progress. What a shrewd investment that
now looks.
Messi started playing for
Argentinean club Newell's Old Boys at the age of eight after turning out for a
few years with his local team. His father was a factory worker and his mother a
cleaner, and they were unable to pay the money required to remedy his growth
hormone deficiency. This was also the case with River Plate who were interested
in signing the player.
Barcelona, then under the
stewardship of long time club servant Carles Rexach, pounced with the promise
of paying the US$800 a month required to pay the bills.
It is not an exaggeration to say
that the player's destiny and the club's future were redefined. Messi excelled in the youth and B
teams before making his first team debut against Barca's city rivals Espanyol. His first goal followed against Albacete at the age of 17 years, 10 months
and seven days, making him the club's youngest ever Liga scorer.
MESSI'S CAREER :
Professional
career totals
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Teams
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Appearances
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Goals
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Goals
per game
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Clubs
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314
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234
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0.74
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| National Team |
67 |
22
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0.33
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| Olympic Finals |
5 |
2
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0.4
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Total
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385
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257
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0.66
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TOP EARNERS LIST :
In the survey conducted by the France Football Magazine in 2012, Messi beat superstars
like Beckham, Ronaldo, Rooney to emerge top earner.
- £27.5m---- Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
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£26.2m---- David Beckham (LA Galaxy)
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£24.3m----Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
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£19.4m----Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi)
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£17.2m---- Wayne Rooney (Man United)
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£15.7m---- Sergio Aguero (Man City)
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£14.7m---- Yaya Toure (Man City)
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£13.9m---- Fernando Torres (Chelsea)
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£12.9m---- Kaka (Real Madrid)
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£11.9m---- Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:
Lionel Messi’s major personal
achievements include:
- FIFA Ballon d’Or: 2010, 2011
- Ballon d’Or: 2009
- Golden Ball: FIFA
U-20 World Cup: 2005
- Golden Boot: FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
- Golden Boy: 2005
- World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2006, 2007
- Olimpia de Plata: Argentinian Player of the Year: 2005
- FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 2006
- FIFPro World XI: 2007
- Best foreign player in La Liga: 2007
- France Football Player of the Year: 3rd place: 2007
- World Soccer Footballer of the Year: 2nd place: 2007
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2nd place: 2007
BEYOND FOOTBALL:
In
2007, Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity supporting access
to education and health care for vulnerable children. In
response to Messi’s own childhood medical difficulties, the Leo Messi
Foundation has offered Argentine children diagnosed with illnesses treatment in
Spain and funds covering the transport, hospital and recuperation costs. Messi’s foundation is supported by his own fundraising
activity with additional assistance from Heralife. On
11 March 2010 Messi was announced as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Messi’s UNICEF
ambassador activities are aimed at supporting children’s rights. Messi is
supported in this by Barcelona, who also have a strong association with UNICEF
