Lionel Messi has won more team trophies than any footballer in history
Across more than 1,150 appearances, Lionel Messi has lifted 46 team trophies, the most of any professional footballer. Add eight Ballons d'Or, a World Cup, 91 goals in a single calendar year, and more assists than anyone who has played the game, and the case for him as the greatest gets hard to argue with.
Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. His father ran a department at a steel plant and his mother worked in a workshop making magnets; the couple had met as youngsters in the Las Heras district where Leo grew up. His roots are largely Italian, with a great-grandfather from the Marche region. In a football-mad household he played constantly with his older brothers and two cousins who both went on to play professionally.
He made his competitive debut for Barcelona at 17 in 2004 and was named FIFPRO's young player of the year three straight times. In 2008–09 he helped the club to Spain's first treble and began a run of four consecutive Ballons d'Or. With Luis Suárez and Neymar he formed the MSN front line that powered a second treble in 2014–15. By the time money troubles forced his exit in 2021, he had won 34 trophies with Barcelona, including four Champions Leagues, and scored 672 goals for them, a record for one club.
Two Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain followed, then a move to Inter Miami in 2023, where he won league MVP twice and the club's first MLS Cup in 2025. Time named him its Athlete of the Year in 2023, and he became the first team-sport athlete to win Laureus Sportsman of the Year.
Success with Argentina came late. After Olympic gold in 2008, he captained his country to losing finals at the 2014 World Cup and two Copa Américas and briefly quit international football in 2016. He came back, won the Copa América in 2021, and then the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first player to collect the tournament's Golden Ball twice. A third major title came at the 2024 Copa América. He is Argentina's most-capped player with 207 games and its top scorer with 125 goals.
Source: Lionel Messi
