World Cup Legends
MESSI 10
For me, Messi is the greatest of all time.
Pep Guardiola
Messi’s former Barcelona manager, 2015
1987-99: The fragile prodigy
Lionel Messi is born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. The tiny left-footer joins Newell’s Old Boys as a child and becomes the star of the Machine of ’87, a legendary youth team who are virtually unbeaten for four years, with Messi scoring nearly 500 goals. At 11, he is diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Faced with a US$900 (S$1,150) monthly treatment bill his family cannot afford, his dream is in peril.
2000-03: Napkin gamble
Desperate for a miracle, the 13-year-old Messi travels to Spain for a trial at Barcelona. Sporting director Carles Rexach knows within minutes he is watching a rare genius. Afraid another club will claim him, Rexach famously signs Messi’s first agreement on a paper napkin. At Barca’s La Masia academy, Messi’s talent flourishes, but the personal cost is heavy. Far from home, he struggles with loneliness.
2004-08: Rising from the shadows
Under the mentorship of the legendary Ronaldinho, 17-year-old Messi makes his Barca debut on Oct 16, 2004. Wearing No. 30, he enters as a substitute. Though he appears small on the pitch, his extraordinary vision proves his genius is limitless. As his fame grows, he remains grounded, driven by the same quiet determination.
2009-12: Unreal performance
Under manager Pep Guardiola, Messi transforms from wonderkid into the best player in the world, winning his first Ballon d’Or in 2009. As a false nine, a centre-forward who drops deep into midfield to pull defenders out of position, he creates chaos, opens space and becomes Barcelona’s ultimate weapon. By 2012, Messi reaches an unreal peak, scoring a world-record 91 goals in a single year and claiming his fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or.
2013-15: Crowns and courts
While Messi continues leading Barcelona through one of its greatest eras, his personal life is rocked by a €4.16 million (S$6.2 million) tax-fraud scandal. The golden boy is dragged into a high-profile legal battle, facing heavy public scrutiny and potential prison time. Simultaneously, recurring hamstring injuries threaten to derail his game, casting doubt on his physical longevity for the first time.
2016: Breaking point
After leading Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final and two consecutive Copa America finals, he suffers three heartbreaking defeats in three years. The weight of a title-hungry nation finally takes its toll. A devastated Messi announces his shock retirement from international football. It is a moment of defeat that leaves his legacy in question and a nation in mourning.
2017-20: Team anchor
In 2017, Messi skips a friendly against Singapore and returns to Rosario to marry his childhood sweetheart, Antonela Roccuzzo. As his family grows with the birth of three sons, his home life becomes his fortress as Barcelona begin to crumble from within. Despite the club’s internal chaos and public fallouts with management, Messi remains the anchor, carrying the team and reaching a career milestone of over 700 goals.
2021: Shock divorce
The world is stunned on Aug 5, 2021, when a weeping Messi announces he has been forced to leave Barcelona after 21 years because the club’s finances have collapsed. He signs with Paris Saint-Germain, but the transition is painful. Even as he collects his seventh Ballon d’Or, he struggles to find his rhythm in France, appearing in just 75 games while focusing entirely on a shot at national redemption.
2022: Redemption
In Qatar, Messi finally completes the story that has followed him for his entire career. In his record-breaking 26th World Cup appearance, he scores two in a dramatic final against France, taking his tally to seven goals in as many matches. At 35, the boy from Rosario lifts the trophy he has chased across five tournaments, finally securing the one prize that long stood between him and football immortality.
2023-26: Pink sunset
In 2023, Messi leaves Europe for Inter Miami, closing the Barcelona and Paris chapters of his career and beginning a new life in America. In his pink jersey, he transforms the club almost overnight, delivering their first-ever trophy and thrusting Miami into the limelight. At the ongoing World Cup, the boy from Rosario still has one last dance left in him, scoring six out of Argentina’s eight goals so far to become the leading scorer (19) in the tournament’s history.
Sources: BUSINESS INSIDER, BRITANNICA, FC BARCELONA, BONHAMS, GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, REUTERS, FIFA, INTER MIAMI CF, ESPN, THE NEW YORK TIMES, FRANCE FOOTBALL
STRAITS TIMES ILLUSTRATION: BRYANDT LYN
