Lionel Messi has dominated soccer alongside his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo for more than 17 years now. The idea of him being fat or even out of shape doesn’t even remotely add up.
On December 18, 2022, Lionel Messi became a World Champion with Argentina. The 36-year-old Argentine scored twice in the World Cup final to take the match to extra time in a thrilling 3-3 score line. In the end, a more determined Argentina overcame the heroics of Kylian Mbappe to win the match in a tiebreaker.
The former Barcelona superstar has been an exemplary professional for the last 17 years. Messi broke into the first team of Barcelona in 2004 and became a fan favorite almost instantly. Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho took the Argentinean teenager under his wing and taught him to fly. He became a crucial player in the Barcelona ranks and made a habit of scoring important goals for the Blaugrana.
Leo Messi was tipped to become one of the greatest to ever exist in the beautiful game and boy he didn’t disappoint. He won 4 consecutive Ballon d’Or titles by 2012 when he was only 25. However, He wasn’t the only talisman to dominate soccer. The arrival of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo proved to be a neck-to-neck competition for the Barcelona man.
In which year did Lionel Messi gain significant weight?
The way Lionel Messi plays makes him a very hard man to stop in his tracks. The Barcelona fans gave him the nickname ‘La Pulga’ for his ability to squeeze out between several opposition defenders with a few shoulder drops. Although one cannot teach someone to have that kind of close control of the ball like Leo Messi, even an individual like him needs to be at the top of his physical shape to compete at the highest level.
Back in 2014, the Argentine had a slow start in his Barcelona campaign. Although Messi was enough prolific to score 41 goals in all completions, he was comfortably beaten by an excellent Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese won the 2012 and 2013 Ballon d’Or awards back-to-back.
Some Spanish news outlets confirmed that the Barcelona man had consumed a bit too many pizzas last season and had put on some significant weight. He wasn’t ever really out of form in any instance in his entire career but according to his high standards, it was a bit lackluster. Messi did turn around his season by losing almost 8 pounds in weight and its effects were evident on the pitch.
Former Spanish and Barcelona man Carles Rexach reported that the Argentinean wasn’t in great shape in the 2013-14 season. He said, “Before he ate at the club and rested after, but it seems as if Messi ate more pizzas than he should have last year”, in an interview with Marca. Rexach also said that Luis Enrique’s new strict rules were the reason behind Messi’s weight loss. He ended the 2014-15 season by scoring 58 goals and assisting 31 times in just 57 games.
Currently, Messi is playing for the American soccer club Inter Miami in MLS and he has closed the book on his run in European soccer after successful stints with FC Barcelona and PSG.