Early YearsLionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1987. He always tagged along with his two older brothers when they went to play soccer with their friends. At the age of 8, Messi was recruited by the youth soccer system of Newell's Old Boys, a club based in Rosario. While Lionel was playing for this club, they noticed he was much smaller than all the other boys his age. He was soon diagnosed with a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth. Messi's parents Jorge and Cecelia decided to put Lionel on a hormone injection regime but soon became too expensive to continue. So, when Messi was offered a chance to train at FC Barcelona's youth academy and have all medical bills paid for, the family packed up and moved to Spain. My Opinions on MessiI personally believe that Lionel Messi is one of the best players in the world. Many people compare him to Diego Madonna who is another accomplished and well known player. He is someone that I will continuously look up to as he is a technically and tactfully aware player. Knowing his story and how he had to overcome certain things in his life to get where he is today is inspiring. Moving exactly 6626.9238 miles from your home at that young of an age is a hard thing to do, but he did it and grew from the experience. | Soccer CareerIn the new country of Spain, Messi thrived and quickly move up the ranks in youth soccer. At the age of 16 made his first appearance for FC Barcelona. On May 1 of 2005 Messi made history as the youngest player to score for the club. That same year, Messi proved his skill by scoring 2 penalty kicks in the U-20 world cup which gave Argentina the title in the game against Nigeria. "La Masia" led the team to success most remarkably in 2009 when the team secured the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup titles. 2014/2015, FC Barcelona won the Treble again, the second time for the club in history. |