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One of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi, has turned 35 today (June 24) and fans have taken to social media to wish him a happy birthday.
Messi, who currently turns out for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), has had a fervent fan following since his initial days at Barcelona. It comes as no surprise then that he has been the subject of hundreds of wishes across social media.
One fan tweeted a photo describing how Messi has won 40 major trophies since his Barcelona debut, more than every club in Europe's top five leagues, and wrote:
“35 years ago today, the greatest footballer in history was born. The rest is Messi.”
Another user tweeted a quote from Spanish journalist Guillem Balague and wrote:
“'Imagine music without John Lennon. Art without Picasso. Football without Messi. The world would be quite different.' Happy Birthday, Leo. #Messi #GOAT”
One fan was thankful to exist at the same time as Messi despite the world being over 4 billion years old:
“The world is 4.543 billion years old and we somehow managed to exist at the same time as Lionel Messi. Happy Birthday to the best player in the world.”
Another user simply wrote:
“Happy Birthday Leo Messi. The greatest ever!”
Here are some of the best wishes from fans on social media:
Messi hasn't been in action since scoring five times in an international friendly for Argentina against Estonia earlier this month. Astonishingly, he scored five goals in the match.
Lionel Messi will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest of all time
Lionel Messi's stellar individual record and the major trophies he has won make him an undisputable candidate on the list of greatest footballers of all time.
Over the course of his club career, he has played 809 official matches, recording 681 goals and 317 assists. That amounts to a staggering 998 goal contributions at an average of 1.23 per game.
Messi also has a barely believable trophy cabinet. He has lifted four UEFA Champions League titles, 10 La Liga trophies, seven Spanish Cups and eight Spanish Super Cups. The Argentine has also won three UEFA Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups and a Ligue 1 title.
Lionel Messi has a tremendous record in the international arena as well. He has made the most appearances for Argentina with 162 and is their top-scorer of all-time with 86 goals. He currently ranks fifth on most international goals scored in men's football. La Albiceleste's skipper has also recorded 51 assists in those matches, making him their best provider of all time as well.
His major titles with Argentina include the Copa America and the UEFA-CONMEBOL Cup of Champions. Messi has also won the FIFA U-20 World Cup and an Olympic gold medal for his nation.
Individually, he has lifted seven Ballons d'Or, five European Golden Shoe awards, three UEFA Best Player in Europe trophies and two The Best FIFA Men's Player awards.
