From his first goal at 17 to football’s GOAT at 39. How Lionel Messi builds his legacy every year Football News:

NEW DELHI: There are footballers who have been shining for some years. Then there is: Lionel Messia player who has spent more than two decades changing what longevity looks like in the sport.As the Argentine icon celebrates his 39th birthday during the FIFA World Cup 2026, he does so not as a lost legend making a ceremonial appearance, but as a game winner who still influences games on football’s biggest stage. In a game where careers are often judged by peaks, Messi’s greatness is synonymous with his ability to keep climbing long after reaching the summit.The numbers tell a remarkable story.When a 17-year-old Messi scored his first senior goal in 2005, few could have imagined the magnitude of what was to come. That one goal became the first chapter of a journey that has now netted more than 900 professional goals for club and country.He got up quickly. At the age of 21, he already scored 41 goals in one year. At the age of 23, he netted 57. Then came the remarkable years that transformed him from a rarity to a phenomenon.Between the ages of 23 and 29, Messi scored an incredible 425 goals, nearly half of his entire career tally. It was an era full of impossible dribbles, record-breaking seasons and Barcelona’s trophy-laden campaigns. The defenders knew what was coming, but rarely found a way to prevent it.

The smart distribution of Lionel Messi’s goals (Data from OptaJose and graphic by AI)

For most players, that would have been the end of the story. For Messi, this is only the first action.Football has long treated 30 as the age when decline begins. Messi had other ideas.Since the age of 30, the Argentine has scored 351 goals, accounting for more than 38 percent of his career total. Instead of slowing down, he improved. The explosive teenager has become a master playmaker. The winger has become a complete football architect capable of controlling matches through vision, intelligence and timing.The proof of that evolution can be seen in his distribution of goals. At the age of 35, he scored 38 goals. At 37, he added another 29. Most amazingly, at 38, Messi scored 50 goals, a number that many elite forwards never reached even at their peak.His current World Cup campaign offers further evidence that age remains little more than a statistic. Messi has already scored five goals in the tournament, including the first World Cup hat-trick of his career, while passing Miroslav Klose on the competition’s all-time scoring chart.It’s a fitting chapter for a player whose World Cup journey mirrors his career itself – a story of persistence, invention and eventual triumph.Born in Rosario, Argentina, Messi’s road to greatness began at Newell’s Old Boys before Barcelona spotted his extraordinary talent and brought him to La Masia. What followed was one of the most successful club careers in the history of the sport.He became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer, winning four Champions League titles, 10 La Liga crowns and countless individual accolades. Yet over the years, critics have pointed to a missing piece. international success.Messi answered the doubts.The title of Copa America in 2021 has ended the long wait. The Finalissima followed in 2022. Then came the crowning moment in Qatar, where he inspired Argentina to World Cup glory and finally completed the most coveted football collection.Many believed that the victory was a sign of the beginning of the end. However, Messi continues to add chapters.His move to Inter Miami raised the profile of North American football, while his influence on and off the pitch remains huge. Even now, almost 40, he continues to deliver goals, trophies and unforgettable moments.Maybe that’s why debates about the greatest player of all time keep coming back to Messi. Not just the records, the trophies or the goals. It’s consistency across generations, teammates, coaches and competition.From a goal at 17 to a hundred at 39, Messi has turned longevity into an art form. And in doing so, he provided the ultimate proof that greatness has no expiration date.