Lionel Messi

l Time Men's World Best Player by the IFFHS. Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, having won 46 team trophies. His records include most goals in a calendar year (91), most goals for a single club (672 for Barcelona), most goals in La Liga (474), most assists in the FIFA World Cup (12), and most assists in international football (65). Messi has scored over 920 senior career goals and provided over 410 assists for club and country, making him the second-highest goalscorer and the highest assist provider in the history of the sport.

In 2004, Messi made his competitive debut for Barcelona at age 17. He gradually established himself as an integral player for the club, and during his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09 he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. This resulted in Messi winning the first of four consecutive Ballons d'Or, and by the 2011–12 season he had set the European record for most goals in a season and established himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. During the 2014–15 season, where he became the all-time top scorer in La Liga, he led Barcelona to a historic second treble, earning his fifth Ballon d'Or. Messi was named Barcelona's captain in 2018. While playing for the club, he won a club-record 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. Financial difficulties at Barcelona forced Messi to depart in 2021 and sign with Paris Saint-Germain. In 2022–23, he was involved in 32 goals in 32 matches, helping PSG win the Ligue 1 title – his second with the club. He joined MLS club Inter Miami in 2023 and led them to their first MLS Cup victory in 2025, while also winning back-to-back league MVP awards in 2024 and 2025.

With Argentina, Messi is the national team's all-time leading goalscorer (125) and most-capped player (207). Several years after his senior debut in 2005, he won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Assuming captaincy in 2011, he led Argentina to three consecutive finals in the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa América, and the Copa América Centenario, all of which they lost. He subsequently announced his retirement from international football in 2016, though returned soon after.

The 2020s marked the most successful period of Messi's international career. He was central to Argentina winning the 2021 Copa América before leading them to victory at the 2022 World Cup, where he became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice. He claimed his third major international title when Argentina won the 2024 Copa América. At the 2026 World Cup, Messi led his country to a second consecutive World Cup final, winning his second consecutive Silver Boot and the Silver Ball.

Messi has been sponsored by the sportswear company Adidas since 2006. He was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019 and 2022, and was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, 2012, and 2023. In 2020 and 2023, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, the first team-sport athlete to win the award. In 2020, Messi became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. In 2026, he appeared on The World's Billionaires list for the first time with a net worth of $1.1 billion. Following his arrival and impact on football in the United States, Messi was named Time's Athlete of the Year in 2023, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US president Joe Biden in 2025.