Lionel Messi 10 | Argentina and Barcelona Football Player

Messi says he will be different player at the World Cup 2014

By Lionel Messi on 14:06

Lionel Messi says he is confident Argentina fans will see a different player at the FIFA World Cup than what they saw during an underwhelming 2013/14 La Liga season for Barcelona

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi believes his army of fans will see a different player at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ than the one that underperformed for Barcelona in 2013/14.

"As I join up with the national team, the atmosphere is completly different," he said. "Many times in the past when I have gone back to Barcelona, I have played well. Now I am hoping that the opposite happens."

Messi took his time to transcend his talent with Barcelona on to the international stage and it was only after South Africa 2010 that he started to perform well.

When I return to the training ground with my team-mates, with my friends, it's going to change my mentality and it's going to be another story.

Lionel Messi on the prospect on joining the Argentina squad

The 26-year-old returned to his native Rosario on arrival in Argentina, and will join coach Alejandro Sabella and the rest of the squad next Monday at Ezeiza, the team's training camp.

Messi has signed new contract with FC Barcelona

By Lionel Messi on 13:52

Messi arrives at the Camp Nou Stadium this afternoon to sign a new two-year contract extension with Barcelona, which will see him through until 2018.

Argentine set to put pen to paper on a new £37m-a-year contract that puts him back out in front as the world's highest paid player.

Messi currently picks up a yearly salary of £33m as part of a new contract extension he signed just 12 months ago, but only takes home half of that under new 50% tax laws in Spain.

The Argentina superstar put pen to paper on his new deal at the Nou Camp this afternoon and is now tied to the Catalan giants until June 30, 2018. Messi follows in the footsteps of fellow club stalwarts Xavi and Carles Puyol, both of whom signed their extensions last month.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2275090/Lionel-Messi-signs-new-contract-Barcelona-2018.html

Things You Should Know About Lionel Messi

By Lionel Messi on 16:06

His first contract was signed on a napkin. Barcelona's sporting director Carles Rexach took one look at Messi and knew he had something special. He was so keen on signing Messi, in fact, that even though he didn't have paper he knew he needed to get his signature right then and there before anyone else got to him. We're going to go ahead and say that was a good call.

He shares the record for most international goals scored in a calendar year.

He is the only player in history to win three European Golden Boots.

The buyout clause in his Barcelona contract is for a staggering €250 million.

He is already tied for the second-most goals in the history of the Argentina national team (35 in 82 appearances).

He is the first player in history to score in consecutive matches against every team in his league.

He holds the world record for consecutive league matches with a goal (21).

He scored his own "Hand of God" goal in 2006-07 vs. Espanyol.

At 17 years and 114 days, he was the youngest player ever to appear in a La Liga game.

He is the only player in history to win the Ballon d'Or four times.

Between his contract and endorsements, he makes about $128,000 per day.
He refuses to watch video highlights of himself.

He is small partly because of a growth hormone deficiency discovered when he was 11

La liga Schedule for season 2013-2014

By Lionel Messi on 15:04

The fixtures for La Liga have been announced today and the complete schedule for the El Classico’s has been revealed. There will be a lot of exciting matches in this league with all the new transfers and departures.

Considering the joining of the Brazilian Star Footballer Neymar into Barcelona, there is a lot of excitement in the 2013-2014 session. And when you hear that the defending Champions acquired such a treasure and got that much stronger than last year, this means a very tough time for their rivals. However, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid still have the potential to bring everything down and make a name for themselves in the League, so Barca should be quite worried about that wormhole.

Nevertheless, the center of attention for every football fan will be Barcelona vs. Real Madrid and everyone will be waiting to see how that works out. However, their first playoff will be late in October this year at Camp Nou. And the second time thy meet will be in Bernabeu on the March 23rd next year.

Moreover, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid show a good game themselves and they will be seeing each other twice (hopefully more), one time being on the September 20th and the other time being March 2nd. But the fans will be very much awaiting to see what happens at the Madrid Derby as the last time they met, Jose Mourinho had to leave for Chelsea. But when you consider that Neymar has joined the Top Star list along with Messi and Ronaldo, then saying that this year will be a mesmerizing season wouldn’t be in any way wrong.

The Opening Day Round 1 on Saturday 07 August, 2013

Almería vs
Villarreal

Rayo vs
Elche

Real Sociedad vs
Getafe CF

Sevilla vs
Atlético Madrid

Barcelona vs
Levante

Valladolid
Athletic

Celta Vigo vs
Espanyol

Real Madrid vs
Real Betis

Valencia vs
Málaga

Osasuna vs
Granada

Round 2 Saturday 24 August, 2013

Getafe CF

Almería

Elche

Real Sociedad

Levante

Sevilla

Villarreal

Valladolid

Espanyol

Valencia

Real Betis
vs

Celta Vigo

Málaga
vs

Barcelona

Athletic
vs

Osasuna

Atlético Madrid
vs

Rayo

Granada
vs

Real Madrid

Get La liga bbva 2013/2014 season full fixtures list - check here

Messi wins Ballon D’Or for the fourth consecutive year

By Lionel Messi on 09:33

The Argentine front player from Barcelona had a great night when he was awarded the Ballon d’Or 2012 in Zurich on Monday for the fourth time consecutively in the past four years. The forward was given the prize ahead of Ronaldo and Iniesta which is a great achievement for Lionel Messi as Ronaldo is one of his best competitors. The award was given to the player after he scored 91 goals during 2012 which are many more than his team-mate Iniesta and his rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi with Golden Ball 2012 Trophy

Iniesta and Ronaldo were also short-listed for the accolade. However, Barcelona was still unable to win the Champions League last or the Spanish League last year. Messi also broke the record of being the only player who won the Ballon d’Or four times in a row which is still quite unbelievable. Moreover, in the women section, Abby Wambach won the award whereas Vicente del Bosque; the coach’s award also went to Abby. Most interestingly, the team of the year was also made from players chosen from Spain’s La Liga.

See Highlights when Messi name announced for the ballon d'or 2012 winner

Messi tops the record of most goals in a calendar year

By Lionel Messi on 04:44

With a 2-1 win over Betis this Sunday, Messi topped the record of the most goals in a calendar year. He made his 85thand 86th goal against Betis. The Argentine attacker moved above the Bayern Munich striker Gerd Muller who had a previous record of 85 goals in a year. The Barcelona man pulled off this record and even topped the record with his 86 goals in 66 games.

Previously, Muller had done this in 60 appearances. The Argentine started the year with 2012 with two goals against Osasuna in the Copa del Rey and then picked up the pace after scoring double and triples in the year hence forward both in club and country. Messi had come into the Sunday’s game with scoring 2 goals on twenty occasions and at least three triple strikes nine times.

The player topped the haul with his five goal strike against Bayer Leverkusen. ‘on the other hand, Muller was boosted by Bayern’s run of 21 matches in 37 days during the traditional preseason time. The German scored 12 goals in five games in the DFB-Ligapokal campaign. He also scored 10 goals against Galatasaray and Omonia Nicosia in the opening stages of the old European Cup.

Barcelona Player Lionel Messi Salary Monthly Income

By Lionel Messi on 03:23

Many fans ask who is the most paid footballer and how much does he earn. So the question is answered here. According to the France Football magazine, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the most paid footballer in the world and Real Madrid’s coach Jose Mourinho is the most paid club manager in football.

Stats are that the three times star of the year, Lionel Messi’s income from publicity deals and his salary in 2011 amounted up to 31 million Euros while Real Madrid’s manager Mourinho topped the manager’s list with amounting to 13.5 million Euros per year.

Although Messi’s income is the highest when we talk about football but it is still way less than the most world’s most paid sportsman of all time, Tiger Woods. However, when we speak of Messi’s nearest rival in the football world, we see that on second place there stands Cristiano Ronaldo making 27.5 million Euros per year. Following this Portuguese star there appears Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney making 20.7 million in 2011.

Further statistics show that the English Premier League is the most luxurious and highest paying league with 7 of its representatives in the top list of 20 highest paid players. Two of the former players David Beckham and Thierry Henry are ranked fifth and 11th places with salaries amounting up to 19 million and 13.6 million Euros respectively. Both these players now play in the MLS in the United States.

On the other hand, speaking of managers, Mourinho is on the top of the list while Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola fits in second place generating 10.5 million. Inter coach Raphael Benitez comes third with 10.2 million per year.

Updated 19 May 2014: Messi signs £16.3m-a-year Barcelona deal to become world's highest-paid player.

“Barcelona announces the signing of the agreement for the readjustment of Lionel Messi’s (current) contract” which is due to expire in June 2018.

Messi’s wax Statue at Madam Tussaud - London

By Lionel Messi on 12:48

The Barcelona’s star forward player Lionel Messi was sculptured and was honored with a statue of himself at the famous London Stadium after his extremely impressive performance in the Champions League of 2011.

The player was said to be immortalized with his waxwork statue at the Wembley Stadium. The striker from Argentina was stunning in the 2011 Champions League final making the Spanish Giants triumphing 3-1 over Manchester United and that included the 25 year old as the star goal scorer.

Interestingly, the life size figure cost around 190,000 Euros to build and around the time span of four months. Apart from the Champions League, the Argentine also showed a super performance in the La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish SuperCopa and UEFA Super Cup. However, he will be able to visit his commemorative statue at the Madame Tussauds museum in London from September 23.

Moreover, the final of the Champions League will also be played at Wembley this year too because of the 150th anniversary of the Football Association. At the current rate, Barcelona is considered the most favorited by bookies to win the trophy even though the top place resides with Chelsea. Other than that, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City also list themselves as the most probable to claim the European Champions title this May.

Messi, Iniesta and Ronaldo compete for 2011/2012 UEFA Best Player Award

By Lionel Messi on 12:04

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta have been shortlisted for the UEFA best player award after gaining the maximum points in a vote concerning 53 sports journalist who represented each of the UEFA member associations.

Lionel Messi was the winner of this accolade last year and has also enjoyed an incredible 2011/2012 campaign. He also topped the score charts of the UEFA Champions League for the fourth time in a row. However, Ronaldo posses a tough challenge since he played an extremely vital role in Merengues claiming their first Liga title in the four years. Iniesta also has a strong positiong since he was voted Best Player of the tournament at the UEFA EURO 2012.

Iniesta's Spain colleague Xavi Hernández claimed the fifth position even though he finished at the second place in the 2011 inaugral vote. Andrea Pirlo, Juventus playmaker, came fourth in the election. The positions four to ten are already decided after the journalists provided a list of their preferred five players. The remaining three players will be decided after a vote during the Champions’ League group stage draw, in Monaco on 30th August.

The UEFA Best Player Award created in partnership with European Sports Media (ESM), acknowledges the best player playing for any club of the UEFA member association in the previous season, irrespective of the nationality.

Lionel Messi Awards and Achievements so far

By Lionel Messi on 14:00

FC Barcelona Awards

FIFA Club World Cup: 2 (2009-10, 2011-12)
Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey): 2 (2008–09,2011-12)
Spanish League (La Liga): 5 (2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009-10, 2010-11)
Spanish Supercup (Supercopa de España): 5 (2005-06, 2006-07, 2009-10, 2010- 11,2011-12)
UEFA Champions League: 3 (2005–06, 2008–09,2010-11)
UEFA Super Cup: 2 (2009-10,2011-12)
Total:19

International Awards (Argentina)

FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1 (2005)
Olympic Gold Medal: 1 (2008)

Individual Awards

FIFA Ballon d'Or: 3 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
FIFA World Player of the Year: 1 (2009)
FIFA Team of the Year: 5 (2007,2008, 2009, 2010,2011)
U-21 European Footballer of the Year: 1 (2007)
La Liga Player of the Year: 3 (2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12)
La Liga top goalscorer: 2 (2009-10,2011-12)
Copa del Rey top goalscorer: 1 (2011-12)
La Liga Foreign Player of the Year: 3 (2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11)
La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year: 4 (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011)
European Golden Shoe: 2 (2009-10, 2011-12)
Footballer of the Year of Argentina: 6 (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
Copa América Young Player of the Tournament: 1 (2007)
World Soccer Player of the Year: 2 (2009,2011)
World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 3 (2006, 2007, 2008)
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2 (2009,2011)
ESM Team of the Year: 6 (2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10,2010-11,2011-12)
Onze d'Or: 1 (2009,2010,2011)
Bravo Award: 1 (2007)
Tuttosport Golden Boy: 1 (2005)
Marca Leyenda: 1 (2009)
UEFA best goal of the year: 1 (2007)

- FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 3 (2006, 2007, 2008)
- FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2 (2007, 2008)
- FIFPro World XI: 5 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Player of the Tournament: 1 (2005)
- FIFA U-20 World Cup top goal scorer: 1 (2005)

UEFA Champions League: Leading scorer 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11UEFA Best Player in Europe: 2011UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2009UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2009UEFA.com users' Team of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Leo Messi’s Personal Life Activities

By Lionel Messi on 17:28

Charity Causes:

Leo Messi foundation was founded in 2007, which encouraged the facilitation of education and health care for the deserving children. In an interview, messi is reported to have said, “Being a bit famous now gives me the opportunity to help people who really need it, especially children." He got his motivation to start this foundation from his own childhood, when he suffered from growth hormone deficiency. Thus, his foundation treats Argentinean children who have been diagnosed with illnesses by transporting them to Spain and covering all the expenses of their medical treatment as well as of transport. The foundation is funded through Messi’s personal fund raising activities and is also supported by Herbalife. He signed a three year contract in 2010 with Herbalife which support the Leo Messi Foundation.

Promotional Activities:

Leonal Messi is featured on the covers of video games Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2011. He is also involved heavily in the promotion of both these games. He, along with Fernando Torres, was the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, and was also involved in the trailer. The German sportswear company Adidas also supports Messi and is featured in their television advertisements. In November 2010, however, he was confirmed as the new face of Pro evolution soccer video games rival FiFa when he became the cover star for their series FIFA Street 2012. He will also be on the covers of FIFA 2013.

Wealth and Salary:

In March 2010, he was ranked at the top of the list of the world's richest footballers, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, by France football. His returns equal £29.6 million (€33 million) in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-field earnings. His net wealth is estimated at $110 million.

Messi confirms His girlfriend is pregnant

By Lionel Messi on 10:40

Recently, there has been a lot of speculation regarding the pregnancy of his girl friend. Messi finally confirmed the news after the special celebration of his goal in Argentina's 4-0 victory against Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner celebrated his goal on the pitch by putting the ball under his shirt, as if to simulate an expecting mother’s belly.

Messi then confirmed that he is expecting a baby boy and the young couple is very excited about the upcoming developments in their relationship. As you can see in below picture that she is really pregnant.

Lionel Messi Current girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo

By Lionel Messi on 12:32

Messi Ex girlfriends: In the past Messi was romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, who was also from his home town of Rosaria. He is reported to have been introduced to her through the girl’s father, when he returned home after an injury just before the 2006 World cup. Then, he was paired with the Argentinean glamour model Luciana Salazar Ortega.

Messi girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo: Antonella is Messi’s current girl friend and she is known for her fascinating beauty. This Argentinean girl has known Messi since his childhood because she is a cousin of his best friend Lucas Scaglia. However, they fell for each other in 2009 and then got engaged in 2010. Since then they have a very strong love relationship but they like to keep it discreet and their public appearances are scarce. Below you can see some of Messi and his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo photos.

Update: Messi's son Thiago is born on November 3, 2012