By Adriel Halavach
From a napkin contract at 13 years old to playing for FC Barcelona’s youth club to an
international icon playing for the Argentina Senior Men’s team, Lionel Messi has successfully made an impact on his career, culminating in winning the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Not only was Messi a global superstar for his influence on the sport, but he is also considered a generational inspiration.
Messi started his football career playing for Newell Old Boys (NOB) in 1996 in Rosario, Argentina, before officially signing a napkin contract at 13 years old, confirming the next chapter of his career playing for FC Barcelona (BARCA). Seventeen years, 778 appearances, 672 consecutive goals, alongside 35 trophies, Messi sadly was forced out of his boyhood club due
to the football club’s financial situation. Stating in a 2021 press conference that one day he will
return home to Spain. Later, he ended up transferring to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), though it was his toughest time. He admitted he was unhappy, mentioning a disenjoyment during his time at PSG. After two seasons, he transferred to the much smaller MLS club Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (Inter Miami).
With close to 50 trophies (including eight Ballon d’Ors and one World Cup), 920 career goals and a career that spanned two decades, where does that leave him After the painful 2026 World Cup final loss to Spain, Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team one month later. How has that impacted others?
“My first introduction to Messi was when I was younger, during the heated rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona,” said sophomore Adryel, “Watching him inspired me to play soccer from my childhood through my teenage years. For me, Messi was more than just a player I enjoyed watching – he was someone who influenced my love and passion for the sport.
“After years of criticism and heartbreak, he kept going and eventually achieved his dream of
winning the World Cup.”
After 20 years playing for the international team, an international spark of sadness, gratitude and reverence from fans all over the world has not been easy to move on from, but also as a way to reflect on the time we have had with him.
“It marks the end of my childhood,” said Jalen, a senior. “I grew up watching him and Neymar and Suarez dominating the La Liga. After losing the final in 2014 and getting knocked out by France in the first round in the 2018 World Cup, I thought he was never going to get back to the final. Then in 2022 he finally achieved what he sought to do, which was win the one trophy that alluded him.”
Creating an impact is made when some goes as far from simple, to temporary interaction. It means to change how one person views or thinks in a deep way. Adryel noted, “to never give up, we see Messi fail over and over again, from Copa America, World Cup and Barcelona. And he kept going and going, and he finally got what he got and deserved to, you should never give up.”
On October 6, Messi concluded his international career with the team leading to a 3-0 victory. Many years of struggle and heartbreak leading into victory and glory have shaped and inspired a huge generation of people into achieving the impossible, whether that was achieving valedictorian, going pro and much more. Achieving the impossible through resilience and failure reflects dreaming bigger.
