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Barca, Lineker, FIFA, others celebrate Messi as he clocks 33

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Lionel Messi



Former Barcelona striker, Gary Lineker, on Wednesday congratulated captain, Lionel Messi, on his 33rd birthday.

Lineker, who took to his verified Twitter handle, described Messi as a ‘creative and unselfish’ player, adding that fans should continue to enjoy him.

The 59-year-old wrote: “Happy 33rd birthday to Lionel Messi.

“He’s reaching the twilight of his astonishing career. 722 games and 699 goals for a player that is as creative and unselfish for others as he is prolific and deadly in his finishing.

“We’ll miss him when he’s gone. Enjoy him while we can.”

Also reacting, FIFA wrote: “The great man turns 33 today.”

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Similarly, LaLiga tweeted: “Happy 33rd birthday, Leo Messi! Birthday cake,”

In the same vein, Barcelona wrote: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEO #MESSI!”

Messi currently has six Ballon d’ Or awards.

The Argentine captain is widely considered as one of the greatest footballers in football history.

Messi relocated to Spain to join Barcelona at age 13, for whom he made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004 – and since then he never looked back.

He always made his impact on every game he played.

Barcelona are struggling to impose their dominance unlike the past few seasons, yet Lionel Messi has continued to shine and protect the image of his coaches and the board.

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Messi is the top-scoring player in La Liga this season, as well as the top-assist provider.

The Argentine forward is only one strike away from reaching 700 career goals

The superstar footballer was in action for his boyhood club FC Barcelona on the eve of his birth anniversary and once again played an instrumental role in his side’s 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

In the match, Messi went on to register his 250th assist for Barca as the club dethroned Real Madrid at the top of the league standings.

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On the occasion of Messi’s 33rd birthday, a look at some of his incredible numbers this season:

In the La Liga this season, Messi has:

Most goals (21)
Most assists (15)
Most chances created (67)
Most take-ons completed (147)
Most big chances created (28)
Most fouls won in the final third (28)
Most hat-tricks (3)
Most goals from outside the box (8)

Only two players have completed 10+ take-ons in a single game in LaLiga this season

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi
Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard

Messi, however, has done this thrice already.

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