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. He holds records for individual awards, including eight Ballon d'Ors and six European Golden Shoes. In 2025, he was named the All Time Men's World Best Player by the IFFHS. He is the most decorated player in football history with 46 team trophies. Messi holds records for goals in a calendar year (91), goals for a single club, La Liga goals (474), international assists (61), World Cup goal contributions (21), and Copa América goal contributions (32). A prolific scorer and playmaker, he has over 890 senior career goals and 400 assists, totaling over 1,300 goal contributions, the most in football history.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Legacy & Impact

2005: Victory in 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and Golden Ball

In 2005, Messi led Argentina to victory in the FIFA World Youth Championship, securing his first success with the national team. He finished the tournament with six goals and two assists, also winning the Golden Ball.

2006: Barcelona wins Supercopa de España

In 2006, Barcelona won the Supercopa de España.

2007: Named best young player of Copa América

In 2007, Messi represented Argentina in the Copa América, where they lost in the final. Messi was named the best young player of the tournament, having scored two goals and provided one assist.

2008: Barcelona's Highest-Paid Player

From 2008, Messi became Barcelona's highest-paid player, with his salary increasing incrementally from €7.8 million to €13 million over the next five years.

2008: Olympic Gold Medal

In 2008, Messi led Argentina's U23 team to claim the Olympic gold medal over Nigeria, registering two goals and three assists throughout the tournament.

2008: Messi Wins Gold at Summer Olympics

In 2008, Messi won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics.

2008: Barcelona Achieves First Treble

In 2008–09 season, at age 22, Messi helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football.

2009: Highest-Paid Footballer

According to France Football, between 2009 and 2014, Messi was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six.

2009: Messi wins Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year

In 2009, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, and his first European Golden Shoe for his outstanding performances, also finishing as the Champions League top scorer, the youngest in the tournament's history.

2010: Messi wins second consecutive Ballon d'Or

In 2010, Lionel Messi's club performances earned him his second consecutive Ballon d'Or. He was the top scorer in the Champions League for the third consecutive year, and the league's top scorer and assist provider.

2011: Messi sets European record for most goals in a season

By the 2011–12 season, Messi set the European record for most goals in a season and established himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer.

2011: Messi wins FIFA Ballon d'Or and UEFA Best Player in Europe Award

In 2011, Lionel Messi received the FIFA Ballon d'Or, becoming only the fourth player in history to win it three times, and also received the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

2011: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2011, Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

2011: Messi Listed in Time 100

In 2011, Messi was included in the Time 100, an annual list recognizing the world's most influential people, highlighting his global impact and recognition.

2012: Messi becomes Barcelona's top goalscorer

In 2012, Lionel Messi became the top goalscorer in Barcelona's history, surpassing César Rodríguez's 57-year-old record. Messi also became the single-season top scorer in the history of European club football excluding regional and local competitions.

2012: Messi scores record 91 goals and wins fourth Ballon d'Or

In 2012, Lionel Messi scored a record 91 goals for Barcelona and Argentina, surpassing Gerd Müller's record. Messi also won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for a record fourth time.

2012: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2012, Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

2012: Messi Listed in Time 100

In 2012, Messi was included in the Time 100, an annual list recognizing the world's most influential people, highlighting his global impact and recognition.

2013: Barcelona secures La Liga title

In 2013, Barcelona secured their La Liga title early in the year, and Messi became Barcelona's all-time top scorer in La Liga, surpassing Gerd Müller's record of most goals scored in a calendar year.

2013: First Player to Exceed €40 Million Benchmark

In 2013, Messi became the first player to exceed the €40 million benchmark, with earnings of €41 million, demonstrating his growing financial success.

2014: Highest-Paid Footballer

According to France Football, between 2009 and 2014, Messi was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six.

2014: Golden Ball at 2014 FIFA World Cup

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Messi and Argentina lost to Germany in the final, though Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament due to his overall performance with four goals and an assist.

2014: Messi Becomes All-Time Top Scorer in La Liga

During the 2014–15 campaign, Messi became the all-time top scorer in La Liga.

2014: Barcelona signs Luis Suárez and Messi becomes La Liga's all-time top scorer

In 2014, Barcelona hired coach Luis Enrique and signed Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez. Messi scored a hat-trick against Sevilla, becoming the all-time top scorer in La Liga, surpassing Telmo Zarra's 59-year-old record.

2014: Highest-Paid Footballer Exceeds Benchmarks

In 2014, Messi exceeded the €50–€60 million income points, with earnings of €65 million. He continued to dominate financially in the sport.

2015: Barcelona wins UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup

In 2015, Lionel Messi helped Barcelona win the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, collecting his fifth club trophy of the calendar year.

2015: Barcelona wins second treble

In 2015, Messi led Barcelona to a historic second treble, leading to a fifth Ballon d'Or.

2015: Second Highest-Paid Athlete

In 2015, Messi was ranked second on Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes, after Cristiano Ronaldo, with an income of $81 million from salary and endorsements, reflecting his significant earning power.

January 2016: Messi wins fifth FIFA Ballon d'Or

On 11 January 2016, Lionel Messi won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for a record fifth time in his career.

June 2016: Libel case win against La Razón

In June 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: Messi wins Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey

In 2016, Lionel Messi ended the season winning the Supercopa de España and the Copa del Rey, claiming both the Pichichi and European Golden Boot Awards for the fourth time in his career.

2017: New Contract with Barcelona

In 2017, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, earning $667,000 per week in wages, a $60 million signing-on bonus, and having his buyout clause set at $835 million.

2018: Messi helps Argentina Qualify for World Cup

In 2018, Messi returned to help his country narrowly qualify for the World Cup.

2018: First Player to Exceed €100 Million Benchmark

In 2018, Messi was the first player to exceed the €100 million benchmark for a calendar year, with earnings of €126 million from salaries, bonuses, and endorsements, highlighting his financial success.

2019: World's Highest-Paid Athlete

In 2019, Forbes ranked Messi as the world's highest-paid athlete, acknowledging his top financial status in the sports world.

2019: Messi wins sixth Ballon d'Or

In 2019, Lionel Messi won his sixth Ballon d'Or.

2020: Surpasses $1 Billion in Career Earnings

In 2020, Messi became the second footballer, as well as the second athlete in a team sport, after Ronaldo, to surpass $1 billion in career earnings, marking a major financial milestone.

2020: Laureus World Sportsman of the Year

In 2020, Messi was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, the first team-sport athlete to win it. He was also named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team and became the second footballer to surpass $1 billion in career earnings.

2020: Argentina won the Finalissima against UEFA Euro 2020 winners Italy

Messi captained Argentina to win the Finalissima against UEFA Euro 2020 winners Italy, where he was named player of the match after providing two assists.

2021: Messi leads Barcelona to Copa del Rey victory

In 2021, Lionel Messi led Barcelona to victory in the Copa del Rey final.

2021: Argentina Wins Copa América

In 2021, Messi ended Argentina's 28-year trophy drought by winning the Copa América, which helped him secure his seventh Ballon d'Or.

2021: Copa América Victory

In 2021, Messi led Argentina to win the Copa América, defeating Brazil in the final. He was named the player of the tournament.

2021: Victory in the 2021 Copa América

Messi's victory in the 2021 Copa América contributed to him finally winning every top tier trophy at both the club and country levels.

2022: 2022 World Cup Win

Following the 2022 World Cup win for Messi and Argentina, it was felt that Messi would be held in the same esteem by his compatriots as Maradona. His performances during the tournament were seen as having a "Maradonian" edge. Messi remarked that the World Cup victory "won over all the people of Argentina".

2022: Messi wins Trophée des Champions and surpasses Ronaldo's goalscoring record

In 2022, Lionel Messi won his second trophy with PSG in the Trophée des Champions. Also, a goal against Nice resulted in him surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time highest goalscorer in European club football with 702 goals; during the match, he also achieved 1,000 career direct goal contributions at club level.

2022: 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 to defeat France and winning the Golden Ball for the second time.

2022: Argentina Wins the World Cup

In 2022, Messi led Argentina to winning the World Cup, the country's first in 36 years.

2022: World's Highest-Paid Athlete

In 2022, Messi was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes.

2022: Argentina's success at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

In 2022, Messi's career saw a high point with Argentina's success at the FIFA World Cup.

2022: Victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Messi's victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup contributed to him finally winning every top tier trophy at both the club and country levels.

October 2023: Messi awarded record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or and named Time Athlete of the Year

On 30 October 2023, Lionel Messi was awarded a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or following his World Cup win with Argentina and Ligue 1 trophy with PSG. He was also named Time Athlete of the Year, the first footballer ever to win the award.

2023: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2023, Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world. He was also named Time's Athlete of the Year.

2023: Messi Listed in Time 100

In 2023, Messi was included in the Time 100, an annual list recognizing the world's most influential people, highlighting his global impact and recognition.

2023: Signing with Inter Miami

In 2023, upon signing with Inter Miami, Messi's base salary was set at $12 million, with guaranteed compensation totaling $20.4 million for the season. He was also set to earn additional shares from shirt sales, MLS Season Pass subscriptions, and a stake in the club.

2024: Messi breaks assist records in MLS and named MLS MVP

During the 2024 season, Lionel Messi broke the record for most assists and goal contributions in an MLS game and was named the MLS Most Valuable Player. He also scored his first hat-trick for Inter Miami.

2024: Messi wins Copa America

In 2024, Messi won Copa America.

January 2025: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

In January 2025, Messi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden for his contributions to healthcare and education programs for children, but he couldn't attend the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.

2025: Fastest to 40 goals and MLS Golden Boot

In 2025, Messi became the fastest player to reach 40 goals in league history and won the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals and 19 assists in 28 games. He also led Miami to win MLS Cup 2025.