NEW DELHI: There are footballers who shine brightly for a few years. Then there is Lionel Messi, a player who has spent more than two decades redefining what longevity in sport looks like.As the Argentine icon celebrated his 39th birthday during the FIFA World Cup 2026, he did so not as a fading legend making a ceremonial appearance, but as a match-winner still influencing games on football’s biggest stage. In a sport where careers are often judged by peaks, Messi’s greatness lies equally in his ability to keep climbing long after reaching the summit.The numbers tell a remarkable story.When a 17-year-old Messi scored his first senior goal in 2005, few could have imagined the scale of what was to come. That single goal became the first chapter of a journey that has now produced more than 900 professional goals for club and country.His rise was swift. By 21, he was already scoring 41 goals a year. At 23, he netted 57. Then came the breathtaking years that transformed him from a prodigy into a phenomenon.Between the ages of 23 and 29, Messi scored an astonishing 425 goals, nearly half of his entire career tally. It was a period filled with impossible dribbles, record-breaking seasons and trophy-laden campaigns at Barcelona. Defenders knew what was coming, yet rarely found a way to stop it.

Lionel Messi’s age-wise distribution of goals (Data from OptaJose and graphic by AI)

For most players, that would have been the end of the story. For Messi, it was only the first act.Football has long treated 30 as the age when decline begins. Messi had other ideas.Since turning 30, the Argentine has scored 351 goals, accounting for more than 38 per cent of his career total. Rather than slowing down, he evolved. The explosive teenager became a master playmaker. The winger transformed into a complete footballing architect capable of controlling matches through vision, intelligence and timing.The proof of that evolution can be seen in his goal distribution. At 35, he scored 38 goals. At 37, he added another 29. Most remarkably, at 38, Messi produced 50 goals, a figure many elite forwards never reach even in their prime.His current World Cup campaign offers further evidence that age remains little more than a statistic. Messi has already scored five goals in the tournament, including the first World Cup hat-trick of his career, while moving past Miroslav Klose on the competition’s all-time scoring charts.It is a fitting chapter for a player whose World Cup journey has mirrored his career itself — a tale of persistence, reinvention and eventual triumph.Born in Rosario, Argentina, Messi’s path to greatness began at Newell’s Old Boys before Barcelona spotted his extraordinary talent and brought him to La Masia. What followed was one of the most successful club careers in sporting history.He became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer, won four Champions League titles, 10 La Liga crowns and countless individual honours. Yet for years, critics pointed to one missing piece: international success.Messi answered those doubts emphatically.The Copa America title in 2021 ended a long wait. The Finalissima followed in 2022. Then came the crowning moment in Qatar, where he inspired Argentina to World Cup glory and finally completed football’s most coveted collection.Many assumed that triumph would signal the beginning of the end. Instead, Messi continued adding chapters.His move to Inter Miami elevated football’s profile in North America, while his influence on and off the pitch remained immense. Even now, approaching 40, he continues to deliver goals, trophies and unforgettable moments.Perhaps that is why debates about the greatest footballer of all time continue to circle back to Messi. It is not simply the records, the trophies or the goals. It is the consistency across generations, teammates, coaches and competitions.From one goal at 17 to hundreds at 39, Messi has turned longevity into an art form. And in doing so, he has provided the ultimate proof that greatness does not have an expiration date.