Lionel Messi's inexorable rise – from a small boy in Rosario to all-conquering World Cup winner and global superstar – is one of the greatest stories in sporting history. Told and retold over the decades of Messi's footballing dominance, it has already become the stuff of legend. But this is not another chronological account of goals scored, trophies won and records broken. Instead, this compelling biography reveals the man behind the myth by focusing on the people and the moments that came to define Messi.

Each chapter explores a key relationship – with Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola, Diego Maradona, Lionel Scaloni and others – or a pivotal challenge, from leaving home for Barcelona as a teenager to overcoming career-threatening setbacks, tax troubles and the intense scrutiny he faced when he led Argentina, before he finally lifted the World Cup. Structured as a series of self-contained episodes so readers can begin anywhere, Messi and Everything Else offers a unique way to experience the footballing great's era-defining talent.

Having interviewed Messi on several occasions and watched hundreds of his matches in person, Sergio Levinsky draws on more than twenty years of first-hand reporting to create an authoritative, passionate and inventive portrait of an unmatched life.

For football lovers and biography readers alike, Messi and Everything Else presents Messi as you've never seen him before.