Lionel Messi is widely considered one of the greatest football players of all time. With the exception of the World Cup, this Argentine maestro has almost accomplished everything with his club and country. He has a long list of records under his belt, as well as an illustrious and groundbreaking career. Lionel Messi is one of the world's wealthiest athletes, with plenty of cash to spend on various things. However, what is Lionel Messi's contribution to the underprivileged in society? Messi does make donations, and his initiatives deserve to be recognized. Let's take a look at Lionel Messi's charity work.

Lionel Messi’s Background

Lionel Messi was born in 1987 in Rosario, Argentina and he comes from a poor family. Messi has been a gifted footballer since he was a child. He joined the Rosario club when he was six years old, and scored over 500 goals as a part of "The Machine of 87”.  

However, his professional career was jeopardized when he was ten years old. A growth hormone deficit was diagnosed in him, which treatment costs were at least $1,000 each month. Newell's Old Boys pledged to help but afterward backtracked.

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Messi's family had relatives in Barcelona and they attempted to set up a trial with Barcelona. The 13-year-old Lionel Messi eventually signed a contract with FC Barcelona on a napkin on December 14th.

Lionel Messi’s Football Career at a Glance

At top level, Lionel Messi had spent 17 years at FC Barcelona before moving to Paris-Saint Germain in the Summer transfer window 2021.  

Lionel Messi broke many records and reached new heights while playing for FC Barcelona from 2004-2021.

Messi won 10 La Liga, 7 Copa Del Rey, 8 Super Copa de Espana, 4 Champions League, 3 UEFA Super Cup, 3 FIFA Club World Cup with Barcelona. 

Read Record-Breaker Lionel Messi Can Guide PSG to Champions League Crown

Messi became the all-time La Liga top scorer with 474 goals and also amassed 120 Champions League goals (most for a single club) for Barcelona. On 23rd December 2020, Messi scored 644th La Liga goal for FC Barcelona and surpassed Pele with the most goals for a single club. 

Lionel Messi also has the most career La Liga assists (192), most La Liga braces (93), and most La Liga hat-tricks. 

On international level, Lionel Messi surpassed pele to become South America’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals after scoring a hat-trick against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier match on 9 September 2021. 

Read: Messi breaks down, says he wasn't ready to leave Barcelona

At the age level, Lionel Messi won the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2005 and Summer Olympics 2008. Before winning the Copa America 2021 in July, Lionel Messi played three Copa America finals in 2007, 2015, and 2016 respectively. He also played the FIFA World Cup 2014 final, where Argentina lost the final 1-0 to Germany. 

Notable Lionel Messi’s Charity Work

Lionel Messi has been involved in charitable activities since the start of his career. Messi has been working with UNICEF since 2004 and he was announced as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in the year 2010. He has worked in education, health, society's neglected children, earthquake awareness, and AIDS public awareness initiatives as per his responsibilities as an Ambassador.

In addition to working with UNICEF, this talented footballer has established the Lionel Messi Foundation in 2007. The primary goal of this organization is to promote health care education and children's sports.

Read Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar: Who Has Acquired Most International Achievements?

Lionel Messi recently contributed one million euros to help combat the spread of the coronavirus, which was shared between Barcelona hospital in Spain, and some clinics in Argentina.

The Leo Messi Foundation gave €200,000 to UNICEF Kenya programs in February 2019. The Lionel Messi philanthropic project aims to provide 2,000 children in Kenya with free drinking water and nutritious meals.

Messi hasn't lost connection with his roots. He helped to fund the construction of a facility for his childhood club Newell's Old Boys. Furthermore, he provided financial assistance to the local Rosario youth team Sarmiento.

Read Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva

What is more? The Leo Messi Foundation has aided the Special Olympics in Catalunya as well as the staging of athletic events for disabled youngsters. His organization partnered with the Josep Carreras Leukemia Foundation to aid in the advancement of leukemia therapy in the year 2019.

Bottom Line

Any young star's dream is to be a great footballer like Lionel Messi. This great Argentine footballer possesses a God-gifted talent. However, he has pushed the talent to new heights through his own efforts. Messi has a long list of achievements for his country and club. In addition to being a successful professional footballer, this philanthropic athlete has gained a huge reputation as a role model in society by standing by the side of underprivileged people. The Lionel Messi Foundation focuses on health, education, and sports. Messi's popularity has supported numerous humanitarian projects of UNICEF. It is expected that Lionel Messi’s charity work and commitment to the wellbeing of society would inspire the world's richest players.

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