8
Ballon d'Or wins
2022
World Cup
2
Copa América titles
Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina, and moved to Barcelona at 13 after the club agreed to pay for his growth hormone treatment. He made his first-team debut in 2004 and stayed until 2021, when he joined Paris Saint-Germain, before moving to Inter Miami in 2023.
He has won the Ballon d’Or eight times, more than anyone else. His biggest prize came in Qatar in 2022, when he captained Argentina to the World Cup and scored twice in the final. He also won the Copa América in 2021 and 2024. For Barcelona he scored 672 goals in all competitions, a club record.