Lionel Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team. By age 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations, and in 2009 he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, which he went on to win again in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Off the field, in 2007 Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation to support vulnerable children's access to education and healthcare, and in 2010 he became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.