222-548: Francesc Fàbregas Soler ( Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsɛsk ˈfaβɾəɣəs] ; Spanish: [ˈfaβɾeɣas] ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder . He is currently the head coach of Serie A club Como . Fàbregas came through La Masia , Barcelona 's youth academy, leaving at 16 when he was signed by Premier League club Arsenal in September 2003. Following injuries to key midfielders in
444-563: A club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues, among others. He signed for French club Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, where he would win the Ligue 1 title during both of his seasons there. Messi joined American club Inter Miami in July 2023, and set a new mark for most goals scored for the club by his second season. An Argentine international, Messi
666-456: A foul in the build-up to the goal. Depending on the format of the competition, an equal number of goals scored may result in a draw being declared with 1 point awarded to each team, or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shoot-out . Internationally, association football is governed by FIFA . Under FIFA, there are six continental confederations: AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA . Of these confederations, CONMEBOL
888-628: A stele of c. 375–400 BCE in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship trophy. Athenaeus , writing in 228 CE, mentions the Roman ball game harpastum . Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence. They all appear to have resembled rugby football , wrestling , and volleyball more than what
1110-640: A 23-man squad selected by the UEFA Technical Team. After missing out for several months due to his injury, Fàbregas regained his place as a regular in Vicente del Bosque 's squad. In June, he was named in the team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup . He scored his second international goal in a 5–0 win against New Zealand in the competition's group stage. In the semi-finals against the United States , which Fàbregas started, Spain suffered
1332-432: A 2–0 win against Porto as Barcelona won the 2011 UEFA Super Cup , and his first league goal on his league debut, a 5–0 home win over Villarreal . He went on to score three more league goals in the month of September, including a late equaliser in the 2–2 away draw to Valencia . Fàbregas then spent the majority of October sidelined with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty. He made his return, and scored, in
1554-468: A 4–0 away victory to Viktoria Plzeň in the Champions League . He then made his league return in the 2–2 draw away to Athletic Bilbao , scoring a goal in the same match. Fàbregas then went on to score a brace in a 5–0 home victory against Levante before netting in a 3–1 away victory against Real Madrid. Fàbregas later scored against Brazilian club Santos to help Barcelona to a 4–0 victory in
1776-493: A French XI team in 1920, and also made up most of the England team against a Scottish Ladies XI in the same year, winning 22–0. Despite being more popular than some men's football events, with one match seeing a 53,000 strong crowd in 1920, women's football in England suffered a blow in 1921 when The Football Association outlawed the playing of the game on association members' pitches, stating that "the game of football
1998-526: A brace in a 3–2 win over Columbus Crew , clinching the Supporters' Shield , his 46th trophy. In the final game of the regular season on 19 October against New England Revolution , Messi scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 6–2 victory. Inter Miami's victory over the Revolution also allowed the club to finish with 74 points throughout the regular season, a league record for MLS. He would finish
2220-618: A campaign which saw Chelsea win the FA Cup against Manchester United . He passed the ball to Eden Hazard who was fouled for a penalty, which the Belgian scored as the only goal of the game. On 5 January 2019, Fàbregas played his final game in English football, a 2–0 home win over Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup. He took a penalty which was saved by Luke Steele . Fàbregas
2442-442: A caution ( yellow card ) or dismissal ( red card ). A second yellow card in the same game leads to a red card, which results in a dismissal. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in their official notebook. If a player has been dismissed, no substitute can be brought on in their place and the player may not participate in further play. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while
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#17327929432342664-505: A deadlock; some competitions may invoke replays . A game tied at the end of regulation time may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of penalty shoot-outs (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of
2886-703: A deal worth up to £35 million. During his three-year spell at the Camp Nou , Fàbregas played alongside Xavi and Andrés Iniesta and won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey , the FIFA Club World Cup , the UEFA Super Cup and two Spanish Super Cups . He returned to London in June 2014 to Arsenal's cross-town rivals Chelsea for a fee of £30 million. In four-and-a-half years at the club, he won
3108-414: A false 9. In the 64th minute he scored the equaliser after Italy had taken the lead in the 61st minute; the game finished in a 1–1 draw. He then scored his second goal of the tournament in the next group stage match against Ireland , which ended in a 4–0 win to Spain. When Spain faced Portugal in the semi-finals and the game remained scoreless at the end of extra time, Fàbregas scored the winning penalty of
3330-591: A first-half penalty when fouled by Oleksandr Kucher , but his spot kick was saved by Andriy Pyatov . He started all of Spain's matches at the finals, coming as a substitute in each of the three group games and playing the entirety of the defeat by Italy in the Round of 16 which ended their participation. Fàbregas was not selected for the Spain squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (his Chelsea colleagues Pedro , Álvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso were also overlooked after
3552-498: A four-year cycle of success. For the start of the 2012–13 season , Barcelona had virtually secured their La Liga title by the start of 2013. A double scored against Real Betis saw Messi becoming Barcelona's all-time top scorer in La Liga, and surpassed Gerd Müller 's record of most goals scored in a calendar year; Messi would score a record 91 goals in all competitions for Barcelona and Argentina throughout 2012. Messi again won
3774-406: A further three years) to the midfielder, which he signed on 19 October 2006. While the contract was unusually long, Fàbregas cited Arsenal's playing style and Wenger as reasons for his long-term commitment to the club. The 2006–07 season was a learning experience for the young Arsenal squad and Fàbregas. The club again failed to secure any major honours and were defeated by city rivals Chelsea in
3996-400: A goal has been scored or not; this was brought in to prevent controversy. Video assistant referees (VAR) have also been increasingly introduced in high-level matches to assist officials through video replays to correct clear and obvious mistakes. There are four types of calls that can be reviewed: mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card, goals and whether there was a violation during
4218-560: A goal in Spain's opening group match against Uruguay , which Spain won 2–1. Spain won all their group matches, only conceding a goal and scoring 15. Spain advanced to the final of the competition for the first time, after a lengthy and difficult semi-final clash in a re-match against their opponents of the European Championship Final of the previous year, Italy . The match ended 0–0 after extra time and Spain won 7–6 in
4440-480: A hat-trick from Messi secured their entry. They would go on to lose to France in the Round of 16 during the World Cup, with Messi having one goal and two assists in the tournament. The next year, under new head coach Lionel Scaloni , Messi would again represent Argentina in the 2019 Copa América , where he registered only a single goal and assist. They would lose to hosts Brazil in the semi-final but ended with
4662-535: A hat-trick in eight minutes during a Copa del Rey match while man-marked by Sevilla 's Sergio Ramos . His progress was reflected in his first professional contract, signed on 4 February 2004, which lasted until 2012 and contained an initial buyout clause of €30 million. A month later, on 6 March, he made his debut for Barcelona B in the Segunda División B , and his buyout clause automatically increased to €80 million. He played five games with
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#17327929432344884-640: A latex bladder for pressurisation, but modern balls at all levels of the game are now synthetic. As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within IFAB , the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units . The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though use of imperial units remains popular in English-speaking countries with
5106-419: A long ball into the box. Costa brought the ball down and fired it into the net to equalise. Fàbregas came off the bench against West Bromwich Albion on 11 December 2016 and immediately made an impact on the deadlocked match, finding Diego Costa once again with a long ball that led to the winning goal. On 14 December 2016, Fàbregas led Chelsea to their tenth consecutive league victory with his first league goal of
5328-529: A meeting attended by representatives from Eton , Harrow , Rugby , Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club , formed by former public school pupils in 1857, which led to
5550-513: A mix of basketball, and volleyball. This is the earliest form of a kicking game for which there is historical evidence. The game was first recorded as in exercise in the Zhan Guo Ce , a military history from the Han dynasty . Cuju players would pass the ball around, having to avoid it touching the ground at any point. It was then passed to a designated player, who attempted to kick it through
5772-520: A new deal complicated due to Barcelona's financial issues. Barcelona would eventually announce that Messi would not be staying at the club, citing financial and structural obstacles posed by La Liga regulations as a reason for Messi's departure. In a tearful press conference held at the Camp Nou, Messi confirmed that he would be leaving Barcelona. On 10 August 2021, Messi joined Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), reuniting him with Neymar, for
5994-426: A penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kick-offs , goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks. A standard adult football match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time. The referee
6216-532: A plastic protector; soon hindered by the mask, he took it off and scored two goals in 10 minutes before his substitution. At the close of the season, he received an offer to join Arsenal , his first from a foreign club, but while Fàbregas and Piqué soon left for England , he chose to remain in Barcelona. Messi continued to progress through the club's ranks at a rapid pace, debuting for four youth teams during
6438-471: A record fifth time in his career. He would end the season by winning La Liga as well as the Copa del Rey again. In total, Messi scored 41 goals, and Barcelona's attacking trio of him, Neymar and Suárez managed a Spanish record of 131 combined goals throughout the season, breaking the record they had set the previous season. The 2016–17 season would end with Messi winning the Supercopa de España and
6660-450: A record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023 . A second Copa América victory with Messi as captain came in 2024 . Messi has endorsed sportswear company Adidas since 2006. According to France Football , he was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014, and was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019 and 2022. Messi was among Time ' s 100 most influential people in
6882-416: A relatively recent history of metrication (or only partial metrication), such as Britain. The length of the pitch, or field, for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 90–120 m (100–130 yd) in length and 45–90 m (50–100 yd) in width, provided
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7104-445: A result. During that season, Messi scored 38 total goals, and alongside Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry , contributed to a total of 100 goals in all competitions, a record at the time for the club. Messi played as a false nine for the first time in a Clásico against Real Madrid, setting up his side's first goal and scoring twice in the team's greatest-ever score at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium . He played his first final , winning
7326-436: A row and two Champions League titles in three years, and one that featured the likes of Lionel Messi , Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and David Villa . He made his debut in the second leg of the Supercopa de España , coming on as a substitute against Real Madrid. Fàbregas drew a red card in the 90+4th after being the target of a dangerous challenge from Marcelo . Barcelona won the tie 3–2 and 5–4 on aggregate. He scored his first goal in
7548-415: A secured place in the knockout rounds, Messi would wear the captain's armband for the first time. Argentina were ultimately eliminated in the quarterfinals against Germany during that tournament, but Messi was identified as one of the tournament's 10 best players due to his pace and creativity, despite failing to register a single goal and only having one assist. The appointment of Sergio Batista ahead of
7770-452: A shock 2–0 loss, and its 15-game winning streak came to an end. Fàbregas was selected as a part of del Bosque's 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . With del Bosque preferring a starting midfield of Sergio Busquets , Xabi Alonso , Xavi and Andrés Iniesta , Fàbregas did not start in any of Spain's games in the competition. He featured as a substitute in four of their seven matches, in which Spain lost their opening game before winning
7992-528: A similar ancient game ( cuju , or tsu chu ) was played by women during the Han dynasty (25–220 CE), as female figures are depicted in frescoes of the period playing tsu chu . There are also reports of annual football matches played by women in Midlothian , Scotland, during the 1790s. Association football, the modern game, has documented early involvement of women. In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardised rules to prohibit violence on
8214-461: A starting role in Spain's first knockout-stage match against France , in place of Marcos Senna , but Spain lost 3–1. Fàbregas also became the youngest player in Spanish football history to participate in a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Luis García after 77 minutes in the 4–0 victory against Ukraine on 13 June 2006; he was then 19 years and 41 days old. He was later nominated for
8436-399: A steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. On his father's side, he is of Italian and Spanish descent, the great-grandson of immigrants from the north-central Adriatic Marche region of Italy, and on his mother's side, he has primarily Italian ancestry. Growing up in a tight-knit, football-loving family, "Leo" developed a passion for
8658-420: A third-place finish after defeating Chile. Messi would finally end Argentina's 28-year trophy drought in the 2021 Copa América , as they had not won an international tournament since 1993 . In the process, he surpassed Javier Mascherano to become Argentina's most-capped player during a group stage match against Bolivia . Argentina defeated Brazil in the final ; Messi was directly involved in nine out of
8880-523: A total of 122 goals in all competitions that season, a record in Spanish football. Messi opened the 2015–16 season by helping Barcelona's win over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup . Messi capped off the year by winning the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup final over River Plate in Yokohama , collecting his fifth club trophy of the calendar year. On 11 January 2016, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for
9102-519: A total of 36 goals in all official competitions. Messi would begin the 2004–05 season as a guaranteed starter for the Barcelona B team, but after some lobbying by the senior players, he would be promoted to the first team by manager Frank Rijkaard . He made his La Liga debut for Barcelona on 16 October 2004 against Espanyol , and scored his first senior goal on 1 May 2005 against Albacete , from an assist by Ronaldinho , becoming at that time
Cesc Fàbregas - Misplaced Pages Continue
9324-479: A trophyless 2005–06 campaign for Arsenal. Fàbregas' increase in exposure drew transfer speculation during the summer; Real Madrid expressed a desire to sign the Spaniard despite his long-term contract with Arsenal, but Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger stated that Arsenal would not listen to any offers. In September 2006, with six years left on his deal, Arsenal offered a new five-year deal (with an option to extend by
9546-513: A truce to the nation's civil war in 2006 and it helped further reduce tensions between government and rebel forces in 2007 by playing a match in the rebel capital of Bouaké , an occasion that brought both armies together peacefully for the first time. By contrast, football is widely considered to have been the final proximate cause for the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras . The sport also exacerbated tensions at
9768-432: A variety of positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws. The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards . An athletic supporter and protective cup is highly recommended for male players by medical experts and professionals. Headgear
9990-593: A year at Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia , Messi was finally enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in February 2002. Now playing in all competitions, he befriended his teammates, among whom were Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué . After completing his growth hormone therapy aged 14, Messi became an integral part of the "Baby Dream Team", Barcelona's greatest-ever youth side. During his first full season (2002–03), he
10212-493: Is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team . Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi set numerous records for individual accolades won throughout his professional footballing career such as eight Ballon d'Or awards and eight times being named the world's best player by FIFA . He
10434-451: Is in play, the players mainly use their feet, but may also use any other part of their body, such as their head, chest and thighs, except for their hands or arms, to control, strike, or pass the ball. Only the goalkeepers may use their hands and arms, and that only within the penalty area . The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner. There are situations where a goal can be disallowed, such as an offside call or
10656-410: Is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by
10878-438: Is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials. A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during
11100-454: Is played in accordance with the Laws of the Game , a set of rules that has been in effect since 1863 and maintained by the IFAB since 1886. The game is played with a football that is 68–70 cm (27–28 in) in circumference . The two teams compete to score goals by getting the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts, under the bar, and fully across the goal line). When the ball
11322-405: Is positioned on each goal line, midway between the two touchlines. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (24 ft) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws. In front of the goal is the penalty area. This area
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#173279294323411544-816: Is quite unsuitable for females and should not be encouraged." Players and football writers have argued that this ban was, in fact, due to envy of the large crowds that women's matches attracted, and because the FA had no control over the money made from the women's game. The FA ban led to the formation of the short-lived English Ladies Football Association and play moved to rugby grounds. Women's football also faced bans in several other countries , notably in Brazil from 1941 to 1979, in France from 1941 to 1970, and in Germany from 1955 to 1970. Restrictions began to be reduced in
11766-506: Is recognisable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football , the antecedent of all modern football codes , these three games involved more handling the ball than kicking it. Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other ball games played around the world, FIFA has described that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The history of football in England dates back to at least
11988-531: Is the dominant region in women's football, with the United States winning the most FIFA Women's World Cups and Olympic tournaments. Europe and Asia come second and third in terms of international success, and the women's game has been improving in South America. Association football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game . The game is played using a spherical ball of 68–70 cm (27–28 in) circumference, known as
12210-541: Is the most decorated player in the history of professional football having won 45 team trophies , including twelve Big Five league titles, four UEFA Champions Leagues , two Copa Américas , and one FIFA World Cup . Messi holds the records for most European Golden Shoes (6), most goals for a single club (672, with Barcelona ), most goals (474), hat-tricks (36) and assists (192) in La Liga , most matches played (39), assists (18) and goal contributions (34) in
12432-695: Is the most-viewed sporting event in the world, surpassing the Olympic Games . The two most prestigious competitions in club football are the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Women's Champions League , which attract an extensive television audience worldwide. The final of the men's tournament is the most-watched annual sporting event in the world. Association football is one of a family of football codes that emerged from various ball games played worldwide since antiquity. Within
12654-400: Is the national team's all-time leading goalscorer and most-capped player . His style of play as a diminutive, left-footed dribbler drew career-long comparisons with compatriot Diego Maradona , who described Messi as his successor . At the youth level, he won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics . After his senior debut in 2005, Messi became
12876-455: Is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is called "additional time" in FIFA documents, but is most commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time , while lost time can also be used as a synonym. The duration of stoppage time is at the sole discretion of
13098-577: Is the oldest one, being founded in 1916. National associations (e.g. The FA in England) are responsible for managing the game in their own countries both professionally and at an amateur level, and coordinating competitions in accordance with the Laws of the Game. The most prestigious senior international competitions are the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Women's World Cup . The men's World Cup
13320-413: Is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is the world's most popular sport. The game of association football
13542-404: Is to score goals; defenders , who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders , who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, to distinguish them from the goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which
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#173279294323413764-566: Is unique." – Pep Guardiola after Messi became Barcelona's all-time top scorer at the age of 24 in March 2012 Messi began the 2011–12 season winning both the Spanish and European Super Cups trophies. At the close of the year, he won the FIFA Club World Cup and earned the Golden Ball for a second time. For his efforts in 2011, he received the FIFA Ballon d'Or , becoming only
13986-421: The football (or soccer ball ). Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by
14208-413: The 2005–06 season by winning the Supercopa de España without Messi, who was not selected to participate in the competition. By the end of the season, the team would win La Liga again as well as the UEFA Champions League , although Messi would not play in the final for the latter due to injury. During the 2006–07 season , Messi scored his first hat-trick in a Clásico against Real Madrid ,
14430-465: The 2009–10 Champions League campaign by beating Celtic over two legs, but their early momentum to the season was disrupted by consecutive league game losses to Manchester United and Manchester City . The team bounced back strongly after this setback, and with Fàbregas being prolific in scoring and setting up his teammates, it went unbeaten in the next 13 games. Despite suffering four league losses even before mid-season approached, Arsenal managed to lead
14652-570: The 2010–11 campaign , Messi won the Supercopa de España , Champions League , and a third consecutive La Liga title . His club performances in 2010 earned him his second consecutive Ballon d'Or . Messi was the top scorer in the Champions League, for the third consecutive year, and the league's top scorer and assist provider. He became Barcelona's all-time single-season top scorer with 53 goals. "I feel sorry for those who want to compete for Messi's throne – it's impossible, this kid
14874-486: The 2010–11 season . Four days later, he scored his first goal for the club, opening a 1–1 draw at home against Schalke 04 in Chelsea's first match of the Champions League group stage . His first league goal for Chelsea gave them a 2–1 win at Crystal Palace on 18 October, capping off a 19-pass move. Fàbregas also completed 123 passes, the most by any player on either side. On 10 December, with Chelsea already through to
15096-592: The 2011 Copa America resulted in Argentina now building their team around Messi. However, Messi would again be goalless during the tournament but had three assists. The team would ultimately lose to Uruguay in penalties during the quarter-finals. Following their unsuccessful performance, Batista was replaced by Alejandro Sabella , who awarded 24-year-old Messi the captaincy of the squad. The next several years saw many frustrations for Messi due to his inability to captain Argentina to an international trophy. During
15318-413: The 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final. Fàbregas got another brace in a 4–0 victory against Osasuna in the Copa del Rey . He also scored in the semi-final of the competition against Valencia to help Barcelona to the final with a 3–1 win on aggregate. He kept a regular run in the Barcelona side for the rest of the season, including appearances in both semi-final legs of the 3–2 aggregate defeat to Chelsea in
15540-402: The 2014 FIFA World Cup , Messi and Argentina lost to Germany in the final , though Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament regardless due to his overall performance with four goals and an assist. Argentina would lose to Chile on penalties in the 2015 Copa América final the next year. At the close of the tournament, Messi, was reportedly selected to receive
15762-442: The 2018 FIFA World Cup , which they would again exit early. Messi and the national team finally broke Argentina's 28-year trophy drought with a victory in the 2021 Copa América , where he was named the tournament's best player and which later helped him win his seventh Ballon d'Or that year . He then led Argentina to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup , his country's third overall world championship and first in 36 years. This followed with
15984-425: The 2021–22 season on a two-year deal until June 2023 with an option for an extra year. Messi chose 30 as his squad number, the same he wore as a teenager when he made his senior debut for Barcelona. He would make his debut with the club against Reims , made his first start and Champions League debut for the club against Club Brugge , and made his home debut in a match against Lyon He scored his first goal for
16206-511: The 2022–23 season , Messi would win his second trophy with PSG in the Trophée des Champions . A goal against Nice resulted in him surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time highest goalscorer in European club football with 702 goals; during the match, he also achieved 1,000 career direct goal contributions at club level. By the end of the season, he had 21 goals across all competitors and
16428-527: The Caribbean and Oceania regions (except Australia ) have yet to make a mark in international football. When it comes to men's national teams, Europeans and South Americans continue to dominate the FIFA World Cup, as no team from any other region has managed to even reach the final. These regional trends do not hold true for the women's game, as the United States women's national team has won
16650-643: The Champions League top scorer , the youngest in the tournament's history. For his efforts in 2009, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Messi scored a total of 47 goals in all competitions, equaling Ronaldo 's club record from the 1996–97 campaign . He finished the season as top scorer in the Champions League , and La Liga, winning his second consecutive league trophy and earned his first European Golden Shoe . In
16872-547: The Confederations Cup in 2009 and 2013 . He was a key figure in Spain's European Championship victories in 2008 and 2012 and their 2010 World Cup triumph, in which he supplied the pass for Andrés Iniesta 's winning goal in the final . In October 2015, Fàbregas earned his 100th cap for Spain. Born in Arenys de Mar , Barcelona , Catalonia , to Francesc Fàbregas Sr., who runs a property company, and Núria Soler,
17094-521: The Copa del Rey . He would finish the season with 54 goals, while his 37 goals in La Liga saw him claim both the Pichichi and European Golden Boot Awards for the fourth time in his career. Messi, Neymar and Suárez would combine for 110 goals by season's end. Neymar would depart for Paris Saint Germain the next year, leaving the attacking trio with a combined total of 363 goals over the course of three seasons. Luis Enrique would also leave Barcelona at
17316-403: The Copa del Rey . In addition, Barcelona won the La Liga title and later won the Champions League , thus achieving the first treble in the history of Spanish football. During the first half of the 2009–10 season , Barcelona would also win the Supercopa de España , UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup , resulting in becoming the first club to achieve the sextuple. Messi finished as
17538-514: The FIFA Ballon d'Or , becoming the first player in history to win the Ballon d'Or four times. He signed a new contract committing himself to the club through 2018, and wore the captain's armband for the first time in a league match against Rayo Vallecano . His input into the team's attack had increased; from 24% in their treble-winning campaign, his goal contribution rose to more than 40% that season. These statistics, as well as lopsided losses in
17760-541: The Gillette Young Player of the World Cup, but Germany 's Lukas Podolski won the award. In UEFA Euro 2008 , Fàbregas was handed the squad number 10, rather than 18 which he had previously held. Despite featuring mostly as a substitute, the midfielder made a considerable impact in Spain's campaign. He scored his first international goal in that competition in Spain's 4–1 win over Russia and also had an assist in that game. In that match, Fàbregas scored
17982-443: The Golden Ball award, having scored one goal and provided three assists, but rejected the honour. In the 2016 Copa América Centenario semi-final against the United States , a goal from Messi would put him ahead of Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer in international matches. However, Argentina would again fall to Chile on penalties in the final . Messi would have five goals and four assists throughout
18204-424: The Golden Ball . Messi would make his debut with the senior national team in 2005, at age 18, coming off the bench in a friendly against Hungary . Messi would have his first start in 2006 against Peru , and would score his first international goal in a friendly against Croatia . His World Cup debut came in the 2006 FIFA World Cup as a substitute in the 74th minute against Serbia and Montenegro , scoring
18426-587: The Infantiles due to a transfer conflict with Newell's; as a foreigner, he could only be fielded in friendlies and the Catalan league. Without football, he struggled to integrate into the team; already reserved by nature, he was so quiet that his teammates initially believed he was mute. At home, he suffered from homesickness after his mother moved back to Rosario with his brothers and little sister, María Sol, while he stayed in Barcelona with his father. After
18648-576: The League Cup Final . Fàbregas, however, emerged as one of the key creative players for the team, playing in every single league game. He kick-started Arsenal's 2006–07 UEFA Champions League campaign when he scored a brace in a 3–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in a qualifier match. In the Premier League, he notched up 13 assists , which was the second-highest total in the league. He ended the season with several individual honours, including
18870-459: The Olympic gold medal over Nigeria . Messi registered two goals and three assists throughout, and was singled out by FIFA as the stand-out player from the tournament's best team. With the international retirement of Juan Román Riquelme , Messi was given Argentina's number 10 shirt. During a 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage match against Greece , where a majority of the starters rested due to
19092-688: The fengliu yan , a circular goal atop 10–11 meter poles. During the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), cuju games were standardised and rules were established. The Silk Road facilitated the transmission of cuju outside of China, especially the form of the game popular in the Tang dynasty , the period when the inflatable ball was invented and replaced the stuffed ball. Other East Asian games include kemari in Japan and chuk-guk in Korea, both influenced by cuju . Kemari originated after
19314-471: The final . He became the first player to score in every stage of the World Cup, having scored seven total with three assists, and also the first to win the Golden Ball for the tournament twice. With his appearance in the final, Messi set new records as the player with the most appearances at the World Cup (26) and most direct goal contributions at the World Cup (21 – 13 goals and 8 assists). He also set
19536-493: The league season on 18 August, Fàbregas provided five assists in a 7–0 win over Levante . He scored 8 goals in 36 league matches, including braces in away wins over Granada on 10 November and Getafe on 22 December, the latter including a penalty kick. He also scored the only goal of the game on 1 October as Barcelona won away at Celtic in the group stage of the Champions League, heading in Alexis Sánchez 's cross in
19758-427: The 12 goals scored by Argentina, scoring four and assisting five, and was named the player of the tournament. He captained Argentina to win another international trophy in the 2022 Finalissima against UEFA Euro 2020 winners Italy , where he was named player of the match after providing three assists. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup , Messi led Argentina to its first World Cup victory in 36 years, defeating France during
19980-578: The 16-year-old would become an even better player than himself. Ronaldinho soon befriended Messi, whom he called "little brother", which greatly eased his transition into the first team. To gain further match experience, Messi joined Barcelona C in addition to the Juvenil A , playing his first game for the third team on 29 November. He helped save them from the relegation zone of the Tercera División , scoring five goals in ten games, including
20202-635: The 1960s and 1970s. The Italian women's football league was established in 1968. In December 1969, the Women's Football Association was formed in England, with the sport eventually becoming the most prominent team sport for women in the United Kingdom. Two unofficial women's World Cups were organised by the FIEFF in 1970 and in 1971 . Also in 1971, UEFA members voted to officially recognise women's football, while The Football Association rescinded
20424-502: The 2003–04 season. After being named player of the tournament in four international pre-season competitions with the Juvenil B , he played only one official match with the team before being promoted to the Juvenil A , where he scored 18 goals in 11 league games. Messi was then one of several youth players called up to strengthen a depleted first team during the international break. French winger Ludovic Giuly explained how Messi caught
20646-521: The 21st century, under the influence of international television, "football" has been gaining prevalence, despite the dominance of other codes of football, namely rugby union and rugby league . The term soccer comes from Oxford "-er" slang, which was prevalent at the University of Oxford in England from about 1875, and is thought to have been borrowed from the slang of Rugby School . Initially spelt assoccer (a shortening of "association"), it
20868-645: The 73rd minute. On 12 June 2014, Premier League club Chelsea signed Fàbregas on a five-year contract for a fee in the region of €33 million. Following his transfer he took the number 4 shirt, previously worn by David Luiz . Fàbregas spoke of his transfer, saying, "I asked Barcelona to find a way for me to leave the club. The president tried to stop the sale, but I already had my mind made up." He went on to say, "If I didn't think that I'd be happy at Chelsea, I would've never made this decision. Above all, I want to be happy both professionally and personally." Fàbregas made his competitive debut for Chelsea on 18 August as
21090-436: The 75th minute during a friendly against José Mourinho 's Porto on 16 November 2003. His performance, creating two chances and a shot on goal, impressed the technical staff, and he subsequently began training daily with the club's reserve side, Barcelona B , as well as weekly with the first team. After his first training session with the senior squad, Barça's new star player, Ronaldinho , told his teammates that he believed
21312-421: The B team that season but did not score. Physically he was weaker than his opponents, who were often much older and taller, and in training he worked on increasing his muscle mass and overall strength in order to be able to shake off defenders. Towards the end of the season, he returned to both youth teams, helping the Juvenil B win the league. He finished the campaign having scored for four of his five teams with
21534-411: The Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo , his perceived career rival , before regaining his best form during the 2014–15 campaign , where he became the all-time top scorer in La Liga, led Barcelona to a historic second treble, and won a fifth Ballon d'Or in 2015 . Messi assumed captaincy of Barcelona in 2018, and won a record sixth Ballon d'Or in 2019 . During his overall tenure at Barcelona, Messi won
21756-439: The Champions League where Messi was unfit, gave credence to the notion of Messidependencia , Barcelona's perceived tactical and psychological dependence on their star player. The team would win La Liga again that year, Messi's sixth, equalling Real Madrid's 100-point record of the previous season. With 60 goals in all competitions, including 46 goals in La Liga, he finished the campaign as league top scorer in Spain and Europe for
21978-470: The Champions League, and a substitute appearance in the 3–0 victory against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final . Fàbregas ended his first season at Barcelona by winning the 2011–12 Copa del Rey , 2011 Supercopa de España , 2011 UEFA Super Cup and the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup , notching 15 goals and 20 assists in 48 appearances and four best midfielder awards. Fàbregas ended his long goal drought for his club when he scored his first league goals of
22200-652: The Champions League, and fell out of the league title race. Fàbregas was later named to the PFA Team of the Year . Before the start of the 2010–11 season , there was once again intense media speculation about the Spaniard's future, and in June 2010, a €35 million bid from Barcelona was rejected. The 2010–11 season turned out to be an extremely competitive one in the Premier League; even though Arsenal had lost five games before mid-season, they were jostling for pole position with Manchester United and Manchester City. Going into late February, Arsenal were still in contention for
22422-723: The Copa América, most matches played (26) and goal contributions (21) in the World Cup, most international appearances (191) and international goals ( 112 ) by a South American male, and the second-most in the latter category outright. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi has scored over 850 senior career goals for club and country. Born in Rosario , Argentina, Messi relocated to Spain to join Barcelona at age 13, and made his competitive debut at age 17 in October 2004. He established himself as an integral player for
22644-550: The English language. He nevertheless made his debut for Arsenal not long after, on 28 October 2003, in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United . In doing so, he became Arsenal's youngest-ever first team player, aged 16 years and 177 days. He then became the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring in a 5–1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers . Although Arsenal went on to win
22866-542: The English-speaking world, the sport is now usually called "football" in Great Britain and most of Ulster in the north of Ireland, whereas people usually call it "soccer" in regions and countries where other codes of football are prevalent, such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, most of Ireland (excluding Ulster), and the United States. A notable exception is New Zealand, where in the first two decades of
23088-576: The FIFA Women's World Cup four times, more than any other women's team. Football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams, while billions more watch the game on television or on the internet. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football. Football has
23310-910: The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association , the Football Association of Wales , and the Irish Football Association . FIFA , the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to the Laws of the Game of the Football Association. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. The board consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of
23532-467: The Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a direct free kick or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an indirect free kick . The referee may punish a player's or substitute's misconduct by
23754-602: The Golden Boy award, presented by the Italian paper TuttoSport , based on a poll of leading writers across Europe. He was also named in the 2006 UEFA Team of the Year , and named FA Premier League Player of the Month for January 2007. Additionally, he was nominated for both PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year , although both awards went to Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo . In June 2007, he
23976-475: The IFAB Laws. Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes ), one of whom must be the goalkeeper . Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team, which is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are
24198-430: The Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees . In many high-level games there is also a fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise. Goal line technology is used to measure if the whole ball has crossed the goal-line thereby determining whether
24420-479: The Laws of the Game: to represent their team in the coin toss before kick-off or penalty kicks . The primary law is that players other than goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they must use both their hands during a throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their body (notably, "heading" with
24642-464: The London club on 11 September 2003. Initially, he found life difficult in England's capital but soon struck a friendship with Spanish-speaking teammate Philippe Senderos , who helped him settle down. As a 16-year-old, Fàbregas did not contemplate breaking into the first team immediately but looked up to senior players like Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva , while concentrating on training and learning
24864-406: The Month for September. With Arsenal leading the league table until March, Fàbregas was equally instrumental in the club's 2007–08 Champions League campaign ; in the return leg against Milan , the midfielder scored late in the game to send Arsenal into the quarter-finals. Though Arsenal ended the season trophyless, Fàbregas amassed several personal awards. On 11 April 2008, Fàbregas was nominated for
25086-546: The PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards for the second year running; he was later crowned the winner of the latter, and named in the PFA Team of the Year . He was also named the 2007–08 Arsenal.com Player of the Season. On 24 November 2008, 14 league games into the 2008–09 season , Fàbregas was named as the successor to William Gallas as club captain. However, just as Arsenal were getting back into
25308-758: The Premier League twice, and the League Cup , FA Cup and UEFA Europa League once each. He left for free to Ligue 1 club Monaco in January 2019 and retired in 2023, after one year in the Italian Serie B with Como. Internationally, Fàbregas made his debut for the Spain national team in March 2006. He represented his country in the World Cup in 2006 , 2010 and 2014 , in the European Championship in 2008 , 2012 and 2016 , and in
25530-587: The Premier League. The match was dubbed the " Battle of the Buffet " after pizza was thrown at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the match in the players' tunnel by a then-unknown Arsenal player. Speculation that the player was Fàbregas was confirmed in November 2011 by former Arsenal player Martin Keown on a phone-in show on BBC Radio 5 Live . In the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League , he became
25752-479: The ball at Chris Brunt 's head while players were speaking to referee Mike Jones . On appeal, the suspension for this red card was cut from three matches to one. Fàbregas scored his first goal of the season on 16 September, as Chelsea defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 4–0 in the Champions League. He, Costa and Oscar were jeered by the crowd in December after the dismissal of Mourinho, with the supporters believing that
25974-472: The ball back over him. He did not celebrate the goal out of respect to his former club. On 25 February, Fàbregas marked his 300th Premier League appearances with a goal and an assist as Chelsea defeated Swansea City 3–1. In the same match, he also reached 102 assists in the Premier League, equalling Frank Lampard as the league's second-highest provider of all time. In the 2017–18 season, Fàbregas made 49 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals in
26196-460: The ban that prohibited women from playing on association members' pitches in England. Women's football still faces many struggles, but its worldwide growth has seen major competitions being launched at both the national and international levels, mirroring the men's competitions. The FIFA Women's World Cup was inaugurated in 1991: the first tournament was held in China, featuring 12 teams from
26418-410: The beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play: A foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of
26640-534: The beginning of the Croatian War of Independence of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade degenerated into rioting in May 1990. Women's association football has historically seen opposition, with national associations severely curbing its development and several outlawing it completely. Women may have been playing football for as long as the game has existed. Evidence shows that
26862-477: The board of directors hesitated; at the time it was highly unusual for European clubs to sign foreign players of such a young age. On 14 December, an ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their commitment, and Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered a contract on a paper napkin . In February 2001, the family relocated to Barcelona, where they moved into an apartment near the club's stadium, Camp Nou . During his first year in Spain, Messi rarely played with
27084-404: The buildup, direct red card decisions, and penalty decisions. The ball is spherical with a circumference of between 68 and 70 cm (27 and 28 in), a weight in the range of 410 to 450 g (14 to 16 oz), and a pressure between 0.6 and 1.1 standard atmospheres (8.5 and 15.6 pounds per square inch ) at sea level. In the past the ball was made up of leather panels sewn together, with
27306-750: The champions of these two club competitions would contest the Intercontinental Cup to prove which team was the best in the world. In the 21st century, South America has continued to produce some of the best footballers in the world, but its clubs have fallen behind the still dominant European clubs, which often sign the best players from Latin America and elsewhere. Meanwhile, football has improved in Africa , Asia and North America , and nowadays, these regions are at least on equal grounds with South America in club football, although countries in
27528-676: The club in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul , scoring with a free-kick in stoppage time for a victory. After scoring nine goals in his first six games for Miami, Messi led the team to the club's first-ever trophy by winning the Leagues Cup against Nashville SC . Messi made his MLS debut against New York Red Bulls . Miami would miss the playoffs, finish 14th in the Eastern Conference, having gone winless in their last seven games. On 30 October 2023, following his World Cup win with Argentina and Ligue 1 trophy with PSG, Messi
27750-445: The club in a Champions League group stage win over former manager Pep Guardiola's Manchester City . Having scored 40 goals at club and international level for the calendar year in addition to captaining Argentina to the 2021 Copa América , Messi received a record seventh Ballon d'Or . He finished his debut season with PSG with 11 goals and 14 assists across all competitions, helping the club win their 10th Ligue 1 title . Beginning
27972-478: The club within the next three years, and in his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09 helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football; that year, aged 22, Messi won the first of his four consecutive Ballons d'Or, the first player to win it four times. During the 2011–12 season , he set La Liga and European records for most goals in a season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer . The following two seasons, he finished second for
28194-447: The club's disappointing season); he instead joined the BBC as a studio analyst for the tournament. Association football Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer , is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch . The objective of the game
28416-441: The club's youth teams, he did not manage to play a first-team game at the Camp Nou . During his time at Barcelona's youth academy, Fàbregas idolised Barcelona's then-captain and number four Pep Guardiola , who would later give Fàbregas his shirt as consolation when Fàbregas' parents divorced. Sensing that he would have limited opportunities at Barcelona, Fàbregas joined Premier League club Arsenal in their Academy , signing for
28638-425: The course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is five in 90 minutes, with each team being allowed one more if the game should go into extra-time; the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches . Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or timewasting at
28860-495: The departure of former captain Andrés Iniesta in May 2018, Messi was named the team's new captain for the 2018–19 season . He lifted his first trophy as Barcelona's captain, the Supercopa de España , following a 2–1 victory over Sevilla. He helped Barcelona clinch the La Liga title , his tenth but first as captain. With 36 goals in 34 appearances that season, he won his sixth league Golden Boot trophy, equalling Zarra as
29082-478: The early part of the 2004–05 season , he went on establish himself in the team. He broke several of the club's records in the process, earning a reputation as one of the best players in his position, and won the FA Cup in 2005. He was also named in the UEFA Team of the Year twice and the PFA Team of the Year twice. After a protracted transfer saga, Fàbregas left London in August 2011 to return to Barcelona in
29304-453: The eighth century. The modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England. The Cambridge rules , first drawn up at the University of Cambridge in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge , at
29526-420: The end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match. IFAB recommends "that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team". Any decision regarding points awarded for abandoned games is left to the individual football associations. A game is officiated by a referee , who has "full authority to enforce
29748-533: The end of the season after managing the club to a total of nine trophies during his three-year tenure. Messi would sign a new deal with Barcelona on 25 November 2017, keeping him with the club through 2021. The 2017–18 season saw Messi achieving the domestic double, winning La Liga and the Copa Del Rey once again. He once again finished the season as the top scorer in La Liga, with 34 goals, which also saw him win his fifth European Golden Shoe award. With
29970-573: The eye in a training session with Frank Rijkaard 's first team: "He destroyed us all... They were kicking him all over the place to avoid being ridiculed by this kid, he just got up and kept on playing. He would dribble past four players and score a goal. Even the team's starting centre-backs were nervous. He was an alien." "It seemed as if he had been playing with us all his life." – Barcelona's then assistant coach Henk ten Cate on Messi's first-team debut. At 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, Messi made his first team debut when he came on in
30192-466: The final goal in their victory. This made him the youngest player to represent and score for Argentina in the World Cup. He would represent Argentina again for the 2007 Copa América , where they would ultimately lose in the final . Messi was named the best young player of the tournament, having scored two goals and provided one assist. The 2008 Summer Olympics would mark another major achievement with his country, as he led Argentina's U23 team to claim
30414-418: The final year of his contract. The 2020–21 season saw Messi surpass Xavi 's record to reach a club record of 768 appearances. He would lead the club to victory in the 2021 Copa del Rey final . His last two seasons with Barcelona saw him lead La Liga in goal scoring, giving him a record-breaking total of eight Pichichi trophies. Messi became a free agent after his contract expired, with negotiations on
30636-458: The first league title of his career, with a record 100 points. Barcelona were eliminated, however, in the semi-finals of both the Copa del Rey, to rivals Real Madrid, and the Champions League, to winners Bayern Munich . Fàbregas ended the season with 14 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions. Barcelona began the season by winning the Supercopa de España . In the opening game of
30858-405: The first player to do so in 12 years. An incredibly finesse goal from Messi against Getafe and another goal scored by a handball against Espanyol gained notice for their similarities to the two famous goals scored by fellow Argentine Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup match against England , drawing comparisons between the two that Messi would face throughout his career. The team finished
31080-656: The first time in five years, Barcelona ended the season without a major trophy. Barcelona hired coach Luis Enrique before the 2014–15 season , and would continue to aid Messi in the attack by signing Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez , who had won the European Golden Shoe the year before at Liverpool . Luis Enrique's system would feature quick transitions from defense to attack, led by the front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar. The attacking trio, which colloquially became known as 'MSN', would break goalscoring records. A hat-trick scored against Sevilla earlier in
31302-420: The forehead) other than their hands or arms. Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though players may not pass to teammates who are in an offside position. During gameplay, players attempt to create goal-scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling , passing the ball to a teammate, and by taking shots at
31524-528: The formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules. These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street , London. The only school to be represented on this occasion
31746-531: The four British associations. For most of the 20th century, Europe and South America were the dominant regions in association football. The FIFA World Cup , inaugurated in 1930 , became the main stage for players of both continents to show their worth and the strength of their national teams. In the second half of the century, the European Cup and the Copa Libertadores were created, and
31968-473: The fourth player in history to win the Ballon d'Or three times, and the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award . During the year 2012, Messi became the second player to be top scorer in four Champions League campaigns. Messi became the top goalscorer in Barcelona's history at 24 years old, overtaking the 57-year record of César Rodríguez 's 232 goals with a hat-trick against Granada . He finished
32190-695: The game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time. The layout of a team's players is known as a formation . Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager . There are 17 laws in the official Laws of the Game, each containing a collection of stipulations and guidelines. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football for both sexes, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors and people with physical disabilities are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on
32412-425: The goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee for an infringement of
32634-404: The highest global television audience in sport. In many parts of the world, football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans , local communities, and even nations. Ryszard Kapuściński says that Europeans who are polite, modest, or humble fall easily into rage when playing or watching football games. The Ivory Coast national football team helped secure
32856-472: The highest number of assists in the league with 16, which helped PSG clinch their 11th Ligue 1 title and his second in a row. Following the last game of the season, manager Christophe Galtier confirmed that it would be Messi's last for PSG, with the club confirming his departure two days later. Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami CF announced the signing of Messi on a two-and-a-half-year contract on 15 July 2023. Messi made his 2023 debut for
33078-687: The instigation of Alcock. England is also home to the world's first football league , which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor . The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and Northern England . Laws of the Game are determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The board was formed in 1886 after a meeting in Manchester of
33300-421: The knockout stage as group winners, Fàbregas scored an eighth-minute penalty to open a 3–1 Champions League victory over Sporting CP . Twelve days later he scored a second league goal, set up by Eden Hazard and concluding a 2–0 win away to Stoke. Fàbregas was fitted with a protective mask after breaking his nose in a collision with Charlie Adam during the reverse fixture on 4 April. Eight days later, he scored
33522-707: The lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s, with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games. The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup , which was founded by the footballer and cricketer Charles W. Alcock , and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match also took place in 1872, between Scotland and England in Glasgow , again at
33744-675: The last group game, this time in place of Santi Cazorla . On 31 March 2015, Fàbregas captained Spain for the first time, in their 0–2 friendly defeat to the Netherlands at the Amsterdam Arena . He earned his 100th cap on 12 October 2015, becoming the tenth Spaniard to do so, in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Ukraine with Spain already qualified. In his milestone match at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv , he won
33966-427: The league standings after 22 games. On 31 March 2010, in the Champions League first leg of the quarter-final against Barcelona, Fàbregas suffered a leg fracture before scoring the equalising goal in the game which ended 2–2. Arsenal, who were four points behind league leaders Manchester United, were deprived of their captain for the remaining six league games of the season; they were subsequently eliminated by Barcelona in
34188-542: The league unbeaten in the 2003–04 season , Fàbregas was not awarded a winner's medal because he did not play a single league game. It was not until the start of the 2004–05 season that the Spaniard started making first team appearances in matches outside the League Cup. His first match of the season was against Manchester United in the FA Community Shield . Following an injury to Vieira, Fàbregas stepped in and made four consecutive Premier League starts. He
34410-472: The most important player for Arsenal, but stated he was ready for the challenge. He started the season well, chalking up goals and assists, and website soccernet attributed the early success of Arsenal to the young Spaniard. His start to the season also earned him the O 2 Player of the Month award from Arsenal fans for August, September and October, as well as the Premier League Player of
34632-421: The most protracted transfer sagas in recent times. Statistics show that in the five years prior to Fàbregas's departure from Arsenal, Fàbregas created 466 goal-scoring chances, made 86 assists and scored 48 goals, all three statistics topping those of new teammates Xavi and Andrés Iniesta , despite both having made more appearances in the same period. Fàbregas joined a team that had won three La Liga titles in
34854-534: The nature of the game. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the IFAB. In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of association football. Within the United States, Major League Soccer used a distinct ruleset during the 1990s and the National Federation of State High School Associations and NCAA still use rulesets that are comparable to, but different from,
35076-454: The next six en route to the final . In the Final itself, Fàbregas set up the extra-time winner for Iniesta to win Spain the World Cup for the first time in their history. Fàbregas was selected as a part of del Bosque's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2012 . Fàbregas started in the centre of the front three of a 4–3–3 formation against Italy in Spain's opening Group C match, essentially acting as
35298-545: The next stoppage of play. The referee's decision in all on-pitch matters is considered final. The score of a match cannot be altered after the game, even if later evidence shows that decisions (including awards/non-awards of goals) were incorrect. Lionel Messi Argentine professional footballer Eponyms and public art Media Family Related Lionel Andrés Messi ( Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi] ; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi ,
35520-426: The offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute, substituted player, and to non-players such as managers and support staff. Rather than stopping play,
35742-430: The only goal of the game in the 88th minute in a victory over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road . On 3 May, the day before his 28th birthday, he won his first Premier League title at the ninth attempt, following a 1–0 home win over Crystal Palace. During the penultimate game of the season, away at The Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion , Fàbregas was shown the red card and booed off by fans for deliberately kicking
35964-470: The original thirteen laws of the game. The sticking point was hacking, which a twelfth club at the meeting, Blackheath FC , had wanted to keep, resulting in them withdrawing from the FA. Other English rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, and instead in 1871, along with Blackheath, formed the Rugby Football Union . The FA rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and
36186-455: The owner of a pastry company, Fàbregas has supported FC Barcelona since childhood and went to his first match when he was nine months old with his grandfather. He began his club football career with CE Mataró before being signed for Barcelona's La Masia youth academy aged ten in 1997. His first coach, Señor Blai, reportedly did not select Fàbregas for matches against Barcelona in an attempt to hide him from their scouts. This tactic, however,
36408-432: The pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB initially approved a fixed size of 105 m (115 yd) long and 68 m (74 yd) wide as a standard pitch dimension for international matches; however, this decision was later put on hold and was never actually implemented. The longer boundary lines are touchlines , while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines . A rectangular goal
36630-437: The pitch, making it more socially acceptable for women to play. The first match recorded by the Scottish Football Association took place in 1892 in Glasgow . In England, the first recorded game of football between women took place in 1895. Women's football has traditionally been associated with charity games and physical exercise, particularly in the United Kingdom. Association football continued to be played by women since
36852-437: The player spends the most time. For example, there are central defenders and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of
37074-472: The player with the most top-scorer awards in La Liga. He also captured his sixth Golden Shoe award, and a record third consecutive award since the 2016–17 season. Messi would win his sixth Ballon d'Or , but the subsequent 2019–20 season saw Barcelona go trophyless for the first time since 2007–08. Following a disappointing season, Barcelona announced that Messi sent the club "a document expressing his desire to leave", but Messi ultimately decided to fulfill
37296-400: The players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signalled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee. Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between Stoke and Aston Villa . Trailing 1–0 with two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty kick. Villa's goalkeeper deliberately kicked the ball out of play; by
37518-438: The previous year. He featured regularly in the Arsenal central midfield alongside Gilberto Silva. He made 49 appearances in all competitions during the 2005–06 season . Despite his young age, his performances came under greater scrutiny due to his increased involvement in the first team. Further, as Fàbregas possessed a smaller frame and played with less aggression than Vieira, there were initially doubts over his ability to fill in
37740-429: The quadruple, but within a span of two weeks they lost in the League Cup final , were eliminated by Barcelona in the Round of 16 of the Champions League , and defeated in the FA Cup quarter-final. On 15 August 2011, Barcelona signed Fàbregas for an initial fee of €29 million with a further €5 million in variables, plus Fàbregas would pay Arsenal €1 million a year from his wage for five years, ending one of
37962-416: The referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage". The referee may "call back" play and penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within "a few seconds". Even if an offence is not penalised due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at
38184-419: The referee. Stoppage time does not fully compensate for the time in which the ball is out of play , and a 90-minute game typically involves about an hour of "effective playing time". The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, towards the end of the half, the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time they intend to add. The fourth official then informs
38406-415: The regular season with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 matches. In doing so, he became Inter Miami's all-time leading goalscorer . Miami made its first postseason appearance in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs but were eliminated in the first round after losing two games against Atlanta United . Messi would have his first postseason goal in the third game, a 3–2 loss. As a dual Argentine-Spanish national, Messi
38628-440: The respective six confederations. The World Cup has been held every four years since; by 2019 , it had expanded to 24 national teams, and 1.12 billion viewers watched the competition. Four years later , FIFA targeted the 32-team 2023 Women's World Cup at an audience of 2 billion, while about 1.4 million tickets were sold, setting a Women's World Cup record. Women's football has been an Olympic event since 1996 . North America
38850-476: The resulting penalty shoot-out, but were eventually defeated 3–0 in the final by hosts and defending champions Brazil . Fàbregas was named in Spain's 30-man provisional squad for the World Cup, and was also included in the final list for the tournament. He made his debut in the tournament in the opening 1–5 defeat to the Netherlands, replacing David Silva for the last 12 minutes. With Spain already eliminated, he played 22 minutes of 3–0 win against Australia in
39072-544: The rules. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart. At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2022–23 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.85 goals per match. The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper, but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers , or forwards, whose main task
39294-400: The season as league top scorer in Spain and Europe for a second time, with 50 goals, a La Liga record, while his 73 goals in all competitions made him the single-season top scorer in the history of European club football excluding regional and local competitions. The team would also win the Copa Del Rey that season, their 14th trophy under Guardiola, who resigned following the season after
39516-448: The season after converting a penalty in the 1–1 draw against new Premier League champions, Leicester City . Fàbregas was linked with a move away from London after he was an unused substitution in the 2016–17 Premier League opener against West Ham. On 20 August 2016, Fàbregas once again started on the bench against Watford , entering the match in the second half to replace Nemanja Matić and creating an assist for Diego Costa, who scored
39738-452: The season with a brace against Sevilla in a 3–2 away victory. He then scored three goals in October, coming in the league, Champions League and the Copa del Rey . He scored again on 25 November in a 4–0 win away to Levante. On 13 January 2013, Fàbregas scored in a 3–1 win away to Málaga . Fàbregas scored his first hat-trick of his career against Mallorca in a 5–0 victory on 6 April 2013. He ended his second season at Barcelona by winning
39960-428: The season with a hamstring injury. He attempted a comeback for the reserve team on 22 April 2022 at home to Aubagne in the fourth-tier Championnat National 2 , but was taken off after 40 minutes with an ankle complaint. Having totalled 36 minutes over two games of Ligue 1 football in his final season, he was released at the end of his contract in June 2022 but said that he would not retire. On 1 August 2022, Fàbregas
40182-512: The season with only one trophy – the 2006 Supercopa de España . Barcelona would finish the next 2007–08 season trophyless, leading to Rijkaard's departure. At the beginning of the 2008–09 season , his first under Barcelona's new manager, former captain Pep Guardiola , Messi was given the number 10 shirt. Over time, he effectively became the tactical focal point of Guardiola's possession-based system, increasing his goalscoring rate as
40404-414: The season would also make him the all-time top scorer in La Liga , as he surpassed the 59-year record of 251 league goals held by Telmo Zarra . After securing the La Liga title , the Copa Del Rey , and the Champions League that year, Messi helped Barcelona become the first club to win the continental treble twice. He would record 58 goals, but combined with Neymar and Suárez, the attacking trio scored
40626-507: The season, scoring in the 40th minute against Sunderland . In his fifth league start of the season, on 31 December 2016, Fàbregas recorded his 100th Premier League assist in his 293rd appearance in Chelsea's 4–2 home victory over Stoke City ; he became the fastest player in Premier League history to reach this landmark, taking 74 fewer appearances than Ryan Giggs . On 4 February 2017, Fàbregas scored against former club Arsenal when he collected goalkeeper Petr Cech 's poor clearance and chipped
40848-520: The second consecutive year, becoming the first player in history to win the European Golden Shoe three times. To offset the load on Messi, Barcelona would sign Brazilian forward Neymar from Santos before the 2013–14 season . The team would win the Supercopa de España at the beginning of the season. Messi finished the campaign with his worst output in five seasons, though he still managed to score 41 goals in all competitions. For
41070-548: The second-youngest goalscorer in the competition's history after scoring the third goal against Rosenborg in a 5–1 win. He concluded his season by winning his first honours with Arsenal when he was in the starting eleven that defeated Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup Final . After The Gunners' move to the Emirates Stadium in summer 2006, Fàbregas was given the number 4 shirt, which had been vacated by Patrick Vieira following his transfer to Juventus
41292-441: The sexes are so widely divided are all on the side of emancipation , and I look forward to the time when ladies may sit in Parliament and have a voice in the direction of affairs, especially those which concern them most." Honeyball and those like her paved the way for women's football. However, the women's game was frowned upon by the British football associations and continued without their support. It has been suggested that this
41514-425: The shootout as Spain prevailed 4–2. In the final against Italy, Fàbregas started and provided the assist to David Silva for the game's opening goal, en route to a 4–0 Spain victory. Fàbregas was named in the provisional squad in the lead up to the 2013 Confederations Cup by del Bosque. He made two starts in the competition and one substitute appearance, all during the group stage of the competition, and assisting
41736-416: The sport from an early age, playing constantly with his older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and his cousins, Maximiliano and Emanuel Biancucchi , both of whom became professional footballers. At the age of four he joined local club Grandoli, where he was coached by his father, though his earliest influence as a player came from his maternal grandmother, Celia, who accompanied him to training and matches. He
41958-544: The team began their league season away to Burnley ; he played the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 victory, providing two assists. He was a nominee for the Premier League Player of the Month in August 2014, with the accolade going instead to another new Chelsea signing, Diego Costa . On 13 September 2014, after providing two assists in Chelsea's 4–2 victory over Swansea City , Fàbregas became the first player ever in Premier League history to record at least one assist in six successive games; four under Chelsea and two under Arsenal during
42180-447: The time it was recovered, the clock had run out and the game was over, leaving Stoke unable to attempt the penalty. The same law also states that the duration of either half is extended until a penalty kick to be taken or retaken is completed; thus, no game can end with an uncompleted penalty. In league competitions, games may end in a draw. In knockout competitions where a winner is required, various methods may be employed to break such
42402-475: The time of the first recorded women's games in the late 19th century. The best-documented early European team was founded by activist Nettie Honeyball in England in 1894. It was named the British Ladies' Football Club . Honeyball is quoted as, "I founded the association late last year [1894], with the fixed resolve of proving to the world that women are not the 'ornamental and useless' creatures men have pictured. I must confess, my convictions on all matters where
42624-511: The title race after a poor start to the season, the Spaniard was ruled out for four months after sustaining a knee injury against Liverpool. The Gunners eventually finished the season without any silverware, coming in fourth in the league and being knocked out at the semi-finals of the 2008–09 Champions League campaign . In the opening league game of 2009–10 season , Fàbregas scored a brace and managed two assists in Arsenal's 6–1 away win against Everton . Arsenal went on to secure qualification for
42846-422: The tournament despite playing in midfield, and was voted Player of the Tournament. Spain finished runners-up in the tournament to Brazil. Fàbregas was next involved in the 2004 UEFA U-17 European Championship , where Spain also finished runners-up. He was named the Golden Player of the tournament by FIFA. In 2006, Fàbregas debuted for the Spanish senior squad in a friendly match against Ivory Coast . He became
43068-422: The tournament or be the champion. Goals scored during extra time periods count towards the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament, with goals scored in a penalty shoot-out not making up part of the final score. In competitions using two-legged matches , each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from
43290-409: The tournament. Losing three consecutive finals in three consecutive years caused Messi to briefly retire from international football, but a fan campaign in Argentina helped convince him to reverse his decision. He would return to the national team to lead them to the 2018 FIFA World Cup . Argentina were in jeopardy of missing the tournament on the last game of the qualifiers against Ecuador , but
43512-412: The trio's conduct and poor performances were more culpable for the team's poor form. His first league goal came in a 3–3 home draw against Everton on 15 January 2016 and his second came in a 2–1 away win against Southampton on 27 February 2016. On 19 March 2016, Fàbregas scored a free-kick as well as a penalty in 2–2 home draw against local rivals West Ham United . Fàbregas scored Chelsea's last goal of
43734-439: The two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg they played away from home. If the result is still equal, extra time and potentially a penalty shoot-out are required. Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are ball in play and ball out of play . From
43956-495: The victory moving Chelsea on to the Round of 16. After a month long absence due to an injury, Fàbregas played a full 90 minute to for Chelsea u23 against Southampton u23 on 21 November 2016. During the match, he provided two assists to fellow first team player, Michy Batshuayi , and helped earn a 3–2 victory. Fàbregas saw his first league action since September in a game against Manchester City on 3 December 2016. Chelsea were trailing 1–0 when Fàbregas picked out Diego Costa with
44178-464: The void left by the Frenchman. Nevertheless, Fàbregas asserted his own style of play and impressed pundits in the Champions League against Real Madrid and Juventus. In the latter, he scored Arsenal's first goal and set up Thierry Henry for the second, at the same time proving that he could compete against tough, hard-tackling midfielders like Vieira. He then played in the Final against his former club Barcelona, but Arsenal were defeated 2–1, completing
44400-405: The winner in a 2–1 victory. In the post-match press conference, Fàbregas earned the praise of manager, Conte, for his inspiring performance in the comeback win as well as the attitude he shows during training sessions. Fàbregas's first two goals of the season came in an EFL Cup tie against Leicester City on 20 September, both coming within two minutes of each other in extra time to win the game 4–2,
44622-400: The winning penalty in the penalty shoot-out after the teams remained deadlocked 0–0 after extra time. In the semi-finals, Spain defeated Russia 3–0 with Fàbregas providing two assists. The midfielder made the starting eleven in the Final against Germany where Spain prevailed 1–0, which was Spain's first major title since 1964. For his efforts, Fàbregas was named in the Team of the Tournament,
44844-428: The world in 2011, 2012, and 2023. In 2020 and 2023, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year , the first team-sport athlete to win it. In 2020, Messi was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team and became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $ 1 billion in career earnings. Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario , Santa Fe Province , the third of four children of Jorge Messi,
45066-534: The year 600 during the Asuka period . It was a ceremonial rather than a competitive game, and involved the kicking of a mari , a ball made of animal skin. In North America, pasuckuakohowog was a ball game played by the Algonquians ; it was described as "almost identical to the kind of folk football being played in Europe at the same time, in which the ball was kicked through goals". Phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on
45288-585: The year of their birth, and regularly entertained crowds by performing ball tricks during half-time of the first team's home games. His goalscoring idol growing up was Brazilian striker Ronaldo , with Messi calling him "the best forward I've ever seen". However, his future as a professional player was threatened when, aged 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency . As his father's health insurance covered only two years of growth hormone therapy , which cost at least $ 1,000 per month, Newell's agreed to contribute, but later reneged on their promise. He
45510-402: The youngest Argentine to play and score in a World Cup in 2006 . He assumed the national team's captaincy in 2011, and then led Argentina to three consecutive finals: the 2014 FIFA World Cup , the 2015 Copa América and the Copa América Centenario , all of which they would lose. After initially announcing his international retirement in 2016, he returned to help his country narrowly qualify for
45732-659: The youngest player capped for Spain in 70 years, beating Sergio Ramos ' record. He received favourable reviews for his debut and was involved in the build-up to Spain's first goal in the 3–2 victory over the Ivorians. On 15 May 2006, Fàbregas was selected for the Spanish 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. During the tournament, he came on as a second-half substitute in Spain's first two group matches, contributing an assist to striker Fernando Torres in their 3–1 victory against Tunisia . He started alongside Spain's reserve players (including then-Arsenal teammate José Antonio Reyes ) in Spain's third group match against Saudi Arabia . He earned
45954-422: The youngest-ever scorer for the club. At 17 years, three months, and 22 days old, he was at the time the youngest player to represent Barcelona in an official competition, and the club would win the league title during that season. On his 18th birthday, he would sign his first contract as a senior team player, which would be updated three months later to keep him at the club until 2014. Barcelona would begin
46176-457: Was Charterhouse . The Freemasons' Tavern was the setting for five more meetings of The FA between October and December 1863; the English FA eventually issued the first comprehensive set of rules named Laws of the Game , forming modern football. The laws included bans on running with the ball in hand and hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Eleven clubs, under the charge of FA secretary Ebenezer Cobb Morley , ratified
46398-410: Was awarded a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or . He was also named Time Athlete of the Year , the first footballer to ever win the award. During the 2024 season , Messi broke the record for the most assists in a single MLS game with five assists and he also broke the record for the most goal contributions in an MLS game with six in a 6–2 win over the New York Red Bulls. On 2 October, Messi scored
46620-462: Was eligible to play for the national team of both countries. He debuted for Argentina in 2004 for Argentina's U20 team against Paraguay , and was subsequently included in the squad for the 2005 South American U-20 Championship , where they would finish third. Messi would then lead the team to victory in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship , his first success with Argentina. Finishing the tournament with six goals and two assists, he would also win
46842-402: Was going to be something impressive." – Newell's Old Boys youth coach Adrián Coria shares his first impression of the 12-year-old Messi. A lifelong supporter of Newell's Old Boys , Messi joined the Rosario club when he was six years old. During the six years he played for Newell's, he scored almost 500 goals as a member of "The Machine of '87", the near-unbeatable youth side named for
47064-408: Was greatly affected by her death, shortly before his eleventh birthday; since then, as a devout Catholic , he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute to his grandmother. "When you saw him you would think: this kid can't play ball. He's a dwarf, he's too fragile, too small. But immediately you'd realise that he was born different, that he was a phenomenon and that he
47286-439: Was in tears at the end of the game. On 11 January 2019, Fàbregas signed for Monaco on a deal until June 2022. He was signed by his former Arsenal teammate Thierry Henry , and there was no transfer fee, although Chelsea would receive payments related to his performances. He made his debut in Ligue 1 two days later a 1–1 draw against Marseille . On 2 February, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 win against Toulouse . Fàbregas
47508-595: Was later reduced to the modern spelling. This form of slang also gave rise to rugger for rugby football, fiver and tenner for five pound and ten pound notes , and the now-archaic footer that was also a name for association football. The word soccer arrived at its current form in 1895 and was first recorded in 1889 in the earlier form of socca . Kicking ball games arose independently multiple times across multiple cultures. The Chinese competitive game cuju ( 蹴鞠 , literally "kickball"; also known as tsu chu ) resembles modern association football as well as
47730-440: Was motivated by a perceived threat to the "masculinity" of the game. Women's football became popular on a large scale at the time of the First World War , when female employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for men 50 years earlier. The most successful team of the era was Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. of Preston, England . The team played in one of the first women's international matches against
47952-440: Was named Arsenal's Player of the Season, taking in 60% of the votes. The 2007–08 season began with much uncertainty for Arsenal. First, David Dein , the club's vice-chairman, left amidst allegations of internal strife, followed by the departure of the club's all-time top goalscorer and captain, Thierry Henry, who signed for Barcelona. There was also speculation over Wenger's future with the club. Fàbregas knew that he would become
48174-502: Was praised for his performances in those games, even claiming a goal against Blackburn Rovers in a 3–0 victory, and becoming Arsenal's youngest-ever goalscorer in a league game. With further injuries to Edu and Gilberto Silva, he received more playing time in all competitions. He signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in September 2004, which committed his long-term future to the club. In October 2004, Arsenal lost 2–0 to Manchester United, ending their 49-match unbeaten run in
48396-507: Was scouted by Buenos Aires club River Plate , whose playmaker Pablo Aimar he idolised. It was speculated that he failed to be signed into River Plate due to his ill health, however in a 2019 interview, Messi revealed that the club had offered to pay for his medical treatment despite ultimately rejecting him. As the Messi family had relatives in Catalonia, they sought to arrange a trial with Barcelona in September 2000. First team director Charly Rexach immediately wanted to sign him, but
48618-469: Was sent off on the first day of the 2019–20 Ligue 1 season, in a 3–0 home loss to Lyon . His foul on Léo Dubois after 30 minutes was upgraded from a yellow to red card by VAR review. On 20 November 2020, Fàbregas scored the winning goal for Monaco in a 3–2 win over Paris Saint-Germain , which was their first win against PSG since August 2016. From December 2020 up to February 2021 he was injured in his left calf muscle. In 2021–22, Fàbregas missed most of
48840-417: Was top scorer with 36 goals in 30 games for the Cadetes A, who won an unprecedented treble of the league and both the Spanish and Catalan cups. The Copa Catalunya final, a 4–1 victory over Espanyol , became known in club lore as the partido de la máscara , the final of the mask. A week after suffering a broken cheekbone during a league match, Messi was allowed to start the game on the condition that he wear
49062-404: Was unable to withstand Barcelona for long, and Mataró gave in and allowed Fàbregas to train with Barcelona one day per week. Eventually Fàbregas joined Barcelona's academy full-time. His initial training was as a defensive midfielder playing alongside notable names such as Gerard Piqué and Lionel Messi . Although he was a prolific scorer, sometimes scoring even more than 30 goals in a season for
49284-476: Was unveiled as a new player for Serie B club Como , signing a two-year contract. He made his debut 28 days later, playing the final 18 minutes as a substitute in a 1–0 home loss to Brescia . Fàbregas announced his retirement from football on 1 July 2023. Although he features regularly for the Spain national football team , Fàbregas' international career began at youth level. At the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship held in Finland, he finished as top scorer of
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