5 reasons why Lionel Messi is the most famous footballer on the planet

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 11: FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona gestures after the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015 at the Kongresshaus on January 11, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)
The man with the most Ballon d’Ors

Ask anyone who Lionel Messi is and they will instantly tell you that he is a football player with a left foot so brilliant that it could be donated by the footballer for research purposes.

Such is his fame that there is a good chance that most of the people of the country that deem it fit to call football ‘soccer’, use hands in their version of football and elect Donald Trump as their president would know who he is.

Barcelona might be more than just a club, but their best player is also more than just a player. The heights of his fame put him among the most powerful and influential people on the planet.

So what’s the reason behind the limelight that zooms in on him? Here are 5 possibilities…

#5 He is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner for crying out loud

Okay, let’s get this off from the word go: Lionel Messi is a divine player, there are no two ways about it. What he does on the pitch with such consistency is something that borders on ridiculous. Actually, it goes even beyond ridiculous.

So, naturally, he has won a lot of accolades for his abilities to play with a football. Indeed, if it weren’t for the superhuman efforts of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Argentine captain might as well have ended with so many Ballon d’Or titles that it would have been impossible for anyone else to ever break it.

When a player plays so good and wins so many personal honours, it is only natural that he gets worldwide recognition and fame. I mean, after all, if folks like Kim Kardashian can be famous for having the talent of not having any talent, how can someone like Messi not have the same?

#4 Best player of perhaps the best club team ever

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 05:  Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona (2ndL) hugs his Head coach Josep Guardiola of FC Barcelona after scoring his team's third goal during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol at Camp Nou on May 5, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. This is the last match as head coach of FC Barcelona for Josep Guardiola at the Camp Nou Stadium.  (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The best player of the best team

Barcelona under Pep Guardiola were a magical team. Yeah, sure, they had their fair share of luck in crucial games, but that team was something special. The likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Dani Alves made it a treat for the eye of the fans and the neutrals.

That team was so efficient that Pep Guardiola could play Adriano in central defence and still come out with a clean sheet and a thumping win. It was basically a single unit made by a group of players who were trained so well that they became telepathic.

And Lionel Messi was the best player on that team, the only player allowed to be an individual just because he was – and still is – that good. While some say that Guardiola made that Barca team special, the other perspective would be that Messi gave Guardiola made his resume legendary.

So when you are the best player of the best unit ever assembled, you are bound to be famous.

#3 Has a humble exterior

BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 28:  Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona kisses his son Thiago ahead of the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad de Futbol at Camp Nou on November 28, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain.  (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Isn’t that lovely?!

One of the reasons why the Argentine is so loved is because of his apparent humility. You won’t see him go on a rant and claim that “I am rich, handsome and a great player,” or “maybe I am too good, I don’t know,” even when he is booed by the fans or tackled incessantly by the defenders.

In fact, the Argentine is so soft-spoken that he can barely be heard even when he is speaking through the mic. The only place he isn’t shy and reveals himself completely is on the football pitch, where he does the talking with his feet.

Apart from that, however, the former Newell’s kid is basically like an Indian bride of the 90s on the first night after her wedding. What Messi is behind closed doors is anyone’s guess, but in front of the camera, he shows that he has a personality that oozes humility like the Niagara Fall oozes water.

This, in turn, makes him a point of reference for the fans to follow – boosting his fame even more in the process.

#2 Tax issues

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 02:  Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and his father Jorge Horacio Messi seen inside the court during the third day of the trial on June 2, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. Lionel Messi and his father Jorge Messi, who manages his financial affairs, are accused of defrauding the Spanish Tax Agency of 4.1 million Euros ($4.6 million, 3.2 million) by using companies based in tax havens such as Belize and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights during years 2007 to 2009.  (Photo by Alberto Estevez - Pool/Getty Images)
Messi at a court hearing

While the good does spread the name of a person, the bad spreads it even quicker. You can do all the good in the world, but the fame you get for doing just one bad thing is perhaps one of the reasons why people remember the mistakes more than the brilliance.

1000 years down the line, who do you think will be remembered among the modern day leaders like Genghis Khan is now? Hitler, of course. So infamy always prevails over fame and, as a result, when the news of Lionel Messi being convicted broke out, all hell broke loose.

The fans and the club began to defend their best player with #WeAreAllMessi tweets. Sure, they were embarrassing, but it catapulted his name into more fame as Messi became the talking point around the football fraternity.

#1 Chocolate-boy face

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 09:  Lionel Messi of Barcelona (L) with Wayne Rooney of Manchester United during the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2011 on January 9, 2012 in Zurich, Switzerland.  (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
Such a cute face

Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say, but people do just that. You won’t see a less-than-great looking player become the face of football – the face has to be beautiful along with having the ability. Messi has both. While good looks shouldn’t really be the attribute with which people form opinions on others, it is what really happens.

When one looks at the Barcelona star, they are instantly inclined to believe that he is a good and innocent person. That’s what having a chocolate-boy face does for you. With a face like Messi’s - seeping with innocence, you can basically kill puppies and still get away with it.

Also, girls dig chocolate-boys – and that is precisely why the Argentine has a lot of lady fans that drool at his mere sight. And that is also why he is famous, you just can’t forget a face like that.

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Edited by Staff Editor