messi the definitive biography

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi, a forward for Inter Miami CF, is one of the world’s greatest soccer players and helped the Argentina national team win its third FIFA World Cup in 2022.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

1987-present

Lionel Messi News: Soccer Star Is the Subject of a New Apple TV+ Docuseries

Messi, now playing for Inter Miami CF of the MLS, helped his home country win soccer’s biggest event for the first time since 1986, scoring two goals in the final and leading Argentina to a 4-2 win over Kylian Mbappé and France on penalties. Argentina’s captain was also named the tournament MVP.

The new series follows up Messi Meets America , Apple’s 2023 look at the star striker’s arrival and first season in the MLS. Inter Miami begins the 2024 regular season also on February 21 with a match against Real Salt Lake.

Quick Facts

Early life of a soccer prodigy, club teams: barcelona, psg, and inter miami, argentina national team, tax fraud scandal, wife and children, charity and unicef, who is lionel messi.

Lionel Messi is an Argentinian soccer player who has played for FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and currently, the MLS club Inter Miami CF as well as the Argentina national team. As a teenager, Messi moved from Argentina to Spain after FC Barcelona agreed to pay for medical treatments related to his growth hormone disorder. At the club, he earned renown as one of the greatest players in history, helping FC Barcelona win more than two dozen league titles and tournaments. In 2012, he set a record for most goals in a calendar year and, a decade later, helped the Argentina national team win its third FIFA World Cup. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, and in July 2023, he joined Inter Miami.

FULL NAME: Luis Lionel Andres Messi BORN: June 24, 1987 BIRTHPLACE: Rosario, Argentina SPOUSE: Antonella Roccuzzo (2017-present) CHILDREN: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Luis Lionel Andres “Leo” Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. As a young boy, Messi tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, unintimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-based club.

Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth. Messi’s parents, Jorge and Ceclia, decided on a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved impossible to pay several hundred dollars per month for the medication.

So, at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi’s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain. Although he was often homesick in his new country, Messi moved quickly through the junior system ranks.

Ultimately, Messi’s short stature—5 feet, 7 inches—combined with his speed and relentless attacking style, has drawn comparisons to another famous Argentinian footballer, Diego Maradona .

Messi played for FC Barcelona for 17 seasons before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 for two seasons. In July 2023, he joined the MLS club Inter Miami.

FC Barcelona

At age 13, Messi signed with FC Barcelona. His first appearance for the team was when he was 16. On May 1, 2005, Messi put himself in the record books as the youngest player to ever score a goal for the franchise.

Messi steered Barcelona to a wealth of success, most notably in 2009, when the left-footer’s team captured the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. That same year, after two consecutive runner-up finishes, he took home his first FIFA World Player of the Year honor, as well as his first Ballon d’Or award, the top European individual honor in football.

Messi became the first Argentinian player to win the Ballon d’Or. Even the great Maradona gushed about his fellow countryman. “I see him as very similar to me,” the retired player told the BBC. “He’s a leader and is offering lessons in beautiful football. He has something different than any other player in the world.”

Amazingly, the soccer wizard continued to improve, discovering new ways to elude defenders while leading Barcelona to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as the ’11 Champions League title.

Messi embarked on an all-out assault on the record books in 2012. He became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match in early March, and a few weeks later, he surpassed Cesar Rodriguez’s club-record 232 goals to become Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. By the end of the year, Messi had accumulated an astounding 91 goals in club and international play, eclipsing the 85 netted in a single calendar year by Gerd Muller in 1972. Fittingly, he broke another record when he was named the Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth consecutive time.

In 2013, the soccer great came back to earth somewhat due to the persistence of hamstring injuries, but he regained his record-breaking form by becoming the all-time leading scorer in La Liga and Champions League play in late 2014.

After helping Barcelona achieve a historic second treble in 2015, he was honored with his fifth Ballon d’Or trophy. Four years later, following another La Liga title, Messi again established a new standard for excellence by claiming his sixth Ballon d’Or.

On August 5, 2021, FC Barcelona announced it couldn’t resign Messi due to the team’s budget constraints and La Liga restrictions. Despite having voiced his desire to leave the club the prior season, Messi bid a teary farewell after 17 seasons: “This is really difficult for me after so many years spent here, being here my entire life. I’m not ready for this.”

Paris Saint-Germain

Four days after the shocking news from FC Barcelona, Messi signed with Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old inked a two-year contract with the French club. The move saw him reunite with former teammate Neymar as well as the talented Kylian Mbappé.

Messi made his debut for the club on August 29, 2021, and scored his first goal that September. PSG won two Ligue 1 titles with Messi but twice failed to advance beyond the round of 16 in the Champions League finals.

Although his contract allowed for an optional third year at PSG, the team announced it would release Messi as a free agent when the deal expired on June 30, 2023. Earlier in the year, the club suspended and fined Messi after he visited Saudi Arabia on an unauthorized trip. This all but sealed fate on the soccer legend’s widely expected move.

Messi’s last game for PSG was June 3, 2023. In total, he started in 72 games, notching 32 goals and 34 assists.

Inter Miami CF

On June 7, 2023, Messi told two Spanish media outlets he planned to play for the MLS club Inter Miami CF, which is partially owned by former soccer player David Beckham . “I have made the decision that I am going to Miami,” Messi said at the time, per ESPN . Messi later told Time he strongly considered joining a Saudi Arabian team before deciding on Inter Miami.

A little over a month later, on July 16, the team officially welcomed him on a 2.5-year contract that runs through the 2025 season. The deal was reportedly worth around $150 million , including an annual salary between $50 million and $60 million , a signing bonus, revenue sharing with the league’s media partner, and team equity upon retirement.

Inter Miami immediately benefitted on and off the field from their new team captain’s presence. The club went on a 12-match winning streak and captured the Leagues Cup, an annual tournament between teams from the MLS and Liga MX. Messi wound up scoring 11 goals in 14 games overall. However, with Messi injured late in the season, Inter Miami went winless in seven straight and failed to qualify for the playoffs. He was named the club’s 2023 MVP in November.

Messi has directly boosted revenue for the team, as well. Attendance at home games spiked 40 percent , the most in the MLS. According to The Athletic , the least expensive Inter Miami season ticket prices rose from $485 to $884 per seat from 2023 to 2024. Even with the price jump, Inter Miami announced 2024 season tickets sold out at the end of November, two months out of the start of the preseason. Not surprisingly, his jersey became the top seller in the MLS .

Messi and Inter Miami open the 2024 MLS regular season on February 21.

In summer 2005, Messi quickly made a name for himself on his native country’s under-20 squad. He led Argentina to the title in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring on a pair of penalty kicks to propel the team over Nigeria. Less than two months later, he made his pro debut with Argentina in an August friendly match against Hungary but played less than two minutes before receiving a red card and being ejected from the game.

For all his success with Barcelona, Messi repeatedly came under fire for his inability to help Argentina’s national team win a major title. In the 2014 World Cup, Argentina lost to Germany in the final, though Messi was named player of the tournament that year. In 2016, following Argentina’s second consecutive loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America tournament, Messi announced he was ending his run with the national team.

The soccer great eventually reversed his decision, but his participation in the 2018 World Cup did not bring that elusive title, as hoped. After Messi scored an early goal in a 2-1 win over Nigeria that helped his team advance from the group stage, he was largely kept in check by France, his two assists not enough to stave off a 4-3 defeat that sent Argentina packing.

The following year, after Messi heavily criticized the referees in the wake of a 2-0 loss to Brazil in the Copa America semifinals, the Argentine captain was slapped with a three-game ban by the South American Football Confederation.

At last, in 2021 and 2022, Argentina and Messi found enough traction to bring home trophies that had long evaded them. First, the team won the Copa America—Argentina’s first major title in 28 years—in August 2021, besting Brazil in the final. Captain Messi tied for top goal scorer, alongside Colombia’s Luis Diaz, and was named player of the tournament. The next year, greater glory awaited at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Argentina captured the World Cup trophy on December 18, 2022, after a thrilling game against France that ended in a penalty shootout. Messi was named the Best FIFA Men’s Player for a second time and broke the record for most World Cup appearances with 26 games. Six jerseys that Messi had worn during the victorious championship run later sold for more than $7.8 million at auction.

In fall 2023, Messi scored three goals in qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup. However, as he nears the twilight of the his career, the soccer legend has adopted a realistic attitude about his future. “As long as I feel that I am fine and I can continue contributing, I am going to do it. Today, the only thing I think about is getting to the Copa America well and being able to compete in it,” Messi said of the 2024 tournament. “Then time will tell if I am [at the World Cup] or not. I’m going to be at an age (39) that normally doesn’t allow me to play in the World Cup.”

Messi won FIFA’s World Player Trophy five times, including four consecutive wins between 2009 and 2012, and has collected its contemporary the Best FIFA Men’s Player three times, in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

The soccer legend has won Europe’s Ballon d’Or a record eight times. When he won the Ballon d’Or in October 2023, Messi became the first active MLS player to do so. He’s also won the European Golden Shoe for top scorer six times, two more than his nearest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo .

In 2023, Time magazine named Messi its Athlete of the Year, pointing to his remarkable impact on soccer’s growing popularity in the United States.

In July 2016, Messi suffered a blow off the soccer field when a Barcelona court found him and his father guilty of three counts of tax fraud. During a four-day trial, Messi and his father denied breaking the law and claimed they were unaware of any tax illegalities they had committed.

However, they were both sentenced to 21 months in prison. Under Spanish law, first offenses under two years are suspended so they did not go to jail, but Messi was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million euros. His father was required to pay 1.5 million euros.

On June 30, 2017, Messi married Antonella Roccuzzo, his longtime girlfriend and the cousin of his best friend and fellow soccer player Lucas Scaglia. Messi met Roccuzzo in their hometown of Rosario when he was 5 years old. Their marriage, a civil ceremony dubbed by Argentina’s Clarín newspaper as the “wedding of the century,” was held at a luxury hotel in Rosario, with a number of fellow star soccer players and Colombian pop star Shakira on the 260-person guest list.

Messi and Roccuzzo have three children together: Thiago, born in November 2012; Mateo, born in September 2015; and Ciro, born in March 2018.

Although famously private off the field, Messi has quietly helped others in need. In 2007, he formed the Leo Messi Foundation to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youths. In early 2010, UNICEF named him a goodwill ambassador, with a focus on fighting for children’s rights across the globe.

• Every time I start a year, I start with the objective of trying to achieve everything, without comparing it to how I’ve done in other seasons.
• Whether it’s a friendly match, or for points, or a final, or any game—I play the same. I’m always trying to be my best, first for my team, for myself, for the fans and to try and win.
• I am competitive, and I feel bad when we lose. You can see it in me when we’ve lost. I’m in a bad way. I don’t like to talk to anyone.
• I made sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream.
• I have fun like a child in the street. When the day comes when I’m not enjoying it, I will leave football.
• I’ve never stopped being Argentine, and I’ve never wanted to. I feel very proud of being Argentine, even though I left there. I’ve been clear about this since I was very young, and I never wanted to change.
• Something deep in my character allows me to take the hits and get on with trying to win. I’ve always had this ability to get up and get on with it.
• I wasn’t teased as a child for my size. In fact, I think I had more affection because I was small.
• I am lucky, I live by my passion, and there are a lot of people who work, doing what they don't like and are badly paid for that.

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us !

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

Adrienne directs the daily news operation and content production for Biography.com. She joined the staff in October 2022 and most recently worked as an editor for Popular Mechanics , Runner’s World , and Bicycling . Adrienne has served as editor-in-chief of two regional print magazines, and her work has won several awards, including the Best Explanatory Journalism award from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers. Her current working theory is that people are the point of life, and she’s fascinated by everyone who (and every system that) creates our societal norms. When she’s not behind the news desk, find her hiking, working on her latest cocktail project, or eating mint chocolate chip ice cream. 

Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

sign up to our newsletter

And receive 10% discount off your first order.

We'll keep you up to date with details of new arrivals and special offers.

SPECIAL OFFER – Order two or more of our Sale items and receive 20% discount

Click here to view our selection of almost 1,000 Sale items

Messi – The Definitive Biography – Fully Updated

Softback price:, £14.99 gbp save £-14.99 gbp.

Shipping calculated at checkout

Author(s): Guillem Balague

SKU: 9781399605809 Barcode: 9781399605809

An in-depth biography of Lionel Messi, the brilliant Argentinian forward, from Spanish journalist and commentator Guillem Balague who had unprecedented access to Messi's coaches, teammates and relatives to help produce this detailed account of his life and career. This edition has been updated to cover all of Messi's career at FC Barcelona and his first year at Paris Saint-Germain. Published in 2022.

Size: 128mm x 197mm – 726 pages.

Product title

£19.99 gbp | £24.99 gbp.

• The Definitive Biography Fully Updated to Include Messi's First Season at PSG

By: Guillem Balague

• Narrated by: Peter Kenny
• Length: 27 hrs and 53 mins
• 4.6 out of 5 stars 4.6 (22 ratings)

Failed to add items

Add to cart failed., add to wish list failed., remove from wishlist failed., adding to library failed, follow podcast failed, unfollow podcast failed.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.15

No default payment method selected.

We are sorry. we are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method, listeners also enjoyed....

Soccer iQ (2 Book Series)

By: Dan Blank

• Narrated by: Don Bratschie
• Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 273
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 238
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 236

Amazon's top two soccer-coaching books have been combined to create one amazing audiobook! Soccer iQ Vol. 1 is an Amazon best seller and an NSCAA Soccer Journal Top 5 Book of the Year! Football.com rated these books number one and number two in its list of the Top 14 Soccer Books for Players and Coaches!

• 5 out of 5 stars

Soccer GOLD

• By JONATHAN S REA on 01-03-19

• The Amazing Story of Leo Messi

By: Michael Part

• Narrated by: Marc Cashman
• Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 52
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 43
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 44

The captivating story of soccer legend Lionel Messi, from his first touch at age five in the streets of Rosario, Argentina, to his first goal on the Camp Nou pitch in Barcelona, Spain. The Flea tells the amazing story of a boy who was born to play the beautiful game and destined to become the world's greatest soccer player.

• By Nargiza Sowman on 03-11-19

Cristiano Ronaldo

• The Biography
• Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 18
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 16
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 16

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time, a dream he pursued from the age of just 12 when he left his humble origins on Madeira behind. It wasn't long before he had the biggest clubs in Europe knocking on his door, but it was Manchester United who won the race for his signature. Under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo developed into the complete footballer and athlete, winning three league titles and a Champions League along the way. He then became the biggest galáctico of them all when he transferred to Real Madrid for a record-breaking fee. 

• 4 out of 5 stars

Great Biography w A Bias Twist

• By RancheritoGk on 09-26-23

Pep Guardiola

• The Evolution

By: Marti Perarnau

• Narrated by: Thomas Judd
• Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 286
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 240
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 239

For three extraordinary seasons at Bayern Munich, Marti Perarnau was given total access around the German super club - to its players, its backroom staff, its board members and, above all, its manager, Pep Guardiola. In the follow-up to his critically acclaimed account of Guardiola's first full season at Bayern, Pep Confidential , Perarnau now lifts the lid on the Catalan's whole tenure in Bavaria.

Total story. Total football. Total Pep.

• By Michal Kuczek on 08-01-17

The Barcelona Complex

• Lionel Messi and the Making—and Unmaking—of the World's Greatest Soccer Club

By: Simon Kuper

• Narrated by: Steve West
• Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 116
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 103
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 104

FC Barcelona is not just the world’s highest grossing sports club, it is simply one of the most influential organizations on the planet. At last count, it had approximately 214 million social media followers, more than any other sports club except Real Madrid CF—and by one earlier measure, more than all 32 NFL teams combined. It has more in common with multinational megacompanies like Netflix or small nation-states than it does with most soccer teams. Journalist Simon Kuper tells the story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful club in the world.

• By steve finkelstein on 10-27-23

• Brave New World
• Inside Pochettino's Spurs
• Narrated by: Piers Hampton
• Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 95
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 89
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 90

The exclusive behind-the-scenes story of the Mauricio Pochettino revolution at Spurs, told in his own words. Since joining the club in 2014, Mauricio Pochettino has transformed Tottenham from underachievers into genuine title contenders. In the process, he has marked himself out as one of the best young managers in the world, more than holding his own against the Premier League's established heavyweights.

• By Amazon Customer on 02-03-18

By: Walter Isaacson

• Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb, Walter Isaacson
• Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 6,376
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 5,688
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 5,682

When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.

megalomania on display

• By JP on 09-12-23

Alex Ferguson

• My Autobiography

By: Alex Ferguson

• Narrated by: James Macpherson, Alex Ferguson
• Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 829
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 718
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 718

Revised and updated with new material from the paperback edition. Includes a prelude read by Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex Ferguson's compelling story is always honest and revealing he reflects on his managerial career that embraced unprecedented European success for Aberdeen and 26 triumphant seasons with Manchester United.

Solid, if a little egotistical

• By J. MacDonald on 11-19-13

Messi vs. Ronaldo

• One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World's Game
• By: Jonathan Clegg, Joshua Robinson
• Narrated by: Charles Constant
• Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 20
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 19
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 19

Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all time—Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry, paralleling the stunning rise, overwhelming excesses, and uncertain future of modern international soccer.

• 2 out of 5 stars

Geez. Learn proper name pronunciation

• By steve finkelstein on 01-11-24

By: Jonathan Clegg , and others

• Narrated by: William Glasswell
• Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 49
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 45
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 45

Pep Guardiola is the most successful and sought after football coach in the world. After being appointed first-team manager in 2008, he transformed Barcelona into arguably the greatest club side of all time, winning an unprecedented 13 trophies in four years. Following a shock sabbatical from the game, he replaced Jupp Heynckes at the helm of Bayern Munich at the start of the 2013-14 season, twice winning the Double in his three years in charge.

Most of the player names are mispronounced!!

• By A on 06-16-19

Why Soccer Matters

• By: Pele, Brian Winter
• Narrated by: Sean Pratt
• Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 139
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 126
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 128

Soccer. Football. The beautiful game. The world’s most popular sport goes by many names, but for decades, fans have agreed on one thing: the greatest player of all time was Pelé. Now the legendary star, ambassador, and humanitarian shares a global vision for what soccer can accomplish. Now he shares his story, his experience, and his insights on the game for the very first time. Before Messi, before Ronaldo, before Beckham, there was Edson Arantes do Nascimento - known simply as Pelé.

A Pele that will win your heart.

• By Montholon on 12-24-20

By: Pele , and others

Inverting the Pyramid

By: Jonathan Wilson

• Narrated by: Damian Lynch
• Length: 18 hrs and 21 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 230
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 188
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 186

Inverting the Pyramid is a pioneering soccer book that chronicles the evolution of soccer tactics and the lives of the itinerant coaching geniuses who have spread their distinctive styles across the globe. Through Jonathan Wilson's brilliant historical detective work, we learn how the South Americans shrugged off the British colonial order to add their own finesse to the game; how the Europeans harnessed individual technique and built it into a team structure; how the game once featured five forwards up front, while now a lone striker is not uncommon.

Mind Changing

• By Michael Williams on 01-04-19

Pep’s City

• By: Lu Martín, Pol Ballús
• Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 56
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 45

Over three seasons in England, Pep Guardiola has built something the Premier League has never seen before: a team that dominates games like no other, scoring goals and collecting points and trophies at record-breaking pace. Throughout that journey, the Spanish journalists Lu Martín and Pol Ballús have been embedded with the club, reporting this inside account of how a phenomenal team was constructed: from the recruitment of Guardiola himself, to the backroom staff that provide the platform for his team and the superstar players that have set a new standard in British football.

Great listen!

• By Turgon23 on 11-02-23

By: Lu Martín , and others

Masters of Modern Soccer

• How the World's Best Play the Twenty-First-Century Game

By: Grant Wahl

• Narrated by: Grant Wahl
• Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 196
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 175
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 175

In Masters of Modern Soccer , Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl asks: How do some of the game's smartest figures master the craft of soccer? By profiling players in every key position (American phenomenon Christian Pulisic, Mexican superstar Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, Belgium's Vincent Kompany, Spain's Xabi Alonso, Germany's Manuel Neuer) and management (Belgium coach Roberto Martínez and Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc), Wahl reveals how elite players and coaches strategize on and off the field and execute in high pressure game situations.

Great for coaches!

• By Amazon Customer on 09-29-18

• How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports
• By: Joshua Robinson, Jonathan Clegg
• Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
• Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 502
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 444
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 440

No one knew it when their experiment began, but without any particular genius or acumen, the motley cast of billionaires and hucksters behind the modern Premier League struck gold. Pretty soon, everyone wanted to try their luck, from Russian oligarchs to Emirati sheikhs, American tycoons, and Asian Tiger titans. Some succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Some lost everything. Today, players are sold for tens of millions, clubs are valued in the billions, and games are beamed out to nearly 200 countries, all while the league struggles to preserve its English soul.

Read don't listen

• By JR3 on 01-23-19

By: Joshua Robinson , and others

Michael Jordan

By: Roland Lazenby

• Narrated by: Bob Souer
• Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,405
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,105
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,098

The definitive biography of a legendary athlete. The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball - hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: He's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court - until now.

• 3 out of 5 stars

horrible naration

• By Hiro on 03-27-18

• The Making of the Greatest Team in the World

By: Graham Hunter

• Narrated by: Graham Hunter
• Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 116
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 102
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 103

Barcelona is the greatest football team in the world, the greatest for a generation, and possibly the greatest of all time. This is the untold inside story of how the best and most loved football team in the world came to redefine how the game is played. We start with the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley, the game that ended the debate about whether Barcelona was the greatest team in the world and began a new one: are they the best ever?

In-depth analysis of the greatest team ever

• By Michalis Petrou on 01-09-18

• My Life and Lessons in Red & White

By: Arsène Wenger

• Narrated by: Arsène Wenger
• Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 215
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 187
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 188

In Wenger: My Life and Lessons in Red and White , world-renowned and revolutionary soccer coach Arsène Wenger finally tells his own story for the very first time. Wenger opens up about his life, sharing principles for success on and off the field with lessons on leadership, personal development, and management.

Nostalgic but not overly compelling

• By Scott Shepherd on 11-25-20

Publisher's summary

'I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi' Diego Maradona FULLY UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 2022 WORLD CUP TRIUMPH & MESSI'S TRANSFER TO INTER MIAMI As Lionel Messi raised the World Cup triumphantly into the air, the world watched on in awe. Messi's final peak conquered; his final dream achieved. It was the fairy tale ending to a glittering career. Yet despite delivering Argentina their third World Cup, Messi's time at Paris Saint-Germain came to a dramatic conclusion, and Miami awaited the Argentinian legend. Guillem Balagué has had unprecedented access to Messi's inner circle including the player himself: his coaches, team-mates and family. From tracing the origins of Messi's precocious talent in Rosario, Argentina, to chronicling his peerless seventeen-season career at Barcelona, and his tumultuous Parisian adventure, Guillem takes us behind-the-scenes of Messi's World Cup triumph and his long-desired move to the MLS. This is an epic, authoritative and compelling account of an enigmatic footballing genius. 'I can tell my grandkids one day that I coached Lionel Messi' Pep Guardiola

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

• Unabridged Audiobook
• Categories: Biographies & Memoirs

More from the same

• The Tower of Swallows

Related to this topic

• The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer

By: Christopher Clarey

• Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
• Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 349
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 301
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 301

There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master , New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis.

Roger, voiced by Schwarzenegger

• By S. Armour on 08-27-21

• The Inside Story of La Roja's Historic Treble
• Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 24
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 21
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 21

This is the story of the greatest achievement in the history of international football. After decades of failure, Spain won the European Championship in 2008 and then the World Cup in 2010. At Euro 2012 they became the first team to win three consecutive tournament titles. Graham Hunter was inside the dressing room as the players celebrated after the finals of the World Cup and Euro 2012.

Insider look masterclass

• By Peter on 08-07-15

A Champion's Mind

• Lessons from a Life in Tennis
• By: Pete Sampras, Peter Bodo
• Narrated by: Mark Deakins
• Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 179
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 144
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 143

Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosed work ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whose prodigious talent made possible a record-setting 14 Grand Slam titles. While his more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to let his racket do the talking. Until now.

Not As Strong As His Forehand

• By A. M. Dalessandro on 07-21-09

By: Pete Sampras , and others

The Breaks of the Game

By: David Halberstam

• Narrated by: Brian Troxell
• Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 303
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 265
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 264

A New York Times best seller, David Halberstam's The Breaks of the Game focuses on one grim season (1979-80) in the life of the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers, a team that only three years before had been NBA champions. The tactile authenticity of Halberstam's knowledge of the basketball world is unrivaled. Yet he is writing here about far more than just basketball. This is a story about a place in our society where power, money, and talent collide and sometimes corrupt, a place where both national obsessions and naked greed are exposed.

This book is a must read for all NBA junkies.

• By Kyle on 06-13-18

The Cup They Couldn't Lose

• America, the Ryder Cup, and the Long Road to Whistling Straits

By: Shane Ryan

• Narrated by: Shane Ryan
• Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 76
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 62
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 63

The task facing Steve Stricker at the 2021 Ryder Cup was enormous. It was his job, as the American captain, to stare down almost 40 years of Ryder Cup history, break a pattern of home losses that had persisted almost as long, and reverse the tide of European dominance in one of golf's most tense and emotional events. This was the epitome of a must-win, but it was also something more—in the entire 93-year history of the event, no American side had ever faced this kind of pressure.

Entertaining and informative

• By Dustin Joseph on 04-03-24

From the Outside

• My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love
• By: Ray Allen, Michael Arkush
• Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
• Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 270
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 241
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 242

The record-holding two-time National Basketball Association champion reflects on his work ethic, his on-the-court friendships and rivalries, the great teams he's played for, and what it takes to have a long and successful career in this thoughtful, in-depth memoir. Playing in the NBA for 18 years, Ray Allen won championships with the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat and entered the record books as the original king of the three-point shot. Known as one of the hardest-working and highest-achieving players in NBA history, he was legendary for his sharp shooting.

It wasn't bad, but I thought it would be better

• By Amazon Customer on 07-30-18

By: Ray Allen , and others

• A Biography

By: Timothy Bella

• Narrated by: Korey Jackson
• Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 79
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 71
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 71

He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real Charles. Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked about icons in the world of sports.

Great insight to the big man’s life.

• By marci rodee on 07-03-23

• The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team

By: Michael Holley

• Narrated by: Mirron Willis
• Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 76
• Performance 3.5 out of 5 stars 65
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 64

Bill Belichick is one of the titans of today's game of football. Now, sports commentator and best-selling author Michael Holley follows three NFL teams - the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Falcons - from training camp 2010 through the Super Bowl and into the April draft, opening a new window into Belichick's influence on the game. This one-of-a-kind exploration takes football fans behind the scenes of the most popular sport in America, with unprecedented insider access to the head coaches, scouts, trainers, and players.

Narrator choice - HUH?

• By Ryan Mullaney on 03-25-18

• Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football

By: John U. Bacon

• Narrated by: Johnny Heller
• Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 114
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 102

For the past year, John U. Bacon has received unprecedented access to Jim Harbaugh’s University of Michigan football team: coaches, players, and staffers, in closed-door meetings, locker rooms, meals, and classes. Overtime captures this storied program at the crossroads, as the sport’s winningest team battles to reclaim its former glory. But what if the price of success today comes at the cost of your soul? Do you pay it, or compete without compromising?

Good story.... but

• By Amazon Customer on 10-07-19

Golden Days

• West's Lakers, Steph's Warriors, and the California Dreamers Who Reinvented Basketball

By: Jack McCallum

• Narrated by: Jack McCallum
• Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 67
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 54
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 54

In Golden Days, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum uses these two teams - the Jerry West/Wilt Chamberlain/Elgin Baylor Lakers and the Stephen Curry/Kevin Durant/Draymond Green Warriors - to trace the dynamic history of the National Basketball Association, which for much of the last half century has marched memorably through the state of California. Tying together the two strands of McCallum's story is Hall of Famer West, the ferociously competitive Laker guard who later became one of the key architects of the Warriors.

Very interesting and fun to read

• By Joe on 06-12-18

Coming Back Stronger

• Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity

By: Drew Brees

• Narrated by: Chris Fabry
• Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 213
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 185
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 184

When a potentially career-ending shoulder injury left quarterback Drew Brees without a team - and facing the daunting task of having to learn to throw a football all over again - coaches around the NFL wondered, Will he ever come back? After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, leaving more than 80 percent of the city underwater, many wondered, Will the city ever come back?

• By Nancy Justice on 02-18-16

Junior Seau

• The Life and Death of a Football Icon

By: Jim Trotter

• Narrated by: JD Jackson
• Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 41
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 36
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 36

Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is widely considered one of the best linebackers ever to play the game. A 10-time All-Pro and 12-time Pro Bowl selection, Seau was picked for the NFL's All-Decade Team in the 1990s. His incredible career spanned two decades, during which time he played for the Chargers, Dolphins, and Patriots. In 2012, at the age of 43, Seau committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest. News of his death sent shockwaves through the NFL.

Outstanding Book!!!

• By Sherry Jones on 01-08-16

Boys Among Men

• How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution

By: Jonathan Abrams

• Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 86
• Performance 3.5 out of 5 stars 81
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 81

When Kevin Garnett shocked the world by announcing that he would not be attending college - as young basketball prodigies were expected to do - but instead would enter the 1995 NBA draft directly from high school, he blazed a trail for a generation of teenage basketball players to head straight for the pros. That trend would continue until the NBA instituted an age limit in 2005, requiring all players to attend college or another developmental program for at least one year.

Bad pronunciation

• By K. Spearman on 07-03-16

• The Making of a Coach

By: Monte Burke

• Narrated by: Barry Abrams
• Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 441
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 387
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 386

As the head coach of the University of Alabama's football team, Nick Saban is perhaps the most influential - and controversial - man in the sport. Unpredictable in his professional loyalties, uncompromising in his vision, and unyielding in his pursuit of perfection, the highest-paid coach in college football has changed the face of the game. His program-building vision has delivered packed stadiums, rabid fans, legions of detractors, countless NFL draft picks, and a total of four championships.

Narrator is awful.

• By kenneth on 08-12-15

America's Quarterback

• Bart Starr and the Rise of the National Football League

By: Keith Dunnavant

• Narrated by: Jay Snyder
• Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 32
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 30
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 30

No one can touch Bart Starr's record setting 5 NFL Championships including 3 straight. America's Quarterback tells the story of the man who helped create the legend of Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. This biography traces Starr’s life from childhood in Alabama to stardom in Green Bay and beyond. Not a simple sports story, Dunnavant traces the story of one man reaching for the American dream while professional football emerged from the shadows to capture the nation’s imagination.

• By Anthony nyman on 03-30-15

People who viewed this also viewed...

• My Untold Stories
• By: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antony Shugaar
• Narrated by: James Hillier
• Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 22
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 21
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 21

In the decade since his mega-selling memoir I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic , he has played at Paris Saint-Germain (2012-2016), Manchester United (2016-2018), LA Galaxy (2018-2019) and Milan (2020-). This outrageous and hilarious follow-up is bursting with personal confessions and revealing anecdotes about the world's best players and managers. Packed with revelations, in Adrenaline , we hear for the first time what Zlatan really thinks about his time in the Premier League and what it was like to score that glorious bicycle kick against England.

• By kobecohiba on 03-02-24

By: Zlatan Ibrahimovic , and others

• The Rise of Arteta’s Arsenal

By: Charles Watts

• Narrated by: Gavin Osborn
• Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 5
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 3
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 3

November 2019. Unai Emery’s final game as Arsenal manager sees the Gunners languishing eighth in the league. Appointed in the dying embers of the Wenger years, Emery’s 18 months as Arsenal boss has seen the team and the club go backwards – playing unimaginative, pragmatic football, and recently losing to London rivals Chelsea in the final of the Europa League. Something had to change; a fresh head with fresh ideas. A new leader.

Jurgen Klopp

• By: Elmar Neveling, Bryn Roberts, Bradley Schmidt
• Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
• Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 55
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 46
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 46

Jürgen Klopp is the charismatic German manager who single-handedly overthrew the accepted order in German football, taking Borussia Dortmund from nowhere to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the Champions League final. He had long been admired in the Premiership and was finally wooed by Liverpool in the belief he could bring back the glory days to the Kop. Klopp is revered as a master tactician with his own unique playing philosophies.

Nice and historic

• By Jose de Leon on 03-22-20

By: Elmar Neveling , and others

José Mourinho

• Up Close & Personal

By: Robert Beasley

• Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
• Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 57
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 54
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 53

Mourinho is both a sumptuous celebration of The Special One's managerial career so far, and an enigmatic insight into his unique brand of football wisdom and philosophy. In the legendary manager's very first audiobook, and in his own images and captions, José Mourinho charts the peaks and troughs of the opening 15 years of what has been a stellar rise to the summit of the global game.

• 1 out of 5 stars

Poor Quality

• By Sanjay Patel on 04-10-20

I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic

By: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

• Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 297
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 259
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 259

Born to a Muslim father from Bosnia, and a Catholic mother from Croatia, Zlatan recounts his extraordinary life story, from his poverty-stricken upbringing as an immigrant in Malmö, Sweden, to becoming one of the world's most sought-after and expensive players, gracing Europe's finest clubs, from Ajax to Juventus, Internazionale to Barcelona, Milan to Paris Saint-Germain, and now Manchester United.

Terrible narration!

• By Dinesh on 11-30-17

Sí Señor

• My Liverpool Years

By: Roberto Firmino

• Narrated by: Fernando Tiberini
• Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 6
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 5
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 5

Master of the no-look goal and Anfield favourite, Roberto 'Bobby' Firmino, signed for Liverpool in July 2015. Over the next eight years - and seven winners' medals - he established himself as one of the club's most important players in recent years for his audacious skill, impressive goal scoring, and beaming smile. Jürgen Klopp saw Firmino as the on-pitch 'engine' that drove the club's counter-pressing strategy and together with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, Firmino formed a formidable attacking trio.

Everything from the heart

• By Amazon Customer on 01-26-24

Ask a Footballer

By: James Milner

• Narrated by: John Bradley
• Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 18
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 16
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 16

My name is James Milner and I'm not a Ribena-holic. Let me share insights into what it's like being a professional footballer, across my different experiences with Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and now Liverpool (not forgetting a six-match loan spell at Swindon). Plus my highs - and a few too many lows - playing for England. There isn't a current player who's been playing Premier League football as long as I have, and that gives me a pretty rare perspective into how the top-flight game has changed over the past 17 years.

• By Jodi Williamson Poteat on 06-09-23

Epic Athletes: Stephen Curry

• The Epic Athletes Series, Book 1

By: Dan Wetzel

• Narrated by: Eric Owusu
• Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins
• Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars 3
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 1

When you think of Stephen Curry, one word comes to mind: greatness. From shooting three-pointers with laser precision to his clutch ability to hit buzzer-beaters time and again, he has established himself as one of the best players in pro basketball. But greatness was never a guarantee for Steph.

What listeners say about Messi

• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.6 out of 5.0
• 4 out of 5 stars 4.2 out of 5.0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews, amazon reviews.

• Overall 5 out of 5 stars
• Performance 3 out of 5 stars
• Story 5 out of 5 stars

• C.J. Frazier

It was amazing!

How many kids can you find that can do all Messi could do at his age?! This make me know more about the greatest soccer player of all time!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

• Performance 5 out of 5 stars

• Mike Kijanski

Amazing story of a passion, perseverance, and destiny. This is definitely worth the read. Highly recommend.

Must listen not just for Messi fans!

After the last words of the book, all I could think was: what a player, what a story, what a man! The author truly gets inside the football world with all its glory and dirt. The heartfelt narrative leads the reader through the whole emotional gamut: from the unbelievable heights to the crushing lows. This book helped me fully appreciate the incredibly complicated world of the game. Sadly, it is not enough to be the best player in the world, so many other things have to align to ensure success. This book is the fully detailed story of the evolution of an outstanding human being, not just a player; and of the extraordinary will power that is needed to rise after each fall. it will make you cry the tears of joy as well as frustration. I could not put it down. I liked the narrator and felt that Peter Kenny emphasized with the protagonist. The book ends before the WC. but I am still very grateful to Audible for making this book available. I would not be able to find the time for it in the traditional format. Also, let me confess that my obsession with messy is very recent. I was aware of him, of course, but never followed his career closely. Nor am I a football fanatic. I became fascinated with Messy only after the WC. And still I found this book absolutely riveting; it has all the elements of a great story: the emotional upheavals, the suspense ( yes, even when you know the score in advance), the villains, and, of course, the wonderful main protagonist. This book will inspire you and make you a better human being! Forget the internet snippets and get the book!

• Nicholas Beato

In-depth look at Lionel Messi

This is my second auidobook to listen to after "Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning," and just by glancing at the total running time, you know that this was going to be a well-researched material by the author. I like how he cited multiple sources, including his own, to back claims and stories included here. The narrator also does a good job of telling the story. He switches the mood/tone whenever needed so that he won't sound monotonous. I'd definitely recommend this audiobook to football fans and even those who are not.

2 people found this helpful

• Performance 2 out of 5 stars

• spandan madan

Amazing book, very poor narration

The book is a masterpiece, walking through football, emotions, history and everything in between. It explains Messi’s life and personality with great context. However, Peter Kenny’s narration is extremely poor. First of all, the dynamics of his voice are highly monotonous, with every sentence following the exact same flow. Secondly, poor pronunciation of the many words of Spanish origin in the book make it really hard to follow the details which you might have wanted to Google. All in all, great book, very poor choice for narrator.

• Overall 4 out of 5 stars

• ar_berkeley

Pretty good, but long

Huge Messi fan so was eager to dive into the story. It has added bits for the World Cup which is good. Lots of interesting details but at times felt it was too wordy, or went beyond the scope of the book….like we don’t need head the full line up and subs of a game that happened in 2010 :) Overall got a deeper look and understanding of Leo.

Please sign in to report this content

You'll still be able to report anonymously.

• Help Center
• Redeem promo code
• About Audible
• Business Inquiries
• Audible in the News
• Accessibility
• ACX for Creators
• Bestsellers
• New York Times Best Sellers
• New releases
• Non-English Audiobooks
• Latino & Hispanic Voices
• Audible in Chinese
• How to listen
• Listen on Apple Devices
• Listen in the car
• Whispersync for Voice

Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer.

• The Definitive Biography Fully Updated to Include Messi's First Season at PSG
• By: Guillem Balague
• Narrated by: Peter Kenny
• Length: 27 hrs and 53 mins
• 4.4 out of 5 stars 4.4 (16 ratings)

Failed to add items

Add to basket failed., add to wishlist failed., remove from wishlist failed., adding to library failed, follow podcast failed, unfollow podcast failed.

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

No valid payment method on file.

We are sorry. we are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method.

Listeners also enjoyed...

'I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi' Diego Maradona FULLY UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 2022 WORLD CUP TRIUMPH & MESSI'S TRANSFER TO INTER MIAMI As Lionel Messi raised the World Cup triumphantly into the air, the world watched on in awe. Messi's final peak conquered; his final dream achieved. It was the fairy tale ending to a glittering career. Yet despite delivering Argentina their third World Cup, Messi's time at Paris Saint-Germain came to a dramatic conclusion, and Miami awaited the Argentinian legend. Guillem Balagué has had unprecedented access to Messi's inner circle including the player himself: his coaches, team-mates and family. From tracing the origins of Messi's precocious talent in Rosario, Argentina, to chronicling his peerless seventeen-season career at Barcelona, and his tumultuous Parisian adventure, Guillem takes us behind-the-scenes of Messi's World Cup triumph and his long-desired move to the MLS. This is an epic, authoritative and compelling account of an enigmatic footballing genius. 'I can tell my grandkids one day that I coached Lionel Messi' Pep Guardiola

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

• Unabridged Audiobook
• Categories: Biographies & Memoirs

More from the same

• Brave New World
• Pep Guardiola
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Baptism of Fire
• Time of Contempt
• Lady of the Lake

What listeners say about Messi

• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.4 out of 5.0
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.5 out of 5.0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews, amazon reviews.

• Business Enquiries
• UK Modern Slavery Statement
• Community Engagement
• Audible Mobile Apps
• Gift Centre
• Redeem a Promotional Code
• Plus Catalogue
• Mobile Site
• Best Sellers
• New Releases
• Foreign Language
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
• Science Fiction & Fantasy
• Road Trip Listens
• Summer Listens
• Biographies & Memoirs
• Business & Careers
• Health & Wellness
• Literature & Fiction
• Children's Audiobooks

Lionel Messi: The life and times of the Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and Argentina legend

Lionel Messi has wasted little time in making an impact at Inter Miami, the third club he has played for in his illustrious career.

The deal taking him to Miami, after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired, was only finalized on July 15. The World Cup winner has already added the Leagues Cup to his trophy cabinet , scoring 10 goals in seven games to fire his new club to their first piece of silverware.

Advertisement

For Messi , it is major trophy number 44.

Despite turning 36 in June, he is as influential as ever. Here is the complete story of Lionel Andres Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in the history of the sport, as told by 30 of our award-winning team of reporters, from Adam Crafton to Oliver Kay, from Michael Cox to John Muller, as well as many, many more. It will be continuously updated to reflect Messi’s ongoing Inter Miami career .

The early life of Lionel Messi

It started with a videotape . Horacio Gaggioli, an agent in Argentina, was sent footage of a 12-year-old Lionel Messi playing for the oxymoronic Newell’s Old Boys youth teams. A year later and Messi arrived in Barcelona with Gaggioli and his father for a trial that would change the course of history for both player and club.

Messi played only for the youth sides of Newell’s Old Boys and yet he is a bona fide club legend by virtue of what he would go on to achieve. In Rosario, as early as the late 1990s, he was already cutting in from the right flank and bending the ball into the far corner with his left foot. The skills were already astonishing but, naturally, there were doubts as a result of the youngster’s diminutive frame.

This was around the time Messi was being seen by a pediatric endocrinologist (a glands and hormones specialist) because of having been diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 10. His was a middle-class family and the Messis lived in a modest two-story home located on the Calle Lavalleja in Rosario. Lionel’s father worked as a supervisor at a steel manufacturing plant while his mother worked at a shop that specialised in magnetic coils.

It was, in fact, Messi’s grandmother who encouraged him to join a club rather than simply play informally with other children in the neighbourhood. His trademark goal celebration of pointing both index fingers to the sky is a tribute to that late grandparent, a key formative influence whose importance has never been forgotten .

Messi was a shy and introverted child and, during one early match, he played with stones he found on the pitch while the game went on around him. Naturally, when the ball came to him, it was a very different story and the raw talent was there for all to see. This reserved nature, quite uncommon in elite athletes, might explain why the young Lionel ultimately decided to let his father, Jorge, become his agent . After an agonising wait during which the hierarchy debated the best course of action, Barcelona eventually agreed to sign the player and cover his treatments, the latter something Newell’s Old Boys could or would not do. History is written by the winners, however, so Messi is a hero at the Argentine club despite making his professional debut elsewhere.

Jorge’s (third from left, above) involvement in his son’s career is a fascinating aspect of the Messi story . His first organised involvement was helping as coach at the local Grandoli club, where little Leo played his first games. While the family was relatively comfortable, they did not have the $900 a month required for the hormone treatment. The Barcelona move was essential but it was not until December 2000 that Barca director Charly Rexach famously signed a contract written on a napkin that confirmed the Argentine’s move to La Masia . The romantic element of the tale belies the truth of the negotiations. In reality, neither father nor son were willing to return to Spain until they were sure they were going to be paid the 100 million pesetas per season they felt they were worth.

This kind of steeliness would be a recurring theme in Messi’s early days at the Camp Nou. After a year at Barcelona, a new general manager questioned why somewhere in the region of €120,000 a year was being paid to a youngster yet to play a competitive game. Jorge responded by making enquiries about a move to Real Madrid and ultimately the Messi men got their way before it was obvious quite what a talent the club had on their hands. Indeed, at that fledgling stage, the Messis were able to negotiate three new contracts within just 18 months. Within three years of making his Barcelona debut, Messi replaced no less a player than Ronaldinho as the highest earner on the club’s books.

When Messi signed for Barcelona in 2001, the whole family moved to the Catalan capital, but mother Cecilia and siblings Rodrigo, Matias and Maria-Sol soon moved back to Rosario and left father and son in a relatively small apartment close to the Camp Nou. Like sitcom room-mates, the pair largely ate takeout food and played video games but, more crucially, developed a remarkable bond rare even for kin .

When the Messi family left Argentina at the turn of the century, they neglected to tell even those closest to them about the move. In a sense, that insular nature and distrust of outsiders has remained with the player throughout his career. Those on the inside have repeatedly suggested Jorge is a difficult man to deal with but perhaps he is just a father who understood the extraordinary value of his son before the world caught up. When you’ve got an asset like Lionel, it tends to give you the upper hand in most negotiations around money.

• Messi, Rosario and Newell’s: The love between a superstar, his hometown and boyhood club
• Jorge Messi: The agent father behind Leo’s fortunes
• Lionel Messi and Rosario’s narco wars: ‘We are waiting for you’

Messi’s record-breaking Barcelona career

Two things come up time and again when any team-mate is asked about Messi’s early days at Barcelona; the young Argentine was extremely shy and prodigiously gifted . In the words of Victor Vazquez:

“From day one, it was crazy how good he was out on the pitch. Me and the other players in the academy — like Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas — were always talking about how incredible a player he was. We couldn’t believe how good he was and the whole dressing room agreed we had to do everything we could to help Leo adapt to living in Barcelona.”

On the pitch, there were no issues. Messi’s rise through the youth ranks was one of the fastest the club had ever seen. In his first full season, he scored 38 goals in 31 games while playing at under-16 level. Barcelona moved the 16-year-old to the under-18s for the 2003-04 season. His time in that side did not last long, however, as the teenager set a club record that has never been equalled: he played for five different Barcelona teams in one season .

The first-team manager, Frank Rijkaard, was impressed enough to call Messi up for a friendly against Porto (at that time managed by Jose Mourinho) in November 2003. His 15-minute cameo was ultimately remarkable enough to see the Argentine play for Barcelona’s B and C teams for the remainder of the season. He would never return to the academy or look back in any way.

In October 2004, aged 17 years, three months and 22 days, Messi made his competitive debut for Barcelona as a substitute against Espanyol. That was the first of nine appearances he made that season, the last of those featuring his first goal for the club in the very final minute of the season with a terrific lob.

Messi could not start playing the following season until September 2005 when a citizenship issue was finally resolved. The Argentine helped his side to their second successive league title with eight goals and five assists in 25 games. The only disappointment was a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the Champions League final victory over Arsenal despite the fact the player felt he was fit enough to start.

That 2006 European triumph signalled the end of an era at Barcelona and the next couple of years were difficult and culminated with the dismissal of Rijkaard in 2008 and the appointment of Pep Guardiola, a decision that altered the course of the club’s history. Ronaldinho was sold and Messi inherited the number 10 shirt as the central figure in arguably the greatest club side in the history of the game.

In the 2008-09 season, everything went right. The Argentine managed 38 goals and 19 assists in 51 games while helping Barcelona secure the Copa del Rey, La Liga and Champions League titles. It was a banner year for Messi in which he played his first game as a false nine and won the Ballon d’Or (the first of an astonishing seven).

The numbers tell their own story, with Messi and Guardiola combining with devastating effect. Thirty-eight goals seems an astonishing number for a player whose game was about far more than simply finding the back of the net and it’s even more staggering when one considers he would go on to score even more goals in each of the next 10 seasons. Messi and his manager ensured Barcelona picked up 14 trophies in four seasons before Guardiola suddenly stepped down in the summer of 2012 .

With Guardiola gone, Barcelona managers came and went (three in successive years) with it becoming understood that the star man had more power than whoever was sat in the dugout. Indeed, Gerardo Martino actually said to Messi during his brief tenure : “I know that if you call the president and ask for my head, he would fire me the next day but, please, I don’t need you to prove it to me every day.”

To call Messi a club legend doesn’t even begin to do justice to his extraordinary feats. As a way of adding context, consider the fact that, in 2021, according to government data, Leo was the fifth most common name given to newborn children in Catalonia and the only name in the top six without a Catalan origin. Ultimately, Barcelona’s struggles on and off the field in recent years saw the relationship between the player and the club break down and, instead of a fairytale ending, the denouement was a tearful press conference in the summer of 2021 .

One intriguing aspect of the Messi farewell is that his salary deferrals of 2020 and 2021, aimed at easing Barcelona’s financial troubles, mean he continues to be paid by the club and will be until 2025 . Many of the Camp Nou faithful believed he might return after his time in Paris came to an end and the noises from the club suggested they believed it was a genuine possibility. Messi’s name was chanted at matches and there was real hope right up until the moment he decided to sign for Inter Miami.

At Barcelona, Messi became arguably the greatest player in history while plying his trade for arguably the greatest team in history, so perhaps he was wise to heed the old adage about never going back .

• Lionel Messi at Barcelona: The pain and glory of a 20-year love affair
• Barcelona’s Lionel Messi love story is finally over (but some will forever live in hope)
• Why Barcelona have to pay Lionel Messi until 2025 – even though he is moving to Inter Miami

Why Messi struggled at Paris Saint-Germain

Messi’s time in Paris was every bit as complicated as the negotiations that led to his leaving the place he considered home for pastures new. Things started so brightly at PSG with Messi emerging from the airport in August 2021 in a shirt emblazoned with the words, ‘Ici C’est Paris’ (This Is Paris). If the footballing great was missing his friends in Barcelona then he certainly did a good job hiding it.

The player was paid a sign-on fee of €25million and agreed a two-year contract with a net salary of €25million per year. The deal included an option of a third year at the same rate but ultimately Messi was able to secure an even more lucrative deal in the United States.

Before arriving in France, the general perception of the Argentine great was that he was a man who let his football do the talking. Controversies off the field were rare and the headlines tended only to come as a result of his extraordinary ability. Perhaps it was inevitable but things were different in the French capital despite continued success on the field. Ultimately, the transfer was about more than just Messi’s ability with the ball at his feet and there was a nagging feeling that remained the case throughout his Parisian sojourn.

The deal made sense for all parties in the summer of 2021 . Barcelona could no longer afford to keep their prize asset and PSG could offer outstanding money and Champions League football. The club had been sniffing around Messi for years and felt his commercial value was as significant as his talent on the field. As if to underline this point, the club’s Twitter account gained 800,000 followers in a single month after he signed.

When the history books are written, Messi’s first season at PSG will not go down as a vintage year. Eleven goals and 15 assists from 34 games in all competitions is certainly not a bad return but undoubtedly underwhelming when compared to the player’s own impeccably high standards. Let’s not forget the Argentine moved to Barcelona at the age of 13 and stayed there for two decades, so a period of acclimatisation was to be expected. He had to adapt to a new coach and team-mates as well as an entirely new environment for his family in a city with a very different way of life to Catalonia.

PSG won Ligue 1 in both of Messi’s seasons at the club but that should be considered the bare minimum. The club has gone from just two domestic titles to 11 in the decade since Qatar Sports Investments started their bankrolling project. The player was brought in to get the club over the line in the Champions League and, while the hierarchy might have been happy from a commercial standpoint, PSG were still eliminated in the round of 16 in both of Messi’s seasons at Parc des Princes.

In Messi’s second season at PSG, he notched up 41 goals and assists from 40 games in all competitions and helped his side to their second successive league title. The failure in Europe had far more to do with poor recruitment than the Argentine’s performances and yet he was not entirely blameless. What is undeniable is that his output was considerably reduced after the World Cup. This is understandable given Messi gave everything to ensure he finally won the ultimate prize and the competition took place, for the first time, in the middle of a domestic season. For the people who paid his wages, however, the Champions League was a more important target.

Messi’s relationship with the PSG fans never came close to the bond he had with the Barcelona supporters and there was a certain inevitability about it ending in tears. At the start of May, he was suspended for a fortnight and fined for an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia as part of a commercial agreement to promote tourism in the area. The player missed a training session and the general consensus amongst the PSG faithful was that the player who has won everything did not care enough about the shirt of the club, a feeling exacerbated by nine defeats in all competitions after the turn of the year.

The iconic great of the game came to be viewed as symptomatic of a strategy that prioritised star names over cohesion. He was one of a number of players viewed as looking to earn huge sums of money without truly caring about the project . Ultimately the club took a stand and, the day after he was suspended, it was reported that Messi would leave at the season’s close. He apologised for his conduct but the damage had been done. Still, in his penultimate game for PSG, the Argentine’s goal helped the club secure a second league title in a row as he became the player with the most goals in the history of Europe’s top five leagues – an astonishing 496.

It might not have been a Parisian fairytale but, by any measure, Messi still produced the goods in Ligue 1.

• How Paris Saint-Germain signed Lionel Messi
• Lionel Messi PSG project ends here – and it’s the right call
• Messi’s time at PSG was a success for him and the business – but not as a football transfer

How Messi and Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar 

In 2016, at the age of 29, Messi announced his retirement from international football . Despite being at his peak for Barcelona, he was reeling from a third international final defeat in as many years (his fourth in total). As if to underline quite how different things were for the player in an Argentina jersey, the country’s talisman missed his penalty in the shootout to decide the Copa America, uncharacteristically blazing the ball high and wide. Enough was enough.

A couple of months later and the decision had been reversed, much to the relief of just about every person in Argentina. There was a sense in some quarters that the player had just one more mountain to scale if he wanted to be considered on a par with his compatriot, Diego Maradona, and that was lifting the World Cup for his country . Messi had come close in 2014 and won the player of the tournament award for his efforts, but ultimately Argentina were defeated by Germany in a close final.

In 2022, at 35, Messi knew this was his last chance. He spoke of “the anxiety within my family and the country as a whole. Particularly my wife Antonela and son Thiago who watches all the national team games and knows all the possible match-ups, the opponents. ‘When are we going?’ he asks. ‘When’s the first game? When’s the second game?’ He’s nervous and the truth is that it puts terrible pressure on me.” This was exacerbated when, in Argentina’s opening game, Messi’s penalty gave his team an early lead but Saudi Arabia fought back in the second half to win 2-1. This was one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history and some felt the Argentina captain would conclude his career without emulating Maradona.

It took Messi 64 minutes to break the deadlock against Mexico in the second group game and Pablo Aimar was so overwhelmed on the sidelines he broke into tears. The game ended 2-0 and another 2-0 victory, in the final group game against Poland, ensured Argentina topped their group despite that early setback. In the round of 16, against Australia, Argentina edged a tight match and Messi finally scored in the knockout stages of a World Cup. It also happened to be the 1,000th game of a storied career.

The quarter-final clash with the Netherlands would prove remarkably dramatic. Messi’s pass for Nahuel Molina’s opening goal somehow took out six Dutch players in one fell swoop and all seemed well until Wout Weghorst came off the bench and scored two late goals to make it 2-2 and take the game to extra time. Argentina won on penalties but it was a spectacularly ill-tempered affair, with Messi taunting both Weghorst and Louis van Gaal, the latter visibly angry after Messi provoked him by cupping his ears.

The semi-final was a relatively straightforward 3-0 win over Croatia (Messi opening the scoring with another penalty) before a final for the ages, perhaps the greatest there has ever been . For the first hour, however, it looked as though it would be a routine victory for Messi and co against the reigning champions France. They were 2-0 up at half-time and the French had contributed nothing of note in an attacking sense. It appeared as though Messi’s dream was finally about to come true with relative ease.

With 10 minutes remaining, France were awarded a penalty and Kylian Mbappe converted before adding another just 97 seconds later with a stunning volley that levelled the scores. The game went to extra time where Messi scored again and gave his team the lead and that appeared to be that until Mbappe, with two minutes remaining, completed his hat-trick and took the final to a penalty shootout. Naturally, both Messi and Mbappe scored their penalties and the shootout concluded with Argentina triumphing 4-2. The defining image of the celebrations was the Argentina great accepting the honour of the robe and rubbing his hands with glee at the prospect of lifting the trophy. He was hoisted aloft by his team-mates in a manner that recalled his idol, Maradona, at the conclusion of the 1986 final.

In the immediate aftermath of the match, Messi confirmed it was his last World Cup but he would not be retiring from international football, stating, “I love what I do, being in the national team, and I want to continue living a few more games being world champion.” It might seem surprising that he has been willing to take part in international friendlies having achieved everything there is to achieve but, in the words of the man himself, “What I do is play football, which is what I like. I do it because I love it — and that’s all I care about.”

• The night Messi won the World Cup – told with some help from the man himself
• The story of the greatest World Cup final: Di Maria’s tears, Macron’s hugs… and Salt Bae
• How the ‘Catalan Argentine’ escaped the shadow of Maradona
• The cult of Lionel Messi: From the pitch, to Buenos Aires, to the pilgrims of Doha

The story of Messi’s move to MLS and Inter Miami

When discussing signing Messi for Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer club he co-owns, David Beckham is unequivocal :

“This will be up there with the biggest moves in American sporting history… And we’re talking about the biggest sporting market in the world. Bringing Leo Messi to Inter Miami, to MLS, the year after he wins the World Cup, to a team that is three years old… it’s a hell of an achievement. I never thought I would have the same feeling as an owner as I had when I was a player. When I got the phone call, I had the feeling I had when I walked out at Old Trafford or Wembley. I was like, ‘We’ve just beaten all competition to sign the greatest player to ever play our game’.”

Messi’s arrival in the States is so much more than a boost for a solitary club. Most MLS teams hosting Miami are seeing significant upticks in gameday revenue. Messi shirts are selling out. Apple have announced that three games the week of Messi’s debut set records in viewership. Social media numbers are through the roof, especially given the player’s strong start underlined by an exquisite goal on debut .

It was yet another perfect moment in a career positively littered with them. Inter Miami were drawing 1-1 with Mexican side Cruz Azul in their first Leagues Cup game of the season, a competition that sees MLS teams play against Liga MX sides. Messi, on as a 54th-minute substitute, was fouled and everyone watching knew he was going to take the resultant free kick, about 25 yards from goal in prime territory. Could the icon mark his first match in Florida with a 93rd-minute winner? Everyone watching knew the answer to that one, too.

Messi curled the ball past the goalkeeper and was wheeling away in celebration before it had even hit the back of the net . The Argentine’s set-piece ability is legendary and he tends to deliver when it comes to the crunch. After the game, he reflected on what is already the most memorable goal ever scored for an MLS side:

“It was set up for me at the end. I went for it like I always do. I was lucky that it was on target, that the goalkeeper didn’t get to it and… that it was a goal… I saw the goal and I tried to convert. I knew it was the last play. I was hoping to score in order to avoid going to penalties.”

Messi has already scored 10 goals for Inter Miami, his side winning all of the games he’s taken part in on their way to Leagues Cup triumph. In the process, Messi has become the all-time top scorer in the competition. There is a feeling that, if the player can continue at this rate against far weaker defences than he’s been accustomed to facing throughout his career, the ripple effect for the league could be astronomical.

Commercially, the impact of Messi in America is almost unprecedented . By way of example, DeAndre Yedlin recently arrived at a press conference in a pair of Beats by Dre headphones gifted by Messi, something he revealed each one of the Argentine’s team-mates had been presented with. Beats by Dre is owned by Apple, so this was a visible reminder of the partnership between one of the biggest companies in the world and one of the biggest figures in sport. It is quite clear there is a symbiotic relationship between the sports and business aspects of this deal .

In truth, the repercussions for soccer in the country could be felt long after Messi has left the Sunshine State. Daniel Kirschner is the CEO of Greenfly, a platform used by over 500 sports organizations to optimise digital content. He feels this could be a turning point for the league:

“When we look at athletes active on social, by carrying sponsors with them, jerseys sponsors, arena sponsors, there is an incredible amount of value in that and that value attaches itself to Inter Miami and their sponsors. Inter Miami’s reach and impact, the number of people seeing those logos, has expanded exponentially. For MLS more broadly, it brings value by showing who he is playing against, awareness of teams, awareness of the league. It carries that value to a much broader fan base.”

Like Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia , Messi has been brought in for huge money to boost the league at large and give the whole project a sense that it should be taken more seriously than it currently is. Inter Miami had not won a game in 11 before the player’s arrival and yet, under manager Gerardo Martino ( who Messi played under previously for Argentina and Barcelona ), the club have a serious chance of making waves this season. And the better the player and club perform, the better it will prove for the sport in America ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

• David Beckham, the interview: Miami, Messi, Manchester United – and more
• Messi and money: The ripple effect for MLS, its teams and sponsors
• Who gets Messi’s shirt? Inside the the locker room jockeying for one of sports’ rarest items
• Is Lionel Messi really good or are the defences Inter Miami play against really bad?
• For Messi vs Ronaldo, read U.S. vs Saudi Arabia – a new twist in a famous rivalry

The evolution of Messi’s playing style

Broadly speaking, Messi has played three different roles throughout his career : as a right-winger, as a false nine up front, and as a classic No 10 behind a proper striker. At his best, he combines elements of these three roles and thus defenders can watch endless hours of footage and still find him impossible to stop .

At the start of his career , Messi was a right-winger noted for his ability to dribble past opponents when cutting inside onto his left foot. His ability with the ball at his feet drew comparisons with Maradona from the very start, not least that immortal goal in the 1986 quarter-final match against England. When a teenage Messi scored a goal against Getafe that felt like a carbon copy of perhaps the most famous goal ever scored by an Argentine, one former youth team coach remarked: “The other day I saw him score this goal — they say it was like Maradona. I think he is better. When I watch him play like that, I cry.”

Ronaldinho left Barcelona in the summer of 2008, around the same time Messi turned 21. Guardiola made the decision to hand his young star the number 10 shirt and build the team around him . Messi’s first season in the role was a great success as he regularly cut inside behind Samuel Eto’o up front to undo defences, scoring and assisting more than almost any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. This, however, was only the start.

In May 2009, Guardiola took a bold gamble that paid off in spades. In a game away at bitter rivals Real Madrid, the manager told Messi and Eto’o they should swap positions early in the game leaving the Real defenders unable to decide whether to follow the Argentine into midfield or not. Ultimately Barcelona triumphed 6-2 on the day with Messi scoring two and assisting the opener while playing as a false 9 – neither as a poacher in the box nor just behind the striker. This tactic was equally effective a few weeks later in the Champions League final, Barcelona beating Manchester United 2-0 and Messi securing the trophy with a header twenty minutes from the end .

Messi was as crucial dropping off and joining Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets at the tip of the diamond as he was in the box finding the back of the net. The club and player were both at their peak and records were consistently broken with ease. Most sides don’t use their centre-forward as a spare midfielder but that’s simply because most teams don’t have peak Messi as an option.

Raul Garcia, who faced Messi 33 times between 2004 and 2021, has talked about the difficulties of facing a player devastating in every attacking area : “When you saw him up close, you realised just how great a player he was. He was the best midfielder, the best when he took the ball from the wing, and the best at finishing.”

Messi’s ability to play a one-two and carve out space is unprecedented in the game’s history, no doubt aided by having extraordinarily gifted team-mates, especially during the Barcelona years. As a finisher, the Argentine scored 44 per cent more goals over the course of his career in the top five leagues than an average shooter would have produced from the same chances. Messi has always been a master at finding himself in the right positions to get a shot away but his freakish ability to convert is unlike any other player ever to have lived.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of Messi’s style has been his tendency to stroll around the pitch in a casual manner whenever he doesn’t have the ball, seemingly at odds with the guidance given to young people when they first start playing football. The player has explained that this is, obviously, not a result of laziness but actually a way of conserving energy when it comes time to dribble and score goals. Further still, like a coach on the pitch, he is closely monitoring the movements of the defenders to calculate his next move. Not for nothing did Louis Vitton depict Messi as a chess grandmaster in that famous advertisement with Ronaldo.

In Paris, an ageing Messi took a leaf out of Beckham’s book (the man who concluded his playing career at PSG and was integral in bringing the Argentina great to the U.S.) and adopted the quarterback role . While he continued to take players on at times, the diminutive genius developed a penchant for through balls in his mid-30s that suggested time does, indeed, affect us all in the end. If his rival Ronaldo moved further up the pitch as he aged, Messi went in the opposite direction as his pace diminished over the years.

Ironically, penalties are just about the only thing Messi does not excel at on a football pitch and yet, when it mattered most, at the 2022 World Cup, he delivered time and again from the spot. His game has evolved since he burst onto the scene at Barcelona but the one constant has been that otherworldly ability .

• Lionel Messi: The evolution of the greatest footballer of all time
• Lionel Messi’s ten stages of greatness
• This is how you can stop Lionel Messi
• What it’s like to play with and against Lionel Messi: A privilege and a nightmare
• Inter Miami’s Messi may have declined physically, but his brain is as sharp as ever
• Watching Lionel Messi: Our writers, former players and managers share their favorite memories

Messi’s salary and finances in focus

One anonymous figure who worked at one of Messi’s clubs in the last decade was very clear about the man’s hierarchy of interests : “His number one passion is money. Not far behind is football. Everything he does is geared towards money.” An experienced agent echoed these sentiments with the suggestion that Messi and his father are too concerned with the bottom line: “If you manage a player well, you manage it well all-round. If he ends up with serious tax issues, it suggests they just look to capitalise on everything financially to the maximum without looking to the consequences.”

Messi’s tax issues represent an issue for those who have sought to characterise the rivalry with Ronaldo, the other great of the modern game, as a battle between good and evil. The easy narrative is that Ronaldo is the preening egotist in stark contrast with the shy, introvert who loves nothing but playing football. As it happens, both players have had tax issues, so perhaps they are not quite such different characters after all.

The Spanish authorities decided to clamp down on financial impropriety in football around 2013. Leo and Jorge were amongst the first to be targeted with both accused of having evaded more than €4million in taxes between 2007 and 2009 by routing image rights income through offshore tax havens Uruguay and Belize, then through others in the UK and Switzerland. Giving testimony in court in 2016, Messi senior claimed: “Since my son’s career started, I am talking about 2000 when we arrived in Barcelona, I have always tried to make his life easier. He played football, and I accompanied him how I could.”

The player has maintained his father handles everything and pleaded ignorance throughout . In that same Barcelona courtroom, the footballer claimed: “I didn’t know anything, I only worried about playing football.” His argument was that he assumed Jorge always had his best interests at heart and thus would sign any contract put in front of him without thinking too deeply about it. He went as far as to say he had only a vague grasp of the amounts of money involved.

The Messis thought the matter was concluded when they were ordered to pay €5m euros to cover unpaid taxes plus “reparations”, but they did not get off that lightly. They were eventually found guilty on three counts of defrauding the tax department and handed suspended jail sentences of 21 months. They also received astronomical fines — €2million for Leo, €1.5million for Jorge. The verdict led many to suggest the player’s carefully cultivated public persona was exactly that and he was far from the squeaky-clean figure of the popular imagination. But is that a fair assessment?

The truth is probably that Messi is neither hero nor villain but a man who has taken little to no interest in anything beyond football since childhood. He had no problem taking money to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia and is almost certainly not too knowledgeable on the region’s appalling human rights record. At the age of 36, however, perhaps he should know better and care about things beyond the pitch. He would, after all, be a millionaire many times over even if he turned down such offers.

The Argentine has certainly given money to worthy causes over the years, but journalist Marcela Mora y Araujo, who has followed Messi’s career from the start, feels he deserves neither credit nor blame for any of his financial dealings:

“I doubt he has a political ideology. I know he endorses a lot of humanitarian projects, but in his head, I don’t know if he thinks of it as any different to selling razor blades for Gillette. He just likes football. He’s never pretended to be anything else.”

It is quite possible that a man noted for his gargantuan football brain simply doesn’t consider anything else in his life all that deeply. Indeed, the very fact that his father was handed and retained control of his affairs tells its own story. Tellingly, even as his career progressed, the Messis chose to stick with this arrangement .

One source has said: “Having Jorge as his manager is an advantage for Leo in some ways, as you can always rely on your father. But maybe also a disadvantage as sometimes you need someone more experienced. Jorge was not a specialist in business and suddenly he ran a big company called Lionel Messi Limited.”

Nobody with a background in business would have had sufficient training to cope with the demands brought about by Messi’s exploits on the pitch. To throw someone into the role purely by virtue of fathering a football genius seems like madness. The tax fraud situation was inevitable if a man earns that much money without paying proper attention to the world around him. Messi has only ever cared about what happens on the field and, almost inevitably, that has led to some difficulties off it.

• Lionel Messi’s millions: The man, the brand and the money
• ‘He sold himself to the devil’ – Messi, 2030 and a very uncomfortable deal with Saudi Arabia

Written by Darren Richman. Contributors: Pol Ballus, Luke Brown, JJ Bull, Felipe Cardenas, Mark Carey, Laia Cervello Herrero, Dermot Corrigan, Michael Cox, Adam Crafton, Michael Dominski, Sebastian Fest, Dominic Fifield, Jay Harris, Raphael Honigstein, James Horncastle, Simon Johnson, Oliver Kay, Sam Lee, Pablo Maurer, Nick Miller, John Muller, Caoimhe O’Neill, David Ornstein, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Peter Rutzler, Daniel Taylor, Paul Tenorio, Michael Walker.

(All photos: Getty Images; design: Sam Richardson)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

ASA invades KZN for championship titles

Joburg ladies open tees-off at modderfontein golf…, the family distance itself from the book…, olympic and paralympics games 2024 sees the…, messi vs. ronaldo book review, trump, if convicted, would lose contesting elections…, proverb, lootlove to co-host the metro fm…, glen lewis to debut on kaya 959…, gauteng tourism commemorates 30 years’ of democracy…, e-tolls to be scrapped altogether, assures gvt.

Messi: The Definitive Biography

“HE’S so small,” said the youngsters. “Be careful with him, he’s very small, don’t break him,” cautioned an adult in their midst inside the dressing room of one of Europe’s renown footballing brands’ premises.

“How can we be careful? We can’t even get close to him!” one of the youngster, a central defender who happened to be the gangliest in the group of burgeoning academy soccer players retorted – to everyone’s amusement. “He’s so fast, and so slight that you could injure him,” came the adamant response from the elder.

The small one the subject of discussion, stood a mere 1.47-metre-tall (unusually slight of built in comparison to the other youngsters who were of his age group born in 1987). What more, he didn’t understand their language, and they found his daily habit of administering unto himself, a mere 13- year old kid, a syringe dosage of hormones meant to augment his growth – strange!

“Where are you from? Where do you play?” the kids, mostly Spaniards, further probed of the fragile stranger – an Argentinian, thousands of miles away from home!

The scene hallmarked of juvenile curiosity ensued on one of the soccer fields of FC Barcelona in the early 2000s and is depicted with such imagination in, MESSI: The Definitive Biography – a whopping 755-page paperback tome by renowned award-winning football author, Guillem Balague.

Initially launched in 2013, the latest iteration has been updated to include Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph.

The stunted teenager had abruptly been invited – in the midst of his schooling year in his country – along with his family, to Spain by the Catalan club’s representatives, in order for them to access first hand whether he was indeed the heir to his countryman, Diego Maradona, as many then deemed him to be!

Having grown up a fan of his neighbourhood’s soccer outfit, Newell’s Old Boys (which Maradona once played for) the youngster was set for a professional career with the club until his family resolved – upon NOB’s reluctance – to place him with a club which would cover the costs of his much needed hormonal injections.

A situation which led to his arrival at FC Barcelona – where, despite having seen a video showing him demonstrating his exceptional talent, officials dilly-dallied in eventually offering him a contract which would ultimately open the pathway to his fulfilling his destiny as the greatest player ever in both the club’s and world football’s annals!

Initially entered into birth records as Lionel, a fleeting row between his parents resulted in the name Leo, as a compromise, sticking, universally!

Nicknamed ‘ El Pulga’ (the flea), he hails from Rosario, a city, some 300 kilometres from the capital Buenos Aires, described as a conveyor belt of Argentinian footballers (his homeboys include, Angel Di Maria, Giovani Lo Celso, Ever Banega, Javier Mascherano, etc.) in an area named La Bajada where his parents raised him and three siblings in a modest two-bedroomed house.

In this neighbourhood, standout memories comprise of the Argentine and Italian dishes such as chorizo sausages, ravioli, spaghetti and beef ‘ milanesa’ dishes his mom Celia prepared like nobody else; reminiscence of childhood dalliances with cute 5-year-old Antonella Roccuzzo (now his wife) who back then paid scant interest in him until, whilst on a trip back home for the holidays from Barcelona, their romance was rekindled; his beloved grandmother Celia urging a coach of a local club to include a 5-year-old him in a 7-a-side soccer game, et cetera.

Although Leo, Lionel Messi that is, reflected in hindsight that, “we wanted for nothing” whilst growing up in a household maintained by factory worker parents – his hormonal treatment went beyond their salaries, thus forcing them, like other Argentine parents blessed with exceptional soccer playing boy children in their families, to seek economic prospects in Europe. In fact, the Messi’s trip to Spain occurred within a backdrop whereby their country’s economic situation created breadwinners of mostly young footballers able enough to secure professional contract both locally and overseas.

Upon FC Barcelona agreeing to a contract ( 600 000 Euros per year including costs of his hormonal treatment and other appertaining perks) for the 14-year young Messi on January 8, 2001, so grateful was his dad, Jorge that himself and a friend embarked on a 75 kilometres walk to give thanks at the Shrine of the Virgin of St Nicolas. Lasting all of 14 hours, Balague mentions that a barefooted Leo joined them for the last 800 metres of the journey!

Planet football was about to be exposed to arguably its greatest ever player!

It was at FC Barcelona’s La Masia Academy that the youngsters cringed at the newcomer’s stature and some of whom would morph into household names worldwide – names such as Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique.

Known as the ‘ Class of ‘87’ owing to their birth year, together with Leo, they would become the most successful cadets in the club’s history and grow to achieve even more as senior players (the trio are FIFA World Cup winners, inter alia ).

A chapter deep in the comprehensive read titled, ‘ Dealing with Maradona’ , sheds fascinating inside view of the ambivalent relationship between Messi and Argentina’s long-time idol, Diego Maradona.

Having identified Messi as his heir as a soccer deity, El Pibe de Oro (the golden boy, as Maradona was referred to ) would veer from specifically seeking him out in a dressing room pending a World Cup tourney and exhort, “have strength, courage and score a goal!” to “sometimes, Messi plays for Messi.” “It is FC Messi,” after the Argentine football team had played to a drawn in an international match.

The narrative delves into tax evasion sagas; how top strikers were dispensed with at Barcelona for Messi’s sake; the Qatar FIFA World Cup triumph of 2022; the transfers to Paris-Saint Germain and Inter Miami, etc.

It is an experience of a great counted alongside Pele, Maradona, Di Stefano, Cruyff and Best.

Messi – The Definitive Biography , is published by Orion Books and distributed across South Africa through Jonathan Ball Publishers.

It is available at reputable bookstores countrywide.

Special Provincial Official Funeral Service for Dr Peter Magubane

Millions poured in fixing the gas exploded lillian ngoyi street.

Jacob MAWELA

Related posts, zama zamas cost the industry millions, joyous celebration takes over ‘mother city’, benz vito tourer born to run -but don’t expect way too much, leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Messi : the biography

Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

1,412 Previews

5 Favorites

Better World Books

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

No suitable files to display here.

EPUB and PDF access not available for this item.

IN COLLECTIONS

Uploaded by station18.cebu on January 2, 2020

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)