Archive for January 2012
Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975 in Hürth, North
Rhine-Westphalia) is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of
seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher. His own Formula One
career spanned 11 seasons from 1997 to 2007, during which time he won six races
from 180 starts and achieved 27 podium finishes, before retiring from Grand
Prix racing after failing to secure a drive for 2008. Since 2008 he has been
racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series with Mercedes.
Early career
Born in Hürth-Hermülheim near Cologne
he started racing at age three on his parents' go-kart track in their home town
of Kerpen.
After finishing runner-up in the national karting series, Schumacher graduated
to the German Formula Three championship in 1995. Finishing runner up in this
series was not the highlight of the year for him though, as he also won the Macau street race,
a feat also accomplished by his brother Michael. In the race, he beat future F1
teammate Jarno Trulli, Pedro de la Rosa and Norberto Fontana, the driver he
finished runner-up to in German Formula 3.
Schumacher then moved on to the Japanese Formula Nippon
series in 1996, which he won, earning himself a Formula One drive with Jordan for the
following year.
Formula One Career
At Jordan
Ralf Schumacher made his Formula One debut in 1997 with the Jordan team. In
his first race, Ralf qualified 12th on the grid. He made up a couple of
positions in the race and was holding 8th place before retiring with a gearbox
failure after just two laps. The young Schumacher finished on the podium in
just his third race, at Argentina.
However Schumacher retired in more than half his races that season and ended up
behind team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella having also been out-qualified 10 times
during the season by the Italian. The two had an uneasy relationship after
Schumacher took Fisichella out of the Argentine Grand Prix when they were
competing for 2nd place. They collided again at the Luxembourg Grand Prix later
in the season. Schumacher finished 11th in the drivers championship standings
with 13 points, behind Fisichella.
The following season, Jordan was powered by Honda and
proved capable of race wins when Schumacher followed team mate Damon Hill to
second place in the rain-soaked Belgian Grand Prix. Schumacher was reportedly
unhappy at not being allowed to pass Hill late in the race as team orders
demanded he hold station. He finished 3rd in the next race at the Italian Grand
Prix. Ralf finished 10th overall in his second Formula One season.
At Williams
1999
In the knowledge that a deal had been done with BMW in 1999
he changed to the Williams team and scored three podium finishes and sixth in
the World Drivers Championship with the underpowered, obsolete Supertec engine.
A tyre puncture at the European GP prevented him from achieving his first Grand
Prix win. Schumacher was regarded among the paddock as the next future star for
his determination in an underachieving Williams car. However, Heinz-Harald
Frentzen who replaced him at Jordan
scored two wins and four podiums that year.
2000
Schumacher's performance in the 2000 season was considered
by many to be a disappointment. Running the powerful new BMW engine, he was
expected to compete for wins, but he was only able to match the three podium
finishes of the previous year, despite being the senior driver in the team and
suffering only four mechanical failures.
2001
In 2001, Ralf emerged as a future star achieving his first
three Grand Prix wins at Imola, Montreal
and Hockenheim. The San Marino Grand Prix was the first win for the Williams
team since 1997. Montreal
was the first sibling 1-2 in the history of Formula 1. This time Michael
Schumacher was out-raced by his younger brother Ralf who had a much more
powerful car for this race. The Schumacher brothers would finish 1-2 in the
2003 edition as well. At his home Grand Prix, Ralf earned an easy win finishing
46 seconds ahead of Rubens Barrichello. Ralf Schumacher finished the 2001
Drivers Standing in 4th position ahead of team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya.
2002
In 2002, Williams was left fighting for podiums as Ferrari's
domination prove to be unstoppable during the season. Still Ralf managed to
score Williams only win of the season at the Malaysian Grand Prix from 4th on
the grid. This race marked as one of only 2 of the 17 races not won by Ferrari
that year. Ralf collected another 5 podiums including a second place at the
Brazilian Grand Prix. He finished the championship again in 4th, this time
behind team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya.
2003
Ralf Schumacher driving for the Williams-BMW F1 team in
2003.After a slow but confident start and despite scoring at every race, Ralf
did not manage to get onto the podium until the eighth round in Montreal, where he
finished 2nd. By then, he seemed, for much of the European season, to have
perhaps the only realistic shot at the drivers' title of his career after he
won the European Grand Prix (at the Nürburgring) and the French Grand Prix
within the space of a week. However, his form and luck eluded him subsequently
and his challenge had faded by the time of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The final six
races of the season yielded just one points finish. An accident in testing at Monza ended his
championship hopes. Schumacher finished the season 5th and his contribution, alongside
Juan Pablo Montoya did, however, help the Williams team to finish second in the
Constructors Championship in 2002 and 2003, narrowly missing out on the title
to Ferrari on the latter occasion.
Crash At Indianapolis
On 20 June 2004, Schumacher was seriously injured in an
accident at the United States Grand Prix. The deceleration was measured at 78 g
(765 m/s²), one of the most severe in all of motor racing history, resulting in
a concussion as well as two minor fractures to his spinal column. He was taken
to a nearby hospital and spent almost four days there and several months at
home in bed. This caused him to be sidelined for the majority of the season. He
crashed in almost the same manner in 2005, revealing the tyre troubles that
would lead to the fiasco at the 2005 United States Grand Prix.
Toyota: 2005 to 2007
Schumacher driving for Toyota
at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix, where he finished sixth. In 2005, Schumacher
transferred to the Toyota F1 team after Williams refused his salary demands. In
the first races of the season he was out-performed by team mate Jarno Trulli,
however in Spa-Francorchamps, he was able to challenge for the lead most of the
race and ended up setting the fastest lap. Schumacher earned his first podium
with Toyota F1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing in third place, less than
a second behind his brother. The Toyota
team brought the "B" specification of their TF105 car to the last
three races of the season. Schumacher took pole position in Japan after a
wet one-shot qualifying session prevented many drivers from setting competitive
laps. He then finished the Chinese Grand Prix in third position a week later.
This modified version of the car secured sixth position in the Drivers'
Championship for Schumacher, two points ahead of Trulli, and helped the team
finish fourth in the constructors championship, 12 points behind
Ferrari.Schumacher leading Jarno Trulli at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix
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| Michael and Ralf |
Schumacher remained with Toyota
for 2006, however the team was off the pace in early races, though he managed
eighth in Malaysia.
At the third race of the season in Australia he finished a strong
third. He never mounted the podium again that season, although opportunities to
do so were lost through mechanical failure. A fourth position in France was his
only other significant finish in 2006, while he scored 6th place in Hungary,
and earned seventh place in both Turkey and Japan. Overall, he outscored Trulli
again, but admitted it was a disappointing season for himself and for the
Toyota F1 team, as he finished only 10th in the drivers' championship.
Ralf Schumacher earned Toyota
their first point of the 2007 season by finishing in eighth place in the
Australian Grand Prix, one place ahead of team-mate Jarno Trulli. However,
Trulli then finished in seventh place in both of the following two races in Malaysia and Bahrain, scoring 2 points in each.
Schumacher, meanwhile, failed to score in either. In the Spanish Grand Prix, he
was involved in a collision with Alexander Wurz of Williams, dropping him to
the back of the field. He eventually retired with a mechanical problem. Monaco proved
to be another struggle for Schumacher, as he qualified 20th and finished the
race in 16th, 0.9 seconds behind Trulli. It was rumoured at this point that the
Toyota team
were unhappy with his performance, and seemed likely to drop the driver when
his contract expired at the end of the 2007 season.
Schumacher in his third season with Toyota, at the 2007 British Grand Prix
Schumacher scored a point by finishing 8th in the Canadian
Grand Prix, a race from which Trulli was forced to retire after crashing out.
This was not enough to prevent Toyota Motorsport vice-chairman Tadashi
Yamashina publicly urging Schumacher to up his game or risk losing his seat,[4]
having only qualified for the race in 18th place. He then lost control at the
first corner of the next race, removing himself from the race as well as the
cars of Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard. In an attempt to retain his
place at Toyota
for 2008, he offered to accept a $17m pay cut.[5] He retired from top 10
positions in both the British Grand Prix and the European Grand Prix. The first
was due to mechanical failure and the latter was caused by a collision with the
BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld.
A change in fortunes seemed to occur at the Hungarian Grand
Prix (the scene of his first podium finish for Toyota). Schumacher started 5th on the grid
after setting the 6th fastest time (Fernando Alonso was relegated to 6th). He
held off Alonso for much of the race until the third sector and went on to
finish 6th. This fortune, however, was short lived as at the Turkish Grand Prix
Schumacher put in an inexpicably poor qualifying performance to start 16th for
the race while Trulli was up in 9th. Schumacher finished 12th and ahead of his
team mate but only after Trulli was punted off the track at the first corner of
the race by Giancarlo Fisichella. On 1 October, Schumacher announced that he
would be leaving Toyota
at the end of the 2007 season for a new challenge. That year, he had the second
biggest salary after Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.
Retirement from F1
Before and after Schumacher's official resignation from Toyota, there were
rumours linking him to several Formula One teams. He approached McLaren to
enquire about the seat being vacated by Fernando Alonso, but was turned down.He
held talks with long-time mentor and Scuderia Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost
about a possible drive for that team, but Toro Rosso instead opted for
Sebastian Vettel and Sébastien Bourdais. Despite this, Schumacher remained
certain he would be racing in Formula One in 2008.
Schumacher's final outing in a Formula One car came in
December 2007 when he participated in a test for the Force India outfit in a
bid to secure the second race drive alongside Adrian Sutil. However, after
being the slowest of all the Force India testers on the day he tested,
Schumacher stated that he was no longer interested in driving for that team,and
that he would likely not be back into another Formula One car in 2008. The seat
eventually went to Giancarlo Fisichella, Schumacher's team mate during his
debut Grand Prix season in 1997.
After two seasons away from the sport, Schumacher's
experience made him a target for new teams US F1, Hispania (HRT), Virgin and
Lotus for 2010, all of whom he rejected, however rumours continued to link him
with Renault and Scuderia Toro Rosso, although both teams have confirmed their
lines up, Renault with Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov, and Toro Rosso with
Sébastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari. But aspiring F1 team Stefan GP and
Schumacher had been in good contact, but their lack of an entry meant they
could not compete in 2010. Even if they were racing, Schumacher would have not
been driving for them. It would have been Kazuki Nakajima and Jacques Villeneuve
with Pastor Maldonado as the test/reserve driver.
Schumacher at Brands Hatch in 2008 with (Mücke Motorsport)
AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2007 DTM car.
On 17 January 2008, Schumacher participated in a test for
the Mercedes Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) team at Estoril Circuit in Portugal. It
was his first outing with an AMG Mercedes since 20 July 1997 when he was a
guest driver in a race of the FIA GT Championship in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
with an AMG Mercedes CLK-GTR. This was also Schumacher’s last opportunity to
drive a race car with a roof.
Early in February Schumacher participated in a second test
for the Mercedes team at Estoril. Later in the month, he announced that he
would race for Mercedes during the 2008 DTM season.
About his switch to DTM for the 2008 season, Ralf had much
to say: "Of course I know that neither the media nor the spectators
consider me the greatest race driver of all times and this is not what I’m
aiming for.” “During my last three years in Formula 1, I didn’t have much
success and it almost sounded strange to me when Norbert mentioned in our
conversation, that short before this time I had managed to win two Formula 1
Grands Prix within only eight days.” “However, I am still the same Ralf as at
those times, the same racer who has fun in motor sports and who wants to
compete with the best.”
Schumacher at the 2010 season-opener at Hockenheim.
“Now I am able to do so in the DTM which I know very well
since the mid-nineties when I was a young up-coming driver racing in Formula
Junior and Formula 3 which had been staged as a supporting programme of the
DTM. Then I dreamed of racing in the main event sometime.” “I like the series,
I like the environment, I like the enthusiastic and positive spectators. And I
like Mercedes – with them I got my first chance to test a Formula 1 car in 1996
and who knows how my Formula 1 career had turned out if I had accepted the
McLaren Mercedes offer to become their test driver for 1997.“
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| Add caption |
“But then I wanted to drive races, and that’s what I still
want today, more than ten years later.” “I will learn in the DTM, I will work
hard and I will put it behind me if people will criticize me if I should have
problems during the first couple of races.”
Ralf made 2 point-scoring appearances in the 2008 DTM
season, highlighting a 7th place in Barcelona
and 8th place at the Nurburgring. He quietly finished his rookie DTM season in
14th place, with 3 points as the second best driver in a year old Mercedes
C-Class behind Gary Paffett.
Helmet
Ralf Schumacher helmet's design is similar to his brother's,
Ralf's helmet being yellow with a black top circled with astroids, rather than
white with a blue top. Like Michael, Ralf changed helmet color in 2000,
changing the top circle colour from black to yellow.
Personal life
In October 2001, Schumacher married Cora-Caroline Brinkmann,
a former model.[18] On 23 October 2001, their son David was born.
Ralf Schumacher will continue to race for Mercedes-Benz in the 2012 DTM season.
The German driver, the younger brother of seven-time Formula 1 champion
Michael, made his DTM debut in 2008 and next season will mark his fifth
campaign in the series.
Schumacher will remain with Mercedes, having scored his first two podium
finishes - at Hockenheim and the Red Bull Ring - this season.
According to Mercedes Motorsport, his six wins between 1997 and 2007 when he
competed in Formula 1 make him the third-most successful German F1 driver after
his brother, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Michael Schumacher, and double champion
Sebastian Vettel.
Between now and the start of the 2012 season, Schumacher will be heavily
involved in the development and testing programme for the new DTM AMG Mercedes
C-Coupé.
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Ralf Schumacher
isn’t only the best-known driver in the DTM, he’s also one of the most-liked
and most successful in international motorsport. I rate very highly the fact
that Ralf walked the difficult road from Formula One to the DTM, boosted the
series’ popularity and continuously improved until he scored his first podium.
Ralf Schumacher: “DTM is a fantastic championship and,
after four years as part of the Mercedes-Benz family, I feel in the best place
possible. So I’m all the more delighted to be starting a new era next year
together with Mercedes-Benz. With the new technical regulations and the arrival
of BMW on the scene as the third premium manufacturer alongside Audi and
Mercedes-Benz, DTM has an exciting future, and I feel privileged to be playing
my part in development of the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé. My first
impressions from testing are positive, and I’m very excited about racing this
car next year. At the start of this season, I was determined to take the next
step forward in my DTM career, and I feel I have accomplished that by finishing
on the podium twice – at Hockenheim and Spielberg. During testing this winter,
we intend to lay the groundwork to ensure that I can improve my results even
further with the new C-Coupé in 2012.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Ralf Schumacher isn’t only the best-known driver in the DTM, he’s also one of
the most-liked and most successful in international motorsport. I rate very
highly the fact that Ralf walked the difficult road from Formula One to the
DTM, boosted the series’ popularity and continuously improved until he scored
his first podium. Ralf is now one of the drivers aiming for his first win and
he has shown that everything is possible with talent, determination and hard
work. That approach is a perfect fit with Mercedes-Benz and that’s why we are
delighted to extend Ralf’s DTM contract beyond 2011. We and the fans have a lot
of enjoyment ahead of us as we watch him racing."
OK, has that not done it for you? Well, maybe this will: “Between 1997 und
2007, Schumacher completed eleven seasons in Formula One – a total of 180 Grand
Prix races. His six wins during this period make him the third-most successful
German F1 driver after his brother, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Michael
Schumacher, and double champion Sebastian Vettel.”
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
In the late 90s and during Greg Chappell’s coaching era,
when heads were tumbling through the Indian team’s turmoil, it seems all that
MS Dhoni did was chalked out a plan on how things would change for better. When
granted the opportunity to lead, he showed himself ready and became the
solution to most of India's
problems, enough to finally fulfill expectations of a long-suffering crowd of
supporters.
An Adam Gilchrist-inspired Mahendra Singh Dhoni was
drafted in 2004 to solve India's
wicketkeeper-batsman crisis following the failure of the Dravid experiment. His
start was anything but legendary - getting out for a duck. It was his fifth
outing when at home against Pakistan
in 2005, that a blistering 148 which set up India for a win, made everyone take
notice. It came after India
had lost opener Tendulkar early and it was a performance which both calmed nerves
and steered the ship - two qualities which would be Dhoni's hallmark in years
to come. A mammoth 183 to chase a high Lankan total later in the year
reiterated his value. By the end of 2005, Dhoni donned the all-whites to earn a
maiden Test cap against Sri
Lanka, holding both ODI and Test spots ever
since. After India's
failure in the 2007 World Cup, Rahul Dravid resigned as captain. In the
inaugural ICC World Twenty20 that followed, Dhoni was chosen to lead a young
Indian side. Under his guidance, the team quickly turned disappointment to joy
by lifting the coveted trophy, to the surprise of both fans and detractors. His
ability to excel in leadership was quickly recognized and within a year, he was
appointed Indian skipper in all forms of the game.
Under Dhoni's captaincy, India
posted successful Test series victories home and away against England (2008), New
Zealand (2009) and Sri Lanka (2009). Throughout his
first five years as a Test player, India had lost only two away
series, a record which helped them top the Test rankings. Under his leadership,
a renewed spirit emerged among players with youngsters Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag
and Gambhir showcasing fearless determination that had been missing since the
80s.
The biggest accomplishment of his career came in 2011 when
he powered Team India
to a remarkable World Cup victory with his extraordinary leadership skills that
proved his worth as a successful captain. It was after a long gap that India won the
Cup, thanks to a bunch of hardworking and enthusiastic cricketers led by a
young and exceptionally astute skipper. He played a captain’s innings in the
final against Sri Lanka,
where his brilliant knock of 91 runs sealed the most memorable victory for his
team and his country. He may have won the Man of the Match award in that
ultimate encounter, but for a cricket-crazy nation, MS Dhoni will forever be
the man who led from the front and fulfilled a billion dreams of seeing the Cup
return after 28 long years.
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| MSD with WORLD CUP |
Fast Facts
MS Dhoni was the ICC ODI Player of
the Year in 2008 and 2009.
He led India to
victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup
in 2011.
From the time
Dhoni took over as the Test captain (2008), India
had not lost a single Test series until August 2011, when England whitewashed India 4-0.
He is one of
only 3 Indian skippers to notch above 10 wins in Tests.
Dhoni became the
first wicket-keeper to have ever led India in Tests.
He's the third
most successful (highest run getter) wicket-keeper batsman in ODIs, behind Adam
Gilchrist and Kumar Sangakkara.
Dhoni
represented his district and club for badminton and football and was a
goalkeeper.
His football
coach sent him to play cricket for a local cricket club where he impressed with
the gloves.
Dhoni became the
first wicket-keeper captain in international cricket to bag 100 catches in both
Tests and ODIs.
He is also holds
the record for the most dismissals by a wicket-keeper captain in Tests and
ODIs.
Stats
Matches
Innings Runs NO Avg. SR
100's 50's HS
Test 66 104 3495
12 37.98
60.11 5
24 148
ODI 196 175 6497
48 51.15
88.52 7
43 183*
T20 28 27 480
8 25.26
109.84 0
0 46
IPL 59 51 1425
15 39.58
138.61 0
8 70*
CLT20 10 9 137
4 27.4
108.73 0 0 31*
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| Dhoni's Old Photo |
Career Span:
Test:
2005-2012
ODI:
2004-2011
T20:
2006-2011
IPL:
2008-2011
CLT20:
2010-2011
Test
Debut:
India Vs Sri Lanka
at MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Chennai (Madras) - Dec 02, 2005
Last played:
India Vs Australia
at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney
- Jan 03, 2012
ODI
Debut:
India Vs Bangladesh
at Chittagong Stadium (MA Aziz Stadium), Chittagong - Dec 23, 2004
Last played:
India Vs England
at Eden Gardens, Kolkata - Oct 25, 2011
T20
Debut:
India Vs South
Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 01, 2006
Last played:
India Vs England
at Eden Gardens, Kolkata - Oct 29, 2011
IPL
Debut:
Chennai
Super Kings Vs Kings XI Punjab at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali - Chandigarh - Apr 19, 2008
Last played:
Chennai Super
Kings Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai - May 28, 2011
CLT20
Debut:
Chennai
Super Kings Vs Central Stags at Kingsmead, Durban - Sep 11, 2010
Last played:
Chennai
Super Kings Vs New South Wales
at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai - Oct 04, 2011
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| Dhoni and Sakshi |
Whats happening to
dhoni now??
Currently he is leading India
in Border-Gavaskar Tophy against Australia
in Australia.
But last day every one in the press conference area was taken by surprise when
Team India
skipper Mahinder Singh Dhoni said that he will retire from one format of the
game by the end of 2013 and most probably Test cricket. Dhoni said, if he has
to play the 2015 World Cup cricket he has to retire from one format of the
game.
"If I want to see the 2015 World Cup, I'll have to
retire from one of the formats," Dhoni said. "It's too early right
now. I am not that old. I am just 30. There is still time. We will see by 2013,
and by 2013, I mean the end of 2013," Dhoni said after the practice
session in Perth.
The Indian skipper said that he doesn't want to delay his
decision beyond next year and take a hard look at defending his World Cup.
"That's something I need to see," he said. "I will take it as
the time comes. What I really meant was by 2013 I would have to see where I
stand when it comes to my body, whether I will be able to survive until the
2015 World Cup. Of course form is a factor.
"Also, what I need to see is, if I play till 2014 and
all of a sudden say I can't survive till the World Cup, and then all of a
sudden you have a new wicketkeeper coming in who has not played more than 30
international games. So by end of 2013 I need to decide if I am fit enough to
proceed in one of the formats. It's not personal interest. What I want is an
individual who, if he is taking my place, should have played at least 60 to 100
ODIs before he goes into the World Cup. It's what my personal thinking is. We
will see accordingly. Lots of time before that."
Possible reasons
for Dhoni's revelation
Known for being practical and forthright, Dhoni must have
analysed his Test record off late. In the 66 Tests he has played so far, his
record has been gradually moving southwards. While the tour of England was a disaster as a player, in Australia he
has additionally come under criticism for his captaincy as well. Contrast this
with his stellar performance in limited over games – both as a player and
skipper – and one can see reason in Dhoni’s contention.
Dhoni is the reigning World Cup champion and IPL champion.
His recent performance in Tests is sullying that image. Off the field, as a
champion ODI and T20 player, Dhoni is among the biggest brands in Indian
advertising. With his falling performance in Tests and captaincy under
criticism, the situation is neither helping the team nor his personal equity.
Dhoni’s timing of this announcement, a day before the
crucial Perth
3rd Test, is bit of a mystery. But sources in the BCCI indicated that the board
and the team management were in the loop. Board officials say that it is
already working on various options to available as replacement for Dhoni as
captain to begin with. Virender Sehwag's name has been suggested by some as the
future Test captain.
If Dhoni pulls out of Tests all together, the Board will
have to look for a wicket keeper as well. Top BCCI officials are not happy with
Indian Team's performance in England
and Australia
so far. Team India will not
play any difficult away series till the end of 2013 until India tours South Africa. Dhoni’s announcement
today could also mean he may opt out of the tough Test series against South Africa.
Virender Sehwag won't be a long term solution for sure as
he is ageing as well and the BCCI will have to look for younger player who
would not only be able to lead the side in Tests but should be interested also
in doing the job on a long term basis. With the IPL’s commitment for the top
Indian players getting bigger every year and the World Cup looming in two
years, to find a young player interested in Tests would be a tough job for the
BCCI.
Indian team’s stability in the recent years can also be
attributed to the fact that Dhoni has alone led the side in all three formats
of the game – Tests, ODIs and T20. Next
year that could change and like in England, Indian cricket also could
see different captains in different formats of the game.
Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a forward. Messi received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 (2009 Ballon d'Or and 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year), 2010 (2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or) and 2011 (2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or). He also won the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. His playing style and small stature has drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his "successor." Messi began playing football at a young age and his skill and potential was soon realized by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke his team record for the youngest footballer to score a league goal. Major honors soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in the 2006–07 season; he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Messi then had the most successful season of his playing career, the 2008–09 season, in which he scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign. This record-breaking season was then eclipsed in the following 2009–10 campaign, where Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling Ronaldo's record total for Barcelona. He surpassed this record again in the 2010–11 season with 53 goals in all competitions.
Messi has won five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, scoring in two of those finals, against Manchester United in both 2009 and 2011. He was not on the pitch as Barcelona defeated Arsenal in 2006, but received a winners' medal from the tournament. After scoring 12 goals in the 2010–11 Champions League, Messi became only the third player (after Gerd Müller and Jean-Pierre Papin) to top-score in three successive European Champion Clubs' Cup campaigns. However, Messi is the first one to win the Champions League top scorer titles for three consecutive years after Champions League changed its format in 1992.. Messi is the fourth football player to win three Ballon d'Ors, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco Van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive Ballon d'Ors, after Michel Platini (however, two of his Ballon d'Ors are FIFA Ballon d'Ors, which he won consecutively).
Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team. At international level Messi scored 19 goals in 66 games.
Early life
Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, to parents Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory steel worker, and Celia María Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner. His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona, from which his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883. He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matías as well as a sister named María Sol. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. The traditional River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for treatment for his condition which cost $900 a month. Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial. Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered Messi a contract written on a paper napkin. Barcelona offered to pay for Messi's medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain. Messi and his father moved to Barcelona where Messi enrolled in the club's youth academy.Club career
Barcelona
Messi is Barcelona's second highest goalscorer surpassing László Kubala on 194 goals and now only is behind César Rodríguez Álvarez on 235 goals in all official competitions.Messi played in Barcelona's junior Infantil B and Cadete B & A teams from 2000 to 2003 (scoring 37 goals in 30 matches in Cadete A). Season 2003–04 saw him in record five different teams: He started one match in Juvenil B (one goal) and got promoted to Juvenil A (14 matches, 21 goals). Later he debuted for FC Barcelona C team (Tercera División) on 29 November 2003 and for FC Barcelona B (Segunda División B) on 6 March 2004. He played for both teams during the season (eight matches, five goals and five games, zero goals, respectively). Even before these two debuts, Messi made his official debut for the first-team on 16 November 2003 aged 16 years and 145 days, in a friendly match against Porto.
Less than a year later the debut, Frank Rijkaard let him make his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga. This record was broken by Bojan Krkić in September 2007. When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, ten months and seven days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona until it was again broken by Bojan Krkić in 2007, scoring from a Messi assist. Messi said about his ex-coach Rijkaard: "I'll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only sixteen or seventeen." During the season, Messi played also in Barcelona B (Segunda División B) scoring 6 goals in 17 matches.
2005–06 season
—Diego Maradona, on the consequences if Messi won the 2010 World Cup
On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract; this time it was improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014. Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September 2005 and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. Messi's first home outing in the Champions League came on 27 September against Italian club Udinese. Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona. Messi netted six goals in 17 league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea. Rijkaard's Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.
2006–07 season
In the 2006–07 season, Messi established himself as a regular first team player, scoring 14 times in 26 matches. On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months. Messi recuperated from his injury in Argentina, and his return to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February, where he came on as a second-half substitute. On 11 March, El Clásico saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3–3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time. In doing so he became the first player since Iván Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994–95 season) to score a hat-trick in El Clásico. Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture. Towards the end of the season he began finding the net more often; 11 of his 14 league goals for the season came from the last 13 games.Messi also proved the "new Maradona" tag was not all hype, by nearly replicating Maradona's most famous goals in the space of the single season. On 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century. The world's sports press drew comparisons with Maradona, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as "Messidona". He ran about the same distance, 62 metres (203 ft), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before. In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: "It was the best goal I have ever seen in my life." Against RCD Espanyol Messi also scored a goal which was remarkably similar to Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal against England in the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi launched himself at the ball and connected with his hand to guide the ball past the goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. Despite protests by Espanyol players and replays showing it was clear handball, the goal stood.
2007–08 season
During the 2007–08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week leading Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. On 19 September he scored once as Barcelona defeated Lyon 3–0 at home in a Champions League match. He scored two goals against Sevilla FC on 22 September and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4–1 victory over Real Zaragoza. Next goal came in 4–1 away win against Levante UD in 29 September 2007. His second Champions League goal of the season came against VfB Stuttgart. On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Barcelona against Valencia.Messi was nominated for a FIFPro World XI Player Award under the category of Forward. A poll conducted in the online edition of the Spanish newspaper Marca had him as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the vote. Columnists from Barcelona-based newspapers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport stated that the Ballon d'Or should be given to Messi, a view supported by Franz Beckenbauer. Football personalities such as Francesco Totti have declared that they consider Messi to be one of the current best footballers in the world.
Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that Messi suffered this type of injury. After coming back from the injury Messi scored his last goal of 2007–08 season against Valencia CF on 4 May 2008 in a 6–0 win. When the season was over Messi managed to score 16 goals and assisted 13 times in all competition.
2008–09 season
Upon Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey. On 1 October 2008, during a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes, after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn a 1–0 deficit to a 2–1 victory for Barcelona. The next league game was versus Atlético Madrid, a match billed as a friendly battle between Messi and his good friend Sergio Agüero. Messi scored a goal from a free kick and assisted another as Barça went on to win the match 6–1. Messi netted another impressive brace against Sevilla scoring a volley from 23 metres (25 yd) and then dribbling round the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle for the other. On 13 December 2008, during the first Clásico of the season, Messi scored the second goal in Barcelona's 2–0 win over Real Madrid. He was also named second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atlético Madrid which Barcelona won 3–1. Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing Santander 1–2 after being 1–0 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal. In the 28th round of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, helping his team to a 6–0 victory over Málaga CF in the process. On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, setting a personal record of eight goals in the competition. On 18 April, Messi notched his 20th league goal of the season in a 1–0 win at Getafe, allowing Barcelona to maintain their six-point advantage at the top of the league table over Real Madrid.
As Barcelona's season was drawing to a close, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a 6–2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930. After scoring each goal, he ran towards the fans and the cameras lifting up his Barcelona jersey and showing another T-shirt that read Síndrome X Fràgil, Catalan for Fragile X Syndrome, to show his support for children who suffer from the affliction. Messi was involved in the build-up to Andrés Iniesta's injury time goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to send Barcelona through to face Manchester United in the final. He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one goal and assisting another two, in a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao. He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the Champions League by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead; he also became the top scorer in the Champions League, the youngest in the tournament's history, with nine goals. Messi also won the UEFA Club Forward of the Year: and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year rounding off a spectacular year in Europe. This victory meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and Champions League in the one season, and was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.
2009–10 season
Messi was named winner of the 2009 Ballon d'Or on 1 December 2009, beating runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo by largest ever margin of 473 to 233. Afterwards, France Football magazine quoted Messi as saying: "I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me."
Messi then started an impressive run scoring 11 goals in five games. First he scored on the 84th minute against Málaga CF for a 2–1 win, then he scored two goals against UD Almería in a 2–2 tie. He continued his spree with an impressive week where he scored eight goals; he started by scoring a hat-trick against Valencia CF in a 3–0 home win, then he scored two goals against Stuttgart, in a 4–0 win that secured Barcelona's qualification to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and finally he scored another hat-trick against Zaragoza in a 4–2 away win, becoming the first Barcelona player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in La Liga. He played his 200th official match for Barcelona against Osasuna on 24 March 2010.
"Once he's on the run, Messi is unstoppable. He's the only player who can change direction at such a pace."
"He is the best player in the world by some distance. He's (like) a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make."
On 6 April 2010, for the first time in Messi's career he scored four goals in a single match, netting the lot in a 4–1 home win over Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. This also saw him overtake Rivaldo as Barcelona's all time greatest scorer in the competition. On 10 April, Messi scored his 40th goal of the season when he netted the first goal in a 2–0 away win against title-rivals Real Madrid in El Clásico. On 1 May, Messi played his 50th game of the season and scored two goals on a 4–1 away win against Villarreal. Just three days later, on 4 May, Messi scored two goals in another 4–1 win at home against Tenerife. Messi scored his 32nd goal of the La Liga season on 8 May, during an away win against Sevilla, and in the final match against Valladolid, he scored two goals in the second half to tie Ronaldo's club record of 34 goals in a single league season, set in 1996–97, and to finish four goals behind the all-time record held by Telmo Zarra. He was named La Liga player of the year for the second year in a row on 3 June 2010. 2010–11 season
On 21 August 2010, Messi scored a hat-trick in his first start of the season in a 4–0 victory over Sevilla FC in the Supercopa de España, helping Barcelona secure their first trophy of the season after a 1–3 first leg loss. He also began his league season with a goal, scoring after just three minutes against Racing Santander on 29 August 2010. He then continued his excellent form into the UEFA Champions League group stage match against Panathinaikos where he scored two goals, assisted another two and also hit the frame of the goal on two separate occasions.On 19 September 2010, Messi suffered an ankle injury due to an ill-advised tackle by Atlético Madrid defender Tomáš Ujfaluši in the 92nd minute of their Round 3 match at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. At first sight it was feared that Messi suffered a broken ankle that could have kept the star player away from the pitch for a minimum of six months, but MRI performed the next day in Barcelona showed he suffered a sprain in the internal and external ligaments of his right ankle. Team-mate David Villa stated "the tackle on Messi was brutal" after watching the video of the play and also added that he believed the Atlético defender "didn't go into the tackle to hurt". The incident caused widespread media attention and brought up the debate of equality in protecting all players in the game.
When Messi recovered he scored in a 1–1 tie against RCD Mallorca. He then scored another brace on the UEFA Champions League against København and helped the team to a 2–0 home win. He continued his impressive scoring run with braces against Zaragoza and Sevilla. After a prolific October, he started November scoring on an away 1–1 tie against København and an away 3–1 win against Getafe where he also assisted team-mates David Villa and Pedro Rodríguez. In the next fixture against Villarreal CF, he scored combining with Pedro, which gave Barcelona a 2–1 lead. He scored another goal and Barcelona won 3–1. This was the 7th consecutive match in which Messi scored, breaking his own previous record of 6. He also achieved the feat of scoring 50 goals in the calender year of 2010 with the 1st goal, while with the second goal, he achieved the same feat again, this time considering the goals he scored wearing a Barcelona shirt in 2010. Against Almería he scored his second hat-trick of the season in an impressive 8–0 away win, the second goal was his 100th La Liga goal. He scored on his ninth game in a row (10th including a friendly against Brazil) on a 3–0 away win against Panathinaikos.
Messi won the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, beating his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Iniesta. Messi had been nominated for the awards for the fourth consecutive year. Only two days after he won the award he scored his first hat-trick of the year and third of the season against Real Betis. He began the second round of the league with a goal, scoring his second penalty against Racing Santander. After scoring the penalty kick, Messi revealed a message on his undershirt that said, "Happy birthday, mami.". He continued his goalscoring form with a brace against Almería in the Copa del Rey semifinal, and followed it up with another brace less than a week later against Hércules CF. On 5 February, Barcelona broke the record for most consecutive league wins with 16 victories after they defeated Atlético Madrid 3–0 at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to ensure the victory for his side and after the match he stated, "it's an honor to be able to pass a record set by a great like Di Stéfano" and "if the record has been around for so long is because it's very complicated to achieve and we have reached it by defeating a very difficult team who's going through a bad situation, which makes it even more difficult."
After two scoreless games, he scored the winner against Athletic Bilbao in which Barcelona won 2–1. The next week he scored the first header of the season against RCD Mallorca on a 3–0 away win. This victory was the equalising a La Liga record set by Basque club Real Sociedad in the 1979–80 campaign with a 19 unbeaten away matches. The record was broken after three days later when Messi scored the only goal on an away victory over Valencia. On 8 March, Messi scored two goals against Arsenal in a UEFA Champions League match at the Camp Nou, helping Barcelona win 3–1 and qualify to the quarter-finals of the competition. After failing to score for a month he scored a brace against UD Almería; the second goal was his 47th of the season, equalling his club record return of the previous season. He surpassed his record on 12 April 2011 by scoring the winner against Shakhtar Donetsk in a UEFA Champions League game, which put him in the record book as all time top scorer in a single season for Barcelona. He scored his eight goal on El Clásico on a 1–1 tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. On 23 April, Messi scored his 50th goal of the season against CA Osasuna in a 2–0 home victory which he came on as a substitute in the 60th minute.
In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, he gave a memorable performance, scoring twice against Real Madrid in a 2–0 win, the second goal (a dribble past several players) being acclaimed as one of the best ever at that stage of the competition. At the Champions League Final at Wembley, Messi scored the eventual game-clinching goal to give Barcelona their third title in six years and fourth overall.
2011–12 season
Messi started the season by lifting the Spanish Supercup with Barcelona, scoring three goals and providing two assists in a 5–4 aggregate win against Real Madrid. His vital interventions continued in the next official match played against Porto when he scored again following a weak back pass from Fredy Guarín before setting up Cesc Fàbregas to give Barcelona a 2–0 victory and the UEFA Super Cup, the only official competition that remained for him to score in. Messi's La Liga campaign began with two goals against Villarreal CF and he would go on to score hat-tricks in back to back home games against CA Osasuna and Atlético Madrid.Messi showed in a league game against CA Osasuna on 17 September, why he is considered the best footballer in the world, on and off the field. After scoring his first goal of an eventual hat-trick in an 8–0 rout, Messi produced his special celebration for Soufian, a 10-year-old Moroccan boy with Laurin Sandrow syndrome, a rare medical condition that can eventually lead to the loss of the lower extremities. Whilst Messi usually points to the sky after scoring a goal, Messi slapped his thighs as a dedication to Soufian.
On 28 September, Messi scored his first two Champions League goals of the season against BATE Borisov, becoming Barcelona's second highest goalscorer in its history, tying László Kubala, at 194 goals in all official competitions. He surpassed that record when he scored two goals against Racing de Santander. He came just one goal from the 200 mark after another home hat-trick against RCD Mallorca and became second in Barcelona's La Liga goalscorers list with 132 goals, one more than Kubala. He scored his 200th Barcelona goal and two more as part of a hat-trick in his next game against Viktoria Plzeň in the Champions League. He scored his first goal ever at San Mamés with an injury time equalizer for a 2–2 draw against Athletic Bilbao. He followed that with a goal against Real Zaragoza. He scored a penalty in a 3–2 away win against Milan in the 2011–12 Champions League group stage. He also scored for the first time against Rayo Vallecano on a 4–0 home win. Followed by a goal against Levante UD on a 5–0 home win.
Messi scored a brace on the Club World Cup Final against Santos and was recognized as the man of the match and also awarded the Golden Ball for his performance during the tournament.
Messi won the 2011 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, beating his FC Barcelona team-mate Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi won the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, beating his FC Barcelona team-mate Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. By winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or again, Messi become the fourth player to win three Ballon d'Ors, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco Van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive Ballon d'Ors, after Michel Platini (however, two of his Ballon d'Ors are FIFA Ballon d'Ors, which he won consecutively).
International career
In June 2004, he debuted for Argentina, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005 he was part of a team that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. There, he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe, scoring in the last four of Argentina's matches and netting a total of six for the tournament.
He made his full international debut on 17 August 2005 against Hungary at the age of 18. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off on the 65th minute because the referee, Markus Merk, found he had headbutted defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was tugging Messi's shirt. The decision was contentious and Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated. Messi returned to the team on 3 September in Argentina's 1–0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay. Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-debut. The first one was a bit short." He then started his first game for Argentina against Peru; after the match Pekerman described Messi as "a jewel"
On 28 March 2009, in a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the number 10 jersey for the first time with Argentina. This match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as the Argentina manager. Argentina won the match 4–0 with Messi opening the scoring.
On 17 November 2010, Messi scored a last-minute goal against South American rivals Brazil after an individual effort to help his team to a 1–0 win in the friendly match, which was held in Doha. This was the first time that he had scored against Brazil at senior level. Messi scored another last-minute goal on 9 February 2011 against Portugal in a penalty kick which he give his side a 2–1 victory in the friendly match, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland.
2006 World Cup
The injury that kept Messi from playing for two months at the end of the 2005–06 season jeopardised his presence in the 2006 World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentine U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th minute. He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the substitute's bench. In the next match against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodríguez in the 74th minute. He assisted Hernán Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6–0 victory, making him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Messi started in Argentina's following 0–0 draw against the Netherlands. In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, with the score tied at 1–1. He appeared to score a goal, but it was ruled offside with Argentina needing a late goal in extra time to proceed. Coach José Pekerman left Messi on the bench during the quarter-final match against Germany, which they lost 4–2 on a penalty shootout.2007 Copa América
His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1–1. He also played a part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3–1. The final score of the game was 4–2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.
In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0–0. In the 79th minute, he assisted a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4–0 win. During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo Sánchez to see Argentina through to the final with a 3–0 win. Argentina went on to lose 3–0 to Brazil in the final.
2008 Summer Olympics
2010 World Cup
Messi played the entire game on Argentina's opening match in the 2010 World Cup, the 1–0 victory against Nigeria. He had several opportunities to score but was repeatedly denied by Vincent Enyeama. Messi started in Argentina's following 4–1 win against Korea Republic; he participated in all of the goals of his team and helped Gonzalo Higuaín score a hat-trick. On the third and last group stage match Messi captained during Argentina's 2–0 win over Greece, again being the centrepoint of Argentina's play and was voted man of the match.At the Round of 16 he assisted Carlos Tévez for the first goal in a 3–1 win against Mexico. The referee awarded the goal even though it was a clear offside. The World Cup ended for Argentina with a 4–0 loss against Germany in the quarter-finals.
Messi was nominated in ten player shortlist for Golden Ball award by FIFA Technical Study Group. The group identified Messi with words: "Outstanding in his pace and creativity for his team, dribbling, shooting, passing – spectacular and efficient".
2011 Copa América
Messi took part in the Copa América in Argentina, where he failed to score a goal but notched three assists. He was selected man-of-the-match in matches against Bolivia (1–1) and Costa Rica (3–0). Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals in a penalty shoot-out against Uruguay (1–1 a.e.t.), with Messi scoring as the first penalty taker.Outside football
Personal life
Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup. He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine glamour model Luciana Salazar. In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina. I am relaxed and happy". He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario.Messi has two cousins also involved in football: Maxi, a winger for Club Olimpia of Paraguay, and Emanuel Biancucchi, who plays as a midfielder for Spain's Girona FC.
Charity
In 2007, Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity supporting access to education and health care for vulnerable children. In response to Messi’s own childhood medical difficulties, the Leo Messi Foundation has offered Argentine children diagnosed with illnesses treatment in Spain and funds covering the transport, hospital and recuperation costs. Messi’s foundation is supported by his own fundraising activity with additional assistance from Herbalife.On 11 March 2010 Messi was announced as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Messi’s UNICEF ambassador activities are aimed at supporting children’s rights. Messi is supported in this by Barcelona, who also have a strong association with UNICEF.
Wealth
In March 2010, France Football ranked him at the top of its list of the world's richest footballers, with £29.6 million in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-field earnings. His net-wealth is estimated at £170 million ($250 million).Media
An example of Messi's worldwide popularity and influence. Photographed in Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India
Messi was featured on the front covers of the video games Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the games. Messi, along with Fernando Torres, is the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer. However, in November 2011 Messi was confirmed as the new face of PES's rival football series FIFA with his debut as a cover star of the series coming in 2012's FIFA Street. Messi is sponsored by the German sportswear company Adidas and features in their television advertisements. In June 2010, Messi also signed a three–year contract with Herbalife which further supports the Leo Messi Foundation.On April 2011, Messi was named in the 2011 Time 100, the magazine's annual list of the most influential people in the world.
Also in April 2011, Messi launched a Facebook page and within a few hours, his page had attracted more than six million followers. His Facebook page had over 28 million followers in December 2011.
Honors
Barcelona
- Spanish League (5): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
- Spanish Cup (1): 2008–09; Runner-up 2010–11
- Spanish Supercup (5): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
- UEFA Champions League (3): 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11
- UEFA Super Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006
- FIFA Club World Cup (2): 2009, 2011
Argentina
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2008
- Copa América: Runner-up 2007
