10 facts about Lionel Messi

10. Messi shares his birthplace with the Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevera. Both were born in Rosario, Argentina.

09. Messi made his league debut for Barcelona on 16th October 2004, he was just 17. Messi scored his first La Liga goal on 1st May 2005.

08. He made his debut for Argentina in 2005 against Hungary at the age of 18, and was sent off just 47 seconds later after a dubious decision by the referee who believed Messi had elbowed a defender.

07. He was detected with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 11. His parents could not afford his treatment, which was $900 a month.

06. Messi inherited the No. 10 Barca jersey from another great footballer Ronaldinho in the summer of 2008.

05. At age 24, Lionel Messi became the all time top scorer for the soccer club Barcelona. He is also the player who has scored the most hat-tricks in the history of the club.

04. His infant son is already an official member of the Newell's Old Boys' supporters club, entered when he was only 72 hours old.

03. Lionel Messi is the first football player in the World to win three European Golden Shoe awards. The European Golden shoe award is given to a player who scores the most goals in a competitive European league.

02. Lionel Messi is also the first and only player to become a top scorer in four consecutive Champions League campaigns.

01. Lionel Messi was ranked ahead of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo as the world's richest footballer in 2012.