Lionel Messi's teams: Argentina, Spain and France the stations in legend's club football journey Lionel Messi has played for four football clubs, including FC Barcelona and PSG, since he started playing. Messi made his competitive debut in a La Liga match against Espanyol on October 16, 2004, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute. Messi is Argentina's No. Most of his teammates were crying, too. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: soccer | pageType: stories | In the final, he was once again instrumental in his sides triumph, scoring twice and netting a penalty in the shootout. Who does Lionel Messi play for? This is not what determines his status among the G.O.A.T. What team does Messi play for 2022? - FIFA Craze The PSG star has scored four goals in five games in all competitions, while Ronaldo is yet to score this campaign. La Maquina del '87 remained unbeaten for three years. For nearly 80 minutes, Argentina were firmly in control, and La Albiceleste seemed to have one hand on the trophy when France coach Didier Deschamps threw on two attacking substitutions Eduardo Camavinga and Kingsley Coman in the 71st minute in a desperate bid to inject energy into his side, which was down 2-0 thanks to goals from Messi and Angel Di Mara. His arrival comes about eight months since the rest of the Middle East restored diplomatic ties with Qatar. Montiels handball in the box gave the 23-year-old superstar another penalty kick with two minutes left in extra time. Hakimi might well have added an assist to his collection in the semifinal had it not been for the excellence of the French back four. After the numbers were crunched, the final 10 were Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, Johan Cruyff, Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano, Ronaldo and Michel Platini. The best insights from the ultimate insiders, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, World Cup star indicted on rape charges in Paris, Best Soccer Betting Sites Top Soccer Sportsbooks, World Cups sexiest fan turns heads in London with revealing dress, American soccer star wasnt as lucky with latest injury. Barcelona president likes Real Madrid target, could be an option if It is Messi, though, whose name is written into history, with a first World Cup . Where Messi could play next if he leaves Barcelona For many, the question who is the greatest player of all time, Messi or his longtime rival and five-time Ballon DOr winner Cristiano Ronaldo has finally been decided. The Sporting News has you covered. Charly Rexach, the then first team director of FCB, famously got Messi to sign his first contract with the club on a paper napkin. Messi made his international debut in 2005 after winning the FIFA World Youth Championship that year. 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And, for likely the final time, fans will be able to witness him perform on the grand stage: the World Cup. A year later, in 2020, he lodged the now-infamous "burofax" in an attempt to force a move away. They have so much pride to play for their country the players broke their backs.. Another game and they might have had a chance, but ultimately the excellence of Josko Gvardiol is hard to argue against, even after that moment of humiliation at Lionel Messi's hands. He's been a fixture of the national team setup since he was a teenager, making his debut for "La Albiceleste" at the tender age of 18. By Qatar 2022, Messi would be 35, and it would be, perhaps, his last shot at winning it. Arguably the player of the tournament going into the final, he took pole position for that accolade with an exceptional defensive display as Morocco upped the pressure. Nothing except cheerlead and be a supportive captain, which he did, greeting each Argentina penalty taker with a hug and a high-five. I'm just happy to see greatness rewarded. Since being awarded the event, Qatars World Cup organisers have been rejecting allegations of bribing FIFA officials to secure the rights. Barcas midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez decided to wind down his career in Qatar, also becoming a World Cup ambassador and is a coach at Qatari club Al Sadd. Nathan Ake and Marquinhos impressed before their nations exited at the quarterfinal stage. It is Messi, though, whose name is written into history, with a first World Cup title. IN November 2010, Argentina and Brazil played a friendly in Qatar. Adjust by minutes played and Hakimi still ranks extraordinarily high for a role that most would not have expected him to excel in. And, no, it wasn't just greatness with the ball at his feet. Pele and Maradona, each in their own way, had a charisma, a presence and a social significance that Messi, probably, does not. Alvarez has brought a punch of youthful vigor that has shocked even his teammates, let alone outside observers. . The Portuguese team won the match 2-0 but Messi, 16 years, four months and 23 days old at the time, was impressive in his cameo after coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute. Neymar. Paris Saint Germain endured a frustrating midweek in the UEFA Champions League after they were outplayed and held to a 1-1 draw in their group opening match, despite having a more expensive squad than the Belgians and fielding a team that had Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe at once. The off-ball work he has put in for Les Bleus must surely have Diego Simeone beaming with pride. It seems perverse to have no Brazilian representation on this team when they were the best side at the tournament right up until Bruno Petkovic hit them in the gut late on in the quarterfinal. In limited minutes, Neymar was putting up Messi and Mbappe-ish numbers. Lionel Messi: 2022 World Cup will be my last as a player Soon after, Qatar began sponsoring Barca through the Qatar Foundation, becoming the first named sponsors to appear in front of the players jerseys in the clubs history. Not because he's any less of a footballer, but simply because he has a different personality, and you often can't separate the two. During his time at Newell's Old Boys, Lionel Messi was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD), a condition caused due to the body producing insufficient amounts of growth hormone, leading to impaired growth and development. Messi was also the star of the national team which finished runners-up at the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil and is Argentinas top goal scorer of all time. September 17, 2021, 14:18 hs. While the circumstances of Messis departure from Grandoli were never documented, an Al Jazeera report later reported that Messi's family fell out with the club officials. There is no better place to start than Morocco, who held firm against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne and Pedri on their way to the semifinal and never asked too much of Bounou. And it was Ronaldo who came out on top as he was crowned footballs greatest ever player. His nearest challenger, Messi, has played 104 more minutes and has 1.99. FIFA Club World Cup 3 Trophies. This was defending with authority. On November 19, 1969, Pel scored his 1,000th goal on a penalty kick against Vasco da Gama. Just 17 years, three months and 22 days old at the time, Lionel Messi was the youngest player to play a competitive match for Barcelona back then. There may have been thrills and spills aplenty in the knockout stage, but this was a tournament that began with an avalanche of 0-0 draws. The reaction was near-unanimous and a country-wide campaign for his return only underscored the absurdity of questioning his loyalty. Find PSG's remaining Ligue 1 matches this season below: PSG and Messi will also be aiming to lift two more trophies this season and remain alive in both the Coupe de France and UEFA Champions League. If you still wonder who is the greatest soccer player of all time, Brazilian legend Pele is considered by many to be the greatest footballer in history. It was essentially a send-off match for the team, which clinched qualification a while back for Qatar 2022 and is not expected to play again on Argentine soil until after November's World Cup. Messi made #UCL history in 2022, becoming the first player to score in 18 consecutive seasons!#UCL pic.twitter.com/eBzDQtoaov. Lionel Messi has won the award a record. All of his seven Ballon dOr awards also came for his exploits in a Barcelona shirt. The 34-year-old Argentina captain scored the final goal of a perfect night in the team's final 2022 home World Cup qualifier. Whatever your theory on destiny, this was a game worthy of the heavens one that seemed to tilt, turn and gasp along with everyone watching as it shaped up into a complete madness of a finish. We've received your submission. And yet, he led the World Cup in total tackles and possession won in the defensive third whilst also sitting in the top five for interceptions. Messi's move to PSG a coup for Qatar before 2022 World Cup Soon after, Lionel Messi signed his first-ever professional contract with Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo. For most of his career, Pele didn't have the benefit of a supporting cast made up of the world's best players, regardless of provenance. There's no guarantee you'll be fit when the moment rolls around, and unlike in club football, you can't control your supporting cast because you can't pick your nationality. The 86 team, a team one year older than me, was playing and they needed a player so my grandmother told the coach 'put him [Leo] in the team', Lionel Messi reminisced during an interview. Messi has taken 27 shots (a fair of them penalties it must be noted) to Mbappe's 25. Its a really important year for the Qataris, obviously staging the World Cup and if PSG can successfully win the Champions League in May, it will be an important milestone in the national development of Qatar as a country. The Catalan club had the resources to easily foot the bill for Lionel Messis treatment and their world-class youth setup also made the move an alluring prospect. Despite failing to hoist soccer's grandest trophy, Messi has begun to find some joy in the powder-blue-and-white shirt. The veteran forward rolled back the years and was in unstoppable form with seven goals in the tournament one less than French striker Kylian Mbappe, who won the Golden Boot award.