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Often referred to as an Argentine-Spanish player, this crossover was brought
into sharp focus when in 2004, Messi was offered the chance to play for the
Spanish national U-20 team. He declined the offer given his Argentine heritage,
and was given the opportunity to play for Argentina's U-20 team in a friendly
match against Paraguay in June 2004.
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Messi scored once against Paraguay and twice in friendly against Uruguay the
following month.
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In 2005 he was part of a team that finished third in the South American Youth
Championship in Colombia. He won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the
Netherlands with the team and received both the Golden Ball and the Golden
Shoe, having scored in the last four of Argentina's matches and netting a total
of six for the tournament.
- At
age 18, Messi made his full international debut on 17 August 2005 against
Hungary. He was
substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off on the 65th
minute because the referee, Markus Merk,
claimed that Messi had allegedly elbowed defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was
tugging Messi's shirt.
- The
decision was contentious and Diego Maradona even claimed the decision was
pre-meditated. Messi was later reportedly found weeping in the changing rooms
after the decision.
- Messi returned to the team on 3 September in
Argentina's 1–0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay. Ahead of the match
he had said, "This is a re-debut.
The first one was a bit short."
- He then started his first game
for Argentina in a World Cup qualifier against Peru, in which he was able to
win a crucial penalty for Argentina to win the match; after the match national
coach José Pékerman described Messi as "a
jewel".
- He
scored his first goal for Argentina in a friendly match against Croatia on 1
March 2006.
World Cup - 2006
-
An injury that kept Messi from playing for two months at the end of the 2005–06
season jeopardised his presence in the 2006 World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected
in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006.
-
He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentine
U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th
minute.
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He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the
substitutes' bench.
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In the next match against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi became the youngest
player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute
for Maxi Rodríguez in the 74th minute.
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He assisted Hernán Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also
scored the final goal in the 6–0 victory, making him the youngest scorer in the
tournament and the sixth youngest goal scorer in the history of the World Cup.
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Messi started in Argentina's following 0–0 draw against the Netherlands. In the
following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th
minute, with the score tied at 1–1. He
appeared to score a goal, but it was ruled offside with Argentina needing a
late goal in extra time to proceed.
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José Pekerman left Messi on the bench during the quarter-final match against
Germany, which they lost 4 – 2 on a penalty shootout.
Copa America 2007
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Messi played his first game in the 2007 Copa América on 29 June 2007, when
Argentina defeated United States 4–1 in the first game. In this game, he showed
his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hernán
Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Carlos Tevez came on as a substitute for
Messi in the 79th minute and
scored minutes later.
pic
Messi in
a semi-final match against Peru during the 2007 Copa América on 8 July 2007.
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His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo
converted to tie the game at 1–1. He also played a part in Argentina's second
goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to
score from a free kick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3–1. The final score
of the game was 4–2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the
tournament's quarter-finals.
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In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already
qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban
Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0–0. In the 79th minute, he assisted a goal for Javier
Mascherano.
-
In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of
the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4–0 win.
-
During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo
Sánchez to see Argentina through to the
final with a 3–0 win.
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Argentina went on to lose 3–0 to Brazil in the final. Messi was elected young
player of the tournament.
Summer Olympics 2008
pic
Messi playing against Brazil in the
semi-finals of the 2008 Olympics on 19 August 2008
- Having
barred Messi from playing for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics, Barcelona agreed
to release him after he held talks with newly appointed coach Pep Guardiola.
-
He joined the Argentina squad and scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over
Ivory Coast. He then scored the opening goal and assisted Ángel Di María in the
second to help his side to a 2–1 extra-time win against the Netherlands.
-
He also featured in Argentina's match against rivals Brazil, in which Argentina
took a 3–0 victory, thus advancing to the final. In the gold medal match, Messi
again assisted Di María for the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Nigeria.
World Cup qualification 2010
-
On 28 March 2009, in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the
number 10 jersey for the first time with Argentina. This match was the first
official match for Diego Maradona as the Argentina manager. Argentina won the
match 4–0 with Messi opening the scoring.
-
Overall, Messi scored four goals in 18 appearances during the South American
2010 World Cup qualifying process.
World Cup 2010
pic
Messi
and Argentina lost 4–0 against Germany in the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA
World Cup.
-
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Messi wore the number 10 shirt for the first time
in a major tournament. He played the entire game on Argentina's opening match
of the tournament, the 1–0 victory against Nigeria. He had several
opportunities to score but was repeatedly denied by Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent
Enyeama, who was named man of the match by FIFA.
-
Messi started in Argentina's following 4–1 win against Korea Republic; he
played in more of an attacking midfielder and playmaking role under Maradona,
and participated in all of the goals of his team, helping Gonzalo Higuaín score
a hat-trick.
-
In the third group match, Messi was named captain for Argentina in a 2–0 win
over Greece. He was again the centre point of Argentina's play, playing an
important role in both of his team's
goals, and was voted man of the match.
-
At the Round of 16th he
assisted a controversial goal to Carlos Tevez for the first goal in a 3–1 win
against Mexico. The World Cup ended for Argentina with a 4–0 loss against
Germany in the quarter-finals.
-
Messi was nominated in ten player shortlist for Golden Ball award by FIFA
Technical Study Group. The group identified Messi with the following words: "Outstanding in his pace and
creativity for his team, dribbling, shooting, passing – spectacular and
efficient".
Copa America 2011
- Messi
(right) challenging Granit Xhaka for the ball during an international friendly
between Switzerland and Argentina on 29 February 2012
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On 17 November 2010, Messi scored a last-minute goal against South American
rivals Brazil after an individual effort to help his team to a 1–0 win in the
friendly match, which was held in Doha. This was the first time that he had
scored against Brazil at senior level.
-
Messi scored another last-minute goal on 9 February 2011 against Portugal from
a penalty kick which gave his side a 2–1 victory in the friendly match, which
was held in Geneva, Switzerland. He had also previously assisted the first
goal.
-
Messi took part in the 2011 Copa América in Argentina, where he failed to score
a goal but made three assists, finishing as the joint top assist provider of
the tournament.
-
He was selected as man of the match in the group matches against Bolivia (1–1)
and Costa Rica (3–0). Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals in a
penalty shoot-out against the eventual winners of the Copa América, Uruguay
(1–1 a.e.t.), with Messi scoring as the first penalty taker.
-
Messi had also previously assisted Higuaín's equaliser in the 17th minute.
World Cup qualification 2014
-
After Argentina's unsuccessful performance in the Copa América, Sergio Batista
was replaced as Argentina coach with Alejandro Sabella. In August 2011, Sabella
named Messi as the new permanent captain of the Argentina national team.
Messi's first hat-trick for the Albiceleste came in a friendly match against
Switzerland, on 29 February 2012, in a 3–1 win for Argentina.
-
On 9 June 2012, Messi scored his second international hat-trick in a friendly
match against rivals Brazil, including the match winner. The match ended 4–3 to
Argentina and Messi was voted man of the match. This brought his international
goal scoring tally up to 26 goals in 70 matches, and brought his 2012 tally up
to 7 goals in 3 matches. This was also his record-breaking 82nd goal of the season, including all club and
international matches. These goals also made him the fourth-highest goal scorer
for the Argentine national team.
-
On 7 September, Messi scored his 28th goal for Argentina in a 3–1 victory
against Paraguay in a 2014 World Cup qualifying match, sending them to the top
of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table. This was his fourth goal in the
current World Cup qualifying campaign and his eighth overall in World Cup
qualifying matches, making him the third-highest scorer for Argentina in World
Cup qualifying matches. This was also his tenth goal for Argentina in the past
six matches and his ninth in five matches played in 2012. After scoring twice
against Uruguay and once against Chile in October, Messi finished 2012 with 12
goals in nine appearances for Argentina.
-
On 22 March 2013, Messi scored his first international goal of 2013 from the
penalty spot in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela. In the same match he
provided two assists for Gonzalo Higuaín as Argentina won 3–0. On 14 June 2013,
Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 friendly win against Guatemala, surpassing
Diego Maradona's 34 goals on Argentina's all-time top scorer's list and
matching Hernán Crespo for second with 35 goals. Messi surpassed Crespo's tally
in the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, scoring two goals from
penalties as well as providing an assist for Sergio Agüero. The match finished
5–2 to Argentina, ensuring their qualification for the 2014 World Cup with two
matches at hand. Messi ended the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign as
second-top scorer in the South American section with ten goals. On 7 June 2014,
Messi scored in a 2–0 win against Slovenia in a pre-World Cup friendly match,
coming on as a substitute; this was his first goal for his national side in the
year 2014.
World Cup 2014
-
Messi captained Argentina in their first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup,
leading them to a 2–1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 June. Argentina's
opening goal came after three minutes when Messi's cross into the box from a
free kick was met by Argentina defender Marcos Rojo whose header was deflected
into the net by Sead Kolasinac. In the 65th minute, Messi scored Argentina's
second, going on a trademark dribbling run past three players, after a one-two
exchange with Higuaín, before scoring from the edge of the penalty area via a
slight deflection off Mensur Mujdza. It was his first World Cup goal since
scoring against Serbia and Montenegro on his World Cup debut in a 6–0 win in
the 2006 tournament. In the team's second game, Messi scored a stoppage time
winner against Iran with a strike from 25 yards out which curled into the left
corner of the goal. This was Messi's 40th international goal, and the 1–0 win ensured
Argentina qualified for the knockout stage. In the team's third group match on
25 June, Messi took his tally in the tournament to four goals, scoring twice in
a 3–2 win against Nigeria, his second a free kick, as Argentina finished first
in their group. Messi was elected man of the match in all three of Argentina's
group games.
pic
Messi
battling Germany's Mats Hummels for the ball at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final
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In Argentina's round of 16 match against Switzerland, Messi assisted Ángel Di
María's match winning goal in the 118th minute, giving Argentina a 1–0 win
after extra time. After receiving the ball from Rodrigo Palacio, Messi began a
dribbling run, taking it past Fabian Schär, and laying the ball off for Di
María to score.
-
Messi was once again elected man of the match. In the quarter-final match
against Belgium, Messi started the play which led to Higuaín's match winning
goal, sending Argentina to the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time
since 1990.
-
Argentina eliminated the Netherlands, 4–2 on penalties in the semi-final, after
a 0–0 draw following extra time, allowing them to progress to the World Cup
Final for the first time since Maradona had led them there in 1990. Messi was
heavily marked by the Dutch and didn't score, but he netted Argentina's first
penalty in the shootout.
pic
Messi (bottom
left) and members of the Argentina national team with Argentina president
Cristina Kirchner on 14 July after the 2014 FIFA World Cup
-
On 11 July, Messi was named on the 10-man shortlist by the FIFA technical
committee for FIFA's Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player.
-
The World Cup final match on 13 July, in a repeat of the 1990 final, was billed
as the world's best player [Messi] versus the world's best team [Germany]. In
the 29th minute, Messi had started a play which led to a goal by Higuaín, which
was correctly ruled offside. Messi missed several opportunities to open the
scoring throughout the match, in particular during his breakaway at the 47th
minute, when his effort was put just
wide of the far post. The game remained scoreless until German substitute Mario
Götze scored in the 113th minute, then in the last minutes of extra time
Messi's free kick sailed over the net, and Germany won the game 1-0 to claim
the World Cup.
-
Messi finished as the joint-third-highest goal scorer of the tournament, with
four goals and an assist, though Neymar received the Bronze Boot due to the
tie-breaking criteria of playing fewer minutes than Messi. Messi's goals
against Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina were nominated for the goal of the
tournament award, and were voted the ninth and eighth best goals of the
tournament, respectively. Messi's four
Man of the Match awards were the most of any player in the tournament.
-
At the conclusion of the World Cup final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball, as
the tournament's best player, ahead of Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben, and was
named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. Messi created the most chances, made
the most successful dribbling runs, made the most deliveries into the box, and
produced the most through balls of any other player throughout the World Cup. However,
the decision to award Messi the Golden Ball sparked controversy amongst the
media, as Messi had no goals and just one assist (in the Round of 16 match) during the knockout round.
-
FIFA President Sepp Blatter was surprised at the choice of Messi for the Golden
Ball, while Argentina's former captain and coach Diego Maradona suggested that "marketing people" had chosen
the wrong player for the award.
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On his award and the final, Messi commented: "I do not care about the Golden Ball. I am just upset by the
wasted chances. We had the best chances. We knew we could not dominate the game
but we knew what we wanted to do. Right now I do not care about my prize. I just
wanted to lift the cup and bring it to Argentina. The pain is very great."
Helping Source : Wikipedia
Helping Source : Wikipedia
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