Talk:Lionel Messi

Goal contributions at the world cup

Messi now has 24 goal contributions at the world cup, not 21 ~2026-35261-55 (talk) 08:10, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 19 June 2026

Change from regarded as one of the best players of all time to as the greatest player of all time. It is a wide consensus that he is the greatest ~2026-35726-77 (talk) 04:52, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

Tax fraud section. Change "Messi came under investigation in 2013 for suspected tax evasion." to "Messi came under investigation in 2013 for suspected tax evasion in Spain." Right now it doesn't say where he got in trouble. Natmazz (talk) 05:53, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: Both of these requests will need reliable sources that support the proposed changes. Day Creature (talk) 06:00, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

The source that was already in the article mentions that it was in Spain. -- irn (talk) 14:21, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 22 June 2026

Messi left Rosario in Argentina not Spain ~2026-36335-47 (talk) 21:14, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want made. Please detail the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. -- irn (talk) 23:04, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

In the news nomination

--QalasQalas (talk) 07:32, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Why Photo from the White House

Why is his photo in this article the one taken in White House? For some one who spent his entire life playing football, you could have used a photo taken in the pitch or even training. This current photo has no relationship to his career or even the article. ~2026-36238-68 (talk) 10:24, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

You're not the first person to make this argument. The most recent change was bold, and now I've reverted it, so we can discuss. Personally, I think it makes more sense to have a picture of him doing what he's most notable for - playing football. -- irn (talk) 16:08, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

The new photo is a significant improvement. It aligns with his professional background and, by extension, complements the article effectively. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ~2026-36238-68 (talk) 04:38, 25 June 2026 (UTC)

I was going through the photos at the White House when I made that change (they were a great source of photos for people who previously didn't have one), but I understand the argument that it should be of one of him engaging in his profession. I also made a change to Luis Suárez. I saw the discussion above before, but I thought it was best not to respond to that one in particular. Raskuly 🐰 19:40, 1 July 2026 (UTC)

One other thing, I didn't note in the caption that any of the people who I added the White House photos to were at the White House, that was another editor. Raskuly 🐰 19:45, 1 July 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 23 June 2026

In the "Style of play" section, second paragraph, add the following sentence at the end: "Messi is also a prolific and reliable penalty kick taker, having scored over 100 penalties for club and country." MrBlisteringBarnacles (talk) 11:24, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

In order to say in Wikipedia's voice that he's "a prolific and reliable penalty kick taker", we would need a source that says as much, not one that merely lists his penalty goals. -- irn (talk) 16:12, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

References

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 23 June 2026 (2)

Please add that he holds the record for the most goals scored in fifa world cup. Biglal (talk) 18:30, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Already done Please see the second paragraph of the lead section. Annh07 (talk) 18:47, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 29 June 2026

Content relating to the 2026 World Cup campaign should be condensed as consistent with the overall style of the international career section, it currently contains more detail than the 2022 title-winning campaign. I propose removing unnecessary details such as specific dates, match scores, and other excessive information, as these are already covered in his career article. FormulaFreak1 (talk) 06:36, 29 June 2026 (UTC)

Not done for now: I agree that it's a bit too detailed right now but it's better to wait until after the tournament is over, because people will just keep adding more details to it. After the end of the tournament we can try to condense it. Day Creature (talk) 05:44, 1 July 2026 (UTC)

We need to replace messi's current picture in the infobox with the White house picture taken on march 5

The white house photo is so much better SaadyMaddy (talk) 17:50, 2 July 2026 (UTC)

“Widely regarded as the greatest player of all time”

Is this really up for debate? Not whether he is the greatest, but that he is widely regarded as such. I propose this should be an edit Zagreus99 (talk) 12:09, 8 July 2026 (UTC)

It is not factual to say he's the greatest, since that's up for debate. Keeping the phrasing as "widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history" preserves a neutral point of view, while also not disregarding what other sources may say about Pelé, Maradona, CR7, Ronaldo, Di Stéfano, etc. Morogris (✉ • ✎) 03:50, 12 July 2026 (UTC)

Liolaemus messii

add Liolaemus messii to the top of the "See also" section. It's a lizard species named after Messi. Yasomakara (talk) 05:37, 12 July 2026 (UTC)

Unfortunately, that's not usually how "See Also" sections work. The linked page needs to be more directly related to Messi. OrdinaryOtter (talk) 23:32, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Well, if you can't guys can't add it to the "See also," then it should be added to another section like "Honours" or some another, since it's still related to Messi. I mean the lizard was named after Messi to honor him. Yasomakara (talk) 07:32, 17 July 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 12 July 2026

Current line reads "Messi is the most decorated player in the history of professional football, having won 46 team trophies." which is absolute and arguable.

Better formulation may be "Messi is one of the most decorated players in the history of professional football, having won 46 team trophies." Kanishkawrites (talk) 17:18, 12 July 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: The claim in the article isn't subjective or arguable. Messi has won more team trophies than any other player. Day Creature (talk) 18:17, 12 July 2026 (UTC)

Request to update the profile image

Hello. I believe " Lionel Messi Argentina v Egypt 7 July 2026-112(cropped).jpg " is the best available profile image of Lionel Messi from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The framing is slightly wider, so it doesn't crop as much of the sides of his body. Messi's face is also positioned more centrally, and his head is in a more natural position rather than tilted upward. THIAGOW13 (talk) 22:34, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

The image you suggested has a little more shadow around his eyes, which I feel makes it less appealing. OrdinaryOtter (talk) 23:07, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 14 July 2026

Changing "Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history," to "Regarded as the greatest player in history," Thank you! Alimnj45 asd1 (talk) 09:43, 14 July 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want made. Day Creature (talk) 17:29, 14 July 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 15 July 2026

There is a typo in the second sentence of the second paragraph: the word "in" is omitted before "the" in the phrase "most goals (21) and most assists (10) the FIFA World Cup". Add "in" before "the". ~2026-39905-46 (talk) 21:18, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

 Done Annh07 (talk) 22:07, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Relegation zone

Hello! I feel this phrase should be reworded:

"He helped save them from the relegation zone of the Tercera División..."

Can we clarify for the average reader what the "relegation zone" is? OrdinaryOtter (talk) 23:19, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request’ on 16 July 2026

Runner-Up 2014 World Cup should be added to achievements ~2026-40048-27 (talk) 11:19, 16 July 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: The "Honours" section of the article lists only the most significant and relevant ones, which in the case of team achievements refers to actual trophies won. The 2014 runner-up finish is listed at List of career achievements by Lionel Messi. Day Creature (talk) 15:12, 16 July 2026 (UTC)

Legacy

I feel this section needs work:

"Messi received dismissals by critics throughout his career because he had not won an international tournament at the senior level with Argentina. However, his subsequent victories in the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup resulted in him finally winning every top tier trophy at both the club and country levels, an achievement that many pundits felt cemented Messi's legacy."

It is not clear what the critics are dimissing, but I suspect it means they refused to call him the greatest of all time, or one of the greatest. It would be helpful to clarify this. Also, I'm wondering if the sentence "an achievement..." is synthesis. The citation includes a list of sources extolling his status as the GOAT. Does that list of sources count as "many pundits"? What definition of "many" are we using? And when we say his legacy was "cemented", we need to clarify what the legacy is. Again, is it greatest of all time, or one of the greatest?

I hope it's clear that I'm not looking to debate how great Messi is. I'm interested only in accurately describing what others say about him. OrdinaryOtter (talk) 18:27, 17 July 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 19 July 2026

I wanted to edit and remove the dash "–" that comes after the 2025 on Messi International career for Argentina. It's over guys, it's fcnk over. Kelvincristi (talk) 22:42, 19 July 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want made. Please detail the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Please specify where the dash you're referring to appears in the article and why it should be removed, and provide a source if necessary. Day Creature (talk) 23:07, 19 July 2026 (UTC)

unlock the article

please unlock the article , he has not received the golden boot in the 2026 world cup. Samohtritahk (talk) 23:06, 19 July 2026 (UTC)