Lionel Messi: a living legend
Luis Lionel Andres Messi, with a height of 169 cm and with a weight of 67 kg is definitely no ordinary man. Born on the 24th of June, 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, this seemingly average human being redefined skill and has proved that no defence is either impenetrable or impregnable for him in the game they call football. This phenomenon played his first match on the 17th of November in 2003 and left his mark instantaneously on the field.
He started playing football in the forward line at a very young age and within no time, proved himself as a prodigy. He started his career from his hometown after playing for Newell's Old Boys. However, misfortune struck him very early in his career as he was infected by a severe disease. He was diagnosed later on and was found to be suffering from hormone deficiency. Coming from a modest background, his parents decided that it was in Messi’s best interest if they moved to Barcelona, Spain so that they could provide the right medical care to their young boy.
Lionel made his first team debut on the opening of the Dragao Stadium against a friendly match against Porto. In the 2003/04 season, he was only 16 years old and it was during this time that his was recognised as a world class footballer. Eventually, Lionel made his first appearance in the following championship winning season for Barcelona Derby against Espanyol on 16th October, 2004. The match took place at the Olympic Stadium where Barcelona won with a final score line of 1-0.
Lionel made rapid progress from that point by proving his talent all across the continent. He gained a lot of love and respect from the Barcelona fans along with winning the trust of his manager and the team. In the coming seasons, whenever players from Barcelona’s starting line-up were injured or deemed unfit, Messi came to the team’s assistance. He performed exceptionally well during his days as a reserve player. Ultimately, Messi was promoted to the starting line-up when he was just 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old. This powerhouse player became the youngest footballer in history to score in a league goal for FC Barcelona. The match was against Albacete on the 1st of May in 2005. It was during this season that Messi got nicknames. He became popular with the name of “Leo” and “La Pulga” but “Messi” became the most famous out of all of them. By the end of his term from 2000-2004, he had 131 appearances with an astonishing figure of 73 goals.
Messi later qualified for the Under-20 team for Argentina and played his first match against Paraguay in the June of 2004. This was a very sweet and rewarding moment for him as earlier he was given the chance to play for the Spanish national team but Messi. But due to national responsibilities, Messi turned down the proposition. He decided to wait and play for his own country rather than a foreign team. The Argentina Under-20 team later won the Football World Youth Championship in the Netherlands in June of 2005. It was in this tournament where Messi was awarded the Golden Boot along with the Golden Player of the Championship award for scoring 6 goals in 7 appearances.
On the 25th September, 2005 Messi became a Spanish citizen at last. He made his debut in the Spanish First Division for Barcelona after becoming a Spaniard. He couldn’t play before as FC Barcelona’s quota of non-EU players was at full capacity. In the UEFA Champions League, Messi’s first appearance came on the 28th of September at Nou Camp against Italian club Udinese. At Nou Camp, the 70,000 people witnessed his stunning passing skills with Ronaldinho. In December of the same year, he was awarded with the Golden Boy of 2005 by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport due to his performances as an Under-21 player.
For his loyalty and exceptional services, Messi was given an enhanced and extended contract deal by Barcelona till the year 2014. Messi has scored 13 goals in 43 appearances for Argentina. Fans have already started associating Lionel Messi to Diego Maradona. Currently, Messi is under the veteran’s wing, who heads the post of Argentina’s national coach. This is why all eyes are glued towards the action in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
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