Lionel Andrés Messi, otherwise known as Messi, is a 36-year-old world-renowned soccer player. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi has a remarkable fan following, and is arguably the best player in the world, unless you’re speaking to a Ronaldo fan. Lionel Messi has many accolades to be proud of, including a record six Ballon D’or awards (he is the only player to win this award four times in a row!) and six European Golden Shoes.
Lionel Messi, unlike many other soccer players, spent the majority of his career at a single club, FC Barcelona. His legacy at Barcelona began at the age of 13 when he joined their youth academy, La Masia. Messi made his first-team debut for Barcelona at the age of 17 in 2004, marking the start of a remarkable career that saw him become integral to Barcelona’s success. Over his 17-year tenure at the club, Messi won numerous titles, including 10 La Liga titles, 7 Copa del Rey titles, and 4 UEFA Champions League titles. Moreover, within La Liga, Messi holds the record for the most goals, with 474, along with the most hat-tricks, 36. In 2021, Messi left Barcelona and joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before making a move to Inter Miami CF in 2023. His impact on the field continues to be felt globally, as he breaks records and influences the game.
Lionel Messi’s Workout and Diet
Unlike his former La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi isn’t known for his weight lifting regimen. However, according to most of his coaches, Messi’s sole focus is to increase agility and linear speed. As a result, his workout consists of a variety of plyometric-style workouts, including the pillar bridge-front, lunges, hamstring stretches, and pillar skips. After each workout, Messi focuses on rehydration and cool-down cardio for five to 10 minutes. How does Messi maintain his rigorous workouts when it comes to nutrition and fuel? Most of Messi’s dietary regimen comes from Italian nutritionist Giuliano Poser’s input. In 2014, based on the recommendation of Poser, Messi focused on the switch to five key foods: Water, olive oil, whole grains, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables.
Messi’s Top Recipe
Messi’s best-loved recipe was shared by FC Barcelona’s website and consists of roasted chicken with root vegetables. The recipe can be found below.
- 30g olive oil
- Salt
- Four smashed garlic gloves
- One onion
- One bunch of carrots
- One leek
- 700-800g potatoes
- Four chicken thighs
- Fresh thyme
A Day in the Life of Lionel Messi
- 6 AM – Wake up
- 7 AM – Shower
- 8 AM – Breakfast with the fam – Cereal, toast, orange juice
- 9 AM – Training
- 11 AM – Shower
- 12 PM – Comes back home and has lunch with the fam
- 1 PM – Relaxes and takes a nap
- 2 PM – Takes care of kids and spends time with them
- 3 PM – Has a snack and goes back to training
- 4:30 PM – Rests
- 5 PM – Trains with team
- 8 PM – Dinner with the fam
- 9 PM – Sleep
Lionel Messi and Family Life
Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. Noticeably underdeveloped compared to most of the kids in his age group, Messi was diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth. Messi’s parents, Jorge and Ceclia, decided on a treatment of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved impossible to spend several hundred dollars per month on the medication. Therefore, at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi’s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain. Messi is known as a family man and holds high regards for his loved ones. In fact, he has said the following:
“As soon as I had my children, the priority was always my family. It is the most important thing. Obviously I love football and I live for it, but family is above all.” ~Lionel Messi
Cars and Philanthropy: Two of Messi’s Top Interests
Like other wealthy soccer players, Messi has a fondness for expensive cars. Consequently, he owns the following vehicles:
- Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti
- Pagani Zonda Tricolore
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
- Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale
- Ferrari F430 Spyder
- Audi R8 V10
- Range Rover Vogue and Range Rover Sport SVR
- Cadillac Escalade
Perhaps Messi’s most productive and commendable investment is the Leo Messi Foundation, established in 2007. This foundation, in partnership with UNICEF, helps children from all over the world, particularly those with health problems such as those that Messi himself endured as a young teen. Messi is UNICEF’s “Ambassador” and recently donated his own money to build classrooms for 1,600 war-orphaned children in Syria.
References
Biography. (2020, August 31). Lionel Messi biography. https://www.biography.com/athlete/lionel-messi
García-Toledo, R. (n.d.). Messi’s fortune – how much does he earn and what does he spend it on? The Economy Journal. https://www.theeconomyjournal.eu/texto-diario/mostrar/1530977/messis-fortune-how-much-does-he-earn-and-what-does-he-spend-it-on
Goal. (n.d.). What are Lionel Messi’s diet, workout and training secrets? https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/what-are-lionel-messis-diet-workout-and-training-secrets/212dtr4u2i61ayjpjiekd31l
Palanchuk, D. (2020, January 15). Messi vs Ronaldo: who’s got the better daily routine? Tribuna. https://tribuna.com/en/fcbarcelona/news/2020-01-15-messi-vs-ronaldo-whos-got-the-better-daily-routine/
Parmar, B. [Binal Parmar]. (2017, March 25). What is Messi’s daily routine? [Online forum post]. Quora. https://www.quora.com/What-is-Messis-daily-routine
Romaine, M. (2018, July 14). Lionel Messi workout routine and diet plan: Train like the Argentine football forward. Superhero Jacked. https://superherojacked.com/2018/07/14/lionel-messi-workout/
Rosas, M. (2013, December 18). Daily routines of Leo Messi [Prezi]. https://prezi.com/wdxd7inwx5s0/daily-routines-of-leo-messi/
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Southwest Journal. (2024). Lionel Messi’s $60 million car collection. Retrieved from https://www.southwestjournal.com