There are 217,000 words in the English language (as per the Oxford Dictionary) but not even one word or combination of words could describe a footballing icon, Lionel Messi. Born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario Argentina, Lionel Andres Messi has made his mark on the world map with his magical footballing skills and unparalleled abilities on the field. The record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has achieved everything there is to offer from the sport. In his 19-year career, the star has never missed out on an honour in a season and made it into the 17 FIFA FIFPRO World Teams (another record). While the Inter Miami captain turns 37 today (on 24th June 2024), there is hardly anything about his professional and personal life left to be covered by the media and fans around the world. Lionel Messi Records at Copa America: A Look At Major Achievements Argentina Football Team Captain Holds in The CONMEBOL Tournament Ahead of 2024 Edition

Lethal on the football ground but even softer off the field Messi has won billions of hearts and spread joy unknowingly. With league titles in every country he played in, ‘La Pulga’ has added multiple international trophies for Argentina. While his achievements, records and honours with the European clubs and Argentina are already in the history books, the star rewriting new chapters with the Florida-based team in the Major League Soccer (MLS). Let us look at three of the most memorable moments in Lionel Messi’s short stint at Inter Miami.

1.  The debut goal with a mind-boggling free kick

Lionel Messi’s goal against Liverpool in the Champions League won him the UEFA.com goal of the season and the maestro pulled out a similar and even more effective in terms of making his name in the league goal against Cruz Azul in the Leagues cup game at 94th minute stunned every spectator. The debut goal by Messi won the match for his side and also was famed ‘GOLAZO’ in MLS. Records Lionel Messi Could Break During Copa America 2024: Check Out Milestones Argentina Football Team Captain Can Achieve in CONMEBOL Tournament 

 

Lionel Messi 'Golazo'

2. Winning Inter Miami’s first major trophy in the first season

Everyone was in shock at Lionel Messi’s move to MLS and that too with a bottom-placed team Inter Miami. The five-year-old franchise pulled out one of the most unthinkable transfers but the Barcelona legend not only proved his worth in his first 10 games with the Inter Miami CF but delivered their first-ever major trophy in the league. He won the 2023 Leagues Cup going unbeaten in the run. Scoring 10 goals and providing three assists Messi received his 44th silverware (most in football’s history)

Inter Miami's First Major Trophy

3. A record-setting game against New York Red Bulls

Lionel Messi is habitual to setting records with one of the absurd ones being his 6-goal contribution during the Inter Miami vs New York Red Bull league match. He set the Major League Soccer record for most goal contributions (six) and assists (five) in a single match. Ironically all the Herons’ goals in the match came into the second half as if Messi had already drawn a perfect game plan during halftime.

Two MLS Records in One Game

While these are measurable records in terms of his performances on the pitch, Lionel Messi has already broken multiple nationwide records in his 11-month stay in the United States of America. In the words of Canada International Mark-Anthony Kaye, ‘He (Messi) is a global icon and he comes with a lot of eyes.’ It’s not just MLS that benefitted from Messi’s presence in the league but sponsors like Adidas, Audi and AppleTV saw a 17% to 20% increase in demand via the ‘lesser-known league’. Ticket and merchandise sales experienced around 30% spike in just 10 -months. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez Top List of Best-Selling Jersey in MLS, Inter Miami Stars Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets Make into Top 25

At the individual level also, the little magician stood tall amongst the sports moguls in the states, surpassing the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady in popularity. Fans are already very vocal with the MVP chants in the ongoing MLS Season. We expect the star to shine brightest on the Football and the World's landscape. Happy Birthday, Leo.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2024 06:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).