Lionel Messi's Success and Achievements in Timeline
A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer widely considered one of the greatest of all time. He captains both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Messi holds records for individual awards, including eight Ballon d'Or wins. He's the most decorated player in football history with 45 trophies, including Big Five league titles, UEFA Champions Leagues, Copa Américas, and a FIFA World Cup. Messi holds records for European Golden Shoes, goals in a year (91), goals for a single club, La Liga goals, hat-tricks, assists, Copa América assists, World Cup goal contributions, international appearances, and international goals for a South American male. He has over 850 career goals and over 380 assists.
1986: Maradona Leads Argentina to World Cup Victory
In 1986, Diego Maradona famously led Argentina to victory in the FIFA World Cup with a dominant performance. This set high expectations for Lionel Messi to achieve similar success with the national team.
1996: Equaling Ronaldo's Club Record
In 2009, Messi scored a total of 47 goals in all competitions, equaling Ronaldo's club record from the 1996–97 campaign.
May 2005: First Senior Goal for Barcelona
On 1 May 2005, Lionel Messi scored his first senior goal for Barcelona against Albacete, from an assist by Ronaldinho.
2006: Played and Scored in World Cup
In 2006, Lionel Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in a World Cup.
2006: First Start and World Cup Debut
In 2006, Messi had his first start for Argentina against Peru and scored his first international goal in a friendly against Croatia. He also made his World Cup debut as a substitute against Serbia and Montenegro, scoring a goal and becoming the youngest player to represent and score for Argentina in the World Cup.
2006: Goal Comparisons to Maradona & Supercopa de España
In 2006, Messi scored a hat-trick in a Clásico against Real Madrid. Comparisons to Diego Maradona arose due to similarities between Messi's goals against Getafe and Espanyol and Maradona's goals in the 1986 World Cup. Barcelona won the 2006 Supercopa de España.
2007: Copa América Final and Best Young Player Award
In 2007, Messi represented Argentina in the Copa América, where they lost in the final. Despite the loss, Messi was named the best young player of the tournament, contributing two goals and one assist.
2008: Won Gold Medal in Summer Olympics
In 2008, Lionel Messi won a gold medal in the Summer Olympics.
2008: Olympic Gold Medal
In 2008, Messi led Argentina's U23 team to claim the Olympic gold medal, marking a major achievement with his country. He registered two goals and three assists during the tournament.
2008: Treble with Barcelona
In 2008, during his first uninterrupted season at age 22, Lionel Messi helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football.
2009: World's Highest-Paid Footballer
According to France Football, between 2009 and 2014, Lionel Messi was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six.
2009: Champions League Final Victory Against Ronaldo
In 2009, Messi and Barcelona defeated Ronaldo and Manchester United in the Champions League final with a 2–0 victory.
March 2010: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
In March 2010, Lionel Messi was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
2010: 2010 FIFA World Cup
From 2008 through the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona collaborated as player and manager for Argentina's national team.
2010: Second Consecutive Ballon d'Or and La Liga Title
In 2010, Messi won the Supercopa de España, Champions League, and a third consecutive La Liga title. He also earned his second consecutive Ballon d'Or.
April 2011: Launch of Messi's Facebook Page
In April 2011, Lionel Messi's Facebook page was launched, gaining nearly seven million followers within seven hours.
2011: Time's 100 Most Influential People
In 2011, Lionel Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world.
2011: Time 100 List
In 2011, Lionel Messi was included in the Time 100, an annual list of the world's most influential people.
2011: Spanish and European Super Cups
Messi began the 2011–12 season winning both the Spanish and European Super Cups trophies.
2012: Time's 100 Most Influential People
In 2012, Lionel Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world.
2012: Time 100 List
In 2012, Lionel Messi was included in the Time 100, an annual list of the world's most influential people.
2012: Record-Breaking Goal Scoring and Fourth Ballon d'Or
In 2012, Messi won the FIFA Club World Cup and earned the Golden Ball for a second time. Messi became the top goalscorer in Barcelona's history, overtaking César Rodríguez's record. He won his fourth Ballon d'Or and finished the season as league top scorer.
2013: Signing of Neymar and Supercopa de España
In 2013, Barcelona signed Neymar to offset the load on Messi. The team won the Supercopa de España at the beginning of the season.
2013: Exceeding the €40 Million Benchmark
In 2013, Lionel Messi was the first player to exceed the €40 million benchmark, with earnings of €41 million.
2014: World's Highest-Paid Footballer
According to France Football, between 2009 and 2014, Lionel Messi was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six.
2014: Survey of Global Recognition
According to a 2014 survey in 15 international markets, Lionel Messi was familiar to 87% of respondents around the world, of whom 78% perceived him favorably. In 2014, World Press Photo selected "The Final Game", a photo of Messi facing the World Cup trophy after Argentina's final defeat to Germany, as the best sports image.
2014: Became All-Time Top Scorer in La Liga
During the 2014-15 campaign, Lionel Messi became the all-time top scorer in La Liga.
2015: Won Fifth Ballon d'Or
In 2015, Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a historic second treble and won his fifth Ballon d'Or.
2015: Second Highest-Paid Athlete
In 2015, Lionel Messi was second on Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, after Cristiano Ronaldo, with income of $81 million from salary and endorsements.
2015: UEFA Super Cup Win and FIFA Club World Cup
Messi opened the 2015–16 season by helping Barcelona's win over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup. Messi capped off the year by winning the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup final over River Plate in Yokohama, collecting his fifth club trophy of the calendar year.
January 2016: Record Fifth FIFA Ballon d'Or
On 11 January 2016, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for a record fifth time in his career.
June 2016: Won libel case and donated damages
On June 7, 2016, Messi won a libel case against La Razón newspaper and was awarded €65,000 in damages, which he donated to the charity Médecins Sans Frontières.
2016: All-Time Leading Goalscorer and Copa América Centenario Loss
In the 2016 Copa América Centenario semi-final against the United States, Messi became Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer in international matches. Argentina lost to Chile on penalties in the final, with Messi having five goals and four assists throughout the tournament.
2016: Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey Wins
The 2016–17 season would end with Messi winning the Supercopa de España and the Copa del Rey.
2018: Exceeding the €100 Million Benchmark
In 2018, Lionel Messi was the first player to exceed the €100m benchmark for a calendar year, with earnings of €126m ($154m) in combined income from salaries, bonuses and endorsements.
2019: World's Highest-Paid Athlete
Forbes ranked Lionel Messi the world's highest-paid athlete in 2019.
2019: Won Sixth Ballon d'Or
In 2019, Lionel Messi won a record sixth Ballon d'Or.
2020: Surpassing $1 Billion in Earnings
In 2020, Lionel Messi became the second footballer, as well as the second athlete in a team sport, after Ronaldo, to surpass $1 billion in earnings during their careers.
2020: Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
In 2020, Lionel Messi was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.
2021: Won Copa América and Seventh Ballon d'Or
In 2021, Lionel Messi led Argentina to win the Copa América, breaking a 28-year trophy drought, and secured his seventh Ballon d'Or.
2021: Copa América Victory
In 2021, Messi led Argentina to victory in the Copa América, ending a 28-year trophy drought. He surpassed Javier Mascherano to become Argentina's most-capped player and was named player of the tournament.
2021: Surpassing Xavi's Record and Copa del Rey Victory
In 2021, Messi surpassed Xavi's record to reach a club record of 768 appearances and led the club to victory in the 2021 Copa del Rey final.
2021: Copa América Victory and Cementing Legacy
Messi's victory in the 2021 Copa América helped to address the criticism he had received throughout his career for not winning an international tournament at senior level with Argentina.
December 2022: Most Liked Post on Instagram
In December 2022, Lionel Messi's World Cup celebration post from December 18 became the most liked post on Instagram, with over 75 million likes.
2022: Trophée des Champions Win
Beginning the 2022–23 season, Messi would win his second trophy with PSG in the Trophée des Champions.
2022: Argentina's World Cup Win
Following the 2022 World Cup win for Lionel Messi and Argentina, journalist Tim Vickery believed that Messi would now be held in the same esteem by his compatriots as Diego Maradona.
2022: World's Highest-Paid Athlete by Forbes
In 2022, Lionel Messi was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes.
2022: FIFA World Cup Victory and Golden Ball
In 2022, Messi captained Argentina to its first World Cup victory in 36 years, scoring twice in the final against France. He won the Golden Ball, becoming the first player to win it twice, and set new records for appearances and goal contributions at the World Cup.
2022: World Cup Win and Cementing Legacy
Messi's victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup resulted in him finally winning every top tier trophy at both the club and country levels, an achievement that many pundits felt cemented Messi's legacy.
July 2023: Facebook Followers
By July 2023, Lionel Messi had over 114 million followers on Facebook, the second highest for a sportsperson after Ronaldo.
September 2023: Ranking in Free Kick Goals
As of September 2023, Messi ranks fifth all time in goals scored from direct free kicks with 65, the most among active players, highlighting his proficiency in set pieces.
October 2023: Awarded Record-Extending Eighth Ballon d'Or
On 30 October 2023, Lionel Messi received his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or, following Argentina's World Cup victory and his Ligue 1 title with PSG. He was also named Time Athlete of the Year.
2023: Time's 100 Most Influential People
In 2023, Lionel Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world; he was also named Time's Athlete of the Year.
2023: Time 100 List
In 2023, Lionel Messi was included in the Time 100, an annual list of the world's most influential people.
2023: Won Eighth Ballon d'Or
In 2023, Lionel Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or.
2023: Reaching 100 International Goals
In 2023, Messi reached 100 international goals in a friendly against Curaçao, becoming the third player and first South American to achieve this milestone. He also became the all-time top goalscorer in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
2024: Copa América Semi-Final Goal and Record for Appearances
During the 2024 Copa América semi-final against Canada, Messi scored his first and only goal of the tournament, becoming the second-highest international goalscorer of all time. Argentina eventually won the final against Colombia for their second consecutive Copa América title, with Messi setting a new record for most appearances at Copa América (39).
2024: Record-Breaking Season in MLS
During the 2024 season, Messi broke the record for the most assists in a single MLS game with five assists and most goal contributions in an MLS game with six in a 6–2 win over the New York Red Bulls. On 2 October, Messi scored a brace in a 3–2 win over Columbus Crew, clinching the Supporters' Shield, his 46th trophy. In the final game of the regular season on 19 October against the New England Revolution, Messi scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 6–2 victory. He finished the regular season with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 matches, becoming Inter Miami's all-time leading goalscorer.
2024: First Postseason Appearance and MLS MVP Award
In 2024, Inter Miami made its first postseason appearance in the MLS Cup playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round after losing two games against Atlanta United FC. Messi scored his first postseason goal in the third game, a 3–2 loss. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Messi was named the MLS Most Valuable Player.
2024: Won Copa América
In 2024, Lionel Messi led Argentina to victory in the Copa América.
January 2025: Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
In January 2025, Messi was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden for his contributions in supporting healthcare and education programs for children around the world, but he was unable to attend the ceremony.
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