1. Messi Mania. Lionel signed a two-year contract with Inter Miami CF in June, becoming the highest profile player to join the MLS. He scored two goals in Miami’s comeback win on penalties over Dallas on Sunday. Golden touch. In Lionel’s 20 year soccer career, he has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards and record six European Golden Shoe awards. He also holds the record as La Liga and Argentina’s all-time leading scorer.
  2. For grandma! After scoring a goal, Lionel points each finger in the sky as a celebration. The gesture is in honor of his late grandmother who encouraged him to play soccer as a child.
  3. Most likes ever. Lionel’s World Cup celebration post from 2022 is the most liked picture ever on Instagram with over 75.6 million likes. He is the second most followed athlete in the world with over 481 million followers!
  4. Nothing like mom’s cooking. Lionel’s favorite dish to eat is his mother’s Milanesa Napolitana, breaded chicken cutlets topped with tomato sauce, sliced ham and mozzarella cheese. Sales of the dish spiked at a Dallas Argentine restaurant before he played against Dallas on Sunday.
  5. Hot wheels. Lionel has an extensive luxury car collection of over 12-14 cars. His most expensive is a Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti worth over $36 million and his least expensive car is a Mini Cooper. 

Image source: Lionel Messi on Instagram

Tracy Sandler

Tracy Sandler

I created Fangirl Sports Network as a place for female sports fans to follow their favorite teams with content and coverage that speaks directly to females. It started with one and then eight and now 32 NFL Fangirls and 15 NBA Fangirls.