who does messi play with?
FC Barcelona
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 Messi enjoys a close relationship with his immediate family members , particularly his mother , Celia , whose face he has tattooed on his left shoulder . His professional affairs are largely run as a family business : his father , Jorge , has been his agent since he was 14 , and his oldest brother , Rodrigo , handles his daily schedule and publicity . His mother and other brother , Matías , manage his charitable organisation , the Leo Messi Foundation , and take care of personal and professional matters in Rosario . 

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 Among his contemporary peers , Messi is most often compared and contrasted with Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo , as part of an ongoing rivalry that has been compared to past sports rivalries like the Muhammad Ali – Joe Frazier rivalry in boxing , the Björn Borg – John McEnroe rivalry in tennis , and the Ayrton Senna – Alain Prost rivalry from Formula One . Although Messi has at times denied any rivalry , they are widely believed to push one another in their aim to be the best player in the world : since 2008 , Ronaldo has won three Ballons d 'Or to Messi 's five , and four European Golden Shoes to Messi 's three . Pundits and fans regularly argue the individual merits of both players ; beyond their playing styles , the debate also revolves around their differing physiques — Ronaldo is 1 @.@ 85 m ( 6 ft 1 in ) with a muscular build — and contrasting public personalities , with Ronaldo 's self @-@ confidence and theatrics a foil to Messi 's humility . Messi faces Ronaldo at least twice every season in El Clásico , which ranks among the world 's most viewed annual sports events . Off the pitch , Ronaldo is his direct competitor in terms of salary , sponsorships , and social media fanbase . 

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 As a dual Argentine – Spanish national , Messi was eligible to play for the national team of both countries . Selectors for Spain 's Under @-@ 17 squad began pursuing him in 2003 after Barcelona 's director of football , Carles Rexach , alerted the Royal Spanish Football Federation to their young player . Messi declined the offer , having aspired to represent La Albiceleste since childhood . To further prevent Spain from taking him , the Argentine Football Association organised two Under @-@ 20 friendlies in June 2004 , against Paraguay and Uruguay , with the purpose of finalising his status as an Argentina player in FIFA . Five days after his seventeenth birthday , on 29 June , he made his debut for his country against Paraguay , scoring once and providing two assists in their 8 – 0 victory . He was subsequently included in the squad for the South American Youth Championship , held in Colombia in February 2005 . As he lacked the stamina of his teammates , the result of his former growth hormone deficiency , he was used as a substitute in six of the nine games , proving more effective when coming on in the second half . After being named man of the match against Venezuela , he scored the winning 2 – 1 goal in the crucial last match against Brazil , thereby securing their third @-@ place qualification for the FIFA World Youth Championship . 

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 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 . After a fast progression through Barcelona 's youth academy , Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004 . Despite being injury @-@ prone during his early career , he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years , finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d 'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award , a feat he repeated the following year . His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008 – 09 season , during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football . At 22 years old , Messi won the Ballon d 'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins . 

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 Messi 's global popularity and influence are well documented . He was among the Time 100 , an annual list of the world 's most influential people as published by Time , in 2011 and 2012 . His fanbase on the social media website Facebook is among the largest of all public figures : within seven hours of its launch in April 2011 , his Facebook page had nearly seven million followers , and by November 2013 , he had become only the second sportsperson , after Cristiano Ronaldo , to amass over 50 million followers . According to a 2014 survey by sports research firm Repucom in 15 international markets , Messi was familiar to 87 % of respondents around the world , of whom 78 % perceived him favourably , making him the second @-@ most recognized player globally , behind Ronaldo , and the most likable of all contemporary players . 
