Real Madrid [1] – 0 RB Leipzig – Fede Valverde Great Goal

Despite his dual citizenship and professional success in Spain, Messi’s ties to his home country remain strong and he has been a key member of several Argentina national teams since 2005. He played in the victorious FIFA 2005 World Youth Championship team of Argentina, representing the country. at the 2006 World Cup and scored two goals in five games as Argentina won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Messi helped Argentina reach the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, where the Team was eliminated by Germany for the second straight World Cup match. At the 2014 World Cup, Messi put on a stunning display, scoring four goals and almost single-handedly propelling an attacking weak Argentina side through the group stage and into the knockout stages, where Argentina then advanced to the Copa del Rey world. final for the first time in 24 years.

Argentina lost this game 0-1 against Germany, but Messi won the Ballon d’Or as the player of the tournament. During the 2016 Copa América Centenario, he scored his 55th international goal, breaking Argentina’s goalscoring record held by Gabriel Batistuta his short-lived “retirement” lasted less than two months before announcing his return to the national team. Argentinian team. At the 2018 World Cup, he helped an overwhelmed Argentina side reach the knockout rounds, where they were eliminated in their first game by eventual champions France. After finishing third at the 2019 Copa America, Messi led Argentina to victory and the Ballon d’Or two years later.

Off the pitch, Messi was one of the biggest sports stars in the world. In addition to a widespread football salary that was one of the two highest athlete salaries in all of the professional sports with Ronaldo, he was a hugely successful product promoter, particularly for the sportswear company Adidas.

In 2013, Messi and his father (who managed his son’s finances) were accused of tax fraud and accused of using foreign shell companies to avoid paying €4.2 million in Spanish taxes sponsorship revenue. Despite the subsequent payment of 5 million euros to the Spanish state, the couple went on trial in 2016 over the charges. In July of the same year, Messi and his father each received a 21-month suspended sentence. (First-time offenders in Spain are sentenced to suspended sentences if the duration is less than two years) and fined €2m and €1.5m respectively.