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[crowd cheering]
[upbeat music]
- [Narrator] Lionel Andres Messi,
considered the best player of all time
by not only football fans,
not only football pundits,
but by fellow professional footballers
and managers all around the world,
- He doesn't have the ball, it's unbelievable the character,
how he plays, how he work for the team,
He's one of the god of the football,
- [Narrator] He has won a record breaking six Ballon d'Ors,
six European Golden Boots, and holds the record
for most goals scored and assisted in La Liga,
- [Narrator] After an almost career-ending diagnosis
when he was just 11 years old,
Messi went against all the odds
and blew the world away with his incredible football skills,
- Statistics and history go out the window
the way he's playing,
- [Narrator] Witness the life and career
of one of the greatest players of all time,
and immerse yourself in the journey of Argentina's icon,
- [Narrator] This is the magician known as Lionel Messi,
[gentle music]
Born on the 24th of June, 1987,
Lionel Andres Messi was raised
in the football-loving city, Rosario, the largest city
in the Central Argentina province, Santa Fe,
Messi was brought up by his father,
a steel factory manager and part-time football coach,
and his mother, who worked
in a magnet manufacturing workshop,
His family were passionate about football,
frequently watching it every week
and getting involved with it every chance they could,
- Well, Messi was born into a football family,
Hid dad was a coach, and he was born in a football city,
Rosario, in Argentina, was one of the host cities
for the World Cup in 1978,
almost 10 years before Messi was born,
This is a city that loves the game,
and it's a family that loves the game,
that is steeped in the game through his father,
And, Lionel Messi, his first influence is through,
of course, his father's love of football,
but also his grandmother's willingness
to take him anywhere that football takes him
as he begins to make his way in the local football scene,
- [Narrator] Messi quickly developed
a passion for the sport, as he was surrounded by it 24/7,
He constantly played with his older brothers,
Rodrigo and Matias, and by the age of four
was determined to join a local team,
And sure enough, in 1991,
messi joined his first team, Grandoli,
which was coached by his father,
- His father, who is a coach,
takes him to the local club, Grandoli,
and looks after him there and influences his first steps
as a very young player,
four years old when he goes to Grandoli,
But, of course, Newell's Old Boys is a Rosario club
and the club that Messi has supported all his life,
And, you know, very quickly they become aware
of any emerging talents on their doorstep,
And little Lionel Messi is very much an emerging talent,
- [Narrator] Messi moved clubs when he was six years old,
joining the Newell's Old Boys,
a local club located in Rosario,
Here, he played for over six years,
developing his skills even more,
garnering more match experience
and surrounded himself with other future prospect players,
Whilst as Newell's, Messi was already showing off what type
of player he was going to become,
In the six years at the club,
he went on to score almost 500 goals
and became a member of The Machine of '87,
who were named that due to the fact
that they were the near unbeatable youth side
since their birth in 1987,
Audiences loved watching Messi play,
as he was not only scoring regularly,
he would also perform tricks at halftime,
- [Narrator] It seemed like his career in football
was going to blossom,
But at the age of 11, Messi received some news
that would put his professional football career at risk,
[somber music]
- He's an outstanding footballer, the best of his group,
Newell's Old Boys know all about him,
However, there comes an age when kids start to grow
and little boys shoot up,
Can never quite predict when that age will be,
But with Lionel Messi, it just didn't happen,
The problem for Lionel Messi is that it becomes apparent
by the age of 11 that he's not really growing at all,
and he's diagnosed with this growth hormone deficiency,
which casts his whole future into doubt,
- [Narrator] Messi underwent the treatment,
despite the fact that it cost his family
almost $1,000 a month,
During his treatment, he continued to play for Newell's,
putting in great performances every week,
But things were about to change for the young Lionel Messi,
- So Messi, at this stage, is still with Newell's,
he's still trying to tackle this problem
of will he grow enough to be a footballer,
Some people say, "He's never going to amount to anything,"
River Plate are interested in signing him as well,
But the family looked beyond that,
he has connections in Spain, in Catalonia,
And he ends up at the age of 13
having a trial with Barcelona,
And Barcelona immediately want to sign him,
- [Narrator] The Messi family traveled to Barcelona
after receiving the go-ahead for the trial,
Almost immediately during the trial,
Barcelona's first team director, Charly Rexach,
wanted to sign him, as he saw an instant talent,
But unfortunately, due to his age
and the fact he wasn't from Catalonia,
the board of directors were hesitant to bring him in,
- If you try and imagine,
the 13 year olds at a trial with Barcelona,
these are not the ordinary kids
that you and I play with on the street,
These are already the creme de la creme,
But when Lionel Messi walks into this trial,
nobody at Barcelona is under any illusions at all,
he is the cream of that already very, very exclusive club,
and they have to have him,
- [Narrator] A few months later, Barcelona were given
a final chance to sign the Argentine prodigy,
And on the 14th of December, Messi was offered his contract
which was written on a paper napkin,
Barcelona was his new home,
and in February 2001, the Messi family relocated
to an apartment in the city,
[gentle music]
[upbeat music]
Despite being signed to one of the biggest clubs in Europe,
Messi was finding it hard to integrate into the youth squad,
Due to the Spanish footballing law,
he was unable to play any games apart from friendlies
and Catalan league games,
Because of this, his relationship
with other teammates was almost nonexistent,
with some of them labeling him a mute,
On top of that, his mother moved back to Rosario
with his brothers and little sister,
leaving him with just his father,
causing him to feel constantly homesick,
Eventually, in 2002, Messi was enrolled
in the Royal Spanish Football Federation,
meaning he was now eligible to play in all competitions,
He had also befriended some of his junior teammates,
Those included Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique,
Now eligible to play in all competitions,
Messi displayed his true talent to all the Barcelona staff,
In that year, Messi became part of the youth team
known as the Baby Dream Team,
Barcelona greatest ever youth side,
During his first season in 2002, 2003,
Messi ended up the top scorer
with 36 goals in just 30 games,
Because of this phenomenal season for the Cadetes A,
Messi was getting recognized all over Europe,
In 2003, he received an offer
from Arsenal to join their team,
But despite the fantastic offer,
Messi decided he wanted to stay loyal to Barcelona,
The 2003, 2004 season
became an iconic season for Lionel Messi,
Within this season, he shot up the ranks,
debuting for a record five teams in a single campaign,
During this, he played for the Juveniles B,
Juveniles A, Barcelona C, and Barcelona B teams,
Because of this quick rise through the rankings,
players from the Barcelona A team were starting
to recognize him in training sessions
and insisted that he was given a chance in the first team,
- Before he'd even got into Barcelona's first team,
all the first teamers were aware of him,
There'd been this occasion where a lot of them were away
on an international break, and so they needed players
to come in and take part in first team training,
and Messi was one of those,
And Ludovic Giuly of the Barcelona,
French international player,
who was part of this training session,
tells this story about how this little kid
who is absolutely destroying people,
And grown men were being embarrassed
by this little 15, 16 year old kid on the training pitch,
and Frank Rijkaard could not ignore him,
And very, very quickly the Barcelona first team was saying,
"This boy has to be involved,"
[upbeat music]
And at that time, Ronaldinho was the man at Barcelona
and Ronaldinho saw Lionel Messi train,
and he picked him out as being the next Ronaldinho,
the next big thing for Barcelona,
and was insisting, more or less, that Lionel Messi
became part of the first team, seen at the club,
- [Narrator] Although Messi didn't officially play
for the A team in this season,
he did finish that campaign having scored
for four of his five teams with a total
of 36 goals in all official competitions,
Going into the 2004, 2005 season,
Messi finally made his debut for the Barcelona first team,
coming onto the field in the 82nd minute,
- So when he was 17 and three months old,
Lionel Messi became the youngest ever player
to play in Barcelona's first team,
coming on as a substitute against Espanyol,
And his first goal followed soon after,
Also the youngest player ever to score a goal
for Barcelona's first team against Albacete
at the end of that season, which finished in 2005,
[crowd cheering]
So now Lionel Messi, at he insistence of his teammates,
is in the Barcelona side,
- [Narrator] Messi clocked over 77 minutes
in just nine matches for the Barcelona team
during this season,
He was also a regular player for the B team,
and a key one as well,
But by the end of the season, it was clear
to both staff and fans that Messi was the next superstar
in the making, and was going to become a key player
inn the 2005, 2006 season,
[gentle music]
In the 2005, 2006 campaign,
Lionel Messi was a full-time first team player,
He had been fully promoted from the B team
and was training with the A team on a daily basis,
Within the first few games, Messi was blowing away fans
on both sides of the stadiums,
His skills were truly on show
and his abilities were becoming renowned everywhere he went,
- While still a teenager,
the world is taking note of Messi
and recognizing that he is
one of the greatest players already in the game
at this very tender age,
And what he has, I think,
is this incredible low center of gravity, such acceleration,
such tremendous pace, he can glide across the ground,
But he's also got an incredible physical strength which,
despite his size, you wouldn't imagine
that he could be as strong as he is,
But he is literally kicked from pillar to post,
game in, game out, and it doesn't seem to affect him,
He just gets back onto his feet
and dribbles around people again,
And it never seems to knock him,
- [Announcer] Here's the other two fullbacks,
Belletti and Van Bronckhorst,
Here's the youngest--
- [Announcer] Oh ho, look at that!
Poetic for Messi,
- And it's that kind of persistence
and incredible strength to go with the pace and skill,
which singles him out at this age
as being something really, really special,
- [Narrator] Messi was starring in some
of the biggest games Barcelona played in this season,
He played four games against their biggest rivals,
Real Madrid and La Liga,
and Chelsea in the semifinal of the Champions League,
Together with players like Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho,
Messi was easily becoming a key player for Barcelona,
and helped strengthening their attacking force,
But unfortunately, near the end of the season,
Messi suffered from a hamstring injury,
which would put him out of the first team completely,
meaning he would go on to miss the Champions League final
against Arsenal in Paris,
Messi was devastated by this,
so much that he didn't even celebrate their win,
something that he later came to regret,
[subdued music]
After fully recovering going into the 2006, 2007 season,
Barcelona were gradually declining in La Liga
and European tournaments,
but this didn't stop Messi's performance
and actually helped him top develop more as a player,
And despite the poor Barcelona form,
this was actually Messi's most groundbreaking season so far,
During this season, he went on to score 17 goals
in just 36 games across all competitions,
He also got his first hat trick for the club,
scoring against their closest rivals, Real Madrid,
in the Clasico match,
This hat trick meant that Messi was the first person
to score one in an El Clasico match in over 12 years,
- [Announcer] It's time for an equalizer for Barcelona,
That's what label Messi has him mind,
Messi takes everybody on, Messi has got it!
[crowd cheering]
This is the game that is gonna be remembered
as the Lionel Messi match,
- [Narrator] It was clear that Messi was becoming
an extremely important asset for the club,
and was actually being compared to his fellow countryman
and footballing legend, Diego Maradona,
This comparison was made clear to fans in April 2007,
when Messi went on to score
what could only be described as a Maradona-esque goal
against Getafe in the first leg
of the Copa del Ray's semifinals,
- There probably isn't a football fan in the world
that hasn't seen the Diego Maradona goal
against England in the World Cup quarter-final
of 1986 in Mexico,
when he runs from inside his own half of the field
pretty much through the whole England team
and glides around Peter Shilton
and tucks the ball into the back of the net,
- [Announcer] Maradona turns like a little eel
and comes away from trouble,
Little squat man comes inside Butcher, leaves him for dead,
Outside Fenwick, leaves him for dead,
and puts the ball away,
[crowd cheering loudly] And that is why Maradona is
the greatest player in the world!
- Absolutely certain that there's no Argentine
who hasn't seen that goal a countless number of times,
And, of course, Lionel Messi would have grown up
with that goal from the great Maradona,
So then, in the Copa del Ray against Getafe,
Messi picks the ball up inside his own half of the field,
I wonder at what point he realizes
that he's almost scoring the exact same goal,
because it is extraordinary,
from almost the same area of the pitch,
beating players in exactly the same way,
finishing in virtually the same way,
Lionel Messi replicates
one of the greatest goals we've ever seen,
- [Announcer] Messi, oh, brilliant skill from Lionel Messi,
[crowd cheering]
Surging forward with real menace here,
Brilliant from Messi,
oh, what a goal that is!
- [Narrator] This goal sent shock waves all over the world,
as it was not only a good goal,
it was a world-class goal
that could only be achieved by a few people,
[upbeat music]
Messi was being regarded as the best player in the world
and still at only the age of 19,
With Ronaldinho out of the squad in the following season,
he had become the star player for the squad,
At the 2007 Ballon d'Or,
Messi made the podium alongside Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo,
He unfortunately finished in the third spot,
but it was still an incredible achievement for him,
He also got nominated for FIFA World Player of the Year,
coming second again behind Kaka,
but beating Cristiano Ronaldo,
He had finally had a taste of what it was like
to be an award-winning player,
But his mission to becoming
the best player ever was still not over,
[gentle music]
Going into 2008, Barcelona were failing
to achieve any form of success,
Their past two seasons had seen them trophy-less,
and not even contenders for top position in La Liga,
Ronaldinho had dramatically lost all form
and was not even considered one of the best players
in the world anymore,
And on top of that, Rijkaard, the Barcelona manager
who had previously led Barcelona to win the league
two times in a row, had lost control of his team,
Things needed to change, and in 2009
Barcelona were appointed with their new manager,
the former Barcelona captain, Pep Guardiola,
Messi continued at the start
of this 2009 season to play on the wing,
During this first season under Guardiola,
Messi finally won his first Ballon d'Or
and FIFA World Player of the Year award,
winning the awards by the greatest voting margin
in each trophy's history,
But going into the 2010 season, Guardiola would go on
to change his role, a decision
that would actually make Messi the player
that he is known for today,
- I think when you have a player like Messi,
it's very difficult to tie down to one position,
But Rijkaard had mostly used him with Barcelona
on the right-hand side as a winger
with license to roam and cut inside,
And when Guardiola took over at Barcelona,
that's where Messi started off as well,
But it was Guardiola probably who had the vision
to see that maybe that was a position which restricted him,
And actually to get the Lionel Messi unleashed
he had to move him into the middle,
And that's what he did,
In all matches in the Clasico against Real Madrid,
Messi pops up as a kind of a false nine position,
And suddenly we see that Messi is capable
of even more than we've seen from him
on the right-hand side of midfield,
- [Announcer] Looks very good for both sides up front, Rob,
You know you can't rest on your laurels, and he's in!
- [Announcer] No, you can't, This could be a killer goal,
Lionel Messi takes his time, and walks it in!
[crowd cheering]
Start shining the trophy now,
The league may well be Barcelona's,
- [Narrator] The false nine position
became Guardiola's trademark,
And for Messi, it's helped him become much more of a threat
in front of goal,
During the 2009, 2010 season, Messi went on
to break the goal scoring record for Barcelona,
a record that had been set previously
by the legendary Barcelona striker Ronaldo in 1996,
- So in 2009, 10, Messi manages to equal this record
of 47 goals scored by the Brazilian Ronaldo,
the man that they called The Phenomenon,
And Messi manages to equal that 47 goals
in a season for Barcelona,
A football club who's just had as many great strikers
as Barcelona have, and have had,
Ronaldo, the great Brazilian,
Messi comes along and equals what he's done,
I mean, it is extraordinary to do that,
Season in, season out, Messi begins scoring goals
at ridiculous numbers,
Under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona were thriving again,
Messi also went on to win his second Ballon d'Or
and FIFA World Player of the Year award,
Throughout the next few seasons,
Messi continued to be a key play maker
and goalscorer for Barcelona,
They went on to win the La Liga title once again,
and in 2011, Messi finished the season with 53 goals
and 24 assists, becoming Barcelona's
all-time single season top scorer,
and the first player in Spanish football
to reach the 50 goal benchmark,
On top of that, he once again won the Ballon d'Or,
making this his third win,
allowing him to become the fourth player in history
to win the Ballon d'Or three times,
Bu going into the next season,
his previous groundbreaking record
of 53 goals in a season would seem just like
a drop in the ocean compared to his 2012, 2013 campaign,
[upbeat music]
- Messi's not just a goalscorer, of course,
he does so much more than that,
but he was shattering records
set by the greatest goalscorers of all time,
Guys who did not much more than just score goals,
so their records fall to a guy who did so much more
than just score goals,
In 1972, Gerd Muller had scored 85 goals
in that calendar year for Bayern Munich and Germany,
Well, in 2012, Lionel Messi scored 91, breaking that record,
An extraordinary feat, 91 goals in a calendar year
averaging more than 1 1/2 goals per game in La Liga,
It's insane,
- What I can say about Messi
more than I was talking, or the people is talking,
he is one of the god of the football,
It's unbelievable the desire,
it's unbelievable the capacity
to fight with the ball on the feet,
to fight without the ball on the feet,
What happen when he touch the ball,
when doesn't have the ball,
it's unbelievable the character,
how he plays, how he work for the team,
- [Narrator] Scoring 91 goals is a single calendar year
got acknowledged by the Guinness World Records,
and he continues to hold that record,
Due to this phenomenal season,
Messi also went on to win his fourth Ballon d'Or,
becoming the first player to ever win four trophies,
displaying to everyone that Messi
was the greatest of all time,
[players yelling]
Heading into the 2013, 2014 season,
Barcelona seemed to be heavily reliant
on Lionel Messi to win games and trophies,
- Celona is arguable the greatest club side of all time,
and that alone would be daunting enough,
until you factor in this man,
the incomparable, the maestro,
the unmarkable Lionel Messi is simply the puzzle
that Chelsea have to solve,
- Statistics and history go out the window
the way he's playing,
It's solely about us performing in these two games
to try and stop him,
And with the ability he's got, we have to be at our best,
- [Narrator] Pundits were labeling the side's error
as Messidependencia,
However, going into the 2014, 2015 season
under the new management of Luis Enrique,
new faces appeared within the Barcelona squad,
These new faces would be Neymar and Luis Suarez,
and together they were the incredible strike force
known as MSN,
[upbeat music]
- Always throughout time, there's been forward lines
that have excited people and gone down in legend,
and Barcelona obviously had one of those
in the MSN combination, Messi, Suarez, Neymar,
which came a few years after Royal Madrid's BBC
with Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano,
It was a wonderful, wonderful setup,
Neymar, Suarez, and Messi in the same side,
Messi with his incredible goal scoring attributes,
but also the wonderful assists
that he brings to the side and to the other two,
Suarez, absolutely deadly in front of goal,
a finisher supreme, and Neymar,
the kind of maverick on the other side,
unpredictable, can be performing at a level
below the other two quite often, but can also
on his day be absolutely sensational,
And who would not want to be part of that front line?
[dramatic music]
- [Narrator] MSN were terrifying in front of goal
and racked up statistics never seen before
in the world of football,
Together, they scored a staggering 270 goals
in just the one season,
They also helped assist each other,
achieving a total of 133 assists between them,
They also went on to win back-to-back La Liga titles,
two Spanish Cups, a Spanish Super Cup,
a Champions League, a European Super Cup,
and a FIFA Club World Cup,
totalling eight incredible trophies in just two seasons,
- [Narrator] With Messi, Suarez and Neymar at the wheel,
Barcelona were achieving record-breaking seasons,
It seemed like the dependency on Messi was gone
and they could all work together to win
as many league titles as possible,
[upbeat music]
[singing in foreign language]
- [Narrator] Whilst Messi's time at Barcelona seemed
to be filled with record-breaking moments
and constant league titles,
his career playing for Argentina
was telling a different story,
one that was up for constant criticism,
- In contrast, really, to his time at Barcelona,
where silver ware and trophies
just seemed to have come in a constant and steady flow,
his career with Argentina
has seen him finish runner-up so many times,
Copa America, World Cup,
it's almost been one disappointment after another,
And somehow, Messi has never really stamped his personality
on a World Cup Finals,
He did win the vote for the best player
in the World Cup of 2014,
but Argentina lost the final, of course, to Germany,
And it felt like it was a consolation prize
for Messi as an individual,
because he deserves to be on that podium
for what he's achieved throughout his career,
Whereas, actually, in that World Cup,
was he the best player at the 2014 World Cup?
Many people would say not,
Again, a World Cup passing by without Messi
being able to enlighten it in the way he has with his club,
- [Narrator] Since playing for Argentina's first team,
Messi had only gone on to get to one World Cup Grand Final,
And although he was the captain,
the strength of the side always seemed to be questioned
going into every international competition,
despite having some
of the best attacking players in the world,
- Probably one of the problems for Messi
with Argentina is that it is all about Messi,
And great though he is,
Barcelona have always fantastic players around him
and behind him, in Xavi and Iniesta
or in Neymar and Suarez,
whereas basically Argentina is Lionel Messi
and has been for a long time,
Despite the fact that there's DyBala and there's Aguero
and other terrific players,
if you stop Messi, you stop Barcelona,
And that has counted against them,
- [Narrator] In 2016, after yet another disappointing
display at Argentina at the World Stage,
Lionel Messi announced he was going
to be retiring from international duty
and not be performing for Argentina in the next World Cup,
However, leading up to the 2018 World Cup,
Messi found himself going back into training sessions
and taking up the role of captain once again,
Maybe this World Cup would be the one for Argentina,
a chance for Messi to show that he could prove
that Argentina weren't a dying force
when it came to international tournaments,
In the 2018 World Cup, Argentina were under the management
of Jorge Sampaoli, who had previously worked wonders
for Chile in 2012, up to 2016,
But unfortunately for Argentina and Messi,
this would be yet another disappointing year for the squad,
But it would also go on to be a year
that was filled with drama,
- So the 2018 World Cup Finals
were yet another disappointment, really,
for Argentina and Lionel Messi,
Messi missed a penalty in the opening game,
a draw with Iceland, massive disappointment,
And then they were absolutely crushed
in Nizhny Novgorod by Croatia,
where it seemed like the wheels were falling off completely,
- [Announcer] Kovacic, Rakitic, they're gonna walk it in!
Job done in style for Croatia,
Argentina a bit draggled, rugged, desperate,
And with real, real work to do,
- Coach Sampaoli at this point seemed to lose the squad,
And there were rumors flying around
all over the place that Messi would then
virtually take over the coaching position,
that the players selected the team for the last group game,
which was against Nigeria in St Petersburg,
which was one they had to win,
There were five changes to the starting 11,
and it appeared even that during that Nigeria game
that the coach was consulting
with Messi about substitutions,
Messi scored a brilliant goal,
Nigeria equalized, Marcos Rojo actually scored the goal
that squeaked Argentina out of the group,
- [Announcer] A brilliant bowl from somebody,
they got their goal!
[crowd cheering]
Argentina lives on!
What a moment here!
- They came that close to not even getting out of the group,
- [Narrator] Tensions seemed high within the Argentina camp
during this World Cup, with a lot of pundits
labeling this side Messi's Argentina,
Even though they just got through the group stages,
their next match against France was hit with,
yet again, more disappointment,
But alongside that, it's also showed signs
that Messi may not be the best player
the world had ever seen when it came to performing
on the world stage,
- And having got out of the group just with a narrow victory
against Nigeria, Argentina came up against France
in the first knockout game,
And Messi was almost outshone by Kylian Mbappe,
who is bright young thing in the French side,
went on to have a fantastic World Cup,
It was a thrilling game, which Argentina lost,
And at the end of it, it just felt slightly
that the mantle was being passed on,
- [Announcer] Good ball, Giroud, helped on here,
and Mbappe, he's got another one!
[crowd cheering] 4-2!
- [Narrator] Argentina's final performance in the World Cup
certainly wasn't the worst they had ever seen,
and they did show some promise compared to previous games,
But unfortunately, France were the better team,
and Argentina's World Cup campaign
was put to rest once again,
They failed to achieve an international win,
and once again, Messi had failed to prove himself
on international duty,
[upbeat music]
[players chattering]
- [Narrator] Back at camp Nou,
Messi was still achieving record-breaking seasons,
During the 2015, 2016 season at Barcelona,
Messi went on to win his fifth Ballon d'Or,
breaking yet again another record
for most Ballon d'Ors achieved,
an achievement that has only ever been done
by one other player, Cristiano Ronaldo,
[upbeat music]
- There's obviously never any question that Lionel Messi
wouldn't win the Ballon d'Or,
He did it for the first time in 2010,
he was 22 years old only,
For Messi to be on that list is, of course, important,
Any footballer is going to look at their legacy
in terms of titles won,
And those include individual titles
as well as club titles,
So if you are to be considered
as one of the best we've ever seen,
you have to win the Ballon d'Or,
You don't have to win it five times, but you might as well,
- [Narrator] Moving on to the 2016, 17
UEFA Champions League, Barcelona went on to win
one of the best comebacks ever seen before
in Champions League history,
Barcelona beat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in their second leg,
after losing 4-nil in the first leg,
MSN showed their true strength during this game
with Suarez opening the match with a goal
within the first three minutes,
Neymar scoring two goals, and Messi scoring a penalty,
- [Announcer] Neymar, chips it forward
and it's Sergi Roberto!
He's done it, can you believe this?
[crowd cheering]
Oh my, goodness me,
This is fantasy standard,
Pinch yourself, that really happened,
- [Narrator] This game displayed their true skill
as a squad, and despite losing out
during the Champions League quarter-final to Juventus,
that one game stood out as one of the best displays
of Barcelona's strength and determination as a squad,
- [Announcer] Barcelona, it was mission impossible,
but it wasn't impossible,
They pulled off one of the greatest wins
in European history,
- [Narrator] In 2017, Barcelona lost Neymar to PSG,
It was the end of the MSN trio,
But despite the recent loss
of one of their strongest strikers,
Barcelona still went on to win
the 2017, 2018 La Liga Championship,
making this their 25th trophy,
[dramatic music] [singing in foreign language]
- [Narrator] To this date, Messi's carer at Barcelona
continues to thrive,
In the season of 2018, 2019, Messi became the top scorer
in Europe once again, earing him
his sixth Europe Golden Shoe,
an achievement that only he has achieved,
with Cristiano Ronaldo behind him with four,
[audience applauds]
- There've been so many brilliant Messi goals
over the years, obviously the one against Getafe,
the sort of Maradona-esque goal,
He scored a fantastic goal in the 2014 World Cup Finals,
which saved Argentina, actually, in a 3-2 win over Nigeria
right at the end of the game, brilliant, brilliant goal,
- [Announcer] Messi strikes,
[crowd cheering]
Extraordinary!
- But I think it's gotta be in a Barcelona shirt
that you look back on Messi in the Champions League Finals
that he won with them,
particularly probably the one at Wembley in 2011
against Manchester United when he was the outstanding player
on the pitch, as he so often is,
And Barcelona just toyed with United
in with was a very, very long evening
for Alex Ferguson's team,
And Messi just conjured and created
and conducted what was a fantastic Barcelona display,
- [Announcer] Into the feet of Messi,
[crowd cheering]
Still in, oh Messi!
2-1 Barcelona, and who else but Lionel Messi,
- [Narrator] Lionel Messi is the best player
Barcelona has ever had the pleasure to have in their squad,
And despite having constant offers from other clubs
around the world, he has always stayed loyal
to the Barcelona squad and frequently calls it his home,
- Barcelona and Messi have been together for so long now
that it seems almost inconceivable
that they could ever part,
It may happen,
But I think the reason that he's always turned down
approaches from any other club is partly,
if you go back to his childhood,
he's from a family that has some roots in Catalonia,
He's very aware of what Barcelona did for him
with his medical problems as a very young player,
He only really speaks Spanish,
and he is very, very comfortable in the city,
in the environment of Barcelona,
who have given him everything he could ever want
in terms of trophies and success,
working under the likes of Guardiola,
winning just about everything there is to win,
Barcelona have given him all of that,
there have been no disappointments in his club career,
All the disappointments have been
with Argentina in his international career,
So I think it would be a tremendous wrench
for Messi to walk out on Barcelona,
- [Narrator] At the age of 32, Messi is still regarded
as one of the best players to have ever graced the sport,
He is still breaking records
and still putting in monumental performances
week in, week out at Barcelona,
In December 2019, Lionel Messi once again shattered
another world record as he went on to win
his sixth Ballon d'Or trophy,
beating Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk
and Juventus's Cristiano Ronaldo
for the title of the World's Greatest Player,
This sixth win pushed him ahead of Ronaldo
and made him the only player
to receive six Ballon d'Or trophies
in the history of football,
- I think many people thought we'd never see
anybody like Diego Maradona,
and out of the same country came Lionel Messi,
and has done everything that Maradona did and more,
in terms of club success,
And I think to be able to to do it for a decade and a half,
being kicked week in, week out is something
that even Maradona's body couldn't stand up to,
And Messi has done that,
It's the sheer consistency,
the incredible numbers of goals,
every season, not just a season every now and again,
but every season, which actually
has to probably put Messi even above Maradona,
And that is really saying something,
- [Narrator] But although he is known for his skills
on the pitch, he is also known for his brand deals,
Since 2006, Messi has had an ongoing partnership
with adidas, supplying him with boots and clothing,
In 2017, the brand took this relationship a step further,
pushing forward a lifetime sponsorship deal with him,
To this date, he is frequently promoting
their merchandise and hosting their events,
- [Narrator] Alongside that, he has also worked
with brands such as Pepsi and EA Sports,
having his face on the front of their products
and having him star in their commercials,
But in 2019, he also opened up his own clothing brand,
The store, known as The Messi Store,
sells branded clothing that has been endorsed
and selected by Messi himself,
[crowd cheering]
Because of these intelligent business deals,
Messi has now become the second wealthiest football player
in the world, just behind Cristiano Ronaldo,
But Messi is also known for more than just his brand deals,
He also does a lot of work for charities
and has set up his own foundation,
called the Leo Messi Foundation,
which has helped support children
from less fortunate backgrounds,
children with cancer
and children with live-changing disabilities,
[uplifting music]
it's safe to say that he has inspired millions
all over the world,
And although he is one of the quietest and reserved players
in the sport, everyone knows the name Lionel Messi
because of his incredible performances
on the pitch and his community work off the pitch,
- A whole generation of kids, boys and girls,
have been absolutely inspired by Lionel Messi
to play the game and to pretend to be Messi
in the back garden, in the streets, in the yard,
And that's probably his legacy around the world,
I think his legacy in Argentina
is probably quite a burden for him to bear,
because for all that he's done, he's done it in Europe,
He hasn't really done it with a national team,
They haven't won a World Cup or a Copa America
while he's been a part of that squad,
So while he satisfied the world,
perhaps back in Argentina they're still hungry
for the next Messi who can do even more,
- [Narrator] Messi's legacy will live on for years to come,
And although he is approaching retirement age,
his ability is still at a world standard,
He is the captain of Barcelona
and one of the most idolized players of all time,
No matter how long he keeps playing for,
he will always be remembered
as one of the greatest players of all time,
- Well, it's really difficult to imagine
that there's anything about Lionel Messi's life
in Barcelona and with Barcelona football club
that isn't very nice indeed,
however he's never played in his native Argentina,
he's never played a senior game in that country,
It may be that he goes back to Rosario
and decides he wants to play for Newell's Old Boys,
the club he supported in the way
that Diego Maradona was always linked with Boca Juniors,
and couldn't resist going back there,
It may be that Messi decides that he does want to go back
and play for his public in his city with his club,
- [Narrator] He is the magician,
And the name Lionel Messi
will forever live in the history books,
[upbeat music]