Claim: Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or award at 22 years old.

Lionel Andrés `` Leo '' Messi -LRB- -LSB- ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi -RSB- ; born 24 June 1987 -RRB- is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team . Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as the greatest of all time , Messi is the only player in history to win five FIFA Ballon d'Or awards , four of which he won consecutively , and the first to win three European Golden Shoes . He has won 29 trophies with Barcelona , including eight La Liga titles , four UEFA Champions League titles , and five Copas del Rey . Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker , Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga -LRB- 349 -RRB- , a La Liga season -LRB- 50 -RRB- and a club football season in Europe -LRB- 73 -RRB- , as well as those for most assists made in La Liga -LRB- 137 -RRB- and the Copa América -LRB- 11 -RRB- . He has scored over 500 senior career goals for club and country .   Born and raised in central Argentina , Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child . At age 13 , he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona , who agreed to pay for his medical treatment . After a fast progression through Barcelona 's youth academy , Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004 . Despite being injury-prone during his early career , he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years , finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award , a feat he repeated the following year . His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008 -- 09 season , during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football . At 22 years old , Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins .   Three successful seasons followed , with Messi winning three consecutive FIFA Ballons d'Or , including an unprecedented fourth . His personal best campaign to date was the 2011 -- 12 season , in which he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season , while establishing himself as Barcelona 's all-time top scorer in official competitions in March 2012 . He again struggled with injury during the following two seasons , twice finishing second for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo , his perceived career rival . Messi regained his best form during the 2014 -- 15 campaign , breaking the all-time goalscoring records in both La Liga and the Champions League in November 2014 , and led Barcelona to a historic second treble .   An Argentine international , Messi is his country 's all-time leading goalscorer . At youth level , he won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship , finishing the tournament with both the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe , and an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics . His style of play as a diminutive , left-footed dribbler drew comparisons with compatriot Diego Maradona , who declared the teenager his successor . After making his senior debut in August 2005 , Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup during the 2006 edition , and reached the final of the 2007 Copa América , where he was named young player of the tournament . As the squad 's captain from August 2011 , he led Argentina to three consecutive finals : the 2014 World Cup , for which he won the Golden Ball , and the 2015 and 2016 Copas América .