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[crowd cheering]

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Lionel Andres Messi,

considered the best player of all time

by not only football fans,

not only football pundits,

but by fellow professional footballers

and managers all around the world.

- He doesn't have the ball, it's unbelievable the character,

how he plays, how he work for the team.

He's one of the god of the football.

- [Narrator] He has won a record breaking six Ballon d'Ors,

six European Golden Boots, and holds the record

for most goals scored and assisted in La Liga.

- [Narrator] After an almost career-ending diagnosis

when he was just 11 years old,

Messi went against all the odds

and blew the world away with his incredible football skills.

- Statistics and history go out the window

the way he's playing.

- [Narrator] Witness the life and career

of one of the greatest players of all time,

and immerse yourself in the journey of Argentina's icon.

- [Narrator] This is the magician known as Lionel Messi.

[gentle music]

Born on the 24th of June, 1987,

Lionel Andres Messi was raised

in the football-loving city, Rosario, the largest city

in the Central Argentina province, Santa Fe.

Messi was brought up by his father,

a steel factory manager and part-time football coach,

and his mother, who worked

in a magnet manufacturing workshop.

His family were passionate about football,

frequently watching it every week

and getting involved with it every chance they could.

- Well, Messi was born into a football family.

Hid dad was a coach, and he was born in a football city.

Rosario, in Argentina, was one of the host cities

for the World Cup in 1978,

almost 10 years before Messi was born.

This is a city that loves the game,

and it's a family that loves the game,

that is steeped in the game through his father.

And, Lionel Messi, his first influence is through,

of course, his father's love of football,

but also his grandmother's willingness

to take him anywhere that football takes him

as he begins to make his way in the local football scene.

- [Narrator] Messi quickly developed

a passion for the sport, as he was surrounded by it 24/7.

He constantly played with his older brothers,

Rodrigo and Matias, and by the age of four

was determined to join a local team.

And sure enough, in 1991,

messi joined his first team, Grandoli,

which was coached by his father.

- His father, who is a coach,

takes him to the local club, Grandoli,

and looks after him there and influences his first steps

as a very young player,

four years old when he goes to Grandoli.

But, of course, Newell's Old Boys is a Rosario club

and the club that Messi has supported all his life.

And, you know, very quickly they become aware

of any emerging talents on their doorstep.

And little Lionel Messi is very much an emerging talent.

- [Narrator] Messi moved clubs when he was six years old,

joining the Newell's Old Boys,

a local club located in Rosario.

Here, he played for over six years,

developing his skills even more,

garnering more match experience

and surrounded himself with other future prospect players.

Whilst as Newell's, Messi was already showing off what type

of player he was going to become.

In the six years at the club,

he went on to score almost 500 goals

and became a member of The Machine of '87,

who were named that due to the fact

that they were the near unbeatable youth side

since their birth in 1987.

Audiences loved watching Messi play,

as he was not only scoring regularly,

he would also perform tricks at halftime.

- [Narrator] It seemed like his career in football

was going to blossom.

But at the age of 11, Messi received some news

that would put his professional football career at risk.

[somber music]

- He's an outstanding footballer, the best of his group.

Newell's Old Boys know all about him.

However, there comes an age when kids start to grow

and little boys shoot up.

Can never quite predict when that age will be.

But with Lionel Messi, it just didn't happen.

The problem for Lionel Messi is that it becomes apparent

by the age of 11 that he's not really growing at all,

and he's diagnosed with this growth hormone deficiency,

which casts his whole future into doubt.

- [Narrator] Messi underwent the treatment,

despite the fact that it cost his family

almost $1,000 a month.

During his treatment, he continued to play for Newell's,

putting in great performances every week.

But things were about to change for the young Lionel Messi.

- So Messi, at this stage, is still with Newell's,

he's still trying to tackle this problem

of will he grow enough to be a footballer.

Some people say, "He's never going to amount to anything."

River Plate are interested in signing him as well.

But the family looked beyond that,

he has connections in Spain, in Catalonia.

And he ends up at the age of 13

having a trial with Barcelona.

And Barcelona immediately want to sign him.

- [Narrator] The Messi family traveled to Barcelona

after receiving the go-ahead for the trial.

Almost immediately during the trial,

Barcelona's first team director, Charly Rexach,

wanted to sign him, as he saw an instant talent.

But unfortunately, due to his age

and the fact he wasn't from Catalonia,

the board of directors were hesitant to bring him in.

- If you try and imagine,

the 13 year olds at a trial with Barcelona,

these are not the ordinary kids

that you and I play with on the street.

These are already the creme de la creme.

But when Lionel Messi walks into this trial,

nobody at Barcelona is under any illusions at all,

he is the cream of that already very, very exclusive club,

and they have to have him.

- [Narrator] A few months later, Barcelona were given

a final chance to sign the Argentine prodigy.

And on the 14th of December, Messi was offered his contract

which was written on a paper napkin.

Barcelona was his new home,

and in February 2001, the Messi family relocated

to an apartment in the city.

[gentle music]

[upbeat music]

Despite being signed to one of the biggest clubs in Europe,

Messi was finding it hard to integrate into the youth squad.

Due to the Spanish footballing law,

he was unable to play any games apart from friendlies

and Catalan league games.

Because of this, his relationship

with other teammates was almost nonexistent,

with some of them labeling him a mute.

On top of that, his mother moved back to Rosario

with his brothers and little sister,

leaving him with just his father,

causing him to feel constantly homesick.

Eventually, in 2002, Messi was enrolled

in the Royal Spanish Football Federation,

meaning he was now eligible to play in all competitions.

He had also befriended some of his junior teammates.

Those included Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique.

Now eligible to play in all competitions,

Messi displayed his true talent to all the Barcelona staff.

In that year, Messi became part of the youth team

known as the Baby Dream Team,

Barcelona greatest ever youth side.

During his first season in 2002, 2003,

Messi ended up the top scorer

with 36 goals in just 30 games.

Because of this phenomenal season for the Cadetes A,

Messi was getting recognized all over Europe.

In 2003, he received an offer

from Arsenal to join their team.

But despite the fantastic offer,

Messi decided he wanted to stay loyal to Barcelona.

The 2003, 2004 season

became an iconic season for Lionel Messi.

Within this season, he shot up the ranks,

debuting for a record five teams in a single campaign.

During this, he played for the Juveniles B,

Juveniles A, Barcelona C, and Barcelona B teams.

Because of this quick rise through the rankings,

players from the Barcelona A team were starting

to recognize him in training sessions

and insisted that he was given a chance in the first team.

- Before he'd even got into Barcelona's first team,

all the first teamers were aware of him.

There'd been this occasion where a lot of them were away

on an international break, and so they needed players

to come in and take part in first team training,

and Messi was one of those.

And Ludovic Giuly of the Barcelona,

French international player,

who was part of this training session,

tells this story about how this little kid

who is absolutely destroying people.

And grown men were being embarrassed

by this little 15, 16 year old kid on the training pitch,

and Frank Rijkaard could not ignore him.

And very, very quickly the Barcelona first team was saying,

"This boy has to be involved."

[upbeat music]

And at that time, Ronaldinho was the man at Barcelona

and Ronaldinho saw Lionel Messi train,

and he picked him out as being the next Ronaldinho,

the next big thing for Barcelona,

and was insisting, more or less, that Lionel Messi

became part of the first team, seen at the club.

- [Narrator] Although Messi didn't officially play

for the A team in this season,

he did finish that campaign having scored

for four of his five teams with a total

of 36 goals in all official competitions.

Going into the 2004, 2005 season,

Messi finally made his debut for the Barcelona first team,

coming onto the field in the 82nd minute.

- So when he was 17 and three months old,

Lionel Messi became the youngest ever player

to play in Barcelona's first team,

coming on as a substitute against Espanyol.

And his first goal followed soon after.

Also the youngest player ever to score a goal

for Barcelona's first team against Albacete

at the end of that season, which finished in 2005.

[crowd cheering]

So now Lionel Messi, at he insistence of his teammates,

is in the Barcelona side.

- [Narrator] Messi clocked over 77 minutes

in just nine matches for the Barcelona team

during this season.

He was also a regular player for the B team,

and a key one as well.

But by the end of the season, it was clear

to both staff and fans that Messi was the next superstar

in the making, and was going to become a key player

inn the 2005, 2006 season.

[gentle music]

In the 2005, 2006 campaign,

Lionel Messi was a full-time first team player.

He had been fully promoted from the B team

and was training with the A team on a daily basis.

Within the first few games, Messi was blowing away fans

on both sides of the stadiums.

His skills were truly on show

and his abilities were becoming renowned everywhere he went.

- While still a teenager,

the world is taking note of Messi

and recognizing that he is

one of the greatest players already in the game

at this very tender age.

And what he has, I think,

is this incredible low center of gravity, such acceleration,

such tremendous pace, he can glide across the ground.

But he's also got an incredible physical strength which,

despite his size, you wouldn't imagine

that he could be as strong as he is.

But he is literally kicked from pillar to post,

game in, game out, and it doesn't seem to affect him.

He just gets back onto his feet

and dribbles around people again.

And it never seems to knock him.

- [Announcer] Here's the other two fullbacks,

Belletti and Van Bronckhorst.

Here's the youngest--

- [Announcer] Oh ho, look at that!

Poetic for Messi.

- And it's that kind of persistence

and incredible strength to go with the pace and skill,

which singles him out at this age

as being something really, really special.

- [Narrator] Messi was starring in some

of the biggest games Barcelona played in this season.

He played four games against their biggest rivals,

Real Madrid and La Liga,

and Chelsea in the semifinal of the Champions League.

Together with players like Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho,

Messi was easily becoming a key player for Barcelona,

and helped strengthening their attacking force.

But unfortunately, near the end of the season,

Messi suffered from a hamstring injury,

which would put him out of the first team completely,

meaning he would go on to miss the Champions League final

against Arsenal in Paris.

Messi was devastated by this,

so much that he didn't even celebrate their win,

something that he later came to regret.

[subdued music]

After fully recovering going into the 2006, 2007 season,

Barcelona were gradually declining in La Liga

and European tournaments,

but this didn't stop Messi's performance

and actually helped him top develop more as a player.

And despite the poor Barcelona form,

this was actually Messi's most groundbreaking season so far.

During this season, he went on to score 17 goals

in just 36 games across all competitions.

He also got his first hat trick for the club,

scoring against their closest rivals, Real Madrid,

in the Clasico match.

This hat trick meant that Messi was the first person

to score one in an El Clasico match in over 12 years.

- [Announcer] It's time for an equalizer for Barcelona.

That's what label Messi has him mind.

Messi takes everybody on, Messi has got it!

[crowd cheering]

This is the game that is gonna be remembered

as the Lionel Messi match.

- [Narrator] It was clear that Messi was becoming

an extremely important asset for the club,

and was actually being compared to his fellow countryman

and footballing legend, Diego Maradona.

This comparison was made clear to fans in April 2007,

when Messi went on to score

what could only be described as a Maradona-esque goal

against Getafe in the first leg

of the Copa del Ray's semifinals.

- There probably isn't a football fan in the world

that hasn't seen the Diego Maradona goal

against England in the World Cup quarter-final

of 1986 in Mexico,

when he runs from inside his own half of the field

pretty much through the whole England team

and glides around Peter Shilton

and tucks the ball into the back of the net.

- [Announcer] Maradona turns like a little eel

and comes away from trouble.

Little squat man comes inside Butcher, leaves him for dead.

Outside Fenwick, leaves him for dead,

and puts the ball away.

[crowd cheering loudly] And that is why Maradona is

the greatest player in the world!

- Absolutely certain that there's no Argentine

who hasn't seen that goal a countless number of times.

And, of course, Lionel Messi would have grown up

with that goal from the great Maradona.

So then, in the Copa del Ray against Getafe,

Messi picks the ball up inside his own half of the field.

I wonder at what point he realizes

that he's almost scoring the exact same goal,

because it is extraordinary,

from almost the same area of the pitch,

beating players in exactly the same way,

finishing in virtually the same way,

Lionel Messi replicates

one of the greatest goals we've ever seen.

- [Announcer] Messi, oh, brilliant skill from Lionel Messi.

[crowd cheering]

Surging forward with real menace here.

Brilliant from Messi,

oh, what a goal that is!

- [Narrator] This goal sent shock waves all over the world,

as it was not only a good goal,

it was a world-class goal

that could only be achieved by a few people.

[upbeat music]

Messi was being regarded as the best player in the world

and still at only the age of 19.

With Ronaldinho out of the squad in the following season,

he had become the star player for the squad.

At the 2007 Ballon d'Or,

Messi made the podium alongside Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He unfortunately finished in the third spot,

but it was still an incredible achievement for him.

He also got nominated for FIFA World Player of the Year,

coming second again behind Kaka,

but beating Cristiano Ronaldo.

He had finally had a taste of what it was like

to be an award-winning player.

But his mission to becoming

the best player ever was still not over.

[gentle music]

Going into 2008, Barcelona were failing

to achieve any form of success.

Their past two seasons had seen them trophy-less,

and not even contenders for top position in La Liga.

Ronaldinho had dramatically lost all form

and was not even considered one of the best players

in the world anymore.

And on top of that, Rijkaard, the Barcelona manager

who had previously led Barcelona to win the league

two times in a row, had lost control of his team.

Things needed to change, and in 2009

Barcelona were appointed with their new manager,

the former Barcelona captain, Pep Guardiola.

Messi continued at the start

of this 2009 season to play on the wing.

During this first season under Guardiola,

Messi finally won his first Ballon d'Or

and FIFA World Player of the Year award,

winning the awards by the greatest voting margin

in each trophy's history.

But going into the 2010 season, Guardiola would go on

to change his role, a decision

that would actually make Messi the player

that he is known for today.

- I think when you have a player like Messi,

it's very difficult to tie down to one position.

But Rijkaard had mostly used him with Barcelona

on the right-hand side as a winger

with license to roam and cut inside.

And when Guardiola took over at Barcelona,

that's where Messi started off as well.

But it was Guardiola probably who had the vision

to see that maybe that was a position which restricted him.

And actually to get the Lionel Messi unleashed

he had to move him into the middle.

And that's what he did.

In all matches in the Clasico against Real Madrid,

Messi pops up as a kind of a false nine position.

And suddenly we see that Messi is capable

of even more than we've seen from him

on the right-hand side of midfield.

- [Announcer] Looks very good for both sides up front, Rob.

You know you can't rest on your laurels, and he's in!

- [Announcer] No, you can't. This could be a killer goal.

Lionel Messi takes his time, and walks it in!

[crowd cheering]

Start shining the trophy now.

The league may well be Barcelona's.

- [Narrator] The false nine position

became Guardiola's trademark.

And for Messi, it's helped him become much more of a threat

in front of goal.

During the 2009, 2010 season, Messi went on

to break the goal scoring record for Barcelona,

a record that had been set previously

by the legendary Barcelona striker Ronaldo in 1996.

- So in 2009, 10, Messi manages to equal this record

of 47 goals scored by the Brazilian Ronaldo,

the man that they called The Phenomenon.

And Messi manages to equal that 47 goals

in a season for Barcelona.

A football club who's just had as many great strikers

as Barcelona have, and have had,

Ronaldo, the great Brazilian,

Messi comes along and equals what he's done.

I mean, it is extraordinary to do that.

Season in, season out, Messi begins scoring goals

at ridiculous numbers.

Under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona were thriving again.

Messi also went on to win his second Ballon d'Or

and FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Throughout the next few seasons,

Messi continued to be a key play maker

and goalscorer for Barcelona.

They went on to win the La Liga title once again,

and in 2011, Messi finished the season with 53 goals

and 24 assists, becoming Barcelona's

all-time single season top scorer,

and the first player in Spanish football

to reach the 50 goal benchmark.

On top of that, he once again won the Ballon d'Or,

making this his third win,

allowing him to become the fourth player in history

to win the Ballon d'Or three times.

Bu going into the next season,

his previous groundbreaking record

of 53 goals in a season would seem just like

a drop in the ocean compared to his 2012, 2013 campaign.

[upbeat music]

- Messi's not just a goalscorer, of course,

he does so much more than that,

but he was shattering records

set by the greatest goalscorers of all time.

Guys who did not much more than just score goals,

so their records fall to a guy who did so much more

than just score goals.

In 1972, Gerd Muller had scored 85 goals

in that calendar year for Bayern Munich and Germany.

Well, in 2012, Lionel Messi scored 91, breaking that record.

An extraordinary feat, 91 goals in a calendar year

averaging more than 1 1/2 goals per game in La Liga.

It's insane.

- What I can say about Messi

more than I was talking, or the people is talking,

he is one of the god of the football.

It's unbelievable the desire,

it's unbelievable the capacity

to fight with the ball on the feet,

to fight without the ball on the feet.

What happen when he touch the ball,

when doesn't have the ball,

it's unbelievable the character,

how he plays, how he work for the team.

- [Narrator] Scoring 91 goals is a single calendar year

got acknowledged by the Guinness World Records,

and he continues to hold that record.

Due to this phenomenal season,

Messi also went on to win his fourth Ballon d'Or,

becoming the first player to ever win four trophies,

displaying to everyone that Messi

was the greatest of all time.

[players yelling]

Heading into the 2013, 2014 season,

Barcelona seemed to be heavily reliant

on Lionel Messi to win games and trophies.

- Celona is arguable the greatest club side of all time,

and that alone would be daunting enough,

until you factor in this man,

the incomparable, the maestro,

the unmarkable Lionel Messi is simply the puzzle

that Chelsea have to solve.

- Statistics and history go out the window

the way he's playing.

It's solely about us performing in these two games

to try and stop him.

And with the ability he's got, we have to be at our best.

- [Narrator] Pundits were labeling the side's error

as Messidependencia.

However, going into the 2014, 2015 season

under the new management of Luis Enrique,

new faces appeared within the Barcelona squad.

These new faces would be Neymar and Luis Suarez,

and together they were the incredible strike force

known as MSN.

[upbeat music]

- Always throughout time, there's been forward lines

that have excited people and gone down in legend,

and Barcelona obviously had one of those

in the MSN combination, Messi, Suarez, Neymar,

which came a few years after Royal Madrid's BBC

with Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano.

It was a wonderful, wonderful setup,

Neymar, Suarez, and Messi in the same side,

Messi with his incredible goal scoring attributes,

but also the wonderful assists

that he brings to the side and to the other two,

Suarez, absolutely deadly in front of goal,

a finisher supreme, and Neymar,

the kind of maverick on the other side,

unpredictable, can be performing at a level

below the other two quite often, but can also

on his day be absolutely sensational.

And who would not want to be part of that front line?

[dramatic music]

- [Narrator] MSN were terrifying in front of goal

and racked up statistics never seen before

in the world of football.

Together, they scored a staggering 270 goals

in just the one season.

They also helped assist each other,

achieving a total of 133 assists between them.

They also went on to win back-to-back La Liga titles,

two Spanish Cups, a Spanish Super Cup,

a Champions League, a European Super Cup,

and a FIFA Club World Cup,

totalling eight incredible trophies in just two seasons.

- [Narrator] With Messi, Suarez and Neymar at the wheel,

Barcelona were achieving record-breaking seasons.

It seemed like the dependency on Messi was gone

and they could all work together to win

as many league titles as possible.

[upbeat music]

[singing in foreign language]

- [Narrator] Whilst Messi's time at Barcelona seemed

to be filled with record-breaking moments

and constant league titles,

his career playing for Argentina

was telling a different story,

one that was up for constant criticism.

- In contrast, really, to his time at Barcelona,

where silver ware and trophies

just seemed to have come in a constant and steady flow,

his career with Argentina

has seen him finish runner-up so many times,

Copa America, World Cup,

it's almost been one disappointment after another.

And somehow, Messi has never really stamped his personality

on a World Cup Finals.

He did win the vote for the best player

in the World Cup of 2014,

but Argentina lost the final, of course, to Germany.

And it felt like it was a consolation prize

for Messi as an individual,

because he deserves to be on that podium

for what he's achieved throughout his career.

Whereas, actually, in that World Cup,

was he the best player at the 2014 World Cup?

Many people would say not.

Again, a World Cup passing by without Messi

being able to enlighten it in the way he has with his club.

- [Narrator] Since playing for Argentina's first team,

Messi had only gone on to get to one World Cup Grand Final.

And although he was the captain,

the strength of the side always seemed to be questioned

going into every international competition,

despite having some

of the best attacking players in the world.

- Probably one of the problems for Messi

with Argentina is that it is all about Messi.

And great though he is,

Barcelona have always fantastic players around him

and behind him, in Xavi and Iniesta

or in Neymar and Suarez,

whereas basically Argentina is Lionel Messi

and has been for a long time.

Despite the fact that there's DyBala and there's Aguero

and other terrific players,

if you stop Messi, you stop Barcelona.

And that has counted against them.

- [Narrator] In 2016, after yet another disappointing

display at Argentina at the World Stage,

Lionel Messi announced he was going

to be retiring from international duty

and not be performing for Argentina in the next World Cup.

However, leading up to the 2018 World Cup,

Messi found himself going back into training sessions

and taking up the role of captain once again.

Maybe this World Cup would be the one for Argentina,

a chance for Messi to show that he could prove

that Argentina weren't a dying force

when it came to international tournaments.

In the 2018 World Cup, Argentina were under the management

of Jorge Sampaoli, who had previously worked wonders

for Chile in 2012, up to 2016.

But unfortunately for Argentina and Messi,

this would be yet another disappointing year for the squad.

But it would also go on to be a year

that was filled with drama.

- So the 2018 World Cup Finals

were yet another disappointment, really,

for Argentina and Lionel Messi.

Messi missed a penalty in the opening game,

a draw with Iceland, massive disappointment.

And then they were absolutely crushed

in Nizhny Novgorod by Croatia,

where it seemed like the wheels were falling off completely.

- [Announcer] Kovacic, Rakitic, they're gonna walk it in!

Job done in style for Croatia.

Argentina a bit draggled, rugged, desperate.

And with real, real work to do.

- Coach Sampaoli at this point seemed to lose the squad.

And there were rumors flying around

all over the place that Messi would then

virtually take over the coaching position,

that the players selected the team for the last group game,

which was against Nigeria in St Petersburg,

which was one they had to win.

There were five changes to the starting 11,

and it appeared even that during that Nigeria game

that the coach was consulting

with Messi about substitutions.

Messi scored a brilliant goal,

Nigeria equalized, Marcos Rojo actually scored the goal

that squeaked Argentina out of the group.

- [Announcer] A brilliant bowl from somebody,

they got their goal!

[crowd cheering]

Argentina lives on!

What a moment here!

- They came that close to not even getting out of the group.

- [Narrator] Tensions seemed high within the Argentina camp

during this World Cup, with a lot of pundits

labeling this side Messi's Argentina.

Even though they just got through the group stages,

their next match against France was hit with,

yet again, more disappointment.

But alongside that, it's also showed signs

that Messi may not be the best player

the world had ever seen when it came to performing

on the world stage.

- And having got out of the group just with a narrow victory

against Nigeria, Argentina came up against France

in the first knockout game.

And Messi was almost outshone by Kylian Mbappe,

who is bright young thing in the French side,

went on to have a fantastic World Cup.

It was a thrilling game, which Argentina lost.

And at the end of it, it just felt slightly

that the mantle was being passed on.

- [Announcer] Good ball, Giroud, helped on here,

and Mbappe, he's got another one!

[crowd cheering] 4-2!

- [Narrator] Argentina's final performance in the World Cup

certainly wasn't the worst they had ever seen,

and they did show some promise compared to previous games.

But unfortunately, France were the better team,

and Argentina's World Cup campaign

was put to rest once again.

They failed to achieve an international win,

and once again, Messi had failed to prove himself

on international duty.

[upbeat music]

[players chattering]

- [Narrator] Back at camp Nou,

Messi was still achieving record-breaking seasons.

During the 2015, 2016 season at Barcelona,

Messi went on to win his fifth Ballon d'Or,

breaking yet again another record

for most Ballon d'Ors achieved,

an achievement that has only ever been done

by one other player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

[upbeat music]

- There's obviously never any question that Lionel Messi

wouldn't win the Ballon d'Or.

He did it for the first time in 2010,

he was 22 years old only.

For Messi to be on that list is, of course, important.

Any footballer is going to look at their legacy

in terms of titles won.

And those include individual titles

as well as club titles.

So if you are to be considered

as one of the best we've ever seen,

you have to win the Ballon d'Or.

You don't have to win it five times, but you might as well.

- [Narrator] Moving on to the 2016, 17

UEFA Champions League, Barcelona went on to win

one of the best comebacks ever seen before

in Champions League history.

Barcelona beat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in their second leg,

after losing 4-nil in the first leg.

MSN showed their true strength during this game

with Suarez opening the match with a goal

within the first three minutes,

Neymar scoring two goals, and Messi scoring a penalty.

- [Announcer] Neymar, chips it forward

and it's Sergi Roberto!

He's done it, can you believe this?

[crowd cheering]

Oh my, goodness me.

This is fantasy standard.

Pinch yourself, that really happened.

- [Narrator] This game displayed their true skill

as a squad, and despite losing out

during the Champions League quarter-final to Juventus,

that one game stood out as one of the best displays

of Barcelona's strength and determination as a squad.

- [Announcer] Barcelona, it was mission impossible,

but it wasn't impossible.

They pulled off one of the greatest wins

in European history.

- [Narrator] In 2017, Barcelona lost Neymar to PSG.

It was the end of the MSN trio.

But despite the recent loss

of one of their strongest strikers,

Barcelona still went on to win

the 2017, 2018 La Liga Championship,

making this their 25th trophy.

[dramatic music] [singing in foreign language]

- [Narrator] To this date, Messi's carer at Barcelona

continues to thrive.

In the season of 2018, 2019, Messi became the top scorer

in Europe once again, earing him

his sixth Europe Golden Shoe,

an achievement that only he has achieved,

with Cristiano Ronaldo behind him with four.

[audience applauds]

[audience applauds]

- There've been so many brilliant Messi goals

over the years, obviously the one against Getafe,

the sort of Maradona-esque goal.

He scored a fantastic goal in the 2014 World Cup Finals,

which saved Argentina, actually, in a 3-2 win over Nigeria

right at the end of the game, brilliant, brilliant goal.

- [Announcer] Messi strikes.

[crowd cheering]

Extraordinary!

- But I think it's gotta be in a Barcelona shirt

that you look back on Messi in the Champions League Finals

that he won with them,

particularly probably the one at Wembley in 2011

against Manchester United when he was the outstanding player

on the pitch, as he so often is.

And Barcelona just toyed with United

in with was a very, very long evening

for Alex Ferguson's team.

And Messi just conjured and created

and conducted what was a fantastic Barcelona display.

- [Announcer] Into the feet of Messi.

[crowd cheering]

Still in, oh Messi!

2-1 Barcelona, and who else but Lionel Messi.

- [Narrator] Lionel Messi is the best player

Barcelona has ever had the pleasure to have in their squad.

And despite having constant offers from other clubs

around the world, he has always stayed loyal

to the Barcelona squad and frequently calls it his home.

- Barcelona and Messi have been together for so long now

that it seems almost inconceivable

that they could ever part.

It may happen.

But I think the reason that he's always turned down

approaches from any other club is partly,

if you go back to his childhood,

he's from a family that has some roots in Catalonia.

He's very aware of what Barcelona did for him

with his medical problems as a very young player.

He only really speaks Spanish,

and he is very, very comfortable in the city,

in the environment of Barcelona,

who have given him everything he could ever want

in terms of trophies and success,

working under the likes of Guardiola,

winning just about everything there is to win.

Barcelona have given him all of that,

there have been no disappointments in his club career.

All the disappointments have been

with Argentina in his international career.

So I think it would be a tremendous wrench

for Messi to walk out on Barcelona.

- [Narrator] At the age of 32, Messi is still regarded

as one of the best players to have ever graced the sport.

He is still breaking records

and still putting in monumental performances

week in, week out at Barcelona.

In December 2019, Lionel Messi once again shattered

another world record as he went on to win

his sixth Ballon d'Or trophy,

beating Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk

and Juventus's Cristiano Ronaldo

for the title of the World's Greatest Player.

This sixth win pushed him ahead of Ronaldo

and made him the only player

to receive six Ballon d'Or trophies

in the history of football.

- I think many people thought we'd never see

anybody like Diego Maradona,

and out of the same country came Lionel Messi,

and has done everything that Maradona did and more,

in terms of club success.

And I think to be able to to do it for a decade and a half,

being kicked week in, week out is something

that even Maradona's body couldn't stand up to.

And Messi has done that.

It's the sheer consistency,

the incredible numbers of goals,

every season, not just a season every now and again,

but every season, which actually

has to probably put Messi even above Maradona.

And that is really saying something.

- [Narrator] But although he is known for his skills

on the pitch, he is also known for his brand deals.

Since 2006, Messi has had an ongoing partnership

with adidas, supplying him with boots and clothing.

In 2017, the brand took this relationship a step further,

pushing forward a lifetime sponsorship deal with him.

To this date, he is frequently promoting

their merchandise and hosting their events.

- [Narrator] Alongside that, he has also worked

with brands such as Pepsi and EA Sports,

having his face on the front of their products

and having him star in their commercials.

But in 2019, he also opened up his own clothing brand.

The store, known as The Messi Store,

sells branded clothing that has been endorsed

and selected by Messi himself.

[crowd cheering]

Because of these intelligent business deals,

Messi has now become the second wealthiest football player

in the world, just behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Messi is also known for more than just his brand deals.

He also does a lot of work for charities

and has set up his own foundation,

called the Leo Messi Foundation,

which has helped support children

from less fortunate backgrounds,

children with cancer

and children with live-changing disabilities.

[uplifting music]

it's safe to say that he has inspired millions

all over the world.

And although he is one of the quietest and reserved players

in the sport, everyone knows the name Lionel Messi

because of his incredible performances

on the pitch and his community work off the pitch.

- A whole generation of kids, boys and girls,

have been absolutely inspired by Lionel Messi

to play the game and to pretend to be Messi

in the back garden, in the streets, in the yard.

And that's probably his legacy around the world.

I think his legacy in Argentina

is probably quite a burden for him to bear,

because for all that he's done, he's done it in Europe.

He hasn't really done it with a national team.

They haven't won a World Cup or a Copa America

while he's been a part of that squad.

So while he satisfied the world,

perhaps back in Argentina they're still hungry

for the next Messi who can do even more.

- [Narrator] Messi's legacy will live on for years to come.

And although he is approaching retirement age,

his ability is still at a world standard.

He is the captain of Barcelona

and one of the most idolized players of all time.

No matter how long he keeps playing for,

he will always be remembered

as one of the greatest players of all time.

- Well, it's really difficult to imagine

that there's anything about Lionel Messi's life

in Barcelona and with Barcelona football club

that isn't very nice indeed,

however he's never played in his native Argentina,

he's never played a senior game in that country.

It may be that he goes back to Rosario

and decides he wants to play for Newell's Old Boys,

the club he supported in the way

that Diego Maradona was always linked with Boca Juniors,

and couldn't resist going back there.

It may be that Messi decides that he does want to go back

and play for his public in his city with his club.

- [Narrator] He is the magician.

And the name Lionel Messi

will forever live in the history books.

[upbeat music]