1995: An 8-year-old boy playing football in Rosario, Argentina
Nobody knew it then, but they were watching the future of football unfold
Lionel Messi 🐐⚽
When Lionel Messi's Argentina teammates surprised him for his birthday while he was sleeping 😂
Today, Messi turns 39 and is still balling on the biggest stage 🙌🐐
🚨🗣️ Dani Alves (laughing):
“People are talking about Messi like they’ve just discovered a new player. I’ve known Leo for years everything he’s doing now is normal for him. This is his routine. Magic, impossible passes, unbelievable goals, deciding games… that’s who Messi is.
He can do everything on a football pitch. For me, he has always been the greatest player in the history of football and nothing will ever change that. There will never be another player like him.
We are talking about a football genius, a player who made the impossible look ordinary for nearly two decades. Every generation gets stars, but football will never give us another Messi. He is unique, eternal, and the GOAT.”
🇳🇱 Johan Cruyff : "Thank God that Messi exists."
🇵🇹 José Mourinho : "Messi is the God of Football."
🇪🇦 Pep Guardiola : "Messi is the best player of all time."
🇨🇵 Arsène Wenger : "Best Footballer ever? Lionel Messi."
🇦🇷 Diego Simeone : "Messi or Maradona? I think Messi is better."
🇮🇹 Fabio Capello : "Messi is the only genius in world football. Period."
🇩🇪 Jürgen Klopp : "For me, Messi will always be the number #1 in history."
🇩🇪 Joachim Löw : "Lionel Messi is the Most Complete Player I've ever seen."
🇧🇷 Luiz Filipe Scolari : "Coaching Messi would be the Greatest joy of my career."
🇪🇦 Vicente Del Bosque : "I think Messi has surpassed Diego Maradona. He's the best player of all time."
Messi is the most beautiful thing ever happened to the World of Football. We probably won't see any other footballer in history, to get this kind of admiration from all the GOAT Managers.👏
The Greatest there was, The Greatest there is and The Greatest there ever will be. ✅
Happy 39th Birthday to Eternal Leo. Thank you for everything! 🐐❤️😍
Zinedine Zidane on Lionel Messi’s hat-trick vs his son’s team:
🗣️ “What we are witnessing from Lionel Messi tonight is something you simply cannot prepare for as a coach, as a football professional, or even as a parent watching your own child on the opposite side.”
“A hat-trick at this level of football, in a match of this intensity, against a team where my son is involved, creates a very complicated emotional situation that is difficult to fully explain in words.”
“As a football man, you have no choice but to respect absolute greatness when you see it in front of you, but as a father, you are also watching your child try to compete against something that feels almost impossible to stop.”
“Every single time Messi gets the ball, you feel like something dangerous is about to happen immediately, because every touch, every movement, every decision turns into a problem for the opposition.”
“At a certain point in the match, you are no longer even thinking about tactics, formations, or instructions… you are just hoping the rhythm of the game slows down for a few seconds.”
“I have immense respect for what he is doing tonight because this is not normal football anymore, this is a player operating at a level where everything he touches becomes decisive.”
“And yes… as a father watching from the sidelines, there is that silent moment where you just want the match to end, not because of anger, but because of how overwhelming the situation has become.”
Leo Messi: "I can't ask for anything more, God gave me too much, now everything is just to enjoy.
"I'm just happy to being considered as one of the best in football history, I'm just grateful to be considered among many great players..."
Got my entrepreneurial spirit from this woman. Proud to call her Mum 🕊️❤️. My #1 Business Mentor. Forced me to go to Univeristy. Reason to get educated…..!