Messi which team – How many teams has Messi played for?
Lionel Messi, one of the best football players of all time, shocked the sports world when he decided to move to a new team. His glorious career, from his early days at Barcelona to his burning moments at Paris Saint-Germain, has always inspired millions of fans. With a new move, Messi continues to write new chapters in his career. In the following article, let’s join kingsoccertips.com to learn about Messi which team, and his achievements in this competition.
Messi which team: Find out what Messi’s team plays for
Messi plays for which team? During his 19-year professional career, Lionel Messi played for only three clubs, Spain’s FC Barcelona, France’s Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and the United States’ Inter Miami. Messi recently signed with the US club Inter Miami and has yet to make his debut for the Major League Soccer (MLS) side.
Including the two Argentinian youth clubs he played for, Lionel Messi has played for only five clubs in his career—a relatively low number compared to modern footballers, who often play for multiple clubs.
1. Lionel Messi’s first team: Grandoli (1992-1995)
Born in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe province of Argentina, Lionel Messi was exposed to football early and often played with his brothers and cousins since he was young. So Messi which team? When he was just five years old, Lionel Messi joined his first club, Grandoli, a local club near his home in Rosario. Interestingly, Leo’s beloved grandmother, Celia Olivera Cuccittini, played a significant role in this.
“One of my cousins was playing, and we used to go there (Grandoli Club) every day. ‘Team 86’, a team one year older than me, was playing, and they needed a player – so my grandmother told the coach ‘put him [Leo] in the team,'” Lionel Messi recalled in an interview.
However, the coach at that time was concerned about Lionel Messi’s small stature and feared that he might get injured playing with players a year older than him. However, Leo’s grandmother was a persistent woman, and she eventually got what she wanted.
“Naturally, when I joined, I made an impact. My grandmother turned around and told him [the coach], ‘Buy him some football boots, I’ll take him to practice next week’ – and that’s when I started. It was a great time,” Lionel Messi recalls.
2. Messi which team? The second club: Newell’s Old Boys (1995-2000)
Messi plays for which team? Lionel Messi spent four years developing at Grandoli before joining the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys, one of the biggest clubs Rosario that plays in the Argentine Primera División. While the circumstances of Messi’s departure from Grandoli were never documented, an Al Jazeera report later reported that Messi’s family disagreed with club officials. However, moving to Newell’s Old Boys made sense as it was a professional club that offered better infrastructure and opportunities.
Additionally, Lionel Messi’s family supported Newell’s Old Boys, and reportedly, the football legend’s uncles and aunts gave him a red and black shirt from the club on his first birthday. Both of Messi’s brothers played football for Nuls’ youth team.
Soon after Lionel Messi joined Nuls and was included in the youth team, the young Lionel Messi became the talisman of the club’s 1987 class of players, for boys born in 1987. The team, known as La Maquina del ’87 or The Machine of ’87, dominated what is known as ‘children’s football’ in Argentina—the seven-a-side game for children under 11. La Maquina del ’87 was undefeated for three years.
Incidentally, Diego Maradona played for Newell’s Old Boys for a short period during the 1993-94 season. The club claimed that during halftime of Maradona’s debut for NOB, a six-year-old Lionel Messi performed tricks on the football field.
During his time at Newell’s Old Boys, Lionel Messi was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD), a condition caused by the body not producing enough growth hormone, leading to impaired growth and development. As a rare disorder that affects just one in 10,000 children, treatment for GHD is expensive—far beyond what Messi’s family could afford. Despite his promise on the football field, Newell’s Old Boys also shied away from the expense. It was rumored that River Plate, Argentina’s biggest and most famous football club, wanted to sign Lionel Messi at the time but withdrew due to the high cost of treating GHD.
3. Lionel Messi at Barcelona (2000-2021)
Messi which team? In a time of need, Spanish giants Barcelona stepped in. The Catalan club had the resources to easily pay for Lionel Messi’s treatment, and their world-class youth team also made the move an attractive prospect. In 2000, at the age of 13, Lionel Messi joined Barcelona’s youth academy, the famous La Masia, and the rest became history. Charly Rexach, then FCB’s first team director, famously made Messi sign his first contract with the club on a tissue.
The Argentine’s talent was so great that he was promoted to the first team just four years after playing briefly for Barca’s B and C teams. Lionel Messi made his first team debut for Barcelona against FC Porto, then coached by Jose Mourinho, in a mid-season friendly at Estadio do Dragao on 16 November 2003. The Portuguese team won 2-0, but Messi, then just 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, impressed on his debut after coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute.
Soon after, Lionel Messi signed his first professional contract with Barcelona. Messi made his official debut in a La Liga match against Espanyol on 16 October 2004, coming on as a substitute in the 82nd minute. At only 17 years, three months, and 22 days old at the time, Lionel Messi was the youngest player to play an official match for Barcelona at that time. Shortly afterward, the Argentine established himself as a first-team player and took over the club’s talismanic mantle from Brazilian icon Ronaldinho.
Lionel Messi played 778 games for Barcelona, scoring 672 goals – both club records – before making a surprise move to Paris Saint Germain in 2021. During his time at the Catalan giants, Lionel Messi won 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles. All seven of his Ballon d’Or awards were won during his time in the Barcelona shirt.
4. Lionel Messi when he came to PSG (2021-2023)
Messi which team? Considered a symbol of Barcelona, Lionel Messi seemed destined to end his professional career at Camp Nou. However, that fairy tale ending never came. With Barcelona said to be in financial difficulties, contract negotiations between Messi and the club stalled, and Lionel Messi’s contract with the Catalans expired in 2021. On August 5, 2021, Barcelona admitted that they could not offer Messi a new contract due to financial problems.
Although many top teams expressed their desire to sign Messi, the French team PSG won the race for his signature. PSG signed Messi to a two-year contract, lasting until 2023, with an option to extend for another year.
Lionel Messi made his PSG debut on August 29, 2021, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 away win over Reims in Ligue 1. He won the Ligue 1 championship in the 2021-22 and 2022 seasons -23 with PSG before moving.
5. Lionel Messi signed with Inter Miami (2023-present)
In June 2023, Lionel Messi signed a contract with the US club Inter Miami, marking an important move in his career as he left Europe to join a team in the North American football market. This is Messi’s first professional club outside the European continent, opening a promising new chapter in his career. With Messi joining, Inter Miami not only attracts global attention but also enhances the influence of Major League Soccer (MLS) on the international football map.
Inter Miami, co-owned and chaired by former Manchester United and Real Madrid star David Beckham, is a relatively new team on the MLS scene. Founded in 2018, Inter Miami only debuted in MLS in 2020. With Beckham, one of the world’s most famous soccer players, at the helm, the team quickly made an impression and attracted significant interest. Messi’s presence further increases the appeal and reputation of this team, while also creating an opportunity for Inter Miami to become a strong force in the tournament.
Incidentally, Gonzalo Higuain—a former teammate of Messi on the Argentina national team—became the player who scored the most goals for Inter Miami. Higuain, who scored a total of 29 goals for this Eastern team, left a significant mark before Messi joined. The combination of Messi and Higuain is not only an interesting reunion but also promises to create performances worth watching in the team’s future.
Some awards that Lionel Messi has received
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players in football history, having received countless awards and honors throughout his brilliant career. Below are some typical awards and titles he has achieved after learning about Messi which team:
- Golden Ball (Ballon d’Or): Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or award seven times in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021, the most in history, honoring the best player. best in the world. FIFA World Player of the Year: In 2009, Messi was awarded this title by FIFA before it was merged with the Ballon d’Or.
- European Golden Shoe: Messi has won the European Golden Shoe six times—in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2019—being the player who scored the most goals in a season in Europe’s top competitions.
- La Liga Best Player: Messi has been honored multiple times as the best player in La Liga, due to his impressive achievements and influence at Barcelona, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015.
- UEFA Best Player in Europe Award: Messi was honored twice as the best player in Europe by UEFA in 2011 and 2015.
- The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award: This is one of the major individual awards that Messi won recently in 2009, honoring him as the best player in the world according to FIFA.
- King’s Cup (Copa del Rey): Messi has won the Copa del Rey title with Barcelona in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021, contributing to the continued success of the team
- King’s Cup (Copa del Rey): Messi has won many King’s Cup titles with Barcelona in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021, contributing to the continued success of this team.
- Champions League: Messi won four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015, playing a key role in these victories.
- La Liga: Messi has won a total of 10 La Liga titles with Barcelona, making an important contribution to the team’s dominance in Spain’s top tournament.
- Copa América: Messi won the Copa América title with Argentina in 2021, his first major title at the national team level.
In the future, Lionel Messi will continue to be honored and leave a lasting mark on football history due to his outstanding talent and unwavering dedication.
Conclusion
Finally, you have all the details of Messi which team in his football career Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players of all time, has had a glorious and tumultuous career. From his early days playing football in Rosario, Argentina, to becoming a symbol of Barcelona and now a shining star at Inter Miami, Messi always leaves an indelible mark wherever he goes. His career is not only about numbers and titles but also about magical moments on the field, and the strong emotions that he brings to fans around the world. Regardless of Messi’s team, he always shows outstanding class and admirable playing spirit, becoming an endless source of inspiration for future generations of players.
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