2004: Though he was eligible to compete for Spain at the international level and drew interest from the Spanish Federation in his teens, Messi opted to play for Argentina as he’d always dreamed
REUTERS/Jose Miguel Gomez JMG
2004: After spending most of the year starting for Barca’s B team, a 17-year-old Messi became the youngest player ever to represent the club in an official match
REUTERS/Alexander Khudotioply
Source: The Guardian
2005: A year later, he earned his first call-up to the Argentina senior national team
REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh LB/CCK
2005: On his 18th birthday, Messi signed his first contract with Barcelona’s senior team and later began earning regular starts for the club
REUTERS/Albert Gea
Source: ESPN
2006: He started getting more time with his national team, too, and scored his first World Cup goal in his debut World Cup appearance
Action Images / Lee Smith Livepic
2006: Though Barcelona began to struggle, Messi scored 17 goals in to help make the case that he was a bona fide star at just 19 years old
REUTERS/Dani Cardona
Source: BD Futbol
2007: He shined during La Albiceleste’s run to the 2007 Copa América final, starting throughout the tournament and contributing two goals at just 20 years old
REUTERS/Jorge Adorno
2008: A 21-year-old Messi led Argentina to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was cited by FIFA as one of the standout players of the tournament
Action Images / Jason O’Brien
Source: FIFA
2008: After Ronaldinho’s departure from Barcelona, Messi assumed his signature No. 10 jersey and once again finished top-3 in both Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the Year voting
REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino
Source: The Guardian
2009: The following year, Messi took over the No. 10 jersey for his country after Argentinian great Riquelme retired from international play
REUTERS/Enrique Marcarian
2009: Messi won his first Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, the former of which he won by a then-record margin of 240 points
REUTERS/Albert Gea
Source: Goal.com
2010: Messi and Argentina struggled at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where La Albiceleste bowed out with a blowout loss to Germany in the quarterfinals
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
2010: Though Argentina made an early exit from the World Cup, Messi’s goal-per-game pace with Barcelona was enough to retain the Ballon d’Or for a second consecutive year
REUTERS/Albert Gea
Source: Goal.com
2011: Argentina’s struggles continued into the 2011 Copa América, where Messi and his teammates struggled to score and exited the tournament in the quarterfinals
REUTERS/Jorge Adorno
2011: Still, Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the third consecutive year thanks to 43 goals and 21 assists in 47 games for Barcelona
REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Source: BBC
2012: Messi was named Argentina’s captain and scored a record-tying 12 goals in nine games under new coach Alejandro Sabella
REUTERS/Eliseo Fernandez
Source: The Guardian
2013: He continued his upward trajectory with Argentina as team’s chemistry improved and La Albiceleste qualified for the 2014 World Cup
AP Photo/Andre Penner
2013: Messi wore the Barcelona captain’s band for the first time in 2013, but injuries derailed his season and left him finishing behind Cristiano Ronaldo in Ballon d’Or voting
REUTERS/Pepe Marin
2014: Messi earned the 2014 World Cup Golden Ball despite Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Germany in the final.
REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
2014: Messi became La Liga’s all-time leading scorer, breaking Telmo Zarra’s 59-year record of 251 goals in Spain’s top league
REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino
Source: BBC
2015: Argentina advanced to yet another final — this time the 2015 Copa América — but fell to the host nation, Chile, in penalty kicks
REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
2015: With 48 goals on the year, Messi led Barca to victories in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup en route to his then-record fifth Ballon d’Or
AP Photo/Martin Meissner
Source: ESPN
2016: After once again losing in PKs against Chile during 2016’s Copa América Centenario, a frustrated Messi announced his short-lived retirement from international play
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
2016: Messi scored 51 goals to become Europe’s top scorer for the year, but placed second in Ballon d’Or voting behind Cristiano Ronaldo
AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
Source: CBS Sports
2017: He returned to the struggling national team and secured Argentina’s World Cup bid with a hat trick against Ecuador
REUTERS/Henry Romero
Source: The Guardian
2017: Messi enjoyed one of the most memorable moments of his career when he scored a stoppage-time game-winner in El Clásico — his 500th-career game-winner for Barca — and celebrated by taking off his jersey and holding it up for Real Madrid fans
OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Marca
2018: After finishing second in their group at the 2018 World Cup, Messi and Argentina lost a 3-4 decision to eventual champions France in the Round of 16
AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan
2018: For the first time since 2009, Messi did not finish in the top-two in Ballon d’Or voting despite becoming Barcelona’s captain and scoring more goals than any other player on the planet
REUTERS/Albert Gea
Source: Barcelona
2019: After an extended hiatus from international play, Messi rejoined Argentina and helped his side to a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa América
REUTERS/Washington Alves
2019: Messi won a record sixth Ballon d’Or after leading Barca to its 10th La Liga title and scoring the most goals in both the Champions League and all of Europe
JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images
Source: Barcelona
2020: Messi and Argentina start strong for 2022 World Cup qualifying
REUTERS/Marcelo Endelli
2020: Messi joined the exclusive 700-goal club on his 630th career goal for Barcelona, but the Argentine shocked the world two months later when he announced his intention to depart Barca for a new squad
Manu Fernandez/Pool via REUTERS
Source: Sports Illustrated
2021: Messi enjoyed the most fruitful year yet with Argentina, leading La Albiceleste to the Copa América title and earning player of the tournament and golden boot honors
REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
2021: After 20 years in Barcelona, Messi left for French side Paris Saint-Germain, where he teamed up with Kylian Mbappé and Neymar to form a European juggernaut
Lionel Messi took a pay-cut to join PSG.
Getty/Mehdi Taamallah