June 30th, 2017 | Updated on March 1st, 2024
Football superstar Lionel Messi will marry his childhood sweetheart in his hometown in Argentina on Friday.The Barcelona player is returning to the city of Rosario to wed Antonella Roccuzzo, whom he met there before he moved to Spain aged 13. Messi has carefully picked his guests and has dealt a major snub to Barca’s rivals Real Madrid by not inviting a single player in the current squad – including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Check out best memes about Lionel Messi in pictures
1. Lionel Messi joined Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy as a teenager and was a huge success with the club’s youth teams.
2. Though the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar were in the Barcelona ranks, Suarez outshone them all.
3. A teenage Messi celebrates after starring for Argentina as they won Under 20s World Cup in Holland.
4. Another shocker came soon when Messi announced his retirement from international football after their loss
5. Messi was awarded the Golden Boy, a trophy handed out to the player considered the best Under 21 player in the world.
6. Messi celebrates his first goal for Barcelona after scoring against Albacete in a La Liga clash.
7. A 17-year-old Messi is mobbed by his Barcelona team-mates after scoring his first goal for the first team against Albacete
8. Messi celebrates with team-mates Ronaldinho and Rafael Marquez after Barcelona won the La Liga title
9. Lionel Messi gets a surprise soaking by a sprinkler during an Argentina training session during the World Cup in Germany
10. The Barcelona forward gets up close and personal with Argentina team-mate Julio Cruz as he is substituted against Holland.
11. Messi followed in the footsteps of Argentine legend Diego Maradona by scoring with his hand against Espanyol
12. Messi collects his runner-up award at the World Player of the Year awards as finished second to Kaka with Cristiano Ronaldo third
13. Messi and Argentina team-mate Sergio Aguero pose with their gold medals after helping their side to victory in Olympics
14. Messi rises high to loop a header over Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar as Barcelona won the Champions League
15. Chile successfully defended their title, earning themselves a second consecutive Copa America crown
16. Dutch keeper Van der Sar watches on with horror as Messi angles the ball perfectly away from him to give Barcelona a 2-0 lead
17. Messi is mobbed by his team-mates as they celebrate in the floodlit Stadio Olimpico on their way to Champions League glory
18. Messi poses sitting on top of a globe performing his iconic celebration after he was named World Player of the Year
19. Messi is congratulated by Pedro and Bojan Krkic after scoring against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final
20. Manager Maradona lifts Messi up in celebration after helping Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 at the World Cup in South Africa
21. Messi poses with the Champions Legaue trophy after winning
22. Messi poses with his four Ballon d’Or trophies before a La Liga match after picking up the award
23. Despite the attention of three AC Milan defenders, Messi bends the ball into the corner in a Champions League match
24. Messi sits with his young son Thiago as Barcelona celebrate winning the Spanish title at the end of the season
25. While captaining Argentina at the World Cup, Messi celebrates scoring against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Maracana Stadium
26. Messi suffered World Cup heartache with Argentina after losing in final against Germany in the Maracana Stadium
27. Messi is hoisted into the air by his Barcelona team-mates after the Argentine broke the record for most goals in the Spanish league
28. Argentina finished runners-up in the competition for the second consecutive year
29. Messi produces a sublime finish to beat Manuel Neuer as Barcelona won 3-0 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League
30. Messi flies through the air as he celebrates his goal against Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp as he helped Barca reach the final
31. Bravo’s superb show gifted the Chileans their second Copa America title, only this one is more special as it is the 100th year celebration of the tourney
32. The Argentina forward walks out on to the Olympiastadion pitch ahead of the 2015 Champions League final against Juventus last month
33. Messi kisses the Champions League trophy after winning it for the fourth time as photographers try to catch the perfect snap
34. Lionel Messi was looking to end Argentina’s 23-year-old wait to lift a major trophy when they took on Chile in the Copa America final in East Rutherford
35. However, Chile had come prepared to tackle not just Messi but the entire Argentine team
36. After a goal-less regulation period of 90 minutes the match entered into extra-time
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37. No goals were scored in extra-time either which meant the match headed for the penalty shoot-outs
38. Disaster struck for Argentina when Messi missed his penalty
39. Chile goal-keeper did a stellar job by saving as many as two Argentine spot-kicks
40. Lionel Messi won his fifth Ballon D’Or to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-year hold on the trophy.
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source : sports.ndtv.com, dailymail.co.uk
