Lionel Andres Messi: The Little Master

Lionel Andres Messi — possibly the best player in the history of football today. He is one of the best talents that the sport has ever produced. His performances over the years have always been on top which has helped him garner numerous awards. A forward and sometimes an attacking midfielder, he is blessed with outstanding ball control and pace. Football giants, FC Barcelona and the National team of Argentina have reaped the benefits of his maturity on the highest level. Although his story could have ended before it began had the Spanish Giants not taken him under their wing at an early age.

Early Life

Messi was born in the city of Rosario, Argentina to parents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini. He developed a great passion for the game at a very young age. At the age of four, he joined a local club Grandoli, where his father served as his mentor. When he was six years old, he joined another club named Newell’s Old Boys, where he scored almost 500 goals and performed various tricks to entertain the home crowd. He showed all kinds of talents in the sport and had a glorious football career ahead of him but his future as a professional player came in jeopardy when at the age of 11 he was diagnosed with a deficiency of growth hormone that required expensive treatment. The Messi family had relatives in Catalonia, who sought to arrange a trial with the Spanish Giants. Initially, the board of directors hesitated to sign him because he was a foreign player but later offered a contract on a paper napkin that enrolled him at Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and covered his medical expense for the growth hormone treatment. Messi relocated to Barcelona along with his family, and they moved into an apartment which was near the club's stadium, Camp Nou.

Club Career

Messi made his competitive debut at the age of 17 in October 2004 and established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years. His first uninterrupted season came in 2008–09 where he helped Barcelona to win the three major competitions in Spanish football for the very first time; because of his record-breaking performance, Messi, then aged 22, went on to win his first Ballon d'Or. After three successful seasons with FC Barcelona, he won four consecutive Ballon d'Or, which made him the first player in the history of football to win the award four times and that too in a row. During the 2011–12 season, he set the La Liga and European records for scoring the most number of goals in a single season and established himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. In 2015, he was awarded a fifth Ballon d’Or award. He was made Barcelona’s captain in 2018, and in 2019 he secured a record sixth Ballon d’Or.

International Career

At the youth level, Messi won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and ended up receiving the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe. He then went on to win the Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He made his debut at senior level in August 2005, becoming the youngest Argentine player to play and score in a FIFA World Cup at the 2006 edition. Furthermore, he has helped his team to reach the finals of Copa América in the years 2007, 2015, and 2016 and in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final. Messi has made the highest number of appearances for his country and is currently the leading all-time scorer for his team.

By: Akansha Dhiman

Content: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi