Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as
Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who
plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club
Paris Saint-Germain and captains the
Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as
one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record six
Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was
named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.
Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional
career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including
ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions
Leagues. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the
records for most goals in La Liga (474), a La Liga and European league
season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions
League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga season (21) and
the Copa América (17). He also holds the record for most international
goals by a South American male (80). Messi has scored over 750 senior
career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player
for a single club.