Argentinian Lionel Messi plays soccer professionally.
Lionel Andrés `` Leo '' Messi ( [ ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi ] ; born 24 June 1987 ) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team . He has won 29 trophies with Barcelona , including eight La Liga titles , four UEFA Champions League titles , and five Copas del Rey . Since the 1929 formation of La Liga , Spain 's top division of association football , a total of 56 players have finished as the competition 's top goalscorer .