Man, Myth, Messi.

A quick salute on his way off the stage

Lionel Messi is inevitable, but you already knew that. So on this, what observers and the 39-year-old Messi alike concede is (or was, depending upon when you read this) the final World Cup appearance of his astounding playing career, here’s a little about the most famous footballer on earth:

1.) Signed his first contract on a napkin. Messi, an Argentinian, was 13 years old at the time. FC Barcelona desperately wanted to sign him and move him to Spain, but negotiations were dragging and Messi’s dad, Jorge, was becoming impatient, threatening to return home. So at lunch at a tennis club, FC Barcelona director Carles Rexach wrote and signed an ad hoc contract. Dated Dec. 14, 2000, the napkin said that Rexach "hereby agrees, under his responsibility and regardless of any dissenting opinions, to sign the player Lionel Messi, provided that we keep to the amounts agreed upon." The napkin sold for about $1 million at auction in 2024.

2.) Was named for Lionel Richie. True story. Messi’s mom, Celia Maria Cuccittini, originally thought about the name Leonel, but when Jorge suggested changing the first e to an i, everything clicked — Lionel Richie was Cuccittini’s favorite musical performer.

3.) Had a growth hormone deficiency as a kid. This was diagnosed just as Messi approached his teenage years, long after he’d been identified as a prodigy in his sport, and it threatened his career. If the deficiency went untreated, he was projected to reach a maximum height of only 4-foot-7 — but the treatments were expensive, and his family was going to struggle to afford them. FC Barcelona agreed to cover the cost. Messi ultimately grew to 5-7. (Bonus fact: He got his nickname, La Pulga, as a child, both for his small stature and his wildly elusive style on the pitch. It translates directly as The Flea.)

4.) Has earned $1.2 billion. That’s in playing contracts alone. (I mean, he’s pretty good.) Endorsements are estimated to have added another $680 million. His current playing contract with Inter Miami pays him $28 million per year, plus equity and revenue sharing.

5.) Joined his first team at age 4. The club was Grandoli, located in a working-class part of Rosario, Argentina, where Lionel grew up. His first coach was a man named Salvador Aparicio, but after one year, Messi’s dad took over. Helicopter parent alert! In this case, it worked out, and Jorge Messi went on to become Lionel’s agent. Not bad for a former factory worker.

6.) Has the most-liked Instagram post of all time. I am not suggesting this is important, but you study a guy, you learn stuff. In the Dec. 18, 2022 post, Messi included a carousel of photos from his native Argentina’s first World Cup triumph in 36 years. It has garnered 74 million likes (and counting).

7.) Married his childhood sweetheart. She is Antonela Roccuzzo. The two, who have known each other since they were growing up in Rosario, have three children.

8.) Got red-carded one minute into his international debut. At age 18, Messi was subbed into Argentina’s game against Budapest on Aug. 17, 2005. After receiving the ball for the first time, Messi was fouled and immediately retaliated with an elbow, earning himself a straight red card and getting sent off.

“It was not like I had dreamed it would be,” Messi later said. Might be the only time he ever had to utter the phrase.

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