Lionel Messi

Leo Messi, with three Ballon d'Or awards to his name (2009, 2010 and 2011), is the best player in the world. This modest Argentinian has speed, dribbling and shooting skills. But despite so many individual virtues, he is also a remarkable team player.

This Argentinian striker's footballing career started in 1995 at Newell's Old Boys, where he played until the year 2000. At the age of 13, Lionel Messi crossed the Atlantic to try his luck in Barcelona, and joined the Under 14s.

Messi made spectacular progress at each of the different age levels, 

climbing through the ranks of the different youth teams and then Barça C, followed by Barça B and the first team in record time.

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new 

Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).

With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular 

feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when 

Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old. That record would eventually be beaten by Bojan.

At the Under 20 World Cup in Holland, Messi not only won the title with Argentina, but was also the leading goalscorer and was voted best player in the tournament. Aged 18 years, he had become one of the hottest properties in the world game. Shortly after, he made his first full international appearance in a friendly against Hungary.

His breakthrough as a player came in the 2005-06 season, starting with an amazing performance in the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Juventus. 

He was also outstanding at the Santiago Bernabéu, in Barcelona's unforgettable 3-0 win, and also at Stamford Bridge, in the Champions 

League match against Chelsea. Injury kept him sidelined for much of the latter stage of the season. Messi played a total of 17 league games, 6 in the  Champions League and 2 in the Copa del Rey. Messi scored eight goals.

The following season Messi moved up a gear and astounded the world with goals such as the one he scored against Getafe in the King's Cup. In the 2006/07 season, and even though the team didn't win any titles, the Argentine was second in the FIFA World Player awards and third in the Golden Ball. He continued to develop in the 2007/08 campaign, when he scored 16 goals and gave 10 assists in the 40 games he played in. In 2008, Leo Messi was runner up in the FIFA WORLD PLAYER AWARD for the second season in a row.

In the 2008/09 season, and now without Ronaldinho alongside him, Messi continued to be the main star of the Barça line up. He managed to stay injury free all season, and played 51 games, scoring 38 goals. The Argentinian was also fundamental in the two finals, scoring Barça's second goals in both. El año 2009 ganó el FIFA World Player y Balón de Oro.

How far can Leo Messi go? He was the league's top scorer in the 2009-10 season and equalled Ronaldo's historic total of 34 goals (96-97). He scored the goal against Estudiantes de La Plata that gave Barça the Club's first World Club Cup.

But without settling for that, the Argentinian went even further in the 2010/11 season, scoring no fewer than 53 official goals, a Spanish record only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo (that very same season). Messi, like in Rome, played a vital role in the Champions League final at Wembley were scored a scorcher from outside the area to put his team ahead.

Messi also consolidated his place in the national side, now having played at two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and two Copa America (2007 and 2011) for Argentina. In 2008 he also went to the Olympic Games in Beijing, where his country won gold.

Career:

2011-12 FC Barcelona

2010-11 FC Barcelona

2009-10 FC Barcelona

2008-09 FC Barcelona

2007-08 FC Barcelona

2006-07 FC Barcelona

2005-06 FC Barcelona

2004-05 FC Barcelona

Debut: 

RCD Espanyol-FC Barcelona (0-1, League), 16/10/2004

Barça - Manchester United (3-1)

Wembley once again

Barça gave a footballing lesson at the home of football tonight

Guardiola’s team claimed the title back with an exhibition of football never seen before in the final

Guardiola promised that his players would deliver and they certainly did at Wembley tonight as they turned on the Barça style to see off one of the best teams in the world, Manchester United, who were helpless against the tide of footballing brilliance that Barça showed.

It was Wembley that was the scene for another great success as this Barça, who combine tradition and modernity made the passage from Cruyff's team's win at the grand old Wembley to Guardiola's victory at the new stadium. From romanticism to the avant-garde in football –it's taken just 19 years for Barça to make that journey!

Into the European pantheon

Barça's win takes them up into the pantheon of European greats, with four European Cups to their name. Four titles that truly do justice to a Club who have raced to their titles under Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard and Josep Guardiola – three coaches who have given continuity to the Club's success with their way of understanding the game.

But it's been Guardiola who has made most of the formula invented by Cruyff. Proof of Guardiola's commitment to the Club's philosophy is the fact that seven of his starting players in the last two Champions League finals have been products of La Masia. He has also built a solid defence for his attacking players' brilliance to sit on and brought out the very best form his stars with his empathy and understanding. He's also spent hours and hours studying the game, the opposition and his own players' abilities and that helps explains his phenomenal success – 10 titles as a manager in just three years. It's this tenth title that has proved the qualitative leap for Guardiola - as he has become the only Barça manager to win two Champions League titles and at just 40, he has become the youngest ever manager to lift the trophy twice - beating José Mourinho's previous record.

Guardiola's success has also put him alongside Sir Alex Ferguson as the leading coach in Europe- just like the Scot, Guardiola embodies the values of a Club and his teams always have the stamp of their manager's commitment to the attacking, attractive style of play that has become synonymous with Barça.

Players are the cornerstone

For all Guardiola's success though, it's the players who have also, as the boss would be the first to admit, been the cornerstone of the team's success. Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Villa, Pedro, Piqué... all the names that every youngster aspires to emulate right now. Above all though, it's Messi who has delivered week in and week out, with an astonishing 53 goals this season, with tonight's his 12th in the Champions League, a total never before achieved in the competition.

Ferguson predicted "the game of the decade" and tonight's final has confirmed Barça's position at the top of contemporary football - a win against a team who have rivalled Barça over recent years and that give it an importance that the fans' mosaic before the game: "We love football" perfectly sums up.

Abidal lifts the 4th trophy

Pep Guardiola publicly thanked Carles Puyol for his great gesture

José Ramón Alexanko in 1992, Carles Puyol in 2006 and 2009, and Eric Abidal in 2011. These are the three players who have had the honour of accepting and lifting the European Cup, wearing a Barcelona shirt. Abidal, largely thanks to Puyol and the rest of the team.

A most deserved tribute

When the players were on their way towards the steps at Wembley, Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández, who captained Barça in the final, handed the captains armband to Eric Abidal. The Frenchman had played the whole game, fully recovered from the liver tumour detected on the 15th of March. Abidal was the last player to climb the steps, and he lifted up the fourth Champions League trophy in Barças history.

Guardiola thanked Puyol

After the celebrations on the pitch, Pep Guardiola praised Puyol's gesture. "I want to publicly thank Carlos for what he did, it's the sort of thing that makes us stronger, and just another demonstration of how we understand who we are, and shows the whole group's human qualities" he said.

Inexplicable emotion

Éric Abidal, meanwhile, was thrilled and grateful: "I can't explain the emotion I'm feeling, it's so special. I'm really grateful to Puyi for the gesture". On a special day, Abidal had a special word for "my family; wife, daughters and parents, and of course Martinique".

FC Barcelona - FC Porto (UEFA Super Cup)

A record: 15 European titles

4 Champions League, 3 Fairs Cup, 4 Cup Winners Cup and 4 Super Cup triumphs to their name 

AC Milan are now just behind Barça, with 7 Champions Leagues, 2 Cup Winners Cups and 5 Super Cups, whilst Madrid (12), Liverpool (11) and Ajax(9) trail them. The last 4 seasons have seen the Club charge up the table of continental trophy winners , with Pep Guardiola guiding them to 2 Champions League and 2 Super Cup victories.

Four years of unparalleled success

Indeed, with the victory over Porto, Pep Guardiola has overtaken Johan Cruyff as the Club's most successful manager. The Dutchman won 11 titles in 8 seasons, whilst during the Club's finest era, Pep has now taken 12 out of the 15 on offer between 2008 and 2011.

One Super Cup behind Milan

Guardiola has been involved in all four Super Cup wins –as a player in 1992 and 1997 and as a manager in 2009 and 2011 and this latest win sees his team draw to within one title of AC Milan as the team who have won the competition the most times - five.