The Growing Up of Lionel Messi: From Childhood Dreams to Global Superstardom Lionel Andrés Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. Growing up in a humble household with his two older brothers and a father who worked in a steel factory, Messi’s childhood was marked by a love for the game that would eventually define his life.