Lionel Messi is poised to begin the next chapter of his iconic career as he gears up for his grand arrival in Miami this weekend.
Messi, regarded by many as the greatest player in soccer history, is set to be unveiled by Inter Miami on Sunday after waving goodbye to French team Paris Saint-Germain and signing with David Beckham‘s franchise.
For Beckham and Miami, there are few bigger stars on the planet they could have attracted to Florida than the Argentine, who has claimed a record seven Ballon d’Or awards along with every major trophy there is to win at club and international level.
Most of those prizes came during his legendary stint with Barcelona, where he scored an eye-watering 672 goals in 778 appearances to help the Spanish club win 10 league championships and four Champions League titles.
Messi shattered record after record at Barca, becoming their all-time leading scorer at the age of just 24 – and going on to score almost three times as many goals as previous holder Cesar Rodriguez (232) – while registering the most goals in a calendar year for club and country with an astonishing 91 in 2012.
Lionel Messi is poised to begin the next chapter of his iconic career as he prepares for his grand arrival in Miami this weekend
The Argentine, arguably soccer’s greatest ever player, is due to be unveiled by Inter Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain
Ahead of his high-profile move to MLS this summer, Mail Sport has taken a look at back at Messi’s greatest ever moments
And following a long and, at times, frustrating international career with Argentina, he finally led his country to glory by winning the Copa America in 2021, before going one better and captaining them to a first World Cup since 1986 last December.
Since joining PSG two years ago, Messi has not lived up to his typically-freakish standards in club soccer, producing just 32 goals in 75 games and failing to get past the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
Nevertheless, despite his recent woes there is no disputing the caliber of player Miami will be welcoming to the DRV PNK Stadium this weekend.
And ahead of his Inter unveiling, Mail Sport has found the best images of Messi’s illustrious career.
Messi’s first outing for Barcelona was a friendly against Jose Mourinho’s Porto in November 2003, but his competitive debut came away to local rivals Espanyol in LaLiga on October 16, 2004. He replaced Deco in the 81st minute and left an immediate impression by coming close with a header and ripping a hole in Espanyol’s defense with lightning quick dribbles
His first goal for Barca came against Albacete on May 1, 2005. The Catalans had already been crowned LaLiga champions and his debut goal at the Nou Camp added yet more festivities to a party atmosphere. And what a goal it was too: Ronaldinho served the then 17-year-old with a sumptuous through ball which Messi calmly lobbed over the keeper to score
After breaking into Barca’s first team at 17 and dazzling fans early on, Messi was named Golden Boy – the award for best young player in Europe – in December 2005. It was already clear at this stage that the Spanish club had a special talent on their hands. Pictured: Messi with Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldinho (left) and World Team of the Year nominee Samuel Eto’o (right)
Three months after registering his first international goal, Messi introduced himself on the big stage in 2006 by marking his World Cup debut with a late goal in Argentina’s 6-0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro. In doing so, the 18-year-old became his country’s youngest-ever player at a World Cup, as well as the sixth-youngest scorer in the competition’s history
Messi’s first club hat-trick for Barcelona came against none other than bitter rival Real Madrid in March 2007. In just his third El Clasico appearance, he produced three stunning strikes to earn Frank Rijkaard’s team a 3-3 draw with Los Blancos. More importantly, though, it was a sign of things to come for Messi in soccer’s most iconic fixture over the next 14 years
In April 2007, Messi confirmed his greatness with a mesmerizing run from the halfway line to score in a 5-2 Copa del Rey win over Getafe. The goal was remarkably similar to Diego Maradona’s strike in the 1986 World Cup against England, with Messi going to ground before providing the final touch
Barcelona initially banned Messi from representing Argentina at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, only for new Catalans boss Pep Guardiola to step in and allow him to participate. In a star-studded team, also featuring Sergio Aguero (right), Argentina won every match on their way to securing gold medals
The 2009 Champions League final was billed as a battle between Ballon d’Or incumbent Cristiano Ronaldo and challenger Messi as his Barcelona side took on Manchester United – and the man nicknamed ‘La Pulga’ (the atomic flea) lived up to his name by flying into the air to score a towering header and clinch victory for Guardiola’s side
Despite earning a winner’s medal when Barca beat Arsenal in the 2006 final, having not played a part from the quarterfinals onwards due to injury, Messi sealed his first true Champions League triumph three years later in Rome, where he held the trophy aloft with teammate Andres Iniesta (right). After inspiring their final victory over United, many felt he had surpassed Ronaldo as the best player on the planet
And to cement his status as the world’s best player, Messi picked up the first of his record seven Ballon d’Or awards in December of that year. The Barca superstar edged out Ronaldo and two of his club teammates, Iniesta and Xavi, to his first gong. Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o, who left the Nou Camp earlier that year, came in at fifth
Fast forward 16 months and we arrive at one of Messi’s most famous Champions League goals, coming in their 2011 semifinal win over El Clasico foes Real Madrid. After playing a quick one-two with Sergio Busquets just inside Madrid’s half, Messi burst away from Lassana Diarra and drove towards the area, before skipping past three defenders and tucking the ball past Iker Casillas to seal a 2-0 victory for Barca at the Bernabeu. They went on to reach the final after a 1-1 tie in the second leg
In that season’s final, the Rosario boy was on the scoresheet as Guardiola’s men cruised past Man United at London’s Wembley Stadium and swept up their second European crown in three years. Many regard Barca’s Class of 2011 as one of the greatest teams to ever grace the sport, and Messi was its focal point – scoring 53 goals in 55 games
Later that year Messi received the ultimate honor when he was chosen to lead his country, with new manager Alejandro Sabella selecting him as Argentina’s captain after a dismal 2011 Copa America campaign. He replaced Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano as skipper, despite drawing criticism for his own performances at the tournament
In 2011-12, Messi enjoyed the most prolific season in history by scoring 73 goals in 60 outings, although his record tally failed to inspire Barcelona to success in both LaLiga and Europe. He also scored an incredible 91 goals for club and country in 2012, which remains the record for a European calendar year after shattering Gerd Muller’s count of 85 in 1972. And if that wasn’t enough, he also became Barca’s all-time record scorer at the age of 24. What a year
Somehow, records were still there to be broken by the Argentina and Barca captain, who etched his name even further into the Spanish history books by becoming LaLiga’s all-time leading scorer in November 2014. Messi produced yet another hat-trick against Sevilla to surpass Telmo Zarra’s record of 251 goals
Messi formed a dream partnership with Luis Suarez (left) and Neymar (right) in the 2014-15 campaign, with the trio proving unplayable as they fired Barca to another treble, scoring a remarkable 122 goals between them in all competitions. While Messi failed to score in the Champions League final against Juventus, his Uruguayan and Brazilian strike partners were on target in an emphatic 3-1 win
Madrid were used to being tormented by Messi by the time of a crunch fixture with Barcelona in April 2017. The Argentine had the final say against his old enemy yet again with a last-minute winner in Barca’s 3-2 victory and, in a rare display of egoism, took off his shirt and displayed it to the baying Bernabeu crowd. But after a moment like that, could you blame him?
Ever since the Portugal superstar claimed it in 2008, Messi and great rival Ronaldo enjoyed a decade-long stranglehold on the Ballon d’Or award, winning five each within that timeframe. However, after Luka Modric ended their dominance in 2018, Messi went on to claim a record sixth prize in 2019. He would increase that lead in the history books by winning a seventh in 2021
For all his success at club level, one stick to beat Messi with throughout his career was his lack of success with Argentina. Ronaldo advocates often pointed to his failure to win silverware on the international scene as a reason why their man, who captained Portugal to the European Championship in 2016, was superior. But in 2021 Messi ticked the final box on his otherwise-flawless CV by inspiring their 2021 Copa America triumph – ensuring he would leave no stone unturned
That summer he then bid an emotional farewell to Barcelona after close to two decades at the Nou Camp, after being somewhat forced out of his boyhood club due to their financial difficulties. He came close to returning to his beloved club – where he won 10 LaLiga trophies as well as four Champions League titles – this summer but a move was not feasible
Messi’s next destination was the French capital, where he put pen to paper on a lucrative contract with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine went on to win two league titles with the French powerhouse but no Champions League titles
If the Copa America win made it even more fascinating, in December of last year Messi arguably put the age-old Ronaldo debate to bed once and for all by captaining Argentina to the ultimate prize – the World Cup. The PSG forward scored five goals in the knockout stages out in Qatar, including two in their dramatic final victory over France
After finally getting his hands on soccer’s biggest trophy in Qatar at the fifth time of asking, Messi heads to Miami this summer with his legacy fully complete. The next challenge for him is to resurrect a faltering franchise who currently sit rock bottom of the Eastern Conference…
