The man, the myth and the legend – Lionel Messi turns 29 today and almost every fan of his is wondering whether he will gift himself another FIFA World Cup trophy this year.
Well, Argentina has started their title defense in the best possible way, winning back-to-back matches with Messi scoring each and every goal so far.
Yes, that’s right. All of Argentina’s 5 goals in the tournament have been scored by Lionel Messi who opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup with an hat-trick against Algeria. That performance helped him become the all-time leading goal scorer in the quadrennial tournament along with Miroslav Klose whose record of 16 goals were broken by the former Barcelona forward with a brace against Austria in La Albiceleste’s 2nd Group J fixture.
Messi now stands as the highest goal scorer in the FIFA World Cup with 18 goals to his name. It will be fair to say that the Rosario-born footballer gave himself the perfect present before his 39th birthday but here are 10 incredible facts about Leo Messi that you never knew about.
1. Named After a Famous Singer
Messi’s full name is Lionel Andres Messi. His parents named him after the American singer Lionel Richie, who was his mother’s favorite musical artist at the time of his birth in 1987.
2. A Contract Written on a Napkin
When Messi was 13 years old, Barcelona’s sporting director Carles Rexach was so impressed by his talent that he wanted to lock in a commitment immediately. Lacking official paper during a lunch meeting, Rexach scrawled the initial contract agreement on a paper napkin. In 2024, that historic napkin sold at an auction for $965,000.
3. Battled a Growth Hormone Deficiency
At age ten, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency that threatened his future in football. The necessary medical treatment cost around 900 dollars a month, which his family and local club, Newell’s Old Boys, could not afford. Barcelona stepped in, offering to pay for the medical expenses if Messi moved to Spain to join their youth academy, La Masia.
4. Close to 500 Youth Goals
Before relocating to Spain in 2000, Messi was part of a legendary youth team at Newell’s Old Boys known as “The Machine of ’87.” During his six years with the youth academy there, he scored nearly 500 goals, regularly dominating local tournaments.
5. Eternal Tribute to His Grandmother
Every time Messi scores, he points both index fingers to the sky. This trademark celebration is a tribute to his grandmother, Celia, who passed away when he was eleven. She was the one who pushed his coaches to let him play against older, bigger boys when he was just a child.
6. Record Holder for Most Ballon d’Or Awards
Messi has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or a record eight times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023).This is the highest number of wins by any single football player in history, putting him three awards ahead of his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
7. Twin World Cup Golden Balls
Messi is the only football player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball twice. He received the tournament’s best player award after leading Argentina to the final in 2014, and won it again when he lifted the trophy in Qatar in 2022.
8. All-Time Men’s World Cup Top Scorer
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Messi broke the all-time tournament scoring record. By netting a hat trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria, he reached 18 World Cup goals, overtaking Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16 goals) and Brazil’s Marta (17 goals) to become the outright highest scorer in World Cup history.
9. Youngest and Oldest Argentine World Cup Scorer
Following his spectacular performances in 2026, Messi holds the unique distinction of being both the youngest and the oldest Argentinian player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament.
10. Record-Breaking Instagram Post
After winning the World Cup in 2022, Messi posted a carousel of pictures celebrating with the trophy. The post went viral, gaining over 74 million likes to become the most-liked image in the history of Instagram, breaking the previous record held by a photo of an egg.