FC Barcelona’s greatest-ever player, Lionel Messi, joined the Blaugrana exactly 23 years ago. At just 13 years old, Lionel Messi’s immense talent caught the eye of the Catalan giants. The beginning of his journey with Barcelona began with adversity. Despite suffering from growth hormone deficiency, Messi and his family flew to Barcelona to join the prestigious La Masia academy.
It was move that marked the beginning of his incredible journey with Barcelona, where he went on to become one of the greatest footballers in the world. Recently, pictures of the beginning of Messi’s incredible journey surfaced online, and fans are going crazy over it.
13-year-old Messi’s picture goes viral
Recently, a picture of 13-year-old Lionel Messi when he arrived in Barcelona to join the La Masia Academy has gone viral. The Barcelona executives spotted enormous potential and didn’t want to miss the chance of signing him, and then the famous contract signed on a napkin happened.
Messi flourished in La Masia and rose through the ranks to make his first-team debut in 2004 at the age of 17. He later became Barcelona’s youngest goal-scorer that season. The Argentine officially signed his first professional contract with the Blaugarana in 2005, which he has renewed on several occasions.
In his 17 glorious seasons with the Catalan club, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner netted a tally of 672 goals and 303 assists in a total of 778 appearances. He won numerous individual awards and trophies, most notably 10 league titles, four Champions League titles, and several Best Player and Top Scorer awards.
Messi, along with some of the big superstars at the club level, competed against the highest quality opponents throughout his Barcelona career. He still holds the records for the club’s all-time top scorer, assist provider, and most appearances.
In 2021, Messi left Barcelona to join the French Giants PSG, where he partnered with Neymar, Angel Di Maria, and Kylian Mbappe and won the league title twice. In his two seasons at PSG, Messi made 75 appearances for the Parisians with 32 goals and 35 assists. It is rumored that Messi could soon reunite with Di Maria in the Argentina National Squad for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Messi spotted coaching at son’s academy
This summer, Lionel Messi decided to move to the United States to continue his club football career with Inter Miami. He is currently off to a flying start, securing 11 goals and 5 assists in 11 appearances for the MLS side.
Messi was spotted supporting his son in an academy game for Inter Miami on Saturday. Following Messi’s transfer to MLS, his eldest son, Thiago Messi, also joined the Inter Miami academy and plays for the U12 team, looking to follow in his father’s footsteps at an early age. Thiago Messi made his debut for Inter Miami FC U12 facing against Weston FC, which ended 2-0 in Inter Miami’s favour.
Do you think Thiago Messi is on his way to build a legacy like his father? Tell us what you think in the comments.
