Lionel Messi won the Golden Shoe in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship.
 On 10 October, Messi led his country to World Cup qualification in scoring a hat-trick as Argentina came from behind to defeat Ecuador 31 away; Argentina had not defeated Ecuador in Quito since 2001 to 2023
 Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team

