title: Messi (2014 film)
text: # Messi (2014 film)
  
  * This article is part of a series about Lionel Messi
  
  Argentine professional footballer
  
  International goals
  
  Career achievements
  
  Messi–Ronaldo rivalry
  
  New Maradona
  
  Eponyms and public art
  
  Cougar
  
  Sistine Chapel of Football
  
  Films
  
  Messi (2014)
  
  Messi (2017)
  
  Messi and Maud (2017)
  
  Take the Ball Pass the Ball (2018)
  
  Family
  
  Maxi Biancucchi
  
  Emanuel Biancucchi :
  
  vte :
  
  Messi is a 2014 documentary film directed by Álex de la Iglesia. The film explores the rise of Argentine football player Lionel Messi who, at the time of the film's release, played for FC Barcelona.
  
  ## Production
  
  The film focuses on Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, from his youth in Rosario to becoming one of the world's greatest players at FC Barcelona, and features Jorge Valdano discussing the qualities of Messi with Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff and former Argentina manager César Luis Menotti. In making the film, Iglesia said he was influenced by Orson Welles' Citizen Kane and Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose. The film was produced by Mediapro and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
  
  ## Reception
  
  After the film's premiere during the Venice Film Festival in 2014, Andrew Barker of Variety wrote that "the film is well shot and very briskly edited" and praised the choice to include figures throughout Messi's career and to not include Messi himself, but complained that they "never interact in particularly interesting ways" and also highlighted the lack of insight into his character.
  
  