Messi The Best 2023
Contents
- 1 Who is favorite to win Ballon d or 2023?
- 2 How many goals Messi have in 2023?
- 3 Is Messi or Ronaldo the GOAT?
- 4 Is Messi the goat of football?
- 5 Who is the god of skills of football?
- 6 Who is the best player in the history?
- 7 Who is most likely to win the Ballon d or 2025?
- 8 Who is predicted to win Ballon d or?
- 9 Who is most likely to win the Ballon d or 2025?
- 10 How to vote for Ballon d or 2023?
Can Messi win Ballon Dor 2023?
Messi is massive odds-on favourite. After a fallow Ballon d’Or year for Lionel Messi in 2022, he is out in front of the 2023 bettingfor a trophy he won in 2022.
What about Messi in 2023?
Soccer Legend Lionel Messi To Play for Inter Miami—Here’s Messi’s Net Worth Superstar footballer Lionel Messi announced Wednesday he intends to play for Inter Miami, turning down offers from Barcelona and Saudi Arabia, in a move that shocked soccer fans around the world.
- The 2022 FIFA World Cup champion is the second highest-paid athlete in the world as of 2023, and has earned an estimated $1.15 billion in his career so far, according to Forbes.
- The legendary Argentine soccer player told Mundo Deportivo in an exclusive interview that though it is not 100% final, he has made the decision to go to Miami.
Fans aren’t waiting for a signed contract though—Inter Miami ticket prices soared within hours of Messi’s announcement, with tickets for Messi’s reported debut match jumping from $29 to $329 according to TickPick. Messi’s contract with Inter Miami (a team part-owned by David Beckham) is the biggest boost for U.S.
Soccer since Beckham signed for Los Angeles’s Galaxy in 2007. Messi’s contract will reportedly be valued between $125 million and $150 million, including salary, bonuses, and equity in the team according to Miami Herald. MLS league sponsors Apple and Adidas are also working on separate deals with the soccer champion, according to the Herald.
Messi’s move to Inter Miami could mean a big win for AppleTV as well. Having one of the world’s best soccer players join an MLS team could make AppleTV Plus’ MLS Season Pass Subscription appeal to a broader, international audience, per The Verge. Messi might reportedly get a cut of the MLS Season Pass revenue from Apple too, according to The Athletic.
Superstar soccer player Lionel Messi says he intends to play for Inter Miami in 2023. Messi is the second highest-paid athlete in the world as of 2023, and has earned an estimated $1.15 billion in his career so far, according to Forbes. Messi owns a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio, holds lucrative brand partnerships, and even owns a hotel chain.Messi reportedly earned $65 million from his endorsements and other business ventures in 2022, according to Forbes.
The bulk of Messi’s wealth comes from his career as a star soccer player. He is widely regarded as one of the best footballers of all time, winning the coveted Ballon D’Or award a record seven times. The 35-year-old has been #1 on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athletes list twice (2019 and 2022), and ranked second in 2023, coming in behind rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Messi netted a total of $130 million in pre-tax earnings in 2022, according to Forbes, making $65 million on the field.
- Messi joined La Liga soccer club, FC Barcelona when he was just 17, and spent 17 years with the team before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
- In his last few years with FC Barcelona, a contract leak showed that Messi was reportedly earning up to $165 million annually according to Forbes.
Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, and signed a two-year deal for an estimated $32.6 million in annual salary, according to Forbes. Messi also makes a fortune off the field through lucrative endorsement deals with brands such as PepsiCo, Budweiser, and Adidas, with whom he has a lifetime partnership.
His new deal with Inter Miami will reportedly include a profit-sharing deal with Adidas, where Messi would get a cut of any increase in Adidas’ profits that have to do with his involvement in MLS, according to FastCompany. Messi entered into a partnership with blockchain-based fan engagement platform, Socios, in March 2022—a contract that pays him an estimated $20 million annually, according to Forbes. The soccer player also has his own clothing brand, Messi, and opened a retail store, called the Messi Store, in Barcelona.
The 35-year-old soccer player also has a sprawling real estate portfolio worth millions, and has owned properties in Spain, Argentina, and the U.S. Messi’s home base for the past decade has been a home just outside of Barcelona, worth an estimated $7 million, according to Architectural Digest.
- In 2022, the soccer star also spent about $4 million to build a massive estate in his hometown Rosario, Argentina, and bought a home in Ibiza for $11 million, per Architectural Digest.
- Messi has also owned the hotel chain, MIM Hotels, since 2017,
- The hotel chain is operated by Majestic Hotel Group, which is run by his brother.
The growing hotel chain has properties in Mallorca, Ibiza, Sitges, and Baqueira. : Soccer Legend Lionel Messi To Play for Inter Miami—Here’s Messi’s Net Worth
Who won FIFA Men Best Player 2023?
FIFA Awards 2023: World Champion Lionel Messi Wins FIFA Best Men’s Player Award, Alexia Putellas Wins Best Women’s Player Award Alexia Putellas of Spain won the Best FIFA Women’s Player Award 2022 for the second time in a row. After the opening speech of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the ceremony started with a video tribute to Brazilian legend Pele, who passed away at age of 82 on December 29, 2022. FIFA Awards 2023: The best women’s player award went to Spain’s Alexia Putellas. : FIFA Awards 2023: World Champion Lionel Messi Wins FIFA Best Men’s Player Award, Alexia Putellas Wins Best Women’s Player Award
Who is the king of football now 2023?
Who is the king of football now 2023? – Lionel Messi is the holder of the title ‘King of football.’ He is best known for his dribbling skills, tricks on the field, impossible goals, and never-ending determination to win the game.
Who is favorite to win Ballon d or 2023?
Who is the favourite to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or? – With the awards ceremony not set to take place until late 2023, the bookmakers haven’t yet announced their favourites to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or. However, due to the rule changes which mean the award is now decided based on a player’s domestic season rather than the calendar year, it is easier to predict what is going to happen.
Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph means that Lionel Messi is the red-hot favourite with experts to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Messi won the World Cup Golden Ball for best player after scoring seven goals and assisting three on Argentina’s road to glory. He scored two in the final and also enjoyed a brilliant domestic season with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as being voted the Best Men’s Player at the FIFA awards in February.
His PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe also had a sensational World Cup. He was top scorer in Qatar with eight goals and became the first player since 1966 to score a hat-trick in a final, despite France losing on penalties. Like Messi, he shone with PSG domestically – but the Parisians came up short in the Champions League by losing in the last-16. © ProShots – Mbappe was top scorer at the World Cup Barcelona signing Robert Lewandowski has carried his goal-scoring form over from Bayern Munich to Barcelona and will be in the running, while Napoli duo Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen have both been magnificent in leading the Partenopei to a first Scudetto in 33 years.
Who will win Ballon d or 2023 chance?
Ballon d’Or Odds 2023
Player | Odds | Bookmaker |
---|---|---|
Lionel Messi | 1/3 | 10Bet |
Erling Haaland | 4/1 | Bet365 |
Kevin De Bruyne | 33/1 | William Hill |
Rodri | 66/1 | 10Bet |
Is Ronaldo better than Messi 2023?
#5 Ronaldo’s Goals + Assists record greater than Messi’s in 2023 – Al Ittihad v Al Nassr – Saudi Super Cup After misfiring in his first couple of outings for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo proved his worth by turning in multiple match-winning displays. He has scored 11 goals and provided two assists in nine appearances for club and country in 2023.
- That’s 13 direct goal involvements in nine appearances for the Portuguese icon.
- This is not how the script was expected to play out the way things were going in the first half of the 2022-23 season.
- Meanwhile, Messi was expected to further fortify his case for a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or.
- He has not done too poorly for himself but has not matched Ronaldo’s level this year.
In 14 appearances across all competitions for club and country, Messi has scored six goals and provided three assists.
How many goals Messi have in 2023?
Messi’s Argentina record year by year
Season | Games | Goals |
---|---|---|
2020 | 4 | 1 |
2021 | 16 | 9 |
2022 | 14 | 18 |
2023 | 3 | 5 |
How many world best did Messi have?
Lionel Messi, the FIFA World Cup winner, has been named The Best FIFA Men’s Player. Messi was chosen ahead of Kylian Mbappe, the France forward and World Cup finalist. The award was decided by 184 national team captains, 192 national team coaches, and 195 media personnel. In other awards: The winners of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 are: The Best FIFA Women’s Player: Alexia Putellas (Spain/FC Barcelona Femení) The Best FIFA Men’s Player: Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain FC) The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper: Mary Earps (England/Manchester United WFC) The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martínez (Argentina/Aston Villa FC)
Why Messi won FIFA best player?
Messi produced a virtuoso display as Argentina and France contested the most dramatic World Cup final of all-time. He scored twice and was also on target in the decisive penalty shootout.
Is Messi or Ronaldo the GOAT?
Messi beats Ronaldo to GOAT status after data analysis, says Liverpool FC’s research director
The rivalry between Lionel Messi and has riveted football pundits and primary schoolchildren alike, fuelling endless debates over who is the greatest player of modern times – or ever.The forwards are almost neck and neck on goals scored, Ballon d’Or and Golden Shoe awards, but according to Dr Ian Graham, the outgoing, a deeper look at the data reveals a clearcut winner.”It’s Messi,” Graham told an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival this week.The Argentine and Portuguese strikers are the only two in history to have scored more than 800 goals, have won 76 major trophies between them, and each have a plausible claim to being the greatest of all time (GOAT).The debate over who is best span out over the nine seasons they spent at rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid and reached a climax at last year’s World Cup.However, Graham said, when the pair were ranked using sophisticated models to evaluate their broader contribution to their team’s success, Messi, 35, he was joining the Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, was clearly superior.
“The difference is that Messi is also a world-class attacking midfielder,” he said. “The chances he creates for his teammates are an order of magnitude greater than Ronaldo. Messi does two jobs brilliantly. Ronaldo does one job brilliantly. That’s the difference.” Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, at the World Cup last year: a forward who ‘does one job’ brilliantly, said Graham. Photograph: Visionhaus/Getty Images Graham, who did a PhD in theoretical physics at Cambridge before his move to Anfield, described being at the forefront of a revolution in football data over the past decade or so.
- In the mid-2000s, analysts had only basic data on goals, shots, corners and yellow cards.
- Today, tracks skeletal movement data throughout Champions League games allowing them to assess the value each player is adding – even while not on the ball.
- We get 29 x-y-z positions for each player at 25 frames per second,” Graham said.
“Each position is one of your joints. Two of the positions are the eyes, so you can see which direction the players are looking.” As a result, analysts were increasingly influential in shaping training and player recruitment, where the focus is often value for money, he said.
- Any statistical model will tell you that is the best player in Europe at the moment,” he said.
- But unfortunately, financially, he’s out of Liverpool’s league.
- We’re looking for the best performing players per pound.” The models are not infallible, though, sometimes proposing players belonging to what Graham called an “island of misfit toys” category – those who, in theory, are “really good and really cheap” but are unsuitable due to “weird playing styles” or other factors.
Asked which club ought to buy, England’s all-time record goal scorer whose contract at Tottenham expires at the end of the season, Graham said that despite Kane’s impressive record, it would be “a club that doesn’t care about value for money”. “He’s 29. Harry Kane: he has an impressive record, but at 29, will not offer good value for money, Graham said. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images He added: “From a data point of view, it’s magnificent the way Alex Ferguson constructed a team that was ageing just as he left,
It really did cement his legacy.” Graham said that, despite typically having no instinctive curiosity about data, footballers were slowly becoming more interested. “If you can prove you’re making a difference through data, that might be useful for contract negotiations,” he said. “Even if you’re fundamentally not interested if it means you can make more money then you’re going to be interested.” a Belgian midfielder playing for Manchester City, recently achieved a 30% pay rise increase after he worked with a data analytics company to renegotiate his contract.
Graham said data-driven insights do not always land well, recalling that he earned the nickname “the most cynical man in football” after pointing out, soon after arriving at Anfield, that a 20% chance of scoring in the box could be converted into a 75% success rate if a player won a penalty.
If you see the big centre-half lumbering in to you, are you going to take a slight dive to turn that into a 75% chance?” he said. “This is not to encourage cheating, but to demonstrate that if you’ve got an opportunity to be tackled, having a penalty is by far the most valuable thing in football.” Similarly, he said for a team that is 1-0 up, late in the game and facing an attack on goal, purely from a statistical point of view, it would be “the correct thing for your team to get sent off by committing a cynical challenge”.
However, he added that there are still elements of football that cannot be captured by analytics. “Ian Rush was always my favourite player,” said Graham. “I kind of don’t want the data collected on him. Whatever my memories of him, I don’t want them sullied even if I have to be cynical about the rest of football.” : Messi beats Ronaldo to GOAT status after data analysis, says Liverpool FC’s research director
Is Messi the goat of football?
Lionel Messi of Argentina is undoubtedly the GOAT of football in the 21st century. The acronym GOAT stands for Greatest of All Time and Messi is unquestionably the greatest of all time when it comes to football in the modern era. His latest conquest of the FIFA World Cup further cemented that claim as the Argentine captain became the only player to score in the group stages, the round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final as Argentina beat France to lift FIFA World Cup 2022,
Football and by extension, sports fans, in the modern era are well familiar with the term ‘GOAT.’ It can be found in almost all corners of popular culture these days and is used to signify someone or something being the greatest or the best of all time. Although the words ‘all time’ appear in the acronym GOAT, meaning a sense of perpetuity and finality, its usage is obviously casual and not absolute.
When it comes to the GOAT of football, many fans, journalists, and professional players and managers have different opinions, but everyone broadly agrees on one man being the GOAT of the modern era. Welcome 2023 with a new fest – the Zero Se Hero Gold Fest from 31 December 2022 to 29th January 2023, hosted by MPL – India’s Biggest Gaming Platform,
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Who is the GOAT of football in the 21st century?
Who is the god of skills of football?
Johan Cruyff – One of the most philosophical and innovative personalities in the game’s history, Johan Cruyff enjoyed an immensely successful career as both a player as well as a manager. As a player, he was one of the best of his generation and he won the Ballon d’Or on three occasions.
Who is the best player in the history?
Top 10 football players of all time
Rank | Player | Goals |
---|---|---|
1 | Lionel Messi | 802 |
2 | Pele | 767 |
3 | Diego Maradona | 353 |
4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 819 |
Will Messi play 2026 World Cup?
play Why Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami deal is so ‘unprecedented’ (1:04) Sebastian Salazar dissects the details of Lionel Messi’s contract that has brought him to MLS and Inter Miami. (1:04)
Adriana Garcia
Jun 13, 2023, 07:56 PM Argentina captain Lionel Messi announced Tuesday he has no plans to play in the 2026 World Cup, Messi, 35, led Argentina to glory last year in Qatar in what was his fifth World Cup appearance. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Although Messi repeatedly said throughout the tournament that it was going to be his last, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, his teammates and fans remained hopeful the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner could feature at the 2026 World Cup that will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
- In a report by Efe News Agency, Messi told Chinese sports outlet Titan Sports when asked about the 2026 World Cup: “I think not.
- Was my last World Cup.
- I’ll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won’t go to the next World Cup.” Messi is on international duty with Argentina in China for their upcoming friendlies against Australia on Thursday and Indonesia four days later.
The former Barcelona superstar announced last week his decision to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami CF once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 30. Messi had a starring role at the tournament in Qatar to end his wait for the only major honour to have eluded him in his career.
Who is most likely to win the Ballon d or 2025?
2025 – Kylian Mbappe – There’s no doubt that Kylian Mbappe is a world beater. He was the leading goalscorer and assist provider in Ligue 1 in the 2021-22 season. Mbappe is currently unsettled at Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports. There also seems to be a consensus that Mbappe might not truly be accepted as one of the greats of the modern era until he tests himself in a more competitive league.
Who is predicted to win Ballon d or?
Ballon d’Or 2023 Power Rankings: Lionel Messi set to pip Erling Haaland to eighth Golden Ball as Man City dominate potential nominees | Goal.com US The race to win the Golden Ball is over after the final trophies of the season were handed out – so how is the top 20 likely to look? The race for the 2023 Ballon d’Or race is all-but over, with some of the world’s best footballers having spent the past 11 months vying to succeed in lifting the Golden Ball in Paris on October 30.
The is ready to be claimed now with 365GOAL
Who, then, has put themselves in the frame for the biggest individual honour of them all? Join GOAL as our 12-month Ballon d’Or Power Rankings journey comes to a conclusion. : Ballon d’Or 2023 Power Rankings: Lionel Messi set to pip Erling Haaland to eighth Golden Ball as Man City dominate potential nominees | Goal.com US
Who is the best player between Mbappe and Haaland?
Mbappe on top for now – It’s difficult, for now at least, to argue with the assertion than Kylian Mbappe is the natural successor to the Greatest Of All Time throne abstained by the ageing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. However, that could easily change with time.
- Erling Haaland is undoubtedly the superior goalscorer, but Mbappe seems a more complete player at the moment.
- Transfermarkt calculates the value of the Frenchman to be a colossal £158m, making him the most valuable player on the planet at the moment.
- Haaland finds himself narrowly behind on the list at £150m and the pair make up the two most expensive assets in world football at the moment.
Haaland has the advantage of arguably operating within a better-run club, with Manchester City still on course to compete for the Champions League and the Premier League – a more prestigious domestic league than Ligue 1. Only time will tell which talent will amass more Ballon D’Or gongs, but needless to say, the duo will undoubtedly share the podium on several occasions.
How many goals has Messi scored?
Messi v Ronaldo – Following the last match played, Leo Messi has now played 1,028 games at professional level. In those games, the Argentine has scored 807 goals. In addition, he has provided a total of 338 assists, In other words: 1,145 goals have come directly from his boots.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, his statistics are even better from an absolute point of view. He has scored 838 goals in 1,167 matches, making him the all-time top scorer. A stratospheric achievement, although it cannot be ruled out that Messi, now 35, could take it away from him, In the assists statistics he is worse off, with 194 assists, which is why the Portuguese’s absolute contribution is lower: he has generated 1,032 goals.
Looking at the averages, Leo Messi’s stands at 0.79 goals and 0.33 assists. Cristiano Ronaldo’s is 0.72 and 0.17, respectively. And that’s including his penalty goals.
Who is most likely to win the Ballon d or 2025?
2025 – Kylian Mbappe – There’s no doubt that Kylian Mbappe is a world beater. He was the leading goalscorer and assist provider in Ligue 1 in the 2021-22 season. Mbappe is currently unsettled at Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports. There also seems to be a consensus that Mbappe might not truly be accepted as one of the greats of the modern era until he tests himself in a more competitive league.
Is Ronaldo better than Messi 2023?
#5 Ronaldo’s Goals + Assists record greater than Messi’s in 2023 – Al Ittihad v Al Nassr – Saudi Super Cup After misfiring in his first couple of outings for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo proved his worth by turning in multiple match-winning displays. He has scored 11 goals and provided two assists in nine appearances for club and country in 2023.
- That’s 13 direct goal involvements in nine appearances for the Portuguese icon.
- This is not how the script was expected to play out the way things were going in the first half of the 2022-23 season.
- Meanwhile, Messi was expected to further fortify his case for a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or.
- He has not done too poorly for himself but has not matched Ronaldo’s level this year.
In 14 appearances across all competitions for club and country, Messi has scored six goals and provided three assists.
How to vote for Ballon d or 2023?
How does Ballon d’Or voting work? Nominees and format explained The most prestigious individual award in football underwent a historic change in 2022 as France Football announced that the award would no longer be judged for a player’s exploits over the calendar year.
- So, last year, Karim Benzema became the first player in the 66-year (now 67) history of the Ballon d’Or to win the award based on his performances over the course of a season.
- The game’s two contemporary greats have dominated this award over the past decade and a half, and one’s magical Middle Eastern fairytale renders him a strong favourite to win the award again in 2023.
However, whether Lionel Messi wins his eighth crown will be decided by those gifted the power to vote. Here’s how voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or will work. Messi’s World Cup triumph is expected to catapult him to his eighth Ballon d’Or / JUAN MABROMATA/GettyImages 30 players will be nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, but the list of nominees will not be revealed until 6 September ahead of the 30 October ceremony.
remains the favourite to win his eighth Ballon d’Or after he guided Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar while enjoying a pretty productive season in Ligue 1 with PSG. However, he’s expected to be run close by Man City striker Erling Haaland. The Nordic machine broke the single-season Premier League scoring record during his debut campaign at the Etihad, and finished 2022/23 with a mammoth 52 goals which helped his side to a historic treble.
Messi and Haaland are the overwhelming front runners and are sure bets to make this year’s podium. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane will likely be vying for third place. The Ballon d’Or victor is decided by 100 journalists from FIFA’s 100 top-ranked member nations. Karim Benzema is the current holder of the award / Aurelien Meunier/GettyImages
Al Ittihad’s new recruit and the freshest face of the Saudi Pro League, Karim Benzema is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or following his excellent 2021/22 season.The Frenchman scored 44 times in all competitions and struck up a destructive relationship with Vinicius Jr as Real Madrid won La Liga and embarked on a miraculous Champions League knockout journey which culminated in Parisian glory against Liverpool.Benzema scored crucial goals during the knockout stages as Real bypassed PSG, Chelsea and Man City in the most dramatic of fashions before beating Jurgen Klopp’s Reds 1-0 in the final. It was Benzema’s maiden Ballon d’Or triumph and the striker became just the second player after Luka Modric to break the Cristiano Ronaldo/Messi stranglehold on the award since 2008.
Year | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2022 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid |
2021 | Lionel Messi | Paris Saint-Germain |
2019 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona |
2018 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid |
2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
2015 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona |
2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
2012 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona |
How does Ballon d’Or voting work? Nominees and format explained
Can a MLS player win the Ballon d Or?
Lionel Messi: Best of the 2022 FIFA World Cup – Simply put, MLS has never seen a player like Messi because there’s never been a player like Messi. But that doesn’t mean that the league hasn’t been home to a few of soccer’s all-time greats before. Here are 10 other players that have used their icon status to elevate soccer in the United States: Kaká, Midfielder, Brazil (2015-17) After an injury-plagued spell with Real Madrid and a pair of briefs returns to AC Milan and São Paulo, Kaká joined MLS expansion team Orlando City SC in 2014 as the club’s first designated player.
- During his prime years with AC Milan, Kaká won the Serie A, the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.
- He also won the FIFA World Cup in 2002 with Brazil,
- Aká’s the only player in MLS history to win a Ballon d’Or and a World Cup; Lionel Messi will soon be the second.
- But Kaká won his World Cup in 2002 and the Ballon d’Or in 2007, seven years before he played his first game for Orlando.
Messi won his last Ballon d’Or in 2021 and won the World Cup in December 2022. Frank Lampard, Midfielder, England (2015-16) Frank Lampard’s illustrious career with Chelsea F.C. ended in 2014, when he signed a two-year contract with New York City FC, In 13 years with the West London club, Lampard won three Premier League titles, four FA Cup titles and the coveted Champions League in 2012, beating Messi’s Barcelona in the semifinal.
Lampard and Messi were the same age when they joined MLS, but Lampard’s final years in Europe weren’t as productive as Messi’s. Wayne Rooney, Striker, England (2018-19) Wayne Rooney, Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer and England’s second all-time leading goalscorer, signed a three-and-a-half year deal with D.C.
United in 2018 after winning five Premier League titles and a Champions League title in 13 years with the Red Devils. Rooney made three Champions League finals with United, but he lost the other two to Barcelona teams headlined by Messi. Rooney is now coaching D.C.
United despite being two years younger than Messi. Steven Gerrard, Midfielder, England (2015-16) Steven Gerrard played for just two clubs in his 18-year senior career: Liverpool, where he played for 17 years, and the LA Galaxy, where he played for a year toward the end of his career. Gerrard is infamous for never winning the Premier League with Liverpool, but he did win the Champions League with the Reds in 2005 and was named the Man of the Match for the final.
Gerrard was voted onto the FIFA FIFPro XI three times from 2007 to 2009 alongside Messi. However, 2009 was Gerrard’s last appearance on the FIFPro XI whereas Messi has been voted to the last 16 teams.