The story that started with a paper napkin on a Thursday of December, 2000 has finally come to an end. Lionel Andrés Messi, one of the biggest sports icon of this generation (arguably all time) has finally left the city which he has called his home for more than 2 whole decades. The myth was all set for a fairy tale ending until all hell broke lose on the fifth of August with a mere 10 word tweet from the official FC Barcelona twitter handle.
Born in 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, Lionel was recognised as a generational talent since he was a young boy. One who was born just to dominate and reach the zenith “The Beautiful Game”. An unusually diminutive boy, the Argentine was 10 years old when he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency but his talent shined regardless. The health insurance covered only two years of the treatment for this condition, which cost at least $1,000 per month. The youth club Leo was enrolled in (Newell's Old Boys) agreed to contribute, but later went back on their promise, a decision which changed Leo’s life in all ways possible.
It was at this time when a trial was arranged with the club in Catalonia FC Barcelona. The officials at the club were so impressed with the Argentine that after some hesitance they not only agreed to pay for his treatment but also got him admitted to La Masia (Barcelona’s world famous Football Youth Academy which has given us players like Iniesta, Xavi, Pique, Guardiola etc.). In order to show their commitment to Leo a contract was signed on a paper napkin due to the unavailability of paper at that time (One which is still preserved as a relic) in a restaurant.
So, a 13 year old Lionel Messi relocated to Barcelona with his family. A move which wasn’t easy for a child well-adjusted in his life in Rosario and had to change his entire lifestyle (including his language) for this move. At home, he would suffer from homesickness after his mother moved back to Rosario with his siblings, while he stayed in Barcelona with his father. At the same time, during his first year at the club, there were problems registering Leo as he wasn’t a Spanish national. Also, Newell’s Boys (his previous club) was unwilling to make the necessary transfer arrangements with which Barcelona could enrol him in the Spanish Football Federation. This prevented from playing with other kids of his age in competitive games. He was only limited to playing friendly games and games with Children’s B team (Not the A team).
Leo’s experience in Barcelona had definitely started on the wrong foot. Suffering multiple injuries, going through injury rehabs and in the end only playing two official games and one friendly. Several of these difficulties added up and things really couldn’t get any worse so much so that his family considered giving up on the dream and returning to their home town of Rosario.
But, Leo was determined, he made it very clear that he wanted to fulfil his dream of succeeding in Barcelona and that there was no reason to worry about him. This was an early indicator of the determination and perseverance of the Argentine, one which he has shown all throughout his career while taking on challenges and completing them no matter what it takes.
After an entire year of adjustments and waiting for his turn it was on 17 February 2002 that Leo was finally allowed to play a competitive Championship game. It was after this when the bad days seemed to be over and the triumphs started soon thereafter. In the next few months, Leo won his first title for Barcelona followed by several more victories all over Europe. These victories also brought individual success for Lionel, winning several “Best Player of the Tournament” awards and being recognised as a talent with the potential to become one of the best players of all time. These successes also brought attention from clubs (in the form of offers) outside of Spain who saw him as an unusual talent of immense upside but he decided to stay in Barcelona. This decision almost became an yearly occurrence amid interest all over Europe throughout his career to secure Leo’s services.
It was in 2003 that his meteoric rise through the different levels in Barcelona’s hierarchy started. He debuted for 5 different levels of teams in a single year (which was a record). Even in training he raised eyebrows of players as well as coaches who couldn’t believe what they were watching. At just the age of 16, Leo made his debut for the first team in a friendly (one of the youngest ever to do so). He was so impressive that Ronaldinho told his teammates that he believed the 16-year-old would become an even better player than himself after just watching him in his first senior training session. It was almost poetic when he scored his first senior goal on 1 May 2005, from an assist by Ronaldinho, becoming – at that time – the youngest-ever scorer for FC Barcelona.