### Comprehensive Report on Lionel Messi: The World’s Number One Football Player

#### Introduction
Lionel Messi is widely considered the greatest football player in the world today, and arguably in the history of the sport.

His journey from a small boy in Rosario, Argentina, to a global icon is a story of dedication, skill, and unparalleled success.

This report explores why Messi stands at the pinnacle of football, analyzing his career achievements, playing style, influence on the sport, and how his skills and records compare to other top footballers.

#### Career Achievements
Messi's career is adorned with numerous accolades and records that underscore his dominance in football:

1.

**Club Success**:
   - **Barcelona**: Messi spent the majority of his career at FC Barcelona, where he won four UEFA Champions League titles and scored 672 goals in 778 matches, making him the club's all-time top scorer.

His debut for Barcelona was in 2004

### Comprehensive Report on Lionel Messi: The World’s Number One Football Player

#### Introduction
Lionel Messi is widely considered the greatest football player in the world today, and arguably in the history of the sport.

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Top 5 players with the most UEFA Champions League appearances

Sharan Pillai
ANALYST

Over the course of years, many teams and players have amazed us with their performances in the most sought-after league. The UEFA Champions League delivers just as much as its reputation.

Ever since it was founded in 1955 as the European Cup, the UEFA Champions League (renamed in 1992), has housed the best of teams from all around the continent. Europe being football's powerhouse means the Champions League, by default, has become the most intense league at club level.

Every season brings us a handful of favorites, underdogs, goal riots, upsets and individual uprisings. Throughout the Champions League's history, numerous records have been re-written by teams and players. Today let's discuss one such record.

Without further ado, let's take a look at:

Top 5 players with the most UEFA Champions League appearances.

#5 Raúl González — 142

The Real Madrid legend held every title and record to his name with Los Blancos before Cristiano Ronaldo walked-in. However, till date, the Spaniard remains one of the most-decorated players within the ranks of mighty Real Madrid.

Ascending from the youth levels, Raúl González cemented his place with the senior side at the tender age of 16. He evolved not just to be a fine player but a fierce leader as well. Raúl González has featured in 130 games for Real Madrid and 12 for Bundesliga team Schalke, taking his tally to 142.

Raúl #UCL record for @realmadriden and @s04_en: 134 starts, 71 goals, 14 assists http://t.co/upftHKc7Bm

He experienced a very successful stint with the Galacticos and won three UEFA Champions League titles with them. With 66 goals, Raúl González is still the second most goal-getter for Real Madrid in the Champions League.

#4 Lionel Messi — 150*

Words would do no justice to this little magician's contribution towards Barcelona and football itself. Since his debut against Shakhtar Donetsk in 2004 and his last game versus Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Leo Messi has played 149 games in the Blaugrana jersey.

He broke records for fun during his stint with the Catalan giants. Lionel Messi has won four UEFA Champions League titles and scored 120 goals for Barcelona. The Argentine joined the same side against whom he played and scored his last in a Barcelona jersey — PSG.

The former Barca captain marked his debut for his new club just last week against Club Brugge. The tally of 150 means Lionel Messi is the player with 4th most appearances in the UEFA Champions League.

Leo Messi turns 34 today.

34 moments of magic from the greatest 🐐 (THREAD)

(via @ChampionsLeague)
https://t.co/Yw2kXBDQYs

With a lot of youth and energy left in him, we can expect Leo to climb up the ranks.

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Content: Ronaldo and Miscbssports
The 10 best players in football history
The difference between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo was obvious.
The Daily Mail has named the 50 best footballers of all time.
Despite the ongoing debate over the best between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the difference in the rankings between the two legends was clear.
Among the notable absentees from Brazil's top 50 list was Neymar, despite being the best goalscorer in Brazilian history.
Here is the list of the top 10 players in history according to the Daily Mail:
10. Cristiano Ronaldo
It is controversial that Cristiano Ronaldo, who many consider better than playing football, finished 10th.
Ronaldo has won five gold balls throughout his career and is the most scoring player ever, and the 39-year-old has led his country to its first ever international title and holds the record for the highest number of international goals ever with 128 goals for Portugal.
Ronaldo is the historic scorer of the Champions League with 141 goals and has won the competition five times, including three consecutive titles.
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Ramos has chosen the best player in history.
9. Zico
In ninth place comes Brazilian legend Zico who, although he has never won a World Cup, is widely regarded in Brazil as a bigger champion than many other players.
Zico was known for his steady ball abilities and was by far the star of Brazil's squad at the 1982 World Cup.
8. Garrincha
Another Brazilian legend comes in eighth place with Garrincha sneaking ahead of both Ronaldo and Zico.
Garrincha is widely regarded as the champion of Brazil's 1958 World Cup victory and was crowned best player of the tournament in 1962, a year marked by a major absence for Pele due to injury in the early stages.
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The Spanish league finds the new Messi and Ronaldo
7. Ronaldo Nazario
Brazilian phenomenon Ronaldo Nazario finished seventh and controversially ahead of the Portuguese star.
Ronaldo ’ s natural talent was something to watch, and he has won the Ballon d ’ Or twice, but unfortunately, his career has been heavily affected by injuries.
6. Alfredo Di Stefano
Alfredo Di Stéfano, the second best Real Madrid goalscorer of all time behind Cristiano Ronaldo, won five European Cups and scored in every final, including a brilliant hat-trick in the 1960 final.
5. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane enters the list strongly and occupies fifth place and Zidane is distinguished by his ability to control the ball throughout the pitch.
Zidane made history after leading France to the 1998 World Cup by scoring two goals against Brazil in the final and leading Real Madrid to the Champions League title in 2001 / 2002.
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Brazil star to his younger brother: 'I hope to meet Ronaldo'
4. Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff is arguably one of the most important minds in football, despite missing out on the top three.
Cruyff is widely believed to be the founder of the concept of "inclusive football", a tactic that remains in football today through coaches such as Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
Johan Cruyff won three consecutive European Cups with Ajax and made one of the most famous skillful moves in football at the 1974 World Cup against Sweden.
3. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona ’ s name cannot be missed when mentioning the best footballers in history.
If one game can perfectly sum it up, it is the 1986 World Cup against England.
Oddly enough, many still remember his famous hand-held goal rather than focusing on his historic World Cup goal after England ’ s skill and manipulation.
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Ronaldo is crazy and I want to be the best player in the world like him.
2. Pelé
Pele finished second in the rankings and the Brazilian legend stands out as the only player to have won the World Cup three times, making his first victory as a teenager in 1958.
Pele became the iconic leader of the greatest football team in history, the Brazilian team that won the 1970 World Cup.
1. Lionel Messi
Argentine star Lionel Messi ranked first in the ranking of the best footballers in history.
Messi is the player who has won the most Ballon d'Or in history with eight awards.
Messi has one of the greatest careers in the history of football, winning the Champions League three times for Barcelona and finishing second in the championship goalscorer's standings.
Messi led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup, in which he scored seven goals, including four penalties.
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Messi did not call himself the best player in the history of football
The striker of the national team of Argentina and PSG Lionel Messi answered the question, whether he considers himself the best player in the history of football.
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Content: Footballer "Inter Miami" and the national team of Argentina Lionel Messi received another individual award
The legendary Argentinian was recognized as the best athlete of the planet in 2023 according to the American magazine Time.
In particular, the publication recalls a fantastic moment on July 21, 2023, when Lionel Messi played his debut match with Inter Miami.
The Argentine moved to the camp of the MLS outsider from the French PSG and already in his first match in the last minutes with a masterpiece kick from the box scored his debut goal for the club from Miami.
Video of the day
It was Messi ’ s goal in the 90 + 4th minute that brought Inter Miami a victory in the game against Cruz Azul in the League Cup match.
Then the star Argentine scored goals in all matches of the tournament and helped the team from Florida to win the first trophy in their club history.
In the final, "Inter Miami" won in the series of post-match penalties "Nashville".
This triumph allowed Lionel Messi to become the most titled player in the history of football.
Also in 2023, the Argentine became the owner of the “Golden ball ”, which was the eighth in his career.
This season, as part of Inter Miami, Messi played 14 matches in all tournaments, in which he scored 11 goals and gave 5 assists.
Recall, as part of the Argentina national team in December 2022, Lionel Messi won the world championship for the first time.
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His journey from a small boy in Rosario, Argentina, to a global icon is a story of dedication, skill, and unparalleled success.

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Content: Dejan Lovren says Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is right up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Regarded as two of the best, if not the greatest, players in history - while winning 12 Ballon d'Or trophies and countless team honours between them - Messi and Ronaldo continue to have immense followings who claim their idol to be top of the pile. It is a 50-50 question that has no definitive answer.

Egypt international Salah needs no introduction at Anfield and beyond, either, having totted-up 186 goals in 303 appearances for the club - with 77 assists. He continues to perform at the top level despite the collective struggles this season - as 30 goals and 14 assists from 49 games in all competitions shows.

READ MORE: Sadio Mane's stance on Bayern Munich future amid return links

READ MORE: Fifth-place qualification rules if Man City win Champions League

Lovren was asked about Salah during an interview with LFCTV. He said: "We're talking each month every time, at least twice a week we call each other. We're really good friends, we tell each other some secrets, not about football, and it's really great to have a friend like that."

Lovren, who spent six years with Liverpool and now plays for French Ligue 1 side Lyon, continued: "You don't know how much effort he's putting into his body to be what he is. It's not just like that he's scoring every year 25, 30 goals.

"He's putting in really, really hard work. Sometimes after training I'm just sitting on the sofa enjoying, watching TV, and this guy he's answering from his swimming pool and saying; 'Yeah, let me finish my swimming session'.

"Mo, you had just training in the morning! 'Just let me do it'. And then you say to yourself, players like him, like Ronaldo, like Messi, this is more than perfection, I don't know.

"There are not many like him, like Messi, like Ronaldo. He's playing for the last five seasons and scoring every year 25, 30 goals. Come on guys, come on. He's never injured, he's a winger, and he's scoring more goals than Harry Kane."

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This report explores why Messi stands at the pinnacle of football, analyzing his career achievements, playing style, influence on the sport, and how his skills and records compare to other top footballers.

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Content: Messi again bypassed Ronaldo: the rating of the best athletes of the century
19 July 2024, 19: 15
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ESPN
Correspondence confrontation between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has been going on for decades.
In the next ranking, the Argentine was significantly ahead of the eternal competitor.
The American edition of ESPN has published its own version of the hundred best athletes of the century.
The task was not easy, because the achievements in various sports were evaluated.
See also Curious antics of the American wrestler: Hulk Hogan supported trump
Who became the winner of the rating
Experts took into account the results of athletes from January 1, 2000.
ESPN editors from all over the world participated in the selection of nominees and in the voting process.
The result of painstaking work was the rating of the hundred best professional athletes of the century.
The winner was American swimmer Michael Phelps.
He set 39 world records and became the absolute record holder for winning the Olympic Games.
Argentine Leo Messi closed the top three for tennis player Serena Williams.
Interestingly, the best scorer of the national teams in the history of Cristiano Ronaldo was only in 13th place.
Top 5 Best Athletes of the Century
1.
Michael Phelps (swimming) – 28-time Olympic medalist (record), 23-time Olympic gold medalist.
He won the most gold medals in a single Olympics when he won eight medals in Beijing 2008.
2.
Serena Williams (tennis) – 23-time champion of Grandslem level tournaments in singles (the second result of all time).
The record for women in the number of victories in matches at the “majors ” – 365.
73 career titles – fifth place among women.
Four times became the champion of the Olympic Games.
3.
Lionel Messi (football) - 10-time champion of La Liga, seven-time winner of the Spanish Cup, four-time winner of the Champions League, six-time top scorer of the Champions League, 17 times a member of the symbolic FIFA team, winner of the World Cup, two-time winner of the America's Cup, two-time winner of the "Golden Ball" of the World Cup, eight-time winner of the "Golden Ball" cha ".
4.
LeBron James (basketball) is the best player in NBA history by number of points, a 20-time All-Star, 19 times elected to the NBA national team, and six times to the defensive team.
He was an NBA Finals MVP four times and an All-Star MVP three times.
In total, he won four NBA titles with three different teams, as well as twice winning Olympic gold.
5.
Tom Brady (American football) is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time NFL MVP.
Also in the top ten were Roger Federer (tennis), Simon Biles (gymnastics), Tiger Woods (golf), Usain Bolt (running), Kobe Bryant (basketball).

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Content: Numbers, titles and prizes waiting for Ronaldo and Messi to achieve them
One left the club where he grew up and became a professional player, and the other returned to the team that gave him an international star.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won a lot of titles and many individual awards, but they still have records to match or record in their names.
These two players, who have entertained the lovers of the round witch performance and goals, are expected to have more fun and skill in the coming years.
What have Messi and Ronaldo achieved so far?
Local tournaments and cups, continental and international tournaments and tournaments with their respective teams, that is, they achieved everything at the team and team levels.
As for the goals, Ronaldo:
• Top scorer at the national level (111 goals).
• Top scorer in the Champions League (134 goals).
Best scorer in Real Madrid history (451 goals)
• Top scorer in the European finals (14 goals).
Macy is:
Spanish Premier League goalscorer (474 goals)
• Top scorer in the Champions League (120 goals).
• He holds the record in the number of goals scored in La Liga during one season (50 goals).
The top scorer of the Spanish championship is more than any other player (8 times).
What else can Messi and Ronaldo achieve?
Ronaldo is the top goalscorer at the national level, but Messi needs two goals (he has 76 goals) to beat Brazilian legend Pele and become the South American top scorer at the national level.
Don is only two games away to become the most involved player in the Champions League, exceeding the record set by Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas by 177 games, while Messi played 149 games in the Champions League.
Messi has won the Ballon d'Or six times and is on his way to seven, while Ronaldo has five gold balls.
The captain of Portugal has won the Champions League five times, while the captain of Argentina has won it four times.
In terms of goals, the Manchester United star has 674 goals, beating the Paris Saint-Germain star by just two goals.
Ronaldo needs only nine goals to overtake current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and become the 15th place in the list of historical "Almanio" goalscorers (he has 127 goals), while he needs 155 goals to enter the top 10 list.
Source: Marka
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Content: Lautaro about Messi: “Leo has written his name in the history of football.
Even in training, it feels like he ’ s doing another sport. ”
Lautaro Martinez spoke about his attitude to Lionel Messi.
“I am his friend and comrade.
We are talking about a player who has inscribed his name in the history of football.
Even in training, it seems like he is engaged in a completely different sport.
He's making up things you've never seen.
He is a real beast in competitions, he never wants to lose, ” said the striker of Inter and Argentina.
Messi and Martinez as part of the Argentina national team won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, the Finalissima, as well as the Copa América in 2021.
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France vs Argentina.
Messi keeps the best in his pocket until the end.
Messi scored 5 goals and made 3 in 6 matches in 2022.
As if he didn ’ t offer enough magic moments, Argentine genius Lionel Messi kept what might be the most poetic scenario of his last World Cup appearance, waiting to write the last line.
Messi, 35, who is under heavy pressure to match Diego Maradona ’ s achievement and win the title, has starred in Qatar while other stars such as Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo have bailed out.
From the start to the semi-final victory over Croatia, Messi, whose career is nearing its end, was the only star of the tournament.
His stats speak for themselves as he has been a starter in six games, scoring five goals and making three to lead Argentina to Sunday's final against France.
Messi, who has broken many records, has surpassed the number of World Cup appearances and goals recorded by Maradona and will become the most competitive player in the tournament on Sunday, surpassing the record set by Lotar Mateus (25 games).
Beyond the impressive statistics, Messi ’ s enchanting gestures and joyous celebrations are what excited football fans around the world.
Messi did not exert much physical effort in most matches and did not defend almost at times, but he was waiting for the right moment to use his deadly skills and sudden ability to change the rhythm and quick starts without the ball leaving his foot.
British sports writer Jonathan Wilson wrote of Messi: "A spirit wandering around the match until the right moment, you can censor a man, but watching a ghost is much harder."
Character.
After a disappointing start against Saudi Arabia, Messi took on the task of boosting the team ’ s morale, and his best goals came from an elaborate low from outside the box against Mexico.
Critics were stunned by his pass, which was used by Noel Molina to score the first goal against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, unique in this pass that Messi played it meticulously without looking at the position of his teammate.
In this match, Messi solidified his relationship with the Argentine fans, which was unfair in comparison to Maradona's character and the passion he showed for his country and winning the 1986 World Cup.
After scoring the penalty to spark crazy celebrations in the stands, Messi, who is usually well-behaved, turned to the Dutch team ’ s seats and put his hands around his ears in a provocative move.
After the game, Messi got into an argument with a Dutch striker and the cameras caught him saying, "What are you looking at, asshole?"
Although critics have criticised Messi as disrespectful, she has delighted Argentinean fans on a large scale, reminiscing of Maradona's defiant spirit.
One of the fans, Jorge Castellanos, who attended the match with a flag that puts both players side by side, said: “Against the Netherlands, Maradona ’ s inner character has finally come out into the open.
Both are one.
They both stay.
It's Argentina! "
But everyone knows that the only way Messi can be shoulder to shoulder with Maradona, at least in the world ’ s biggest football league, is to beat France in the final.
For a long time, Argentina was the second team for non-Argentine fans hoping Messi would win the tournament if their teams could not win the title to seal the final chapter in the beautiful story.
Thank you, Commander.
Messi left Argentina at the age of 13 to join the youth academy in Barcelona.
Despite concerns about his poor build, the new boy rose to prominence among the youngsters before coach Frank Rijkard gave him the chance to play for the first team at the age of 16 in a friendly against Porto in 2003.
Over time, Messi became Barcelona ’ s historic scorer (672 goals) and the most appearances for the Catalan team (778).
In the 2011 / 12 season, he broke the record for the number of goals scored in La Liga (50 goals).
In total, he has won 35 titles with Barcelona, including 10 league titles and four Champions League titles, before moving to Paris Saint-Germain last year.
He has also won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, as well as FIFA's Player of the Year award six times.
Internationally, he is Argentina ’ s historic goalscorer and led her to win last year ’ s Copa America, her first major title after 28 lean years.
All that is missing from Messi ’ s coffers is the World Cup title.
But even if he did not win the title, it seems that he has won the hearts of fans who have become convinced that he loves the Argentina shirt as Maradona did and has given her magical moments over the years and that he has done his best and is just around the corner to win the title.
Argentine journalist Sofia Martínez Mateos summed up the general situation when she ended an interview with Messi this week with a speech on behalf of Argentina.
"The final is coming and of course we all want to win, but I want to tell you that regardless of the result, there is something that no one can take away from you."
"I have entered the heart of every Argentine.
Honestly, no kid doesn't own your shirt.
You have left your mark on the lives of each of us.
“Keep that in your heart because it ’ s more important than the World Cup and I ’ ve already won that.
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Pictured
MES-MERISING

Lionel Messi replicates exactly Diego Maradona pose as Argentina captain held aloft by hundreds after winning World Cup

LIONEL Messi replicated Diego Maradona's pose from 1986 as Argentina finally lifted the World Cup again after a 36-year wait.

Messi drove his country on throughout the tournament and was instrumental in the dramatic final win over France.

The victory sparked mass celebrations in which Messi was lifted above the rest of his team-mates while holding the trophy in the air.

Maradona, who was the star of the World Cup in Mexixo 36 years ago, also held the trophy aloft with the rest of the squad around him when he got his hands on the trophy.

Messi scored seven goals and assisted a further three on La Albiceleste's way to glory in Qatar.

Maradona was just as influential during Mexico '86, getting five goals and five assists.

Both, of course, won the player of the tournament accolade.

Messi was pipped to the Golden Boot by Kylian Mbappe, while Maradona was beaten to the individual trophy by England's Gary Lineker, who netted six.

Messi has long been compared with Maradona, with critics claiming the PSG star hadn't won the World Cup like the man who passed away aged 60 in 2020.

But now, Messi has achieved greatness and on his accomplishment he said: "It’s simply unbelievable. I knew that God was going to give me the Cup, I was sure — it was a big joy for us.

HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON THE WORLD CUP

“I had this big dream for a long time, I wanted to close my career with the World Cup. I can’t ask for more than this."

Messi was expected to retire from international duty as he confirmed before the clash with France that it would be his last World Cup game, but he has now hinted at defending his crown in 2026.

He already has the record for most goals scored by one player at World Cups with 13, overtaking Brazil icon Pele.

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Content: A thousand contributions to his career and 50 this season.
Messi continues to write his own chapter in football history
When Argentine star Lionel Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain, many doubted his performance at Barcelona.
In the first season, he offered modest numbers but needed to adapt to a new team and a new country and culture as well.
The first sign that he would be fine was his performance with the Argentina national team.
As a result, he won the World Cup in Qatar last December and led his country to the greatest glory of his career.
At St Germain, Messi has been developing and adapting throughout the season but on Saturday he reached a figure that confirmed he was a complete player.
With his goal against Nantes yesterday in the French league, Messi has scored 30 goals and made 20 assists in 39 games this season for the club and the national team (he has scored 18 goals and made 16 assists in all competitions for Saint-Germain, 12 goals and 4 assists in the tango shirt).
In total, the Bolga made 1,000 contributions to his career with the teams he played for: 701 goals and 299 assists in 840 games.
He recently won the FIFA World Player of the Year award for 2022.
Messi is living through one of his best periods of his career but he will need the top of his game and the sum of his experiences in the upcoming Paris Saint-Germain game.
Bayern Munich obstacle in the way of Messi
Messi ’ s recent performances at home may be convincing, but against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final he was unable to deliver any of his previous performances when he was at Barcelona.
Winning this tournament is a top priority for the Parisian team and is one of the reasons why Saint-Germain signed the Argentine international.
The next game in Munich, the second leg of the home continental championship final, will be the most important test for Messi and his teammates this season.
Source: Marka + Websites + Social Media

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Content: Lionel Messi was selected for the 2023 Ballon d'Ors, the eighth time in his career, as expected.
Comprehensive Messi's performance in the past year, the most dazzling is to lead Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar, which is the first time Messi has won the World Cup, and it is also the last mile of his road to glory, rewriting a number of world football records, his No. 10 Argentina jersey (sponsor Adidas) once sold out of stock.
Despite scoring less than Premier League striker Erling Haaland last season, Messi still won the biggest prize with his impressive World Cup performance, competing against his former teammate Kylian Mbappe, who lost to Argentina in the World Cup final with France.
Halland was honored with the Müller Award (Best Frontline Award), and his "Blue Moon" Manchester City was selected as the best men's football team.
Messi said: “Thank you to everyone who voted for me, as well as my Argentina teammates and coaching staff.
I also congratulate Harland and Mbappe, it has been a wonderful year, I will never forget. "Messi said when receiving the award that the only regret of his football career is the World Cup champion, he thanked his wife for supporting him all the way to the championship, and his new American club Miami International, which he will take a week off to enjoy.
The Ballon d'Or was awarded by the prestigious magazine Football France. The Ballon d'Or was once merged with FIFA's World Footballer of the Year award to become the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Messi ’ s eight wins are the most in history, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo ’ s five.
# Messi # Golden Globes # World Football # FIFA

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Content: Argonautics
Blog
Messi shines in PSG: promotes, sharpens, scores.
No one else thinks he ’ s only in Barca.
After a difficult debut season in Paris, Lionel Messi returns to the top level and performance.
He is the best assistant of the top 5 leagues (9 assists, the same as Kevin de Bruyne), scored 6 + 9 goals + pass (1.4 scoring actions in 90 minutes), only Erling Holand (17 + 3), Robert Lewandowski (12 + 4) and Neymar (9 + 7) scored more than him.
In the Champions League, everything is also great: he is second in goal + pass with 4 + 3, pursuing the same Holland with 6 + 2.
Of course, Messi ’ s gaming influence goes far beyond the main statistics.
It seems that this season he finds harmony between the promotion of the ball, creation and completion.
In short: what didn ’ t happen last season?
Reminder: in the League 1-2021 / 22 Messi scored only six goals.
In League 1-2022 / 23, he has already reached this point, although less than a third of the season has passed.
In terms of scoring qualities (the expected threat and implementation) Messi really played objectively worse than in Barcelona.
Both the overall decline in the number of moments and the weak completion affected the performance.
In terms of 90 minutes, Messi in PSG -2021 / 22 scored only 0.25 goals per game - his worst result in his career was 0.46 goals in the 2007 / 08 season.
In the next 13 seasons for Barça, he never went below 0.78 (2019 / 20), in eight cases he broke the goal mark every 90 minutes.
In contrast to the last seasons at Barça, it is noticeable that PSG has badly deteriorated implementation (by the way, the best in the world), the expected threat (xG) has also decreased significantly.
At the same time, there was no regression in the creation and promotion at all.
Only in four seasons of La Liga for Barça Messi did more assists than in the first year for PSG (14).
According to the promotion metrics of the ball, Leo completely surpassed the performance of the late Barca.
It is expected that Messi was strongly criticized for weak performance, while rarely noting his power in other stages.
Even Karim Benzema stood up for Messi – he knows more than anyone that you can be very useful without heads: “The lack of heads is tolerated due to the period of adaptation.
Better watch what Messi is doing on the field.
“Those who criticize Leo now don ’ t know anything about football. ”
PSG partner Ander Herrera also actively defended: “They demand 50 goals per season from Messi – it ’ s difficult.
Do not forget that Messi hit the bars and crossbars 10 times, setting a League 1 record of all time.
10 more heads and everything would be better. ”
However, in Barça there were seasons with 11, 12, and 14 bars – we checked.
In the system of Mauricio Pochettino Messi received the role of a very free ten: cruised along the entire central axis, descended to the center of the field, sometimes shifted to the right flank.
In the center of the PSG midfield there were always more destroyers than ball engines, and this engine was Leo Messi.
The Argentine guaranteed constant progress, and he was very good at it.
But in the final stage there were enough problems.
First, the very realization – Messi was objectively bad.
Secondly, the long search for a connection with Neymar and Mbappe.
Pochettino blamed the greased preseason because of the Euro and the Copa América and explained this misunderstanding in the first half of the season.
Mbappe said: “It ’ s a pity that we didn ’ t play until April 2022. ”
Third, microtraumas obviously affected the game tone.
The very period of adaptation with household nuances also affected – Pochettino said that Leo had problems with this.
Fourth, the Pochettino system.
The coach built a strong frame to protect against the loss of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar.
The attacking foundation remained flimsy.
From the center of the midfield, no one could constantly be included in the line of attack as Messi came down for the ball.
Extreme defenders could not constantly rise to someone else ’ s front – the 4-X-X scheme a priori imposes more defensive obligations than the positions of the laterals in the 3-X-X.
Pochettino, if you want, is easy to justify: well, how else to play with such a set of attackers?
The elite three should have enough creativity to get the result in the attack.
All the rest are needed for insurance and good protection in the seven field.
But now we see an example with coach Christophe Galtier - PSG with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe and attacks more diverse, and defends no worse than the version of Pochettino.
Galtier corrected the role of Messi: plays deeper, but still very much sharpens and beats
The most important fact about the attacking trio, which we noted earlier, is the clear distribution of roles.
Mbappe is a moving forward scorer, Neymar is the master of the last pass, Messi is the ball promotion machine.
The promotion this season is ideologically different from the promotion in the past.
Under Pochettino, the strikers of PSG freely descended to the center of the field and in the Brownian movement had to come up with a moment, if desired, connecting partners (there was usually little desire).
Now, due to the clear distribution, the attacking pattern of PSG can be easily simplified to the following scheme: descending Messi into the center of the field - finding Neymar between the lines - passing on the opening behind the backs of the defenders of Mbappe.
From the main pattern comes a large number of relevant deviations of varying degrees of popularity.
Neymar can: wait for the incoming Leo and roll under attack from the support zone, wait and launch the combinational carousel, give on the left flank Nuna Mendes to stretch the opponent ’ s defense, go in the stroke, give a pass to Vitinje, who rose from the center of the field when Messi went down there.
Then Leo starts the attack and hits himself 15 seconds later.
Here comes down, while his place in the top three of the attack is taken by Vitinha.
Below are the heat maps of Messi ’ s actions in the season-2021 / 22 and 2022 / 23.
Pay attention to the red zones in the opponent ’ s penalty area and in the central semicircle on his half of the field – this was not the case before.
Messi began to descend even lower - normally, given that now there is a central midfielder who rises in the line of attack and maintains balance.
At the same time, Messi often touches the ball in the penalty area - it means that his advances are not choked, and after a pass from the depths, he can threaten himself, turning on and at the completion stage.
Another detail: there is no skew to the right flank, Messi plays centrally.
It works.
Below is a list of statistical indicators, where Lionel Messi ranks first in Europe.
Not in PSG, not in Ligue 1, but in all the top-5 leagues.
As you can see, Messi retains a huge attacking variability: both in the end (strikes), and in the creation (assists, pre-shock actions, passes to the penalty), and in the promotion (promoting passes).
In many other metrics – from the total weight of punches in xG to passes in the final third – Messi is in the top 5 / top 10.
Think about it: Messi makes more promotional programs (both in absolute value and in terms of 90 minutes) than, for example, Joshua Kimmich and Tony Kroos - recognized masters of business, with whom brilliant passes forward are associated.
They are really beautiful in this role.
But Messi still bypasses them, while dominating other stages of the attack.
Luis Enrique, who coached Messi at Barça, spoke beautifully of Leo ’ s multitasking influence: “If Messi plays a nine, he ’ s the best nine in the world.
If eight is the best eight in the world.
If six is the best six. ”
Leo himself reflected on the theme of the difficult first season: “Hard times – sometimes it seemed like I couldn ’ t find myself.
Everything is fine now: I feel comfortable at PSG, we have a great atmosphere in the dressing room, I like my partners and the team ’ s performance.
I ’ m enjoying my game again. ”
An important detail of Messi ’ s success is his progress in team arrangements with other PSG players.
Galtier beautifully said the obvious thing: “The peculiarity of Messi is that he really likes to play partners.
He is a football altruist. ”
• Work with Neymar and Mbappe – top.
No screenshots will reveal the magic of Leo and Ney – just watch PSG matches and enjoy, it ’ s pure football.
Mbappe sometimes makes mistakes in short drawings (and Messi, too, he is not a robot), but with Kilian sometimes there are beautiful attacks.
The most stable option is to pass Messi behind the backs of the defenders (this is how Lilla scored in the seventh second of the match), the main highlight is Messi ’ s goal against Ajaccio after passing Mbappe with his heel.
Neymar defended Messi last season, and after a powerful start of the new campaign only referred to the old words: “Leo remains Leo.
He will never change, that player always makes a difference. ”
• Excellent understanding with the new center of the Verratti field – Vitinha.
About the newcomer "Porto" has already been said - very clearly rises to the penalty area, reacting to the descents of Messi in midfield.
Verratti became much better to beat Leo in the wall, and if necessary, Marco flies off into the defense line, pulling the opponent higher and looking for a corridor for Messi to pass into the center of the field.
Verratti originally praised Messi: “His game is the simple things that make you fall in love with football. ”
• Improved communication with the laterals of Nunu Mendesh (left) and Ashraf Hakimi (right).
Mendes is the regular addressee for diagonal passes from the bottom of the center of the field closer to the edge of the box.
Against “Lille ” together built a beautiful goal.
It is too early to talk about the similarity with the legendary bunch of Messi and Alba in Barcelona – the Portuguese does not have enough reading the game for constant runs into the penalty box under Messi ’ s scoops from the support zone.
But Mendes gives great shots.
And Leo fell in love with Mendes so much that he put him in second place in the voting for the Raymond Cop prize for the best player under 21 (only Gavi is higher).
Hakimi is the addressee for Messi ’ s vertical gears from the depth behind the backs of the defenders.
Here is an example from the match against Ajaccio, where Messi first pushes the ball into the attack, and then sharpens the pass on accelerating Hakimi.
Can Messi get any better?
The most obvious request is help with getting out of the pressure.
Neymar stands out from the attacking trio: he regularly descends to the penalty area to quickly run out into a counterattack through a pass or bold dribbling.
Mbappe was integrated in a peculiar way - in some matches of Ligue 1, he served as a kind of target who should take casts from the penalty box.
It didn ’ t work very well, the central defenders pushed from behind.
Messi enters the game only with a counterattack.
Its resistance under pressure and dribbling are quite relevant to help with overcoming the pressure.
In addition, a difficult dilemma for defenders: either to rise very high for Leo (with personal guardianship), or pass to midfielders who will have to follow another player (with zone pressure).
Another point is the effectiveness of dribbling.
Yes, Messi leads the most in the top 5 leagues, but the percentage of successful attempts is 56.4.
This is a good result, considering the number of strokes is even excellent, but we are talking about the absolute top level.
In the last 5 seasons, the Argentine figure has never fallen below 59.8%, so this year Leo has slightly sagged.
Messi goes a lot in the stroke in the central axis, so the stakes increase: success - the chance to immediately make the attack more dangerous, failure - the risk of getting a quick attack in response.
Against tenacious supports (for example, Camara from AS Monaco) Leo sometimes does not have enough acceleration and sharpness, and because of this, PSG can get burned.
Playing without the ball is an understandable point that PSG simply accepts and seeks adaptation.
The main of them is the extension of laterals for pressing the extreme defenders of the opponent, we analyzed this tool here.
Another important point in contrast to Messi ’ s weak defensive performance is Neymar ’ s valuable defensive work.
Due to the forced transition after injuries of the central defenders from 3-4-3 to 4-4-2 rhombus, PSG became more difficult.
Given the characteristics of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar without the ball, PSG is much easier to defend with a five in line, not a four.
Messi ’ s losses in the middle of the field look even more dangerous – less insurance in the back.
The pressure is also sagging: Hakimi and Mendes can no longer move as before.
So for Leo, and especially for the team, returning to 3-X-X will be useful.
Finally, implementation!
Yes, in the new season with her there are problems – Messi scored 6 goals in Ligue 1 with 7.1 xG.
This is an unpleasant result for any attack player, and certainly disappointing for Leo, who himself set records for anomalous implementation.
Probably, even geniuses are not able to ignore regression to the average.
But with these nuances, Messi claims to be the best in the world.
Ahead of the most important (Leo himself said that the last) attempt to take the world Cup with Argentina and a new quest to fight for the Champions League with PSG.
A difficult journey, but the more interesting it is to follow Messi – he is still very good.
Telegram channel of the author
Neymar is being praised a lot for playing without the ball.
Fair enough?
Photo: Gettyimages.ru / Octavio Passos / Stringer, David Ramos; globallookpress.com / Panoramic / Keystone Press Agency, Naoki Morita / AFLO; REUTERS / Sarah Meyssonnier TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY, Pedro Nunes

Title:

Content: Legendary Messi with a footprint of 44.
The most crowned ball in the world from the gate of Inter Miami.
Legendary star Lionel Messi has become the most crowned player in the history of football, after raising the 44th cup in his career between 2004 and 2023, after leading his new team "Inter Miami" the first historic title and winning the US-Mexico League Cup, beating Nashville on penalties (10-9), after the original time of the match ended in a positive draw (1-1)...
Messi has netted in all seven games and led Inter Miami with an unbeaten record to the Mexican NFL Cup, confirming his significant impact on Inter Miami since his arrival last month.
Messi opened the scoring on 23 in his usual style and shot from outside the penalty area, before Nashville returned the result in the 57th minute of the game.
The eyes of the fans of the American team after the achievement of the dream of the first title, to the league championship, where "Inter Miami" bottom the ranking of the eastern section after 11 consecutive games without any victory.
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Title:

Content: Legendary French striker Thierry Henry appreciated the start of Lionel Messi ’ s career at PSG.
“Messi is cut off from the team and doesn ’ t touch the ball too often.
I wouldn ’ t say he ’ s bad at PSG, but I can see he ’ s isolated.
“I think Messi is more useful when he ’ s playing in the middle.
I don't think he can make a difference by acting on the right.
Now Leo is not the most successful period, and in the center he can give a rhythm.
We need to find a solution so Messi, Neymar and Mbappe can play together.
I don ’ t have the exact numbers in terms of tactics, but I think Leo has the least influence among the three.
Messi is little involved in the attacks, ” said Henri Marca.
Spanish Championship
Laporta: Messi left Barça 2 years earlier than we expected
YESTERDAY AT 07: 47
• For 4 matches in the championship of France 2021 / 22 Lionel did not score a single goal.
• In the Champions League on account of the Argentine striker 3 goals in three games.
“Rennes ” tried to lure the player“ Ajax ” with the help of Salma Hayek
More vivid stories from the world of football - on Eurosport.ru
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Henri named the best player he ever played with.
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20 / 10 / 2021 At 18: 16
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20 / 10 / 2021 At 07: 52

Title:

Content: Pele apologizes to Messi and congratulates him on his new record
Brazilian soccer star Pele has apologised to his Argentine counterpart Lionel Messi for being late in congratulating him for breaking his record as a South American national team goalscorer, after taunting Messi's talent and calling him a "one-skill player".
Pele is undergoing hospital treatment and recovery after his health deteriorated and he underwent surgery earlier this month in Brazil.
Messi broke Pele ’ s record, topping the list of South American teams ’ goalscorers, after scoring a hat-trick that led Argentina to beat Bolivia 3-0 on September 9, with 79 goals, in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Pele shared through his personal account on Instagram on Saturday a picture of Messi in the shirt of the Argentine team, sending a special message to the star of Paris Saint-Germain France.
"Hi Messi, sorry if I was late, however I did not want to miss the opportunity to congratulate you for breaking another record earlier this month," Pele said.
Pele added: “Your talent for playing football is fantastic and I hope you achieve more along with my friends Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Pele had taunted Messi in one of his previous statements - in the context of a comparison with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo - and said that "Messi does not have the ability to score with the right foot or head; he is a player of the same skill (that is, he can score with his left foot only)."
Source: Al Jazeera + Sanad Agency
About this story
The Argentine star Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain did not pay attention to the statement of the Brazilian legend Pele, when he reduced his talent and considered him a player of "one skill"
13 / 9 / 2021
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Title:

Content: The World Cup is not everything.
How Messi ’ s international career is better than Maradona
Islam Mustafa
11: 11 PM, Mon, 21 Nov 22
Both are short in stature (1.69 m Messi vs 1.65 m Maradona), left-footed players, dodgy geniuses, under-20 World Cup champions, and No. 10 tango jersey holders.
They both have the same genius for the ball on the pitch but are two completely different personalities, and yes, one is the holder of the historic World Cup, but the other is the holder of the Golden Ball on six occasions.
The beginning of the historical similarity between Messi and Maradona
The resemblance was striking when Messi, during a 2007 Spanish Cup match against Getafe, repeated Maradona ’ s timeless shot of his second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, dodging six players including goalkeeper Peter Shelton before the ball caught the net.
While Messi was scoring goals and winning gold balls and trophies at Barcelona, the club where he spent most of his life, Argentina, which he left as a teenager, began to wonder if he would offer her something along the lines of “God. ”
How does Messi beat Maradona in the World Cup?
It is true that Maradona put his name among the names of adults to remain immortal in the history of one of the greatest football tournaments of all time, such as the World Cup, and specifically the version that Mexico hosted on its soil in 1986.
Argentina won the title for the second time in their history, a version whose first champion was Diego Armando Maradona with the greatest individual performance in the World Cup at the time.
Maradona had the experience of participating in the World Cup before, scoring two goals in five games for his country in the previous version 1982, so he was a leader in the subsequent World Cup 1986 for a new generation of “tango dancers ”, succeeding the historic generation that gave his country the first edition of the World Cup 1978.
The England match was the most prominent match in Maradona ’ s career, but it was one of the most prominent and important in the history of football.
In that confrontation, Diego scored two goals that will remain immortal in history, the first being called a goal by the hand of God.
The goal of painters and designers innovate in his description and drawing, it is a goal scored by hand in the game of football and in the most important championship in the world in a scene clear to everyone, but it seems that the Tunisian referee Ali Ben Nasser wanted to immortalize the march of Maradona and what he did in that tournament.
Just four minutes after the goal, Maradona returned to score a new legendary goal, as he received the ball from the middle of his court, and succeeded in dodging 5 players and then the goalkeeper of England, to house the net, scoring a goal chosen as the best goal in the history of the World Cup, and the best goal in the last century, to lead his country to the semi-finals.
Everything he did certainly qualifies him to be the best, but this is only part of the history of the World Cup, which is not overlooked by the fans, which is the tournaments, as long as you win the championship you are the hero and the legend, and if you are not crowned you are a failure.
What has Messi done in the history of his participation in the World Cup?
Lionel Messi has enjoyed a busy career with Argentina on an individual level, throughout his appearances at the World Cup and in various international continental competitions, and here are a series of G.O.A.T. numbers:
Argentina scored 90 goals.
Most goals in Argentina ’ s history with 51 goals.
He has scored 141 goals in 164 appearances for Argentina.
• The largest contributor of goals in the history of the official combined tournaments of the national teams with 43 contributions.
Most Man of the Match in a single World Cup in the history of the tournament, winning it five times with Argentina in 2014.
• The only player in the history of the World Cup to have made goals in 4 different editions of the 2006 / 2010 / 2014 / 2018 tournament.
• The most dodgy player in the history of the World Cup with 110 dodgers, ahead of Maradona with 105 dodgers.
The player who created the most chances in a single World Cup was in 2014 when he created 13 chances.
There are two chances in the final against Germany.
• Most Man of the Match in the history of the Copa America with 15 wins.
He has contributed the most goals in the history of the Copa America with 33 goals.
• Most scoring player in South American World Cup qualifying history with 28 goals.
• Most scoring player for the under-21 youth team in history with 18 goals.
All these statistics and the records that Messi has achieved prove beyond a doubt that he was in control of land and green in the world of football.
Lionel did everything for Argentina and the Tango fans, surpassing all of his opponents in the team from strikers, playmakers and players throughout history, and succeeded in breaking all the numbers written by the feet of the previous.
Messi will start his last “dance ” tomorrow with an easy start against Al Saweida, hoping that it will be the motivation to achieve his dream with Argentina in Qatar 2022, and to come out of Doha crowned with the World Cup title, to complete the most beautiful and strongest image in the history of sport for the most integrated player that has passed in the history of football.

#### Career Achievements
Messi's career is adorned with numerous accolades and records that underscore his dominance in football:

1.

**Club Success**:
   - **Barcelona**: Messi spent the majority of his career at FC Barcelona, where he won four UEFA Champions League titles and scored 672 goals in 778 matches, making him the club's all-time top scorer.

His debut for Barcelona was in 2004