Lionel Messi is continuing to defy even the wildest expectations midway through his 19th season in professional football.
The 35-year-old is in the process of trying to join Daniel Passarella and Diego Maradona as the only Argentine World Cup-winning captains.
He has played a starring role in Qatar, steering his nation to yet another World Cup final. As the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner prepares for a shot at redemption for the loss to Germany in 2014, a familiar question has resurfaced: How tall is Lionel Messi?
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The Athleticis on hand to answer it while explaining his growth issues and comparing him to the other superstars of the game.
So, how tall is Lionel Messi?
Without visiting the man himself with a tape measure, it can be quite hard to find the exact measurement.
However, taking the evidence from the place where he has most recently had a full medical assessment seems the fairest way.
That means his current club, Paris Saint-Germain, should have the answers.
According to his player profile on their website, Messi’s height is listed as 1.7 metres — or 5 foot 7 inches.
How does Messi’s height compare to other players?
The Barcelona icon is most commonly compared to two players: Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo.
As Argentina hunt another World Cup triumph, the comparisons to his international compatriot and former manager have never been greater.
Maradona was the Argentina head coach at the 2010 World Cup (Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Messi was born 360 days after his nation’s success at the 1986 World Cup. So it’s hardly surprising that he was branded ‘the next Maradona’ throughout his youth.
Differences in their off-field personalities aside, there are many similarities between the two greats of Argentine football.
Both heroes for club and country, both outrageously-talented dribblers and both diminutive, one more so than the other.
Measuring at just 1.65 metres — 5 foot 5 inches — Maradona was a couple of inches shorter than the heir to his Argentine throne.
Meanwhile, the other player who has been heavily compared to Messi is noticeably taller.
His former El Clasico opponent, Ronaldo, measures at 1.87 metres — or 6 foot 2 inches — 17 centimetres taller than his greatest rival.
Did Messi struggle with a growth deficiency when he was younger?
Yes. His growth struggles have been widely documented.
At a very young age, it was clear he was much smaller than his peers and team-mates.
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Despite Maradona’s success, there was still a broad expectation in the 1980s and 90s that players had to have a physical presence as well as talent, which threatened Messi’s hopes of a professional career.
A doctor found that, at age 11, he had hardly grown over the last few years. Diego Schwarzstein diagnosed him with growth hormone deficiency.
The treatment involved injections of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) into alternate legs every day. An 11-year-old Messi had to administer those injections himself and some of the puncture marks were visible for a long time afterwards.
Luckily for the Messi family, the treatment — estimated to be around $900 a month — would be covered by Barcelona as part of his move to the club at the age of 13.
While at the Spanish club, he grew to his current height, 5 foot 7 inches and the rest is history.
(Top photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
