During June 2004, a dream became reality for the teenager from Rosario. At only 17, and before he had played a senior game for Barcelona, Lionel Messi debuted for Argentina, in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005, he led Argentina's Under 20 side to victory in the FIFA World Youth Championship. Here Messi showed his talents to the world and dominated the competition, scoring six times to claim the Golden Boot as well as the Golden Ball for best player. Thanks to this brilliant performance, Messi made his debut for Argentina on August 17 2005. Lionel Messi has won more awards than most footballers win in their entire career and is undoubtably one of the greatest footballers of all time. Lionel Messi has won more awards than most footballers win in their entire career and is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time. He is the most award winning player, the highest scorer in La Liga, and at the age of 32, he is still performing at a world class standard at Barcelona.