FIFA honours Inter Miami, Argentina superstar Messi, on his 38th birthday
FIFA
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Diego Maradona and Messi both made their Argentina debuts against Hungary, coming off the bench in the 62nd and 63rd minutes respectively. ‘La Pulga Atomica’ was sent off just two minutes into his bow.
When Messi first scored for Argentina…
- Twitter and iPhones didn’t exist. Facebook was effectively only accessible to North American students.
- The Big Bang Theory, Ugly Betty, Dexter and Keeping Up with the Kardashians had yet to hit TV screens.
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- Novak Djokovic had yet to win an ATP title and was ranked 63rd in the world.
- We Belong Together by Mariah Carey, Gold Digger by Kanye West, Sorry by Madonna and Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield were flying high on singles’ charts across the globe.
- Pluto was the solar system’s ninth planet. It was reclassified as a dwarf planet months later.
- Momiji Nishiya and Rayssa Leal, who seized gold and silver in women’s street skating at Tokyo 2020, were not even born.
- Brokeback Mountain, Crash, King Kong and Memoirs of a Geisha had just won a joint-high three awards at the Oscars.
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The blinding big-stage intro
Messi was sent on for his World Cup debut in the 76th minute against Serbia and Montenegro at Germany 2006. Within three minutes he’d set up Hernan Crespo to score and 10 minutes later he slotted home to seal a 6-0 victory – Argentina’s joint-biggest in the competition.
Lionel Messi Goal 88′ | Argentina vs Serbia and Montenegro | 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™
Watch every single goal from the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™.
Youngest scorers in World Cup history
1st) Pele – 17 years & 239 days 2nd) Manuel Rosas – 18 years & 93 days 3rd) Gavi – 18 years & 110 days 4th) Michael Owen – 18 years & 190 days 5th) Nicolae Kovacs – 18 years & 197 days 6th) Dmitri Sychev – 18 years & 231 days 7th) Lionel Messi – 18 years & 357 days 8th) Julian Green – 19 years & 25 days 9th) Divock Origi – 19 years & 65 days 10th) Martin Hoffmann – 19 years & 88 days
Top five golazos
Mexico Copa America 2007 There are chips, there are incredible chips and then there’s Messi’s masterpiece. The elevation was truly mind-blowing. It helped Argentina reach the final.
¡MAGIA PURA! 🙌
Leo Messi 🇦🇷 frotaba la lámpara y metía este golazo para @Argentina en la victoria sobre México en la CONMEBOL #CopaAmérica 🏆 de 2007 #VibraElContinente pic.twitter.com/ToBdGEvkmv— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) June 9, 2021
Brazil International friendly, 2012 In the 84th minute of an engrossing East Rutherford clash, Messi collected the ball, pinned to the right touchline, with Marcelo pouncing. The Argentinian somehow conned his adversary, carried the ball north-west and, from just outside the box, fizzed an impeccable curler into the top corner to seal his hat-trick and a 4-3 win. It was nominated for that year’s FIFA Puskás Award.
¡A 9 AÑOS DE ESTA OBRA DE ARTE DE MESSI! 🇦🇷⚽️🤩
Un día como hoy pero de 2012, la Selección se quedó con un partidazo frente a Brasil, con esta joya de Leo sobre el final. Fue 4-3 en Estados Unidos. pic.twitter.com/b1t7Rlm4gt— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) June 9, 2021
Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil 2014 Messi picked up possession near the centre-circle, shimmied Muhamed Besic and set off. He then played a one-two with Gonzalo Higuain, exquisitely slalomed around Ermin Bicakcic and produced a supreme, low finish from just outside the penalty area that went in off the post and, ultimately, earned Argentina a 2-1 victory in their opener.
Lionel Messi Goal 64′ | Argentina v Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™
Watch every single goal from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.
IR Iran Brazil 2014 The deadlock was intact when the ball fell to Messi in injury time. Minimal danger seemed apparent but he instantly shifted the ball to his left and produced a sensational strike from distance.
Lionel Messi Goal 90′ | Argentina v IR Iran | 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™
Watch every single goal from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.
Nigeria Russia 2018 The movement; the imaginative, exceptional, first-time control on his thigh, the palatial second touch to ward off Kenneth Omeruo; the dynamic finish… hypothetically, would any other player in football history have scored that goal? Messi did it to help snatch a 2-1 victory in a win-or-bust game for Argentina.
Lionel Messi Goal 14′ | Nigeria v Argentina | 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™
Watch every single goal from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.
The long wait
Messi propelled Argentina to FIFA U-20 World Cup™ and Men’s Olympic Football Tournament glory, but had to wait 16 years for his first senior international title. After finishing a runner-up thrice at the Copa America and once at the World Cup, the Rosario native helped La Albiceleste conquer South America in July.
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Stats
Pele reigned as South America’s outright leading international marksman for 59 years – he outranked Ademir de Menezes, who hit 32 goals for Brazil – until Messi broke his record in 2021.
Most goals in one calendar year for Argentina Lionel Messi – 18 goals in 14 games in 2022 Lionel Messi – 12 goals in 9 games in 2012 Gabriel Batistuta – 12 goals in 12 games in 1998 Lautaro Martinez – 11 goals in 16 games in 2024 Antonio Angelillo – 10 goals in 9 games in 1957 Sergio Aguero – 10 goals in 10 games in 2015
Quotes
“They once said you could only stop me with a pistol. Today you need a machine gun to stop Messi.” Hristo Stoichkov “When I met Messi I reached out and touched him. I needed to make sure he was human like the rest of us.” Gigi Buffon “When I look back on my career, the most enjoyable thing was seeing the early years of Leo Messi. When he retires, football – not just Barcelona – should retire the No10 shirt.” Ronaldinho
“I think he reached and surpassed the level of Maradona. He does incredible things, at a speed that is insane.” Paolo Maldini “Although he may not be human, it’s good that Messi still thinks he is.” Javier Mascherano “For me, watching Messi play is a pleasure is like having an orgasm. It’s an incredible pleasure.” Luis Figo
Top-scoring men in World Cup history
Miroslav Klose (16 goals in 24 games) Ronaldo (15 in 19) Gerd Muller (14 in 13) Just Fontaine (13 in 6) Lionel Messi (13 in 26) Pele (12 in 14) Sandor Kocsis (11 in 5) Jurgen Klinsmann (11 in 17) Helmut Rahn (10 in 10) Gabriel Batistuta (10 in 12) Gary Lineker (10 in 12) Teofilo Cubillas (10 in 13) Thomas Muller (10 in 19) Grzegorz Lato (10 in 20)
Messimania hits Miami
Around 20,000 fans braved storms in south Florida to witness Messi’s unveiling as an Inter Miami CF player in 2023. NFL legend Tom Brady and NBA megastar Steph Curry were among the celebrities who sent video messages welcoming the sorcerer to ‘The Magic City’.
Soak it in, Leo Messi.
The warmest of welcomes to @InterMiamiCF. pic.twitter.com/STzKSDrBGh— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 17, 2023
Messi hit 10 goals in eight Leagues Cup contests to inspire Inter to their first title months later. In the final, he scored their goal in a 1-1 draw and converted his spot-kick in a 22-penalty shootout. Messi then thrust the Herons to the Supporters’ Shield the following year.
MLS milestones
- Messi set a record for the most assists in a match in 2024: five against New York Red Bulls.
- His six goal contributions in the same fixture is also a record for a game.
- Messi astonishingly registered 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 appearances in 2024.
- ‘The Atomic Flea’ helped Inter Miami set a single-season points record of 74.
- Messi became the fastest player to reach 40 MLS goal contributions earlier this year, doing so in just 26 appearances.
- Messi maintained his record of having never suffered group-stage elimination in his career at the FIFA Club World Cup™, leading Inter Miami through a group in which two-time European champions FC Porto were knocked out.
