Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional fighter.
The Ballon d'Or ( [ balɔ̃ dɔʁ ] ; `` Golden Ball '' ) , is an annual association football award presented by France Football . The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport 's governing body , FIFA , since 1991 . 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 . Messi regained his best form during the 2014 -- 15 campaign , breaking the all-time goalscoring records in both La Liga and the Champions League in November 2014 , and led Barcelona to a historic second treble .