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Read all about Argentinian soccer superstar Lionel Messi and his legendary career in this book from Who HQ Now, the series featuring the trending topics and news makers of today.
Lionel Messi loved soccer from an early age, often playing with his family members with encouragement from his grandmother. Now, he is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time! He is also one of the most decorated footballers in the world--having won 44 collective trophies, including seven Ballon d'Or awards, 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, 2019 and 2022 Best FIFA Men's Player, and more. From making his first team debut at just sixteen years old in 2003 to breaking numerous longstanding records in 2012, to helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup, Messi continues to wow fans with his finesse of the soccer ball. However, Lionel Messi stays true to his roots, never forgetting a small tribute to his grandmother each time he scores a goal by looking up and pointing to the sky. Learn about Lionel's epic career and his lifelong love for soccer in this illustrated biography for young readers. James Buckley Jr. has written more than 50 books for kids, including Who Was Ernest Shackleton? and Who Was Roberto Clemente?
Manuel Gutierrez is an Argentinian illustrator with vast experience working internationally as a visual storyteller in the fields of comic books and advertising. Manuel was born in Neuquen, in the Argentinian Patagonia, and is a self-taught artist. He has worked for Marvel and DC Comics. Who Is Lionel Messi?
All the fans in DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were on their feet, cheering. Some had paid thousands of dollars for tickets to watch the last-place Inter Miami team play in the 2023 Major League Soccer (MLS) Leagues Cup. Most of those fans were cheering for the Miami team, which was tied 1–-1 with Mexico's Cruz Azul. Miami needed a goal to avoid a penalty-kick shootout to advance in the tournament.
The man in the pink shirt with number ten on his back paid no attention to the fans. He was setting up to do something he did better than anyone else in soccer history. He stood a couple of yards behind the soccer ball. The eyes in his brown-bearded face stared at the goal, twenty-five yards away.
The referee blew his whistle. Lionel (say: LEE-oh-nell) Messi took a few steps toward the ball. His left leg whipped back, then forward. The ball zipped up and over a defensive wall of opponents and flew under the crossbar of the goal. As it smacked into the back of the net, the Miami fans screamed for joy. Lionel Messi ran to hug his teammates. Then he went to the sidelines to embrace his three sons and his wife.
It was a shocking, amazing miracle shot. The game ended just seconds later; Inter Miami had beaten Cruz Azul 2–1.
Making magic on a soccer field was nothing new for Lionel Messi. When he arrived in June 2023 to play for Inter Miami, the team had won only five of its twenty-two games that year. Messi's first games with the team were in the Leagues Cup, a competition that didn't count toward the regular-season standings--so every team had a chance. But with Lionel, Inter Miami had more than just a chance. Already the winner of seven trophies as the world's best player, plus a 2022 World Cup trophy with Argentina, Lionel inspired his new team. Over the next month, he electrified world soccer. Stores ran out of replicas of his pink jersey as fans rushed to buy them. People packed stadiums to watch, millions tuned in on TV, celebrities arrived to see him play.
From almost the moment Lionel first touched a soccer ball as a boy, he had been thrilling everyone who watched. His skill and his hard work had taken him from his home in Argentina to success in Spain to the very top of the world of soccer. And then he went to the United States to create even more memories. Here's the story of how he did it.
Chapter 1
From Argentina to Spain
The world's greatest
Lionel Messi loved soccer from an early age, often playing with his family members with encouragement from his grandmother. Now, he is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time! He is also one of the most decorated footballers in the world--having won 44 collective trophies, including seven Ballon d'Or awards, 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, 2019 and 2022 Best FIFA Men's Player, and more. From making his first team debut at just sixteen years old in 2003 to breaking numerous longstanding records in 2012, to helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup, Messi continues to wow fans with his finesse of the soccer ball. However, Lionel Messi stays true to his roots, never forgetting a small tribute to his grandmother each time he scores a goal by looking up and pointing to the sky. Learn about Lionel's epic career and his lifelong love for soccer in this illustrated biography for young readers. James Buckley Jr. has written more than 50 books for kids, including Who Was Ernest Shackleton? and Who Was Roberto Clemente?
Manuel Gutierrez is an Argentinian illustrator with vast experience working internationally as a visual storyteller in the fields of comic books and advertising. Manuel was born in Neuquen, in the Argentinian Patagonia, and is a self-taught artist. He has worked for Marvel and DC Comics. Who Is Lionel Messi?
All the fans in DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were on their feet, cheering. Some had paid thousands of dollars for tickets to watch the last-place Inter Miami team play in the 2023 Major League Soccer (MLS) Leagues Cup. Most of those fans were cheering for the Miami team, which was tied 1–-1 with Mexico's Cruz Azul. Miami needed a goal to avoid a penalty-kick shootout to advance in the tournament.
The man in the pink shirt with number ten on his back paid no attention to the fans. He was setting up to do something he did better than anyone else in soccer history. He stood a couple of yards behind the soccer ball. The eyes in his brown-bearded face stared at the goal, twenty-five yards away.
The referee blew his whistle. Lionel (say: LEE-oh-nell) Messi took a few steps toward the ball. His left leg whipped back, then forward. The ball zipped up and over a defensive wall of opponents and flew under the crossbar of the goal. As it smacked into the back of the net, the Miami fans screamed for joy. Lionel Messi ran to hug his teammates. Then he went to the sidelines to embrace his three sons and his wife.
It was a shocking, amazing miracle shot. The game ended just seconds later; Inter Miami had beaten Cruz Azul 2–1.
Making magic on a soccer field was nothing new for Lionel Messi. When he arrived in June 2023 to play for Inter Miami, the team had won only five of its twenty-two games that year. Messi's first games with the team were in the Leagues Cup, a competition that didn't count toward the regular-season standings--so every team had a chance. But with Lionel, Inter Miami had more than just a chance. Already the winner of seven trophies as the world's best player, plus a 2022 World Cup trophy with Argentina, Lionel inspired his new team. Over the next month, he electrified world soccer. Stores ran out of replicas of his pink jersey as fans rushed to buy them. People packed stadiums to watch, millions tuned in on TV, celebrities arrived to see him play.
From almost the moment Lionel first touched a soccer ball as a boy, he had been thrilling everyone who watched. His skill and his hard work had taken him from his home in Argentina to success in Spain to the very top of the world of soccer. And then he went to the United States to create even more memories. Here's the story of how he did it.
Chapter 1
From Argentina to Spain
The world's greatest
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