Lionel Messi (PSG)
Lionel Andrés Messi, usually known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who captains the Argentina national team and plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He is frequently regarded as the top player in the world and one of the greatest players of all time.
Messi has a lower center of gravity than taller players, which provides him better agility and allows him to shift direction and dodge opposing challenges more rapidly. His short, powerful legs allow him to thrive in short bursts of acceleration, but his fast feet allow him to maintain ball control when dribbling at high speeds. Messi is mostly a left-footed player who starts dribbling runs with the outside of his left foot before finishing with the inside of his left foot and providing passes and assists. Messi is a prolific goalscorer who is noted for his finishing, positioning, quick reactions, and ability to make aggressive runs past defenders. Because of his vision and passing range, he may also serve as a playmaker. He also takes accurate free kicks and penalty kicks. Messi is noted for dropping deep, linking up with midfielders, orchestrating attacking plays, and setting up goal-scoring chances. Messi's speed and technical abilities allow him to make solo dribbling runs towards the goal, usually starting from the halfway line or the right side of the pitch, especially during counterattacks. "The ball stays attached to his foot; I've seen great players in my career, but I've never seen anyone with Messi's ball control," observed Diego Maradona, his former Argentina boss.
While no player has the ability to turn a game around like Messi, the Argentinian isn't as important on the field as he once was. For the first time in three years, Messi did not score more than 30 goals in La Liga in the 2019/20 season, and his influence was insufficient to lead the club to its first Champions League victory since 2015.
Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain, a French club, on August 10th. Messi picked the number 30 as his squad number, the same as when he made his senior debut for Barcelona as a teenager. On August 29, Messi made his first appearance for the club, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a 2–0 Ligue 1 away win over Reims. In a 2–0 Champions League group stage win over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on September 28, Messi scored his first goal for the club, a strike from the edge of the 18-yard box after a one-two with Kylian Mbappé.
Awards:
- Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2020
- Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020
