Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi was born in Rosario (Argentina) on June 24, 1987 and currently plays for Barcelona
His carrera
His first steps on a football field were the club of your neighborhood, Grandola, when he was only five years. Then he went for juvenile Newell's Old Boys in 1995. At eleven, found it a hormonal problem that prevented her bone growth, hindering their growth. The treatment, which consisted of injections every night, cost $ 900.00 monthly to his parents, since Newell's refused to pay. Messi then tried to River Plate, who also declined.

The player's father then tried his luck in Spain, already in the midst of severe economic crisis in Argentina, after writing to relatives living in the city of Lleida. There was achieved a contact with Barcelona, who agreed to hire him and pay for his treatment after the boy to impress the coach of the junior and former Palace player Carles Rexach:

I hired him in 30 seconds! He caught my attention. In my 40 years of football, had never seen anything like that. Five situations of goal, converted four. And it has an exceptional ability. It reminded me of the best Maradona. His first contract I signed symbolically on a napkin, I would hire him as soon as he could not let him escape.


Compliments of Rexach were accurate, because after going through all the basic categories of Barcelona and act in only five games for the Barcelona B, Leo Messi has been integrated into the main team in 2003-2004 season, with only sixteen, debuting in a friendly against Porto in the inauguration of the Estadio do Dragao. After some time, it was absolute owner of the Catalan club in attack, alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o.

Messi is a player with great speed, skill and technique far above average, besides being of low structure, has a huge head shot accuracy.

Still, it was unknown in Argentina, being discovered by chance in his home country: a journalist of the magazine El Gráfico, which prepared a report on early talents in South America led by Europeans, was impressed with testimony about Messi, which led to contact Rexach. After disbelief by the magazine, tired of "new Maradona" not avenged, the reporter got his father to send videos of Messi's son, who finally convinced the writing, so posting a notice on the young.

In June 2005, has renewed his contract with Barca until the year 2014. Before supporting a star of his idol Ronaldinho, was gradually taking the place of Brazil as it was slipping after a long period that was considered the best in the world.

It has been increasingly frequent comparisons to what is considered the greatest Argentine soccer legend, not only by the explosive way to play, but also by goals similar to Maradona who has marked the service of Barca.

One of them, against Getafe, said the most famous Pibe goal against England in World Cup 1986, bypassing several opponents during acceleration, including the goalkeeper, ending with a subtle touch to the back of the net. Messi also would hand his goal against Espanyol in the same way that Maradona had done well against the British.

Like Maradona, Messi also has short stature and is left-handed, and both have left the Newell's Old Boys FC Barcelona and throughout their careers.