I suffered in awe and in admiration last night. For the second time in two years I saw my beloved team Arsenal succumb to Barcelona in the Champion’s league. Through the disappointment, one has to applaud the little magician that is Lionel Messi. I don’t quite remember Pele, I saw Johan Cruyff and George Best as a boy, and I saw Maradona dribble around the whole England team in disbelief in 1986 (and cheat too by punching the ball in the net), but having watched young Lionel over the past few years, I reckon he has the potential to be better than the lot of them.
Lionel has an incredible chart, I have seen a lot in my astrology studies over the past 20 years, but his one shines like a beacon with talent. Lionel was born in 1986 on 24th June in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina at 20.20 hrs. A Cancerian by birth, he has a Gemini moon and an individualistic Aquarius Ascendant. Leo’s Sun is right on the cusp of the 5th and 6th houses, into the 6th by 20 minutes. One can find an argument with a planet bang on the cusp, there can be a blending of the Sun’s influence on the two houses either side. In the fifth a love of games, children, risk and of giving love and pleasure; in the sixth a perfecting of the skills and technique he requires to play soccer to the optimum degree. Opposite the Sun is Neptune in Capricorn, Lionel has great vision and dreams which actually come out in a physical form. Vision in a footballer is vital, being able to “see” what is going on in and around you and react to it. Neptune is quindecile Mars conjunct Mercury, so Leo’s reactions to that vision he sees is rapid, allowing him to react quicker than his peers. Making the Sun/Neptune opposition into a wedge formation is Pluto in Scorpio in the 10th house. Pluto is very powerful here adding a sense of destiny to his work, and a ruthless attitude; Lionel has a killer’s instinct in front of goal and is quite unemotional with Moon in Gemini – it drives him to be the best, which I believe in the world of football he is right now. That Moon and Venus sit together in the 5th house. Here is a childlike love of games and an appreciation of beauty, of course he plays in the “beautiful game” with grace and perfection. Also sitting in the 6th house is Mercury conjunct Mars. Mars endows a love of a physical challenge and a good attitude to fitness, Mercury here again perfects the reactions and together those reactions are lightning fast. Messi is known for his twinkle toes, twisting and turning past players like they didn’t exist. He has speed of mind and a quickness on the ground.
Lionel has Jupiter in the 4th house conjunct the IC in positive Aries. He would have has a happy upbringing with a strong tie to his mother, I can imagine her to be a big jovial character. Lionel will have an optimistic, can do attitude to life, he is very ambitious (Jupiter square Mars) and will never satisfied, always wanting to improve and get better, he embraces competition. He may have an interest in real estate when he finally hangs up his boots. With Jupiter trine Uranus in the 11th house, Leo is an innovator, an individualist and will be very keen to support humanitarian causes. Finally we come around the chart to look at the Saturn/Uranus conjunction in the 11th house. Leo desperately needs to be loved and adored, and from the Camp Nou crowd he receives that adoration. He would have missed the love of his father with Saturn retrograde, and we do know that he moved from Argentina to Barcelona when he was a teenager. He is serious about the team (11th house) and the team and the manager Pep Guardiola in a way has become his “adopted” father figure (Pep incidentally is also a Capricorn appropriately ruled by Saturn) replacing the love and advice that he would have received. One would wonder how he would perform if he was in a different environment and with a different manager. Uranus in the 11th is individualistic within the team, and Leo has become the star in a team of stars.
Looking at his current transits and Solar Arcs, all quiet on the future for Leo. He may not be at the peak of his powers right now, but he does have transiting Pluto trine and sextile Neptune and it’s own position which is progressive. Leo’s SA Midheaven is exactly trine Mercury today as I write, so in the news for all the right reasons, unfortunately for me and my team.
Putting it all together, you have a remarkable combination of the love of the game, incredible reactions, with a dedication to succeed and a ruthless streak. The only risk I see ahead for Leo is when he stops playing. That Neptune opposite Sun is susceptible to drink and drugs and escapism, when he no longer has the weekly adoration on the field. All in all, Lionel Messi has a most remarkable chart.