Lionel Messi

'Lionel Messi' (qv) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club 'FC Barcelona' (qv) and the Argentina national team. He has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or 6 times (four of them consecutively) and a 2008 Olympic gold medal winner with the Argentina Olympic Football Team. 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. Messi made his first competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004.::Amadeu