Ezequiel Marcelo Garay González (born 10 October 1986 in Rosario, Santa Fe) is an Argentine footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal and for Argentina, as a central defender.
At the early age of 18, Garay made his professional debut for hometown club Newell's Old Boys, in the Argentine top division. His first match was against Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, as the Rosario side eventually clinched the Apertura championship.
Garay made another 12 league appearances for Newell's, scoring his first and only goal for the club in the local derby against Rosario Central, a 2–1 win.
In December 2005, Garay joined La Liga side Racing de Santander, helping with seven complete matches as the Cantabria side barely avoided relegation (17th). His first full season was nothing short of spectacular, as he netted nine league goals in 31 matches, being the second top scorer in his position in Europe's major leagues, only behind F.C. Internazionale Milano's Marco Materazzi (ten); against Real Madrid only, he found the net three times - 2–1 home win (both through penalties, as well as five other goals) and 1–3 away loss, as Racing eventually finished 10th, the club's best since returning to the top flight in 2002.
Lionel Andrés Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi], born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who plays in La Liga for FC Barcelona and is the captain of the Argentina national team, mainly as a forward.
By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year in 2009 he won both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011. He also won the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Messi is the fourth football player to win three Ballons d'Or, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive Ballons d'Or, after Michel Platini. His playing style and small stature have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his "successor".
Messi has won five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles. In 2012, Messi made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match, in a 7–1 win against Bayer Leverkusen. With two goals in the next round against A.C. Milan, he matched José Altafini's record of 14 goals in a single UEFA Champions League/European Cup season. He also became the first player to top-score in four successive European Champion Clubs' Cup campaigns. He set the world record for most goals scored in a season during the 2011–12 season, with 73 goals.