Lionel Messi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Messi made his competitive debut for Barcelona at age 17 in 2004. He gradually established himself as an integral player, and during his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09 he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. This resulted in Messi winning the first of four consecutive Ballons d'Or, and by the 2011–12 season he had set the European record for most goals in a season and established himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. During the 2014–15 season, where he became the all-time top scorer in La Liga, he led Barcelona to a historic second treble, earning his fifth Ballon d'Or. Messi was named Barcelona's captain in 2018. While playing for the club, he won a club-record 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. Financial difficulties at Barcelona forced Messi to depart in 2021 and sign with Paris Saint-Germain. During the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season, he registered 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 matches, helping PSG win the Ligue 1 title for the second time since he signed with the club. He joined MLS club Inter Miami in 2023 and led them to their first MLS Cup victory in 2025, while also winning back-to-back league MVP awards in 2024 and 2025.

In Their Own Story

With Argentina, Messi is the national team's all-time leading goalscorer (125) and most-capped player (207). Several years after his senior debut in 2005, he won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Assuming captaincy in 2011, he led Argentina to three consecutive finals in the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa América, and the Copa América Centenario, all of which they lost. He subsequently announced his retirement from international football in 2016, though returned soon after. The 2020s marked the most successful period of Messi's international career. He was central to Argentina winning the 2021 Copa América before leading them to victory at the 2022 World Cup, where he became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice. He claimed his third major international title when Argentina won the 2024 Copa América. At the 2026 World Cup, Messi led his country to a second consecutive World Cup final, winning his second consecutive Silver Boot and the Silver Ball.

Reader's Guide

Messi has been sponsored by the sportswear company Adidas since 2006. He was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019 and 2022, and was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, 2012, and 2023. In 2020 and 2023, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, the first team-sport athlete to win the award. In 2020, Messi became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. In 2026, he appeared on The World's Billionaires list for the first time with a net worth of $1.1 billion. Following his arrival and impact on football in the United States, Messi was named Time's Athlete of the Year in 2023, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US president Joe Biden in 2025.

Did You Know?

• Messi scored almost 500 goals during his six years playing for Newell's Old Boys youth team.
• At age 10, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency; his father's health insurance covered only two years of the therapy, which cost at least 1,000 pesos per month.
• Carles Rexach wrote Messi's first Barcelona contract on a paper napkin on 14 December 2000.
• Messi's maternal grandmother Celia, who accompanied him to training and matches, died shortly before his eleventh birthday; he celebrates goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute to her.
• Messi has a general understanding of English but cannot speak it fluently, and has expressed regret for refusing to learn the language during his childhood.

The Rebranding and Cover Art Controversy

EA Sports FC 24 marked a historic shift as the inaugural title of the EA Sports FC series, ending Electronic Arts' long-standing partnership with FIFA. Released in September 2023 across multiple platforms, this thirty-first installment introduced significant changes to its visual identity. The Standard Edition featured Erling Haaland, while the Ultimate Edition adopted an artistic approach inspired by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album, showcasing thirty-one global icons including Pelé and Zinedine Zidane. However, this ambitious cover art sparked immediate backlash from fans regarding the poor resemblance of several figures to their real-life counterparts. Critics noted unintentionally humorous distortions, particularly Andrea Pirlo's depiction, which led to jokes about his appearance resembling a Hobbit. Electronic Arts responded by acknowledging the complexity of securing approvals for so many players and kits, promising improvements to in-game likenesses based on player feedback.

Technological Advancements with HyperMotion V

A cornerstone of EA Sports FC 24 is HyperMotion V technology, touted as the most significant leap forward since its introduction in FIFA 22. This system relies on volumetric data captured from 180 professional matches involving English and Spanish men's and women's teams. By utilizing cameras positioned around stadiums to record all players simultaneously, developers trained proprietary machine learning algorithms to replicate realistic movement patterns and ball physics. The technology also incorporated data from StretchSense gloves worn by outfield players to refine hand movements during gameplay. Furthermore, the AcceleRATE feature was upgraded to version 2.0, expanding acceleration archetypes from three to seven distinct types. These enhancements ensure that in-game figures move with greater fidelity to their real-world counterparts, though these specific features remain exclusive to next-generation consoles and PC versions of the game.

PlayStyles and the Evolution of Ultimate Team

The introduction of PlayStyles represents a major evolution in how player uniqueness is represented within the simulation. Optimized using data from Opta Sports, this system categorizes thirty-four distinct styles across six roles, such as scoring, passing, and defending, with elite players receiving enhanced PlayStyles+ attributes. This feature replaced previous position modifiers to enforce more realistic squad building alongside an upgraded chemistry system. Simultaneously, the Ultimate Team mode underwent a rebranding by dropping the FIFA prefix and introducing Evolutions, allowing gamers to upgrade specific player cards with stat boosts. A historic milestone was achieved with the inclusion of women's footballers in Ultimate Team for the first time, enabling mixed-gender squads featuring stars like Alexia Putellas. The Icons and Heroes categories also expanded to honor female legends such as Mia Hamm and Nadine Keßler, while a new Women's Team of the Year voting system was established alongside the traditional men's selection.

Legacy and Inclusivity in Game Modes

Beyond its core mechanics, EA Sports FC 24 has made strides in inclusivity and connectivity across various game modes. The Clubs and VOLTA Football sections received graphical updates and expanded options, most notably introducing cross-platform play for users on same-generation consoles to broaden the competitive pool. This technical improvement allows friends on different hardware within the same console generation to compete together seamlessly. The integration of women's football into previously male-exclusive spaces signifies a broader cultural shift within the franchise. By allowing female players like Alexia Putellas to share the pitch with men in Ultimate Team and honoring retired women's legends through new Icon cards, the game acknowledges the growing prominence of the sport globally. These changes reflect a commitment to representing the full spectrum of modern football, ensuring that both current stars and historical figures from all genders are celebrated within the digital ecosystem.