He was born and raised in Argentina where he played for clubs there as a kid. He dominated, of course, until moving to Spain at age 13. It was in Spain where he was signed by Barcelona's youth academy and where he made his professional debut at age 17 in 2007. read more
Lionel Messi started playing football when he was 5. His football career started when he was 13, and went to Barcelona's youth academy. He started professinally when he was around 19. read more
Lionel Messi, in full Lionel Andrés Messi, also called Leo Messi, (born June 24, 1987, Rosario, Argentina), Argentine-born football (soccer) player who was named Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) world player of the year five times (2009–12 and 2015). read more
On 10 January 2010, Messi scored his first hat-trick in 2010 and his first hat-trick of the season against CD Tenerife in the 0–5 victory, and on 17 January he scored his 100th goal for the club in the 4–0 victory over Sevilla. read more