If you don’t know about Lionel Andres Messi, you have no idea what a legend is. This man came from the poorest of families all the way to become one of the most known soccer player in the entire world. He is an idol to so many young soccer players. You have probably seen his name on the back of many kids’ jerseys.

Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. He grew up with his family and immediately his father recognized his ability to play soccer. He tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, not worrying about the size of the other boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-based club. Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth. Messi’s parents, Jorge and Ceclia, decided on a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved impossible to pay several hundred dollars per month for the medication. So at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi’s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain.
Although he was often homesick in his new country, Messi moved quickly through the junior system ranks, and by the age of 16, he made his first appearance for Barca. He scored his first goal on May 1, 2005, as the youngest player to ever score a goal for this team. The same year, he led the Argentinian national team to the title in the under-20 World Cup, scoring on a penalty kick shootout to propel the team over Nigeria.

Messi eventually grew to be 5 feet and 7 inches, and with his short stature, speed and relentless attacking style, he drew comparisons to another famous Argentinean soccer player, Diego Maradona, but that’s a whole other story. Messi steered Barcelona to a load of success, mostly in 2009, when the left-footer’s team captured the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. That same year after two consecutive runner-up finishes, he took home his first FIFA “World Player of the Year” honor/Ballon d’Or award. Even the great Maradona gushed about his fellow countryman. “I see him as very similar to me,” the retired player told the BBC. “He’s a leader and is offering lessons in beautiful football. He has something different to any other player in the world. Amazingly, the diminutive soccer player continued to impress, discovering new ways to elude defenders while leading FC Barcelona to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as the 2011 Champions League title. Messi embarked on an all-out assault on the record books in 2012. He became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match in early March, and a few weeks later he surpassed Cesar Rodriguez’s club-record 232 goals to become Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. Right now he has a little over 400 goals since he joined FCB (FC Barcelona). He has the most goals in all of La Liga now. Fittingly, he broke another record when he was named the FIFA Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth time in January 2013. Messi led team Argentina to the finals of the 2014 World Cup. Although his team lost to Germany, he was named best player of the tournament.

Almost universally regarded as the best player in the game, the boyish Messi has become the commercial face of soccer with endorsements from Adidas, Pepsi, EA Sports and Turkish Airways, among other companies. Having signed an extension with Barcelona that guarantees him a base salary of approximately $21 million per year through 2018, he is one of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Although he is famously quiet and private off the field, Messi has found ways to help out others in need. In 2007, he formed the Leo Messi Foundation to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youths. In early 2010, UNICEF named him a goodwill ambassador, with a focus on fighting for children’s rights across the globe. Messi became a father in November 2012, when his girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo, gave birth to their son, Thiago. Messi doesn’t just play soccer for himself or his club, he plays for something bigger. Almost every time Messi scores a goal he points his index fingers to the sky and looks up. “I am doing this because I dedicate my goals to my grandmother. She took to me to football but now she can’t see how far I have come. Nevertheless, she continues to help me and my family,” Messi explained.

Messi’s nickname is “The Flea.” People called him the flea because he was really small but also because he was very hard to catch. Whenever Barcelona is facing a team, expect the other team to focus really hard on Messi because whenever he has the ball almost nothing can stop him. He is the dribbling king, whenever a defender tries to get the ball Messi gets right past him and leaves the defender in the dust.

Messi is known for one other thing. He is known to be arch rivals with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid player, Cristiano, is the only other soccer player that has a chance to taking the throne away from Messi. What really surprises people is that Messi’s fame has not gone to his head. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has let it go into his head and he is crazy about the fame. He has an entire Museum just about him; he is always coming out acting like he is the best, kind of acting selfish. Messi doesn’t do stuff for himself; he does it for others such as his family and his fans.
So next time you see a Messi jersey remember, he is known to be the greatest soccer player of all time, he is kind and generous, he has hormone deficiency syndrome, and even though he has been through so much he keeps under control and never lets anything hold him back.