Born on June 24, 1987, Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who currently plays as a forward and serves as the captain of both Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Messi has set numerous individual records throughout his professional career, including 8 Ballon d'Ors, 6 European Golden Shoes, and 8 FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He holds the record for the most collective trophies in professional football history, with a total of 45 titles, including 12 domestic league championships, 4 UEFA Champions League trophies, 2 Copa América titles, and 1 FIFA World Cup. Messi also holds various records such as the most European Golden Shoes (6), the most goals scored for a single club (672 goals for Barcelona), and the most goals, hat-tricks, and assists in La Liga (474 goals, 36 hat-tricks, and 192 assists). He holds records for the most appearances (39 games), most assists (18), and most goal contributions (34) in Copa América history, as well as the most appearances (26 games) and most goal contributions (21) in World Cup history. Messi is also the South American player with the most international appearances (191 caps) and the most international goals (112), ranking second worldwide for international goals. As a prolific goal-scorer and top-class playmaker, Messi has scored over 800 goals in his professional career, both for club and country.
In 2023, Lionel Messi made the move to Inter Miami after spending the majority of his career at Barcelona. Remarkably, he turned down a lucrative $500 million offer from oil-rich nations in the Middle East to play in the United States. At Inter Miami, Messi led the team to two titles and played a key role in breaking the Major League Soccer points record. While he joined the club later in his career, his legendary status continued to make a profound impact. His leadership was instrumental in guiding Inter Miami to unexpected success, and he also led Argentina to triumph in the 2024 Copa América.
As one of 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Biden, Messi's influence on American soccer is unmistakable. In his remarks, President Biden described Messi and the other honorees as great leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to improving America and the world. The White House also highlighted the remarkable achievements of all 19 individuals, including Messi. Congratulations to Lionel Messi on this well-deserved recognition.
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