{"id":14,"date":"2015-08-11T10:07:04","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T10:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/?p=14"},"modified":"2024-07-17T14:38:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T14:38:27","slug":"leo-messi-ten-years-an-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2015\/08\/11\/leo-messi-ten-years-an-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"Leo Messi: Ten Years An Icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lionel-Messi-Signing-Session-Icons\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Title after title, honour after honour, record after record, Barcelona<\/a> and Argentina<\/a> superstar Leo Messi has written his way into the history books as one of the greatest to ever play the game.\u00a0In that space of time, Messi has won four Champions Leagues<\/a>, seven La Liga titles, three Spanish Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups, among various other honours. Add to that his four straight Ballon d\u2019Or awards between 2009 and 2012 and countless golden boots.<\/p>\n

In 2014-15, the 28-year-old teamed up with Luis Suarez<\/a> and Neymar Jr<\/a> to form the world\u2019s most deadly attacking trio. Together they claimed the treble with Barcelona, culminating in a 3-1 defeat of Juventus in a typically ruthless display at the showpiece Champions League final in Berlin<\/a>.\u00a0It was a fitting way for Messi to mark ten years in the red and blue of Barcelona.<\/p>\n

Having made his debut for the club back in October 2004, he was soon showing fans the sort of flair that would come to exemplify his electric playing style.\u00a0The 2005-06 season would be Messi\u2019s breakthrough year, as he played a significant role in Barcelona\u2019s league and Champions League double. Records would soon tumble, as Messi emerged as the club’s most talented young star. The world at large began to notice his immeasurable talent in the 2006-07 season after he scored a number of marvellous goals, including an incredible solo effort against Getafe at the Camp Nou.<\/p>\n

Barca were Champions League winners again in 2009, with Messi scoring the second goal in a 2-0 defeat of Manchester United in Rome. By now the world was in awe of Messi and his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta<\/a>. It was also to be the year that Messi would win his first of four consecutive Ballon d’Ors. A year later he would equal Ronaldo’s<\/a> record for league goals in a single season as Barca secured the second of what would be three back-to-back La Liga titles.<\/p>\n

But many will argue that 2010-11 was the ultimate season for Messi and Barcelona. Under Pep Guardiola, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, David Villa and co. added to their league title with a third Champions League triumph in six years. Their Wembley coronation came after another defeat of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and, just as in 2009, Messi was on hand to score a vital goal \u2013 a swerving shot from just outside the box that bamboozled United keeper Edwin van der Sar<\/a> and put Barcelona 2-1 up.<\/p>\n

In 2011-12 Messi became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer, amassing more goals than Cesar Rodriguez’s 232 following a superb hat-trick against Granada. It came just two days after he’d scored five in one match against Bayer Leverkusen in a remarkable Champions League victory. He ended 2012 with a record for most goals in a calendar year, having notched 91 for club and country, eclipsing Gerd Muller’s long-established benchmark of 85.<\/p>\n

As of last season, Leo was showing little sign of slowing down, having finally overtaken Raul to become the Champions League’s all-time leading goalscorer and surpassing Telmo Zarra’s mark as La Liga’s most prolific marksman. Thanks in no small part to the explosive and unstoppable front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar Jr<\/a>, Barcelona swept aside all before them to complete their second ever treble-winning campaign.<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, Messi has accumulated 24 club titles, 412 goals in 482 games for Barcelona and is just ten shy of becoming Argentina’s all-time topscorer. Whatever the future holds for this mercurial genius, Leo Messi has in a single decade broken more records and won more honours and awards than almost any other footballer in the history of the sport.<\/p>\n

We at Icons are\u00a0immensely\u00a0proud to be celebrating ten years of signings with Leo Messi.\u00a0Every piece of official Messi-signed merchandise is created under license by Icons Shop Ltd and now comes with an official Messi signed merchandise Certificate of Authenticity, which carries an image of Leo signing the product line.<\/p>\n

The full range is exclusively available on Icons.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Title after title, honour after honour, record after record, Barcelona and Argentina superstar Leo Messi has written his way into the history books as one of the greatest to ever play the game.\u00a0In that space of time, Messi has won four Champions Leagues, seven La Liga titles, three Spanish Cups and two FIFA Club World… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[26,166,31,24,8,25,33,20,27,28,29,23,22,15,30,165,167,32],"class_list":["post-14","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-signing-sessions","tag-argentina","tag-autograph","tag-ballon-dor","tag-barca","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-fc","tag-champions-league","tag-la-liga","tag-la-pulga","tag-la-pulga-atomica","tag-leo","tag-leo-messi","tag-lionel-messi","tag-messi","tag-messi-barca","tag-signed-memorabilia","tag-sports-memorabilia","tag-world-footballer-of-the-year"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfQcey-e","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":70,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2014\/10\/06\/icons-official-messi-signed-merchandise-partner\/","url_meta":{"origin":14,"position":0},"title":"Icons.com: Official Messi Signed Merchandise Partner","author":"Icons.com","date":"October 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Icons first met Leo Messi on May 5th, 2006. Although Messi had made less than 30 appearances for club and country, Icons were convinced of his potential and made the signing happen. Today, eight years later, Messi is the biggest name in world football and has a glittering trophy cabinet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":151,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2013\/12\/09\/why-we-love-the-race-for-this-years-fifa-ballon-dor-the-closest-ever\/","url_meta":{"origin":14,"position":1},"title":"Why We Love The Race For This Year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or, The Closest Ever","author":"Icons.com","date":"December 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"No matter who eventually wins the FIFA Ballon d'Or award this January, one thing's for sure - this year's player of the year award will surely be remembered as the hardest ever to call. Each of the three players named in an announcement yesterday as up for the prestigious award\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Why We Love"","block_context":{"text":"Why We Love","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/why-we-love\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(FILE PHOTO) In this composite image a comparison has been made between Franck Ribery (L), Lionel Messi (C) and Cristiano Ronaldo (R). All three players have been short listed for the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013, the winner of the award will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon dOr gala in Zurich on January 13, 2014. ***LEFT IMAGE*** AUGUST 01: Franck Ribery of Muenchen controls the ball during the Audi Cup Final match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Manchester City at Allianz Arena on August 1, 2013 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm\/Bongarts\/Getty Images) ***CENTRE IMAGE*** NOVEMBER 01: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol at Camp Nou on November 1, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** SEPTEMBER 28: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid CF runs with the ball during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Bernabeu on September 28, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FIFA-Ballon-Dor-Race.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FIFA-Ballon-Dor-Race.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FIFA-Ballon-Dor-Race.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2676,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2022\/04\/14\/lionel-messi-signs-again-for-icons-com\/","url_meta":{"origin":14,"position":2},"title":"Lionel Messi Signs Again for Icons.com!","author":"Dan Rushton","date":"April 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Icons.com's decade-long official relationship with Lionel Messi has paid off once again as the global superstar put pen to product in our first signing of 2022 with the Argentine maestro. The private signing session took place in Paris on April 13th, 2022 at which Messi signed a superb collection of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Signing Sessions"","block_context":{"text":"Signing Sessions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/signing-sessions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Icons.com-x-PSG-Board.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Icons.com-x-PSG-Board.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Icons.com-x-PSG-Board.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Icons.com-x-PSG-Board.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2683,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2022\/05\/23\/second-messi-signing-of-2022-for-icons-com\/","url_meta":{"origin":14,"position":3},"title":"Second Messi Signing of 2022 for Icons.com!","author":"Dan Rushton","date":"May 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Global megastar Lionel Messi has yet again put pen to product in an exclusive new official signing with Icons.com. In his second signing of 2022, Messi added his signature to even more incredible Official Messi Signed Merchandise. The signing took place on May 23rd, 2022 in the French capital of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Signing Sessions"","block_context":{"text":"Signing Sessions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/signing-sessions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_9214-1-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_9214-1-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_9214-1-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_9214-1-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_9214-1-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2669,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2021\/12\/17\/another-signing-with-superstar-lionel-messi\/","url_meta":{"origin":14,"position":4},"title":"Another Signing with Superstar Lionel Messi!","author":"Dan Rushton","date":"December 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Icons.com are delighted to confirm that Lionel Messi has once again put pen to product at the latest of our official signing sessions with the global superstar. The private signing session took place in Paris on December 16th, 2021 at which Messi signed a vast array of incredible pieces including\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Signing Sessions"","block_context":{"text":"Signing Sessions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/signing-sessions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Tribute-Artwork-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Tribute-Artwork-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Tribute-Artwork-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Lionel-Messi-with-Tribute-Artwork-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":561,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2016\/02\/18\/why-we-love-messis-300-la-liga-goals\/","url_meta":{"origin":14,"position":5},"title":"Why We Love Messi’s 300 La Liga Goals","author":"Icons.com","date":"February 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"With the opening goal of FC Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday evening, Lionel Messi became the first player in the history of La Liga to reach 300 league goals. So, to celebrate Messi's landmark achievement, the staff of icons.com have picked their favourite of Messi's now 301\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Why We Love"","block_context":{"text":"Why We Love","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/why-we-love\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FBL-ESP-LIGA-BARCELONA-SEVILLA","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/GettyImages-459420070-1024x726.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/GettyImages-459420070-1024x726.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/GettyImages-459420070-1024x726.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3330,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions\/3330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}