Luis Lionel Andres "Leo" Messi was born June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. Messi, as a little boy, accompanied his two elder siblings to play soccer with their friends, unconcerned by the bigger boys. At the age of eight, he was recruited into Newell's Old Boys' youth system, a Rosario-based team. Messi was eventually discovered by medical professionals as having a hormone deficiency that limited his growth. Messi's parents, Jorge and Celia, agreed on a nightly growth hormone injection routine for their son, but the drug quickly became expensive, costing several hundred dollars each month. So, at the age of 13, Messi was offered the opportunity to train at FC Barcelona's youth facility, La Masia, while having his medical fees covered by the club.

Messi swiftly established himself on Argentina's under-20 squad in the summer of 2005. He led Argentina to victory in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring two penalty kicks to defeat Nigeria. Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany, but Messi was voted player of the tournament. Messi announced his retirement from Argentina's national team in 2016, following the country's second consecutive loss to Chile in the Copa America final. Argentina won the World Cup on December 18, 2022, after a thrilling game against France that went to penalty shootout. Messi was awarded Best FIFA Men's Player for the second time and set a new World Cup record of 26 appearances.

At the age of 13, Messi signed with FC Barcelona. He made his debut appearance for the team at the age of sixteen. Messi made history on May 1, 2005, by becoming the franchise's youngest player to score a goal. Messi won numerous titles at Barcelona, most notably in 2009, when his team won the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup. That same year, following two consecutive second-place finishes, he won his first FIFA World Player of the Year title, as well as his first Ballon d'Or, the highest European individual accolade in football. Messi became the first Argentine footballer to win the Ballon d'Or.

Messi signed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021. He made his club debut on August 29, 2021, and scored his first goal in September. PSG won two Ligue 1 championships with Messi. Messi's last game with PSG was on June 3, 2023. In total, he started 72 games and scored 32 goals and 34 assists.

Messi left PSG and signed with Inter Miami in July 2023. Inter Miami benefited instantly from the presence of their new team captain, both on and off the field. The club went on a 12-game winning streak and won the Leagues Cup, an annual competition for teams from the MLS and Liga MX. Messi ended up scoring 11 goals in 14 games total. He was named the club's MVP for 2023 in November.