LIONEL MESSI : Top 15 Things He Wants You To Know

Lionel Messi was born on June 24 1987. He was raised in Rosario in Argentina also the birth place of Che Guevara the Cuban Revolution guerilla leader. He's considered one of the best footballers of all time, despite the growth hormone deficiency he was diagnosed with as a child.

He is a very humble fellow considering the godlike hero worship he receives worldwide. His career statistics are through the roof. Only the World Cup winners medal evades him at the moment. Everything else he's got. So what is he like. Here are 15 things that will go some way to answering that question.

He doesn't speak English, at least not in interviews, but speaks in a calming Spanish voice.

"Moving to Barcelona from Argentina at 13 years old was the hardest moment of my life. I had to leave Rosario behind as well as my family and friends. I had to start from zero, because I had nothing."

"My style of play has always been the same from when I was a kid. As I started growing I got better and learned more. Obviously coming to the academy at Barcelona from a young age helped a lot."

"I play exactly the same whether it's a friendly, for points or a final. I feel bad when we lose and don't like to talk to anyone."

"I Feel wonderful when I score a goal. To see all the people jumping up and down and knowing I have caused that by scoring a goal. It puts you in the clouds."

"I'm very grateful and happy. Happy this is the opinion people have of me. It's a wonderful thing. Winning titles for the team is more important to me than winning individual awards."

"Money is not a motivating factor for me. It does not make me a better player. I would play for nothing willingly."

Lionel Messi is a car enthusiast and is lucky enough to own some of the best cars in the world, at least from his own point of view.

He's got a Dodge Charger SRT8. Simply put, powerful motivation to succeed in life whoever you are, just to own this car alone.

An Audi Q7 was given to him, which is about $70,000 he didn't need to find. He has got a Maseratti Gran Turismo and his dream car, a Ferrari Spyder.

Which goal did he score for Argentina that he likes the most?

He doesn't really know. He likes them all, but the one he scores against Brazil, he guesses, the last one. Because of the goal, because of the meaning, a bit of everything.

Brazil 3 Argentina 4, on the 9th June 2012. A friendly that was ill-tempered. Messi scored a hatrick. Argentina and Brazil are bitter rivals when it comes to football.

He was asked if the current Barcelona team are the best club to ever play he says "I never saw the great teams that people say have existed throughout history."

Because of his age he wasn't old enough to have seen the great teams they are compared with. From what he has seen he thinks they're the best.

He says Barcelona find it hard when they play a team like Chelsea or Bayern Munich, who have the intention of trying to stop them (Barcelona) from playing their game.

Messi loves steak and he adores chicken salad.

He follows the Premier League in England as and when he can. He likes Aguero and Rooney.

Will he ever play in England?

He has always meant to play for Barcelona and would like to see out the rest of his career there. That's if it was up to him to decide. Who knows what will happen in the future?

He doesn't compete against Ronaldo, no, not at all. At least not in a comparison of the best footballer in the world context. Messi does as much as he can for his club team and his national team. He knows it's all about the press guys, who try to compare them with statistics or their way of playing. He doesn't compete at all with Ronaldo.

Ronaldos Point Of View

"Sometimes it makes me tired, for him too. You cannot compare Ferrari with a Porsche"

He loves being with his family. He likes playing on the Playstation. His favourite kind of music is Cumbia (music widely popular throughout Latino America). Basically, he is much like most twenty-something year old lads around the world.

When Alex Ferguson was manager at Manchester United there was a press conference after a 2011 champions league game. The question to him was...

"If the owners of Manchester United gave you a blank cheque and allowed you to bring in one, just one of Barcelonas team, who would you sign?"

Sir Alex replies "That's one of the most stupid questions I've heard in my life"

Ronaldinho, the previous owner of the number 10 shirt for Barcelona, has said it is Messi who is currently the best football player in the world.

Diego Maradona, World Cup winners medal for Argentina and one of their greatest ever players, says Messi doesn't need to win the World Cup to be the best player in the world. The same could've been said about George Best.

Not everyone is complimentary though. Jose Mourinho said "How can you win the Ballon d'Or without collecting titles, without winning anything important? Don't come to me telling me about the Intercontinental Cup or the Supercup, this is small stuff. Tell me about fat titles."

Equally scathing is Pele when asked if Messi was better than him. He suggests he needs to score 1283 professional goals first.

No criticism will ever change is attitude. He says that his parents said he should enjoy everything that he is doing. He will continue to do this in exactly the same way. Bringing pleasure to millions of his fans worldwide.

Netherlands 5-1 Spain

We watched that game, we were following it," he said. "It was a game we were all looking forward to, with two great teams meeting. It was a great game, but we did not expect it to go as it did, with Holland winning easily.

Germany 7-1 Brazil

We were expecting a very tight game, balanced. We did not expect Germany to be 3-0, 4-0 ahead so quickly. It was a huge surprise for everyone. It did not matter to us who we faced in the final, the same against either team, both very good sides.

Final: Germany 1-0 Argentina

I don't know what to say, it's a pity. I think we had the better chances in the game. For the rest of our lives we'll regret having those chances, and not being able to put them in.