By Howard Cooper —
He is widely regarded as the greatest footballer to ever step onto a field — eight Ballon d’Or trophies, a World Cup title earned in 2022, a body of work that has left even rival fans in awe. But ask Lionel Messi to explain his own genius, and he doesn’t point to hours of practice or natural gift alone. He points upward.
“It’s very clear to me that I was born like this because God chose me,” Messi told Argentine podcaster Juan Pablo Varsky on the Clank podcast. “It was a gift he gave me. I tried to take advantage of it, I did everything possible to squeeze the most out of it.”
For a global superstar who rarely opens up about his personal life, that kind of statement stands out — and it isn’t a one-time remark.
Messi grew up in Rosario, Argentina, in a country where 93% identify as Christian, according to Joshua Project. That backdrop shaped his upbringing, and by all accounts, it stayed with him long after he left home for Barcelona as a teenager.
The evidence is literally etched into his skin. Messi carries a tattoo on his right shoulder of Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns, along with a rosary inked on his forearm, according to Christian Daily International. A separate tattoo of a rose window modeled after Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica — a permanent reminder of the faith that traveled with him from Argentina to Spain.
“He’s Given Me Everything”
Messi has never been one to grandstand about his beliefs, but he has repeatedly credited God in the moments that mattered most. After winning the World Cup with Argentina in December 2022 — the trophy that had eluded him his entire career — Messi was asked whether the win made him a greater player than Diego Maradona. He didn’t take the bait.
“The truth is that I thank God for giving me everything,” Messi said. “He’s given me everything,” according to Premier Christianity.
It wasn’t the first time he’d said something like it. A year earlier, after completing his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, Messi reflected on the source of his ability in strikingly similar terms: “It was God who made me play like this,” he said. “Obviously he gave me that gift, I have no doubt about that. He chose me and, obviously, I then did everything possible to try to improve myself and achieve success.”
Anyone who has watched Messi celebrate a goal has likely seen it: the point to the sky, the eyes lifted upward before he’s mobbed by teammates, a simple act of gratitude aimed at the Father above.
Messi married his childhood sweetheart, Antonella Roccuzzo, in 2017 in his hometown of Rosario. The wedding took place at the City Centre Hotel, and was dubbed by local press as the “wedding of the century.”
The hotel complex stands next to a slum area run by drug gangs — the wedding was held in the Las Flores neighborhood, one of the city’s most dangerous districts. More than 350 provincial and federal security forces watched over the 260 guests, including Messi’s Barcelona teammates.
In 2019, Pope Francis — a fellow Argentine and self-described soccer fan — was asked directly about Messi during an interview and offered praise for his ability while gently pushing back on the nickname some fans have given him: “D10S,” a play on his jersey number and the Spanish word for God. The pope made clear that while Messi was a remarkable athlete, he was not, in fact, divine.
After winning the World Cup in 2022 Messi gave glory to God: “I knew, I felt that God had something in store for me and it was at a very special moment, near the end of the circle, the end of my career as a professional athlete,” he said in the Clank interview. “I thank Him every day of my life for this and for everything He has always given me. I cannot ask Him for more, because thanks to Him I have everything.”
As he and his team chase another World Cup victory, Messi rests in the understanding that his real victory is in Jesus Christ.
Related content: Jeremy Doku on being a son of God before being a soccer player, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus praises Jesus in front of millions of fans, Khallil Lambin came to God by reading the Qur’an. Reprinted from God Reports with permission.
