The story of Lionel Messi, a goalscorer who makes the impossible possible.
Text: Linda Gutiérrez
Lionel Messi was born as a player in the youth division of Newell’s All Boys, in Argentina, where he performed brilliantly as a striker. At age 13, he was hired by the Barcelona club, who agreed to pay the hormonal treatment to cure the disease that prevented him to grow. Lionel moved with his family to Spain, where after a few months of therapy he could overcome the illness, later he started training with the FC Barcelona quarry.
Debut at 17
At age 17 he made his debut in the main team of Barcelona, where after overcoming some injuries, became the key player for his club in 2007, campaign in which he was one of the finalists to achieve the Golden Ball of the season. In the next tournament, he was vital for Barcelona to reach the treble with the titles of the Spanish League, Copa del Rey and Champions League.
Perfect season
Despite changes in technical command, the “Flea” has kept being the limelight for eleven consecutive seasons. The most important campaign of his career was during the 2012 season in which he scored 91 goals wearing the blue and red shirt in three different tournaments. The Argentine star owns the record of having won the FIFA Golden Ball five times
At national team level, Lionel Messi has played at the World Cup Germany 2006, South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014, plus the Copa America Venezuela 2007, Argentina 2011 and Chile 2015.
MARADONA DEJA VU
the successor
In April 2007 Lionel Messi scored two goals against Getafe, in the Spanish League. One of them was scored after running 62 meters and evade six rivals, like Maradona did in World Cup Mexico 86. The Spanish press gave him the nickname of Messidona, because of the ability he showed to score.
PLAY STATION
Change of pace
The coach Arsene Wenger has catalogued Messi as a unique scorer in his kind. “He’s a PlayStation player, because he takes advantage of every mistake of the rival and makes the moves and changes of pace that please him. The impossible, makes it possible “, says Wenger.
ALIEN
Gianluigi Buffon
“Lionel Messi is an alien player in the field, who is dedicated to play with humans. All I hope is that when I face him, Messi will be as human as the rest of the men who will face him in the attack “, says the Italian goalkeeper of the Juventus, Gianluigi Buffon.
“I don’t compete with Cristiano, and I guess that he doesn’t compete with me. In my case, I only look for what is best for my teams and I work for that.”
Lionel Messi
Barcelona player
WHO IS HE
NAME: LIONEL ANDRES MESSI CUCITTINI
NICKNAME: THE FLEA
AGE: 28 YEARS OLD
NACIONALITY: ARGENTINA
HEIGHT: 5 feet 7 inches
NUMBERS
135 Million of euros is the value of the transfer fee of Lionel Messi.
17 Of August of 2005 was the debut of Messi wearing the shirt of the National Team of Argentina, when he was 19 years old.