by tyler | Nov 10, 2023 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of award-winning screen legend Sophia Loren.
Birth date: September 20, 1934
Birth place: Rome, Italy (grew up in Pozzuoli, outside of Naples)
Birth name: Sofia Villani Scicolone
Father: Riccardo Scicolone
Mother: Romilda Villani
Marriages: Carlo Ponti (April 9, 1966-January 10, 2007, his death; September 17, 1957-September 3, 1962, annulled)
Children: Edoardo, Carlo Jr.
At six, her chin was cut by shrapnel during a bombing in World War II.
Other screen names used before becoming Sophia Loren were Sofia Lazzaro and Sofia Scicolone.
Nominated for two Academy Awards and won one. She also received an honorary award.
Nominated for eight Golden Globes and won five. She also received the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Nominated for one Grammy Award and won.
An accomplished cook, she has written three cookbooks.
1949 – Enters the Queen of the Sea beauty contest and comes in second, winning a train ticket to Rome, where she begins modeling and acting in B-movies.
Early 1950s – Is the runner-up in a nightclub beauty contest for Miss Rome. Movie producer Carlo Ponti is one of the judges.
1951 – Makes her US film debut as an uncredited extra, with no lines, in the film “Quo Vadis?”
Early 1950s – Adopts the last name Loren.
October 23, 1953 – “Aida” opens; it’s her first major leading role.
1957 – Loren appears in her first English-speaking leading role, “The Pride and the Passion.” She learns her lines by using cue cards of English words written phonetically.
1962 – Wins the Best Actress Academy Award for “La ciociara (Two Women).”
September 3, 1962 – Her marriage of almost five years to Carlo Ponti is annulled. Neither the Vatican nor Italian law recognizes Ponti’s 1957 divorce by proxy from Giuliana Ponti. Loren and Ponti are forced to annul their marriage after warrants for their arrest are issued.
1964 – Stars in the movie, “Matrimonio all’italiana (Marriage Italian Style).” Nominated for an Academy Award.
1964-1965 – Moves to France with Carlo Ponti and becomes a French citizen.
1965 – Giuliana Ponti obtains a French divorce recognized by Italian law.
April 9, 1966 – Loren and Carlo Ponti marry for the second time.
July 24, 1968 – Loren and Ponti cleared of bigamy charges by Rome’s criminal court.
January 23, 1979 – Loren is tried (in absentia), and acquitted, of complicity with Ponti in income tax evasion, misuse of government subsidies, and illegal export of Italian funds and artwork. Carlo Ponti is convicted and sentenced to four years in prison (two years were pardoned) and fined 22 billion lire ($24 million). All charges against him were cleared in 1987.
1980 – Portrays both herself and her mother in the made-for-TV movie “Sophia Loren: Her Own Story,” based on her 1979 autobiography, “Sophia: Living and Loving, Her Own Story,” written with A. E. Hotchner.
May 20, 1982 – Loren begins her 30-day jail term for tax evasion, for unpaid supplementary taxes for 1963-1964.
June 5, 1982 – Serves 17 days of her 30-day jail term.
1991 – Receives Honorary Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
2003 – Winner, Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children (along with Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev) for reading Prokofiev’s “Peter and The Wolf.”
2009 – Appears in the movie “Nine,” her first role in five years.
November 2014 – Loren’s memoir, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: My Life,” is published.
November 13, 2020 – “The Life Ahead” premieres on Netflix. The film stars Loren and is directed by her son, Edoardo Ponti.
April 2021 – Loren opens Sophia Loren Original Italian Food, a restaurant and pizzeria, in Florence, Italy.
September 24, 2023 – Is taken to hospital for surgery after falling in her home and suffering several fractures to her hip and thighbone.
by tyler | Nov 8, 2023 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Birth date: November 23, 1962
Birth place: Caracas, Venezuela
Birth name: Nicolás Maduro Moros
Father: Nicolás Maduro García
Mother: Teresa de Jesús Moros
Marriage: Cilia Flores
Children: Nicolás Jr.
Worked as a bus driver for Caracas Metro and belonged to the transit union.
Maduro campaigned for Hugo Chavez’s release from prison for the 1992 attempted coup to overthrow President Carlos Andres Perez.
After Chavez’s release, Maduro helped him found the political party Fifth Republic Movement.
1999 – Maduro is elected to the National Constituent Assembly, the body convened to draft a new constitution.
2000 – Is elected to the National Assembly, the country’s legislative branch of government
2005-2006 – Serves as Speaker of the National Assembly.
2006-2013 – Serves as foreign minister.
October 12, 2012 – Is selected by Chavez to serve as vice president.
December 9, 2012 – Facing his fourth surgery for cancer, Chavez endorses Maduro to succeed him.
March 8, 2013 – Is sworn in as interim president following the death of Chavez.
April 14, 2013 – Wins the presidential election by fewer than two percentage points. Maduro’s opponent, Henrique Capriles Radonski demands a recount. On April 17, a manual recount is ruled as unconstitutional by the country’s chief justice.
April 19, 2013 – Maduro is sworn in.
September 30, 2013 – Maduro announces on state-run TV that he is expelling three US diplomats. He claims they were involved in a widespread power outage earlier in the month. “Get out of Venezuela,” he says, listing several names. “Yankee go home. Enough abuses already.”
February 12, 2014 – Ongoing student protests attract global attention when three people are killed. Major social and economic problems have fueled the protests, with some blaming the government for those problems.
February 20, 2014 – Venezuela revokes press credentials for CNN journalists in the country and denies them for other CNN journalists entering the country, following Maduro’s announcement that he would expel CNN if it did not “rectify” its coverage of anti-government protests, calling it war propaganda. On February 22, Venezuela reissues press credentials for CNN journalists in the country.
February 21, 2014 – Maduro calls for US President Barack Obama to “accept the challenge” of holding direct talks with Venezuela.
January 15, 2016 – Following the release of years of economic data, Maduro declares a state of economic emergency.
May 1, 2017 – Maduro announces that he has signed an executive order paving the way for changes in the constitution that will reshape the legislature and redefine his executive powers.
May 13, 2016 – Maduro declares a constitutional state of emergency, which expands on the economic emergency he declared in January.
October 30, 2016 – Maduro participates in talks with political opponents for the first time in two years.
July 30, 2017 – An election is held to replace the National Assembly with a new pro-Maduro legislative body called the National Constituent Assembly. Amid clashes between police and protestors, at least six people are killed. Although Maduro claims victory, opposition leaders say the vote is fraudulent.
July 31, 2017 – The US Treasury Department sanctions Maduro’s assets and bars US citizens from dealing with him. This comes a day after elections are held for a new lawmaking body.
January 24, 2018 – Announces he will run for reelection.
May 20, 2018 – During an election denounced by opposition leaders and the international community, Maduro wins another six-year term. Voter turnout falls to 46%, down from an 80% participation rate in 2013. The next day, an alliance of 14 Latin American nations and Canada, known as the Lima Group, releases a statement calling the vote illegitimate.
August 4, 2018 – Several drones armed with explosives fly towards Maduro in an apparent assassination attempt during a military parade. The next day, the interior minister announces that six people have been arrested in connection with the attack. Maduro is not injured.
August 5, 2018 – Interior Minister Néstor Reverol says that six people have been arrested after the apparent assassination attempt on Maduro.
September 8, 2018 – The New York Times reports secret meetings between US officials and Venezuelan military officers planning a coup against Maduro. CNN confirms the report, which describes a series of meetings over the course of a year.
September 17, 2018 – Maduro is criticized for eating a lavish meal by celebrity chef Nusret Gökçe, also known as Salt Bae, in the midst of a food crisis.
September 25, 2018 – The United States imposes sanctions on Maduro’s wife and three other members of his inner circle, as an attempt to weaken his grip on power.
September 26, 2018 – Maduro speaks at the UN General Assembly, calling the humanitarian crisis in his country a “fabrication.” He accuses the United States and its Latin American allies of “trying to put their hands in our country.”
October 8, 2018 – One of the suspects in the apparent assassination attempt dies in a fall from the tenth floor of a building. Intelligence officials say the death was a suicide.
January 10, 2019 – Maduro is sworn in for his second term, although most democratic countries in the region refuse to recognize him as president. The Organization of American States says its member nations voted 19-6, with eight abstentions, to not recognize the legitimacy of Maduro’s government.
January 23, 2019 – Juan Guaido, who leads the National Assembly, declares himself the interim president amid anti-government protests. Following Guaido’s announcement, US President Donald Trump says that the United States recognizes him as the legitimate president. Maduro accuses the United States of backing an attempted coup and gives US diplomats 72 hours to leave the country.
April 30, 2019 – During a live televised address, Maduro claims troops loyal to him defeated a “coup-de-etat attempt” by Trump and national security adviser John Bolton. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells CNN that Maduro had been preparing to depart the country via airplane, but Russians convinced him to stay. A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry says Pompeo’s claim is false.
July 4, 2019 – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights publishes a report highly critical of the Maduro regime. Based on research conducted January 2018 to May 2019, the report “highlights patterns of violations directly and indirectly affecting all human rights.” Responding a few days later, Maduro says the report contains manipulations and inaccurate data.
March 26, 2020 – The Justice Department announces narco-terrorism and other criminal charges against Maduro and senior leaders from his government. Federal prosecutors in New York’s Southern District, Miami and Washington, DC, allege the officials are the leaders of the so-called Cartel de los Soles and coordinate with the Colombian rebel group FARC to traffic cocaine to the United States.
May 4, 2020 – In a live address on state television, Maduro reports that two American “mercenaries” have been apprehended after a failed coup attempt to capture and remove him. He identifies the captured Americans as Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41. He shows what he claims are the US passports and driver’s licenses of the men, along with their ID cards from Silvercorp, a Florida-based security services company. On August 8, the men are sentenced to 20 years in prison.
July 24, 2021 – During an interview with Venezuela’s state-run television, Maduro says he is ready to open negotiations with the Venezuelan opposition in August.
October 16, 2021 – Venezuela suspends on-going negotiations with the opposition following the Cape Verde extradition of Colombian businessman Alex Saab, alleged financier to Maduro, to the United States on money laundering charges.
September 20, 2022 – A new UN report documents the crimes against humanity, including acts of torture committed by the Venezuelan security forces. The report says the orders for the crimes came from Maduro and other high level officials.
by tyler | Nov 8, 2023 | CNN, world
Here is a look at the life of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Birth date: November 19, 1954
Birth place: Cairo, Egypt
Birth name: Abdel Fattah Said Hussein Khalil el-Sisi
Father: Said “Hassan” el-Sisi, bazaar shop owner
Mother: Soad Mohamed
Marriage: Entissar Amer (1977-present)
Children: Mustafa, Mahmoud, Hassan and Aya
Education: Egyptian Military Academy, 1977; attended Egyptian Command and Staff College, 1987; attended Joint Command and Staff College, United Kingdom, 1992; attended Nasser’s Military Sciences Academy, Egypt, 2003; attended US Army War College, Pennsylvania, 2006
Religion: Muslim
After graduating from military academy in Egypt, Sisi began in the infantry corps and later rose to command a mechanized infantry division, then Egypt’s northern military zone.
Served as the Egyptian military attaché in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
February 2011 – Following Mubarak’s ouster, is appointed director of military intelligence and reconnaissance. Sisi also becomes the youngest member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the interim military authority comprised of senior military leaders.
June 26, 2011 – Sisi pledges to Amnesty International that the Egyptian army will no longer subject female detainees to “virginity tests.” Months earlier, Sisi had confirmed that forced “virginity tests” were performed on women arrested at the March 9 protests and defended the practice.
August 12, 2012 – President Mohamed Morsy appoints Sisi as minister of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
July 1, 2013 – After widespread demonstrations, Sisi delivers the Egyptian military’s message that the country’s civilian government has 48 hours to “meet the demands of the people” or the military will step in to restore order. The ultimatum is not considered the declaration of a coup.
July 3, 2013 – Egypt’s military removes Morsy from power and reportedly holds him under house arrest. In a televised speech to the nation, Sisi says that Morsy “did not achieve the goals of the people” and failed to meet the generals’ demands that he share power with his opposition. Sisi also says that Adly Mansour will serve as interim president.
July 16, 2013 – In addition to retaining his positions as defense minister and leader of the armed forces, Sisi is also sworn-in as deputy prime minister.
January 2014 – Is promoted to field marshal.
March 26, 2014 – Resigns from his military post and declares his candidacy for president of Egypt.
May 5, 2014 – In a taped interview broadcast on Egyptian satellite networks, Sisi vows to finish off the Muslim Brotherhood if he’s elected president.
June 3, 2014 – Officially declared the winner of the presidential election, with more than 96% of the vote.
June 8, 2014 – Sworn in as president.
February 22, 2015 – Due to growing threats in the region, Sisi states that there is a need for a unified Arab force.
September 23, 2015 – Sisi pardons 100 prisoners. Among them are Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, who were arrested in December 2013 after being accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
April 3, 2017 – Sisi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. This is the first visit by an Egyptian leader to the White House in seven years.
April 2017-October 2021 – A nationwide state of emergency declared by Sisi is extended every three months with the approval of parliament. The initial declaration followed terrorist attacks on two churches in 2017.
April 2, 2018 – Secures a second term in office after winning 97% of the vote.
April 9, 2019 – Trump meets with Sisi at the White House for the second time.
April 23, 2019 – The National Elections Authority announces that Egyptians have voted to pass a number of major changes to the country’s constitution. One amendment would extend a presidential term from four to six years. It would also add two more years to Sisi’s current term and allow him to seek reelection for another six-year term in 2024.
September 20, 2019 – Hundreds of anti-regime protesters gather in Cairo demanding Sisi’s resignation over allegations of corruption.
October 2, 2019 – According to Amnesty International, Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 2,300 people, including at least 111 children, the largest crackdown under Sisi’s rule.
June 27, 2021 – Sisi arrives in Baghdad, becoming the first Egyptian leader to travel to Iraq in three decades, Dr. Hussein Allawi, advisor to Iraq’s prime minister, tells CNN.
September 11, 2021 – Sisi launches Egypt’s new national human rights strategy.
April 26, 2022 – In a speech during Ramadan, Sisi calls on Egypt’s political parties to establish a dialogue regarding national action. He promises to address the resulting report. He also reactivates the Presidential Pardon Committee.
by tyler | Nov 2, 2023 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Birth date: November 12, 1948
Birth place: Sorkheh, Iran
Birth name: Hassan Feridon
Marriage: Sahebeh Arabi
Children: Has four children
Education: University of Tehran, B. A., 1972; Glasgow Caledonian University, M. Phil., 1995; Glasgow Caledonian University, Ph.D., 1999
Religion: Shiite Muslim
Rouhani is a cleric. His religious title is Hojatoleslam, which is a middle rank in the religious hierarchy.
Arrested many times in the 1960s and 1970s as a follower of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Iranian media refers to Rouhani as the “diplomat sheik.”
1960 – Begins his religious studies at a seminary in Semnan province.
1977 – Under the threat of arrest, leaves Iran and joins Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in exile in France.
1980-2000 – After the overthrow of the Shah, Rouhani serves five terms in the National Assembly.
1983-1988 – Member of the Supreme Defense Council.
1985-1991 – Commander of the Iranian air defenses.
1988-1989 – Deputy commander of Iran’s Armed Forces.
1989-1997 – National security adviser to the president.
1989-2005 – Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
1989-present – Represents Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
1991-present – Member of the country’s Expediency Council.
1992-2013 – President of the Center for Strategic Research.
1999-present – Member of the Council of Experts, the group that chooses the Supreme Leader.
2000-2005 – National security adviser to the president.
2003-2005 – Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.
June 14, 2013 – Wins the presidential election after securing more than 50% of the vote.
August 4, 2013 – Rouhani is sworn in as the seventh president of Iran.
September 19, 2013 – Writes a column in The Washington Post calling for engagement and “a constructive approach” to issues such as Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
September 25, 2013 – In stark contrast to his predecessor, Rouhani condemns the actions of the Nazis during the Holocaust.
September 27, 2013 – Speaks with US President Barack Obama by telephone, the first direct conversation between leaders of Iran and the United States since 1979.
July 14, 2015 – After negotiators strike a nuclear deal in Vienna, Rouhani touts the benefits of the agreement on Iranian television, declaring, “Our prayers have come true.” The deal calls for restrictions on uranium enrichment and research in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
September 28, 2015 – Rouhani addresses the General Assembly of the United Nations, stating “A new chapter has started in Iran’s relations with the world.” However, he also says that America and Israel are partially responsible for the increase in global terrorism: “If we did not have the US military invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the United States’ unwarranted support for the inhumane actions of the Zionist regime against the oppressed nation of Palestine, today the terrorists would not have an excuse for the justification of their crimes.”
September 22, 2016 – Speaking to global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Rouhani accuses the United States of “a lack of compliance” with the nuclear deal agreed on in July 2015. Rouhani also attacks the United States for what he describes as “illegal actions,” referring to the US Supreme Court decision in April 2016 to allow US victims of terror to claim nearly $2 billion in compensation from Iran’s central bank.
May 20, 2017 – Rouhani wins reelection after securing approximately 57% of the vote.
September 20, 2017 – In a press conference following US President Donald Trump’s speech at the UN General Assembly calling the nuclear deal with Iran an embarrassment to the United States, Rouhani calls for an apology to the people of Iran for the “offensive” comments and “baseless” accusations, including Trump’s assertion that the “Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy.”
July 22, 2018 – Addressing diplomats in Tehran, Rouhani warns the United States that war with Iran would be “the mother of all wars.”
September 25, 2018 – In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Rouhani says Iran is sticking to the nuclear deal. If the signatories remaining after the United States pulled out aren’t “living up to their commitments,” then Iran will re-evaluate.
November 5, 2018 – In public remarks made during a cabinet meeting, Rouhani says Iran will “proudly break” US sanctions that went into effect a day earlier. The sanctions – the second round reimposed after Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal in May – target Iran’s oil and gas industries as well as shipping, shipbuilding and banking industries.
May 8, 2019 – Rouhani announces that Iran will reduce its “commitments” to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) but will not fully withdraw. In a televised speech, Rouhani says Iran will keep its excess enriched uranium and heavy water, rather than sell it to other countries as previously agreed to limit its stockpile.
July 3, 2019 – Rouhani announces Iran will begin enriching uranium at a higher level than what is allowed under the JCPOA. He vows to revive work on the Arak heavy-water reactor, which had been suspended under the nuclear deal.
September 26, 2019 – Rouhani announces Iran has started using advanced models of centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the JCPOA.
January 3, 2020 – Qasem Soleimani, leader of the Quds Force unit Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps since 1988, is killed at Baghdad International Airport in an US airstrike ordered by Trump. Rouhani says the United States committed a “grave mistake” and “will face the consequences of this criminal act not only today, but also in the coming years.”
January 11, 2020 – Rouhani apologizes to the Ukrainian people after Iran’s armed forces downs a Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet in Tehran, mistaking it for a hostile target. He promises to hold those responsible for the January 8 tragedy “accountable,” according to the readout of a call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
June 19, 2021 – Ebrahim Raisi wins Iran’s presidential election.
August 5, 2021 – Raisi is sworn in, replacing Rouhani as president of Iran.
by tyler | Nov 2, 2023 | CNN, world
Here is a look at the life of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of Mexico.
Birth date: November 13, 1953
Birth place: Tepetitán, Mexico
Birth name: Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Father: Andrés López Ramón, a store owner
Mother: Manuela Obrador González, a store owner
Marriages: Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller (2006-present); Rocío Beltrán Medina (1979-2003, her death)
Children: with Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller: Jesús Ernesto; with Rocío Beltrán Medina: José Ramón, Andrés Manuel, Gonzalo Alfonso
Education: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Public Administration and Political Science, 1976
Religion: Raised Catholic, identifies as Christian
Often referred to by his nickname AMLO, his initials.
Has written more than 15 books.
Known for his campaigns against election fraud.
His grandfather, a native of the Spanish town Ampuero, arrived in Mexico as an exile during the 1930s under the protection of President Lázaro Cárdenas.
1977-1982 – Director of National Indigenous Institute of Tabasco. During this time he lives among the Chontal Indians.
1983 – Head of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the State of Tabasco.
1984 – Director of the Social Promotion department at the National Consumer Institute.
1988 – Unsuccessfully runs for governor. Prior to the election, López Obrador leaves the Institutional Revolution Party and joins the Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD).
1994 – Unsuccessfully runs for governor of the State of Tabasco.
1996-1999 – President of the Party of the Democratic Revolution.
2000-2005 – Mayor of Mexico City.
May 2004 – Impeachment proceedings are filed against López Obrador, claiming he violated a court order.
August 29, 2004 – Thousands of people march through Mexico City in support of López Obrador. The protest is in response to the impeachment charges filed against him.
May 4, 2005 – Impeachment charges are dropped, allowing López Obrador to run for president.
2006 – Unsuccessfully runs for president of Mexico; loses by a half-percentage point.
July 3, 2012 – After losing the presidential election on July 1, López Obrador claims there is voter fraud and asks for a recount of the ballots.
July 12, 2012 – López Obrador announces he is filing a legal challenge to the vote.
August 31, 2012 – Mexico’s electoral tribunal upholds the legality of the election and declares Enrique Peña Nieto president of Mexico. López Obrador announces he won’t accept the vote count.
December 3, 2013 – Suffers from a heart attack.
2014 – Founds the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) political party.
July 1, 2018 – Wins the presidential election with more than 53% of the vote.
December 1, 2018 – Is sworn into office.
March 19, 2019 – Signs vow that he will not seek reelection as president.
April 16, 2019 – Announces he will cancel the educational reform that came into effect under Peña Nieto.
January 24, 2021 – Announces he has tested positive for Covid-19. States that his symptoms are mild and that he is receiving medical treatment.
January 10, 2022 – Announces he has tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time.
April 10, 2022 – López Obrador wins Mexico’s first presidential recall referendum.
by tyler | Nov 2, 2023 | CNN, world
Here is a look at the life of soccer player Lionel “Leo” Messi, who plays for Argentina’s national team and Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami.
Birth date: June 24, 1987
Birth place: Rosario, Argentina
Birth name: Lionel Andrés Messi
Father: Jorge Messi, factory worker
Mother: Celia Cuccittini de Messi
Marriage: Antonela Roccuzzo (June 30, 2017-present)
Children: Ciro, Mateo and Thiago
As a young boy, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. At age 13, he signed with Futbol Club Barcelona and moved to Spain. As part of the contract, FC Barcelona agreed to pay for Messi’s hormone treatments.
All-time leading scorer of FC Barcelona and Spanish soccer league La Liga.
Winner of the Ballon d’Or, or footballer of the year, a record eight times: a record four consecutive years (2009-2012) and again for 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Won the European Golden Shoe award six times: 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19.
1995-2000 – Plays for the local club team, Newell’s Old Boys, in Rosario, Argentina.
2000-2003 – Signs with FC Barcelona and works his way up through Barca’s youth squads.
November 16, 2003 – Makes his team debut, as a replacement in a friendly match against FC Porto.
October 16, 2004 – Makes his official debut for FC Barcelona against Espanyol. Barca wins 1-0.
2007 – Establishes the Leo Messi Foundation, working to improve access to education and health care for children.
August 2008 – Leads Argentina’s soccer team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
March 11, 2010 – Messi is announced as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
2011-2012 season – Sets the all-time record for most goals scored in a single season for a major European football league, with 73 goals.
June 2013 – Prosecutors in Barcelona file tax fraud charges against Messi and his father for the period between 2007 and 2009. The complaint alleges that Messi and his father, aiming to lower their Spanish tax bill, sought to manage the player’s lucrative income from image rights through shell companies set up overseas. Messi denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
June 25, 2013 – Prosecutors in Barcelona tell CNN that Messi paid €10 million ($13 million) in taxes to cover the tax period 2010-2011, but efforts to prosecute him for alleged tax fraud from 2007 to 2009 are still ongoing.
August 14, 2013 – Messi and his father, Jorge Messi, make a “reparatory” payment of €5 million ($6.6 million) to Spanish authorities for allegedly committing tax fraud between 2007 and 2009.
September 27, 2013 – Messi and his father testify in a Barcelona court in a preliminary hearing over allegations they defrauded Spanish tax authorities of more than $5 million.
March 16, 2014 – Scores a hat-trick (three goals during a game), to become FC Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer with 371 goals, eclipsing the record set by Paulino Alcantara, who scored 369 goals.
May 2014 – Signs a new contract with FC Barcelona for a reported annual net of €20 million ($27 million).
June 2014 – A Spanish state prosecutor asks the judge to drop the tax fraud charges against Messi, but not his father.
July 13, 2014 – Messi wins the Golden Ball award for the best player of the World Cup tournament.
July 28, 2014 – A judge rules that the tax fraud case against Messi and his father will proceed, despite the Spanish state prosecutor’s June request that the charges against Messi be dropped.
November 22, 2014 – Messi scores a hat-trick to become the Spanish league’s all-time leading goalscorer with 253 goals, surpassing Telmo Zarra’s previous record of 251 goals.
October 8, 2015 – A Spanish court rules that Messi and his father will stand trial for tax fraud charges.
May 31, 2016 – The tax fraud trial begins for Messi and his father.
June 27, 2016 – Says he probably will retire from international soccer after Argentina loses the Copa America final to Chile on penalties.
July 6, 2016 – A Barcelona court fines Messi €2 million ($2.3 million), and sentences him to 21 months in prison for tax fraud. The Spanish courts reduces Messi’s prison sentence to an additional fine of €252,000 ($287,000) in July 2017.
August 12, 2016 – Messi announces that he will play for Argentina once again, having stated in June that he would retire from international soccer.
July 5, 2017 – Barcelona and Messi announce a contract extension that will keep Messi at Barca until June 30, 2021, and is reportedly worth €565,000 ($645,000) a week.
January 13, 2019 – Scores his 400th Spanish league goal in his 435th appearance, extending his record as La Liga’s all-time top scorer. Messi is the first player to score 400 times in any of Europe’s “big five” leagues.
August 2, 2019 – Messi is banned from all competition for three months and fined $50,000 by the CONMEBOL Disciplinary Court. The punishment comes after Messi accused South American football’s governing body of corruption, suggesting the 2019 Copa America was rigged in favor of hosts Brazil.
August 5, 2021 – Messi is leaving FC Barcelona, according to a statement from the club.
August 10, 2021 – French club Paris Saint-Germain announces signing Messi to a two-year contract with an option of extending for a third year.
January 2, 2022 – In a statement, Paris Saint-Germain announces Messi is one of four players of the French club to have tested positive for Covid-19. The other three players are Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico and Nathan Bitumazala.
May 30, 2022 – Speaks about his struggle to recover from Covid-19 after testing positive in January. He missed three matches: two in Ligue 1 and one in the French Cup. “It left me with after effects. It left me with after effects in my lungs. I came back and it was like a month and a half without even being able to run because my lungs were affected.”
December 18, 2022 – Argentina defeats France to win the World Cup. Messi, playing in his fifth and final World Cup, scores twice. Later, Messi wins his second Golden Ball award.
June 7, 2023 – Messi says he’s going to join the MLS club Inter Miami. “I made the decision that I am going to Miami. I still haven’t closed it one hundred percent. I’m missing some things but we decided to continue my journey there,” he says in an interview posted by Spanish outlets SPORT and Mundo Deportivo. On July 21, he makes his debut with the club.
August 19, 2023 – Messi scores to lead Inter Miami past Nashville FC in a penalty kick shootout to capture the Leagues Cup title and score the club’s first trophy.
