Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Barcelona and the Argentina national team.
Lionel Messi was born in Argentina and comes from a poor family. His father was a factory steel worker and his mother was a part time cleaner. Messi developed a great passion for football very early in his life, so at the age of 5 he started playing football for a local club coached by his father and when he was 8, he joined Newell Old Boys Club.
He dreamed of becoming a professional football player, but that dream started to fall apart when he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency. This meant that he was physically unable to grow unless he received special expensive therapy that cost $900 a month. Unfortunately His parents couldn't afford it. And the club that he was playing for refused to pay for the therapy.
Messi's talent was so undeniable, that football clubs started noticing him. River plate FC showed big interest in Messi, but lacked the money to sponsor his medical treatment, so at the end they rejected him because of his medical condition.
But soon Messi was noticed by the coach of FC Barcelona. He sent an offer to the Messi's family. He proposed a trial period , so he could see for himself if Messi is worth the hype. If he passed the trial, the club would cover his medical bills. The coach was blown away by Messi's abilities and talent. He knew that he was born to play football. So he offered him a contract that would change his life forever, on the only thing he had in the moment - a paper napkin. So Messi's first Barcelona contract was actually written on a napkin.
Till today, he has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona. Messi is a goal machine and he is often considered the best player in the world. At 22, Messi won the prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year award. He has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, and a record six European Golden Shoes. And the Barcelona superstar has been named the highest paid athlete in the world! Today his net worth is $400 million.
There are so many lessons to be learned from his success story. A man who Despite his health problems, despite his poor financial background, despite all the rejections he faced, he was still determined to achieve his dream and never give up.
1. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it's just by signing an autograph. A child's smile is worth more than all the money in the world. Lionel Messi
2. I'm lucky to be part of a team who help to make me look good, and they deserve as much of the credit for my success as I do for the hard work we have all put in on the training ground. Lionel Messi
3. You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it. Lionel Messi
4. You cannot allow your desire to be a winner to be diminished by achieving success before and I believe there is room for improvement in every sportsman. Lionel Messi
5. I prefer to win titles with the team ahead of individual awards or scoring more goals than anyone else. I'm more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with? When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy. Lionel Messi
6. I always thought I wanted to play professionally, and I always knew that to do that I'd have to make a lot of sacrifices. I made sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream. Lionel Messi
7. When the year starts the objective is to win it all with the team, personal records are secondary. Lionel Messi
8. Money is not a motivating factor. Money doesn't thrill me or make me play better because there are benefits to being wealthy. I'm just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn't paid to be a professional footballer I would willingly play for nothing. Lionel Messi
9. You have to show up in the World Cup, and in the World Cup anything can happen. Lionel Messi
10. Today I am the happiest man in the world, my son was born and thanks to God for this gift. Lionel Messi
11. I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have retired, great. Right now, I need to concentrate on being part of a team - not just on me. Lionel Messi
12. I've always really just liked football, and I've always devoted a lot of time to it. When I was a kid, my friends would call me to go out with them, but I would stay home because I had practice the next day. Lionel Messi
13. On a personal note, I think it won't be until after I've retired that I'm fully aware of what I've done or what I've gone on to achieve in my career. Lionel Messi
14. There are more important things in life than winning or losing a game. Lionel Messi
15. I repeat what I always say: I want the best for Argentina in every way. I never try to make trouble for anybody. Lionel Messi
16. I have fun like a child in the street. When the day comes when I'm not enjoying it, I will leave football. Lionel Messi
17. In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision. Lionel Messi
18. The truth is that I don't have a favourite goal. I remember important goals more than I do favourite goals, like goals in the Champions League where I had the opportunity to have scored in both finals I have played in. Finals in the World Cup or Copa del Rey are the ones that have stayed with me for longer or that I remember more. Lionel Messi
19. I've never stopped being Argentine, and I've never wanted to. I feel very proud of being Argentine, even though I left there. I've been clear about this since I was very young, and I never wanted to change. Barcelona is my home because both the club and the people here have given me everything, but I won't stop being Argentine. Lionel Messi
20. The truth is my idea has been to always stay at Barcelona and see out the rest of my career here. Like I always say, one doesn't know what can happen in the future, but if it were up to me to decide, I would stay at Barcelona for the rest of my career. Lionel Messi
21. The day you think there is no improvements to be made is a sad one for any player. Lionel Messi
22. Sometimes you have to accept you can't win all the time. Lionel Messi
23. I have many years to get better and better, and that has to be my ambition. The day you think there is no improvements to be made is a sad one for any player. Lionel Messi
24. It's not so easy for us when we play teams who have a different mindset, like Chelsea or Inter Milan, because they have the intention of trying to stop us rather than playing a game that is more attractive for the spectators to enjoy. Lionel Messi
25. I never think about the play or visualize anything. I do what comes to me at that moment. Instinct. It has always been that way. Lionel Messi
26. Being named among the best at something is special and beautiful. But if there are no titles, nothing is won. Lionel Messi
27. Whether it's a friendly match, or for points, or a final, or any game - I play the same. I'm always trying to be my best, first for my team, for myself, for the fans, and to try and win. Lionel Messi
28. I've always really just liked football, and I've always devoted a lot of time to it. When I was a kid, my friends would call me to go out with them, but I would stay home because I had practice the next day. I like going out, but you have to know when you can and when you can't. Lionel Messi
29. What I do is play soccer, which is what I like. Lionel Messi
30. Every year I try to grow as a player and not get stuck in a rut. I try to improve my game in every way possible. But that trait is not something I've worked on, it's part of me. Lionel Messi
31. For my part, I try to do my bit to make people's lives more bearable, in particular children across the globe who are having problems. Lionel Messi
32. I am competitive and I feel bad when we lose. You can see it in me when we've lost. I'm in a bad way. I don't like to talk to anyone. Lionel Messi
33. Like I've said many times before, I'm always more likely to remember goals for their importance rather than if they're beautiful or not. Goals scored in finals, for example. Lionel Messi
34. It seems like people want to blame me for everything. Whenever any issue arises, I'm said to have been involved even if I've had nothing to do with it. That's why I always focus on what I know, which is playing football, and try to be very careful with what I say because people always try and twist things. Lionel Messi
35. I've never stopped being Argentine, and I've never wanted to. I feel very proud of being Argentine, even though I left there. I've been clear about this since I was very young, and I never wanted to change. Lionel Messi
36. It's scoring goals that's great, whether against Brazil or anybody else. Lionel Messi
37. Nah, I've always had a great relationship with my two brothers, I have always had their support in my football and in everything. They've been very close to me and we have a great relationship. Lionel Messi
38. We will not take Arsenal lightly for one minute, as they showed in the two matches against us last season that they can be dangerous opponents if we lose our concentration for a moment. Lionel Messi*Thanks for reading my favorite motivational quotes of this year, I wish you a wonderful year and hope you can look to these inspirational words whenever you need a book so you may confidently crush any challenges or goals that you set for yourself.
*Share Your Favorite Motivational Quotes In The Comments Below!
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