Lionel Messi Biography

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age for his hometown club, Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency. As his parents were unable to pay for treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. Shortly after arriving, Lionel tried his luck with a trial at FC Barcelona, despite being only 13 years of age. He excelled at the trial and rapidly found himself starting for the Barcelona B team, averaging more than a goal per game.

Barcelona debut

In October 2004 Messi made his official debut for the first team against RCD Espanyol, becoming the third-youngest player to ever play for FC Barcelona. When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete on May 1, 2005, Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, making him the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona.

Argentina U-20

Messi was offered the chance to play for the Spanish national side, but he declined, preferring to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay.

In June 2005 Messi starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship in Netherlands, picking up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel was already being compared to Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football players of all time. This comparison was also done with fellow Argentinian striker Carlos Teves. On June 27, FC Barcelona renewed his contract until 2010, establishing a selling clause of €150 million.

International debut

On August 4, José Pekerman called him up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut against Hungary. However, he only played for three minutes of the game, being shown a red card, forcing him to leave the field in his first attempt on goal. He left the pitch in tears and the referee was pilloried by many for what was perceived to be a harsh call. Messi famously acknowledged his shortened initiation in international football before Argentina's next match against Paraguay saying "This is a re-debut, The first one was a bit short."