The G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time)

Image Credit: https://www.skysports.com 

By: Vyom Dixit 

On October 6, 2026, Lionel Messi — widely regarded as the greatest football player ever — played his last ever international game against Benin.

I will always remember the first time I saw Messi play. I was seven years old and wanted to watch a basketball game but we were unable to. Instead, my dad decided to switch to highlights of a recent FC Barcelona game. I saw Messi dribble through an entire defense and score an incredible goal.

Background, History, and Early Childhood

Born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, Messi would play football with his two older brothers and friends. He started playing thanks to his late grandmother. When Messi would score, his signature celebration would be pointing at the sky to his grandmother. At the age of eight, he was recruited to play for the local club, Newell’s Old Boys. He played there for six years and was incredibly successful, even considered a prodigy. Unfortunately, during his time there, Messi was diagnosed with a Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) which would stop his natural growth and threaten his football career. The treatment was $900 a month and his family couldn’t afford it. Barcelona, the club recruiting him, thankfully stepped in and agreed to pay for the treatment. Thus, Messi was able to reach a height of 5 feet and 7 inches, allowing him to develop physically into a professional athlete. In December of 2000, Messi joined the Barcelona academy, also known as La Masia, at the age of 13. 

Football Career

Messi made his debut for the FC Barcelona first team in a friendly game against Porto on November 16th, 2003, and his LaLiga (the top level Spanish domestic league) debut on October 16th, 2004 against the club, Espanyol. He played 17 seasons with Barcelona. During his time there, he won ten LaLiga titles, seven Copa del Reys, seven Supercopa de Españas, four Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions Leagues, three UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups. As for individual awards, he won the Ballon d’Or six with Barcelona — eight times in total — in the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019. 

Unfortunately, in 2021, Messi had to leave Barcelona due to financial issues. He went to the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and teamed up with his former Barcelona teammate Neymar Jr. and global star Kylian Mbappé. He was there for two seasons and won two Ligue 1 titles (top tier French domestic league) along with his seventh Ballon d’Or in 2021. 

In the summer of 2023, Messi transferred to Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami  though they were not the only club that wanted him. Before signing with Inter Miami, Messi declined a €1.4 billion offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal because he wanted his family to live in the US. Messi’s contract ends in December of 2028 and so far he has won the Leagues Cup, the MLS Supporters’ Shield, the MLS Cup, and the Campeones Cup. He also won an eighth Ballon d’Or with them in 2023.

Though Messi’s club career was nothing short of an amazing run, his international career had a rough start. In the Copa América, an international tournament with South American and North American countries, Messi lost the final in 2007, 2015, and 2016. It wasn’t any better in the FIFA World Cup either. In 2014, he carried Argentina to the final but lost to Germany 1-0. He did end up winning the Golden Ball which is given to the best player of the tournament. The lowest point of Lionel Messi’s international career arrived not just with defeats, but with the pressure and shaming from fans ultimately forcing him to retire from the national team. He did eventually come back but the disappointment did not end in the 2018 World Cup. Argentina ended up losing to France in the round of 16. It felt like the nail in the coffin but Messi didn’t give up. Three years later, Argentina played Brazil in the Copa América final and won 1-0.  Argentina played the UEFA Euros winner, Italy, in the Finalissma in the following year and won the game 3-0. Later in the year was the 2022 World Cup and things were not looking bright for Argentina from the start. They lost to Saudi Arabia in their first game which was completely unexpected. Thankfully, the team was able to bounce back and beat France in the final. Messi had finally done it! He won the World Cup! He even won the Golden Ball, making history as the only player to win it twice. 

It is going to be hard to see Argentina play without Lionel Messi. We’ll never see him play in a World Cup or a Copa América tournament again. International football will dearly miss him. He brought hope to a nation who thought they wouldn’t win anything for a long time. Messi is a big reason many fans support the Argentinian national team. In club football, it’s the same case with Barcelona. Thankfully, we’ll still see him play at the club level. Congrats to a fantastic international football career for Lionel Messi.