Born in Rosario, Argentina's third-largest city, Leo Messi is a world-renowned soccer player. Leo Messi is played for the Argentina national team and has won many prestigious awards in Leo Messi career. Leo Messi is currently the highest-paid athlete in the world and has a huge amount of endorsements and money from other off-field endeavors. Leo Messi income is estimated to be $130 million a year, according to Forbes.
Throughout his life, he has always been surrounded by support and love from his family. He has two elder brothers, Rodrigo and Matias, and a younger sister, Maria Sol. He has also been supported by his parents, Jorge and Celia, in all aspects of his life.
From an early age, he was introduced to football by his father and grandmother. They both loved the game and encouraged him to join a local children's club. He was soon training with the club and he showed an exceptional skill set that caught the eye of scouts from other clubs around his home country.
In 2000, his scouts told him about a youth academy in Barcelona. He tried out for the club and impressed them so much that they agreed to pay for his growth hormone treatment.
He received his treatment at La Masia and trained with the club's juniors for a few years before he was offered a professional contract. He won the league in his first season, and then he became part of the Spanish national side. He also broke Gerd Muller's record for the most goals scored in a calendar year, and then set his own mark in 2012 when he scored 91 goals in one season.
When he was young, he often struggled to grow, and doctors diagnosed him with a growth hormone deficiency. GHD is a rare condition that affects the body's ability to produce growth hormone, and it can cause developmental delays as well as symptoms such as fatigue. It can also limit an athlete's ability to build muscle.
As a result, he had to receive growth-hormone injections every night. This was not cheap, and it caused significant strain on his family's finances.
His talent, however, was undeniable, and he soon found himself attracting the attention of top clubs in both Spain and Argentina. His incredible ability to dribble through opponents meant he often came out on top, and when he made his international debut for Argentina in 2006, his performance helped them reach the final of the World Cup in Germany.
In the tournament, he scored twice against Serbia and Montenegro, as well as setting up Hernan Crespo to score in a 6-0 win. He followed this up with a goal against Mexico to ensure Argentina went all the way to the final.
He was a key member of the team that won the 2021 Copa America, and then in 2022 he won his first World Cup for Argentina with a hat-trick in the final against France. He is now considered the greatest footballer of all time, and he is known as 'the man who will never be beaten'.