Lionel Messi - The Undisputed Magician of Football
“Lionel Messi! Lionel Messi did it again! He is superhuman!”
Yes, we are speaking about Lionel Andres Messi, a professional Argentine football player and one of the most admired footballers in the world. He is also counted as the “Greatest Of All Time” (GOAT). He has shattered many records during his career and holds many other records under his belt. As a club player and a member of the national team, he has achieved almost everything possible—trophies, titles, and, most importantly, respect and love. He is one of the most influential people in the world right now and has inspired millions around the globe. However, Lionel Messi’s path was never smooth sailing. He had ups and downs in his career, and today we see him as the greatest football player, but there is another side to the coin.
Lionel Andres Messi, born and brought up in Rosario, Argentina, is now known as the greatest footballer in history. He was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. His father is Jorge Messi, and his mother is Celia Mara Cuccittini. Messi is the third-born child of his parents, with three brothers and one sister. He had been very calm since childhood and spent most of his time playing football.
The Beginning of Lionel Messi’s Football Career
Born into a football-loving family, Leonel Messi developed a soft spot in his heart for the sport at a very young age. He spent most of his time playing this game with his siblings and cousins. His elder brothers used to play for a local club named Grandoli. One day, at age 4, Messi went to see his brothers play. His mother and grandmother were also there. That day, Grandoli was one player short, and the then-Grandoli coach, Salvador Aparicio, requested that Messi’s mother let him play and fill that one player's gap for the team. In that match, Aparicio could see Messi's potential and realized that the world would soon see a great player. After recalling that game in an interview, Salvador Aparicio broke down in tears. I watched as he effortlessly dribbled past his opponents. After that, he became a regular member of my team and promptly started scoring six or seven goals in every game we played. “He was supernatural,” he proclaimed.
At six, Messi joined an Argentine club named Newell’s Old Boys. He continued to show his football sorcery with his left foot for quite some time before leaving his homeland, Argentina, and starting a new journey in Barcelona at age 13.
La Masia and the Making of a New Football Star
Leonel Messi had a health condition in his childhood. He was diagnosed with growth hormone disorder (GHD), which prevents a person from gaining height properly. In 2000, along with his family, Messi came to Catalonia to look for treatments, but the treatments were too costly for his modest family to afford. In December 2000, a relative was set for a trial at the Barcelona youth academy, also known as La Masia. Charly Rexach, the director of the first team at La Masia, was so impressed by Messi that he offered him a contract written on a napkin. The director also reassured his loved ones that Barcelona would cover all medical costs associated with his care. Moreover, two months after the contract was signed, in February 2001, Messi’s whole family relocated to Barcelona, and Messi started his career at the youth academy.
Ever since the dawn of his career at La Masia, everyone in the academy has been impressed by his skills and playing ability. His dribbling past four or five players and scoring goals left everyone in great awe. The world was about to witness the most significant era of football, and Messi was a perfect reason for that.
At the age of 13, Messi started to play for Barcelona’s under-14 teams and continued playing in the La Masia youth team before making his debut for the main Barcelona team in 2004 at the age of 17. These three years at La Masia helped him develop his skills and learn much, allowing him to prepare for the challenges in the next chapter of his career—the actual “Barcelona” career.
Messi’s Barcelona Debut and the Peak of Absolute Greatness
Lionel Messi made his official debut for Barcelona’s senior team on October 16, 2004. In a La Liga match against Espanyol that day, Messi was subbed on in the 82nd minute of the match, aged only 17, making him the youngest player ever to represent Barcelona in an official competition. History awaited the rise of a football maestro who could hypnotize people with the magic he put into playing football.
Later that season, in May 2005, Messi scored his official debut goal for the Blaugranas, one of many. Since his debut, Messi has played the most matches for Barcelona.
