Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional football player who was born on June 24, 1987. He currently plays as forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and is also the current captain of Argentina national football team. He has been associated with the sport from the age of 5 and has never looked back. At a very young age he has become a popular name around the globe.
Messi holds various titles and records to his name and has achieved huge name in the sport. He is the only football player in history to win five FIFA Ballons d’Or, four of which he won consecutively, and the first player to win three European Golden Shoes. When he was 25, he became the youngest player in history to score 200 goals in La Liga and in March 2012, he became the first player in Champions League history to score five goals in a single match.Due to his outstanding career record and achievements, he is now widely considered as one of the most greatest players of all time.
According to France Football, Messi was the world’s highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014; he was the first player to exceed the €40 million benchmark, with earnings of €41 million in 2013, and the €50–€60 million points, with income of €65 million in 2014. In 2016, Messi was second on Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes (after Cristiano Ronaldo) with income of $81.4 million from his salary and endorsements in 2015–16.
BIO-DATA
- Full name — Lionel Andrés Messi
- Nick Name — La Pulga
- Date of birth — 24 June 1987
- Place of birth — Rosario, Argentina
- Nationality — Argentina
- Religion — Roman Catholic
- Sun Sign — Cancer
- Occupation — Soccer Player
- Playing position — Forward
- Current team — Barcelona
- Number — 10
- Height — 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
- Weight — 67 kg or 148 pounds
- Shoe Size — 10 (US)
- Race / Ethnicity — Hispanic
- Hair Color — Dark Brown
- Eye Color — Dark Brown
- Father — Jorge Horácio Messi (Factory steel worker)
- Mother — Celia María Cuccittini (Part-time cleaner)
- Siblings — Rodrigo (Older Brother), Matías (Older Brother), María Sol (Sister)
- Partner — Antonella Roccuzzo
- Children — Thiago Messi
DIET PLAN
Lionel Messi Diet also plays a very important role with his workouts. Messi follows a stringent diet plan so as to keep up his energy on the ground. His diet includes lots of green vegetables in addition to brown rice and beans. Here is his diet plan –
10 days prior to a football match:
- This includes protein shakes 3 times a day, 7-8 glasses of water in order to avoid dehydration. The diet is called low carb high protein diet. Messi believes in cutting down the carbohydrates from his body and building it gradually as the time of match comes. This way his body maximizes the availability of blood sugar, in sufficient amount inside the body, and thus giving the body a good shape.
5 days prior to a football match:
- In this Messi takes soup before every meal. The soup must contain a high amount of turmeric, chilli powder and coriander and ginger so as to help the body in making blood thin which results in increased blood flow. Thin blood improves your circulation to all your body organs. With thinner blood and improved circulation you will have less risk of vascular accidents (such as clots and hemorrhages) affecting your brain, eyes, heart, intestines and limbs.
A day prior to the match:
- Messi takes fish/prawn/chicken in addition with boiled potatoes, green vegetables and fruits in his afternoon diet for strength. This also repairs his muscle after workout.
6 hours before the match:
- Messi invests this time in sleeping rather than being awake and eat because getting extra sleep can even improve athletic performance. He takes wheat related food if he is not able to take some rest because wheat-related product can slow down the body and urges him to sleep more.
90 minutes before the match:
- Messi prefers to have seasonal fruits 70-90 minutes before the match. Fruits contains vitamins and fibers, helps to boost his energy before match.
WORKOUT ROUTINE
Messi does not spend his time in gym. He follows special workouts of all kinds specially for legs. His instructor helps him to maintain fit body for his consistence performance. Messii’s training workout program consists of two different workouts. Workout 1 deals with linear speed and workout 2 deals with movement in different directions.
Workout 1 increases the speed of Messi and provides quick movement of feet in linear direction with varying situations and patterns in the field.
Workout 2 is designed to enhance quick movement over the pitch and also build up core strength, a primary requisite for a professional footballer.
Messi also follows a power yoga program designed by Rodney Yee, the American professional yoga instructor which helps him rejuvenate his mind.
WORKOUT 1
Linear Speed Movement
- Pillar bridge (2 sets of 30 sec)
- Knee hug lunge (1 set 4 each side)
- Inverted hamstring stretch (1 set 4 each side)
- Pillar skip (1 set 15 yards)
- Rapid response 2-foot – linear (2 sets 5 seconds)
Plyometric
- Hurdle hop (2-3 sets 5 hurdles each)
- Split squat jump (2-3 sets 4 each side)
Movement Skills
- Acceleration wall drill (2 sets, 5 each)
- Acceleration wall drill single exchange (2 sets, 5 each)
- Acceleration wall drill triple exchange (2 sets, 5 each)
- Acceleration split stance (3-5, 10 yards)
- Acceleration to base (3-5, 10 yards)
WORKOUT 2
Multidirectional Speed Movement
- Pillar bridge lateral (2 sets 30 sec)
- Lateral lunge (1 set 4 each)
- Rotational lunge stretch (1 set 4 each)
- Pillar skip lateral (1 set 10 yards each)
Plyometric
- Hurdle hop Lateral (2-3 sets 5 hurdles)
- Lateral bound (2 sets 4 each)
Movement Skills
- Lateral shuffle to cut (2-3 sets, 4 each)
- 3-hurdle drill stabilization (2 sets)
- 3-hurdle drill continuous (2 sets)
- 3-hurdle drill to drop step (2 sets, 3 each)
- Mirror drill (3-4 sets, 5-10 sec)
Quote :
You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.
— Lionel Messi
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