Lionel Messi is a player that every single football team in the world would love to have. After all, the Argentine is one of the greatest players ever and has won the Ballon d’Or a record seven times.
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Will Messi Play in Olympics 2021
But Lionel Messi has only played for FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in his whole 18-year professional career (PSG).
Lionel Messi has only played for four teams in his career, including the two Argentinian youth clubs he played for. This is quite few compared to modern footballers, who typically play for a number of clubs.
Soccer Star Lionel Messi of Barcelona
When Barça needed help, they came through for him. The Catalan club could easily pay for Lionel Messi’s medical expenses, and their top-notch youth programme added to the appeal of a move there.
At the tender age of 13, Lionel Messi enrolled in Barcelona’s prestigious La Masia youth academy. Messi’s initial contract with FCB was famously signed on a paper napkin by then first team director Charly Rexach.
Before his shocking departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Lionel Messi set two club records by appearing in 778 games for Barcelona and scoring 672 goals.
A Stunning Transfer: Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain
Lionel Messi is so synonymous with Barcelona that many assumed he would retire there. On the other hand, the happy ending never materialised. Lionel Messi’s contract with the Catalan club expires in 2021 after contract talks broke down due to the club’s stated financial difficulties.
Barcelona announced they couldn’t afford to give Messi a new contract on August 5, 2021. Despite interest from other elite clubs, French club PSG secured Messi to a two-year contract through 2023 with an additional year of extension clause.
Against Reims in a Ligue 1 away game on August 29, Lionel Messi made his debut for PSG as a substitute in the second half, scoring both goals. When he was a member of PSG, his team won the 2021-22 Ligue 1 championship.
Lionel Messi’s International Eligibility Includes The Spanish And Italian National Teams.
Lionel Messi was born in Argentina, so it only seems sense that he represents his country on the football field. After winning the Olympic gold medal with the Albicelestes in Beijing in 2008, the Copa America in 2021, and the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2005, he moved up to the senior team.
In addition to becoming Argentina’s all-time leading scorer, Messi was the standout player on the national squad that placed second at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Since Lionel Messi is of Catalan and Italian descent, he might have played for both Italy and Spain.
This would have changed the course of his career. The Italian football federation never considered the possibility, but the Spanish FA did for a little while at Carles Rexach’s urging. I was unofficially approached about playing for Spain, but I’ve always been clear that I only want to represent my country, Argentina, on the field.
I’ve always been a big supporter of the national team. “As a fan, I could never get to the stadiums, so I watched the games on TV instead,” Lionel Messi stated.
