LIONEL Messi graces the latest cover of Time magazine, but not in the US.

The Argentine and Barcelona star, who won the Footballer of the Year title for the third time this year, was considered famous enough for the cover in the magazine's editions in Europe, Asia and Oceania.

But in the US the magazine apparently believed he was not well known enough.

It is unusual for a sportsman to be featured on Time's cover. This week's edition carries the picture with the headline "King Leo".

According to Barcelona's website, it is the first time a footballer has graced the magazine's cover.

This is not true, however. But this is the first time the magazine's cover report is wholly devoted to one male footballer across multiple international editions.

Time's report tried to focus on a rivalry between Messi and the other big player in Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi told the Time interviewer that he had "never fixated" on Ronaldo, or compared himself to any other player.

"My mentality is just to achieve more each year, to grow both as an individual and as a team, and if he wasn't there, I'd be doing the same thing," he told the magazine.