Justin Bieber hit a big milestone on Friday -- he finally turned 30 ... and let's just say, it's been a long, eventful ride getting to this number, which is worth looking back on.

It's been a wild ride for the Biebs ... who first caught the attention of super-manager Scooter Braun back in 2008. He signed with Braun and Usher not long after ... but, not before they had to outbid Justin Timberlake.

Since then, Bieber's music career has obviously taken off ... with Justin winning Grammys, embarking on world tours and rolling in millions over the next 15 years or so. Of course, his fan base has absolutely ballooned as well ... with millions upon millions of Beliebers.

Outside of his wildly successful music career -- Justin has proven to be popular with the ladies ... remember JB was linked to several famous faces over the years ... including Sofia Richie, Nicola Peltz, Kourtney Kardashian and, of course, longtime GF Selena Gomez.

None of those relationships lasted ... partly because of personal troubles Justin dealt with over the next decade. Justin's late teens and early 20s were full of controversy and tumult (who can forget the confiscated monkey) which included his notorious 2014 DUI arrest.

Bieber fought with personal issues for years ... that is, until he finally cleaned up his act and turned to God, while also getting back together with another one of his famous exes -- Hailey Baldwin, who's now Mrs. Bieber.

Justin and Hailey married in September 2018 -- the end of a whirlwind rekindling that reportedly began just months before the two said their vows. They've been together ever since ... looking lovestruck every time they're spotted together, and tied at the hip.

More recently, Justin's been plagued by health issues ... including Ramsay Hunt Syndrome which paralyzed part of his face and forced him to cancel his "Justice" world tour. He hasn't performed much since 2022 -- and there's no sign he's gonna hit the big stage again soon.

Remember, he'd been approached about performing with Usher at the Super Bowl Halftime Show -- but in the end, he passed on it ... even though he did attend the game itself.

Bieber chose to remain a spectator for that one, but it was still good to see him out and about. He actually hits the town a lot with Hailey these days ... but he ain't talking much.

And yet ... his fans absolutely adore him, to this day. For good reason obviously -- he's a star among stars, and then some -- and on his 30th birthday ... it's crazy to think we've spent all these years with him in the public spotlight.