Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini[note 1][note 2] (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾez ˈmesi] ( listen);[A]

born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine-Spanish[8] professional footballer who plays as a forward for
Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the
world and regarded by many as the greatest of all time,[9] Messi has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or
awards,[note 3] four of which he won consecutively, and a record-tying four European Golden Shoes.