Lionel Messi, who is widely known as the GOAT of football, has had an outstanding career. Messi was born on 24 June 1987, and today marks his 38 birthday. 

Lionel Messi began his football journey at Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina before moving to Barcelona’s youth academy at the age of 13. He quickly rose through the ranks, making his first-team debut at 16. His breakthrough moment came in the 2004-05 season when he helped Barcelona win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. 

A Career To Remember

Over the years, Lionel Messi has become synonymous with football. He became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer and set multiple records, such as most goals in La Liga history and most assists in official football history.

His 2011-12 career specifically was historic. He broke a 38-year-old record for most goals in a single European league season. Messi won six European Golden Shoes, a record still unmatched by any other player and earned eight Ballon d’Or awards, which is again unmatched. 

Lionel Messi has been the key player for Argentina. He won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005, the Olympic gold medal in 2008, the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

Throughout his career, Messi has won an unmatched number of trophies, which is 45 collective titles, including 10 La Liga championships, 4 UEFA Champions League titles, multiple Copa del Rey wins, and domestic cups with Barcelona. 

After leaving Barcelona in 2021 due to financial constraints at the club, he continued his success with Paris Saint-Germain, winning Ligue 1 titles, and later with Inter Miami, securing the Leagues Cup and the MLS Supporters’ Shield.

Individually, Lionel Messi holds numerous records: most goals in La Liga, most hat-tricks (36), most FIFA FIFPRO World XI appearances (17), and the Guinness World Record for most official goals in a calendar year (91 in 2012). He has been recognised repeatedly as the best player globally with awards including three The Best FIFA Men’s Player honours and multiple Laureus World Sports Awards. As the world celebrates a legend’s birthday, let’s take a look at his career stats. 

Lionel Messi’s Career Stats

Club Football

For Argentina

Club Football Competitions

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The 2024 edition of MLS is lower back in motion with any other set of suits this weekend as the New England Revolution take on Gerardo Martino’s Inter Miami aspect in a critical comeback at the Chase Stadium on Saturday. The 2 teams have experienced contrasting fortunes this season and will need to win this game.

Inter Miami vs New England Revolution Preview

The New England Revolution is currently in 14th place in the MLS Japan conference standings and has struggled over the past 12 months. The away team slumped to a damaging four-0 defeat at the arms of the Columbus team last week and could want to paint tough to get better in this fixture.

Inter Miami, then again, are at the pinnacle of the league desk in the meantime and are in fantastic form this season. The Herons defeated Toronto FC through a slender 1-zero margin in their previous sport and will appear to attain a comparable result this weekend.

Inter Miami vs New England Revolution Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• Inter Miami has a moderate aspect over New England Revolution and has won four out of the seven matches performed among the two teams, in place of New England Revolution’s 3 victories.
• Inter Miami has picked up 71 factors in MLS this season and could doubtlessly spoil New England Revolution’s record tally of 73 points in a single campaign with a victory this weekend.
• The New England Revolution has misplaced their remaining 5 matches away from home in all competitions and feature conceded a complete 15 dreams in these video games.
• The New England Revolution misplaced their preceding recreation with the aid of a four-zero margin—the 8th time they have lost a game through a margin of as minimum three desires this season.

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Inter Miami vs New England Revolution Prediction

Inter Miami have a stellar squad at their disposal and could doubtlessly set a Japanese convention record this weekend. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick for Argentina in the global ruin and is possibly to function alternatively on Saturday.

The New England Revolution has been in terrible shape this season and is in desperate need of a resurgence. Inter Miami is the better group at the moment and needs to be capable of winning this game.

Prediction: Inter Miami 4-1 New England Revolution

Inter Miami vs New England Revolution betting pointers

Tip 1: result: Inter Miami to win

Tip 2: recreation to have over 2.5 goals—sure

Tip 3: Inter Miami to attain first—sure

Tip 4: Lionel Messi to score or assist—sure

A fiercely contested competition between Barcelona and Real Madrid is continually a delight for fans internationally. The competition has best strengthened over time, with each club continuously pulling strings to secure the services of several first-class players. The excessive-octane stumble provides a palpable, nerve-wracking tension that is tough to match.

Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting moments that this historic feud has supplied for the start of the 21st century.

Ronaldinho’s Magic on the Bernabeu (2005)

The Brazilian is undeniably the most cherished footballer the world over. So, it wasn’t a wonder that an entire stadium in Madrid stood up and applauded his genius after he took apart the actual Madrid of their backyard. The El Clasico fixture returned in 2005 and changed into a celeb-studded affair, with Samuel Eto’o leading the rate for Barcelona until Ronaldinho stepped in, dribbled beyond defenders, and netted a pair of scintillating desires.

Barcelona won fixture three and the comeback is fondly remembered by Barcelona enthusiasts as Ronaldinho’s greatest showmanship.

Messi’s hat-trick on debut (2007)

Lionel Messi came to the birthday party with a performance of a lifetime. Although still finding his foot in the team, Messi unleashed himself on the pitch, and the real defenders were left and not using answers to his magical runs.

Having already scored goals in advance inside the suit, the Argentinian became brilliantly installed for the third goal. Actual had been leading 3-2 but the then-19-12 months-vintage ran past the opposition’s protective line to net his 1/3 purpose on the night. It was the first of many milestones that Messi has crossed in his glittering career with the Blaugrana.

Actual’s 5-0 thrashing at Camp Nou (2010)

‘The Special One’ Jose Mourinho came to Real Madrid with a promise of turning in titles; however, a stern check in opposition to Barca at Camp Nou wasn’t the right start for the Portuguese manager. With Messi deployed as a fake 9, Guardiola orchestrated one of the most domineering performances in Barca’s records. Andres Iniesta, Xavi, and David Villa, at the side of Messi, were unstoppable, and notwithstanding actual boosting a side with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Sergio Ramos, the 5-0 humiliation became beyond restore.

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Ronaldo’s ‘Calma’ birthday celebration (2012)

Ronaldo’s iconic celebration became even more endearing, as it might powerfully seal the L.A. Liga name for real in 2012. Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid netted a total of 121 goals in the 2011/12 league marketing campaign.

Barcelona have been undefeated in fifty-four home video games and Los Blancos simply held an unmarried win in nine attempts towards Barcelona earlier than this. With Sami Khedira beginning the scoring, Barca equalized within the 72nd minute. However, it only took a minute to dissatisfy the Catalan giants, as Ronaldo scored the decider inside the 73rd minute. His celebration that followed validated in reality that he was present to make a distinction.

Gareth Bale’s iconic run inside the Copa Del Rey final (2014)

Real’s maximum high-priced signing in 2013 proved to be worth every penny as the Welshman performed an instrumental function in realizing Los Blanco’s dream of lifting the tenth ECU Cup. However, his most memorable moment came in the 2014 Copa Del Rey very last, when he outran Marc Bartra with his insane dash and brought every other name-prevailing purpose inside the 2013/14 season.

Today, no matter his shaky tenure on the Bernabeu, Bale is hailed as one of the most important elements that drove Real to Champions League glory after almost 12 years.

French football star Kylian Mbappe became the eye of a storm as he shot several controversial posts on his X handle, drawing the attention of the footballing community. 

The posts ranged from his footballing opinions, comparing Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, to his views on the Israel-Palentine conflict. Several posts apparently were promoting a cryptocurrency called ‘$MBAPPE’. 

It was later discovered that Mbappe’s official X account became an unfortunate victim to hackers. It even mentioned his Manchester United transfer tease. 

Kylian Mbappe Goes Viral For Wrong Reasons

The hack had Mbappé’s account shooting off multiple posts revolving around Manchester United, including his announcement that “Manchester is Red” and even praising a popular United fan account, @UTDTrey, as “the best account on ft (football Twitter).” When an X user asked whether Mbappe prefers a move to London, the hacked account wrote, “London is s*** bro.”

There was also a post in favour of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo over Argentina’s ace Lionel Messi, insulting the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. Mbappe tweeted, “Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest football player of all time. The midget [(Lionel Messi) is NOT my goat.”

According to some users, the cryptocurrency soared and declined within minutes. Some X users even questioned whether the posts from Mbappe’s account were the result of a genuine hack or if the star player was actually endorsing the crypto coin.

After the posts appeared on the social media platform, the market value of the tokens surged to tens of millions within minutes, although it collapsed back to zero. According to several reports, a user purchased around $286 worth of tokens and sold them at the peak for a profit of about $200,000.

The posts from Mbappe’s account have since been deleted. 

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Mbappé has currently become the talking point after failing to score for Real Madrid. He recently joined the Spanish club in the summer of 2024 after years of speculation and has not got the start that was expected of him. 

After scoring on his competitive debut in the UEFA Super Cup, the French captain has struggled to find momentum during his initial days at the Santiago Bernabéu. The hacking incident only adds to the ongoing challenges he faces as he seeks to establish himself as a crucial player for Real Madrid. 

Often revered as one of the most prominent and popular sports in the world, football enjoys a viewership of billions throughout the world. The action-packed games, thrilling rivalries and prominent players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Lionel Messi and many others, have played a major role in elevating the stature of football as a highly competitive and professional sport at a global level. Additionally, with the inclusion of intensely competitive leagues and tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga, the sport’s popularity has transcended to unprecedented heights in the past few decades. 

While the game of football is often acknowledged by the fans for its fuming rivalries and ever-growing competitive spirit, the game is also hailed as a pioneer in the sporting arena for its remarkable records. Although most football aficionados know about numerous stellar mainstream records smashed by their favorite stalwarts, there are numerous records that were established by legendary football players in the past and have still not been surpassed by any football player in the world. 

In this article, we will take a closer look at the top five insane records in the world of football that have never been surpassed and possess high chances of never being broken in the future.

• The Lightspeed Hat Trick 

While the illustrious past of football has witnessed numerous hat tricks being smashed by iconic footballers, the record for fastest hat trick has been established by Alex Torr while playing for Rawson Spring. Alex Torr, the then-twenty-year-old center forward, smashed a thrilling hat-trick at breakneck speed against Gardens in a mere seventy-second time span. Alex Torr’s stellar triple attack against Gadems not only uplifted the morale of his squad members but also assisted the Rawson Spring in clinching the match by a brilliant 7-1 margin. The incredible performance by Alex Torr, which made him strike three goals in a time span of 70 seconds, established him as a highly competitive and one of the most reliable forwards in the squad. 

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• The Highest Number of Red Cards 

Unfortunately, not all records established are commemorated in the world of records. Gerardo Bedoya holds one such record for obtaining the highest number of red cards in his playing career. Former Colombian footballer and current manager, Gerardo Alberto Bedoya Múnera, who played as a defender, was sent back from the field maximum times after receiving a red card for an unbelievable forty-six times. Often hailed as ‘the beast’ of the football field, he started off his youth football career with Envigado and represented senior clubs including Deportivo Pereira, Deportivo Cali, Racing Club, Boca Juniors, Colon, Puebla, Cúcuta Deportivo, Millonarios, and Santa Fe. Gerardo Bedoya received the highest number of red cards, i.e., 14 during his stint with Deportivo Cali (1998–2001, 2003).

• The Highest Number of Goals Scored by a Goalkeeper 

Although goalkeepers are generally restricted to the penalty area of their own team and don’t actively involve themselves in scoring goals for their team, a few goalkeepers in history have been trendsetters for scoring match-winning goals for their respective teams. The Brazilian goalkeeper, Rogerio Ceni, holds the record for smashing the highest number of goals in the world. In a flourishing football career spanning over 25 years, with a phenomenal total of 129 goals, Rogerio Ceni scored his 100th goal on August 4, 2011, assisting his Sao Paulo squad to a remarkable 3-0 victory. Moreover, Rogerio Ceni has also been acknowledged by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics for being the goalkeeper to have scored the highest number of goals in the history of the sport. 

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• The Highest Number of FIFA World Cup Appearances 

The FIFA World Cup, also simply called “the World Cup”, is often hailed as the greatest football league in the world. While numerous football players have garnered enormous fame with their record-breaking performances at the FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi is also recognized as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) for holding the record for the highest number of appearances. Representing the Argentina squad, the legendary footballer, Lionel Messi, has appeared in a total of 26 World Cup matches. Although footballers, including Lothar Matthäus and Miroslav Klose, are quite close to matching up Messi’s record for the highest number of appearances in the FIFA World Cup, no football player has been able to actually surpass Messi’s record till date. 

• The Highest Number of International Goals 

While goals in all sports are commemorated in the game of football by the fans with the same exuberance, international goals add another wave of excitement among the fans throughout the world. Cristiano Ronaldo, the stalwart of football, holds the record for scoring the highest number of international goals in his illustrious football career so far. Representing the Portugal squad, Ronaldo has scored a phenomenal total of 128 international goals, leading the Portugal side to numerous victories. While other iconic football players, including Sunil Chhetri, Lionel Messi, and Ali Daei, are often considered to be in the same race, not even one football player has been able to beat the legendary Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo at smashing the highest number of international goals so far. 

Argentina’s star footballer, Lionel Messi, is celebrating his 37th birthday today. Argentina’s legendary footballer, Lionel Messi, is often called the greatest footballer of all time. Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. But no one had thought that this child would one day become the uncrowned king of the football world.

Record for Most Goals in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage

This legendary Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi, also holds the record for scoring the most goals in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Lionel Messi has scored a total of 80 goals in the Champions League group stage so far.

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Record for Most Goals in a Calendar Year

This legendary Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi, scored a total of 91 goals for his club. This record of scoring the most goals in a calendar year still stands today. At that time in the year 2024, Lionel Messi scored 672 goals while playing for his club Barcelona, ​​while he scored a total of 108 goals while playing for Argentina.

El Clásico Hat-Trick 

Early in Messi’s career, an important event happened. He played in El Clásico, the biggest rivalry in Spanish football, against Real Madrid, his bitterest opponent, at the age of barely 19. Despite the strain, Messi performed brilliantly and scored a hat-trick. With his signature dribbling, he slipped by defenders, leaving them clutching for air. With this performance, he made his debut as a worldwide superstar.

Copa America Glory

International achievement missed Messi for a considerable amount of time. But in 2021, he eventually led Argentina to Copa America success, bringing an end to the national team’s 28-year trophy drought.  His strategic playmaking, inspirational leadership, and game-winning goals were key components of Argentina’s triumph during the tournament. His critics who doubted his dedication to the national team were slowed by this victory.

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Magical Free-Kick vs. Real Betis

Messi’s brilliance remained even in his more experienced years. He curled a free-kick over the wall in a La Liga encounter against Real Betis with such accuracy and perfection that it left the goalkeeper still on the spot. The Betis supporters gave the goal a standing ovation in recognition of its bravery and genius-a rare display of praise from the supporters of a rival team.

2022 World Cup Triumph 

In 2022, the grand prize was delivered. Messi led Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar.  He showed his leadership and experience throughout the competition, punctuated with moments of individual excellence. He made his name in World Cup history with two goals and the conversion of a key penalty in the final against France. His reputation as the best player of his generation and possibly all time was confirmed by his achievements.

A legend, an inspiration, and a true leader – Sunil Chhetri is a national hero. Chhetri’s journey from a young boy with a passion for the sport to the most decorated player in Indian football history is inspirational. Sunil Chettri will play his last game for the FIFA World Cup’s qualifying match against Kuwait on June 6. 

7 Unknown Facts About Sunil Chhetri You Didn’t Know

• Love Marriage

Sunil Chhetri has Married his childhood love, Sonam Bhattacharya, who is the daughter of his coach Subrata Bhattacharya. Both got married in 2017 and last year they welcomed a son – Dhruv.

• Third-Highest Goal Scorer

After Cristiano Ronaldo (128) and Lionel Messi (108), Sunil Chhetri (93) is the most active international goalscorer in the world. Chhetri sits proudly as the third-highest active international goalscorer in the world.

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• Almost a Premier League Player

Destiny had other plans, but Chhetri did have a shot at playing in the prestigious English Premier League. He had trials with Coventry Rangers and Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in the late 2000s. Unfortunately, work permit restrictions due to India’s FIFA ranking at that time prevented him from securing a permanent position.

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• The Khel Ratna Award

In 2021, Sunil Chhetri became the only footballer to be conferred the prestigious Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honor. This recognition stands as a testament to his exceptional contribution to Indian football.

• Musical Influence

Many might not know that Chhetri is a big fan of music. He is particularly fond of Nepali folk music and often finds inspiration in its melodies.

• Charity Work

Beyond the field, Chhetri is actively involved in social work. He established the “Sunil Chhetri Foundation,” which works towards promoting and developing football amongst underprivileged children in India.

• Diet Dedication

He wasn’t always health-conscious, but playing for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal turned him into a near-vegan who avoids sweets.