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Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football
(soccer) player.
Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's
Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency
and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina,
they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. Shortly after arriving in Spain,
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.
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In October 2004 Messi made his official debut for the first team against
Espanyol, becoming the third-youngest player to ever play for FC Barcelona.
He scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete on May 1,
2005.
He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but
declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of
his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match
against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the
Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in
The Netherlands. Messi picked 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 has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best
football player of all time.
On June 27, 2005 FC Barcelona renewed his contract until 2010, establishing
a selling clause of €150 millions.
On August 4, José Pekerman called him up to the senior Argentine national
team. He made his debut against Hungary - coincientally the very same side
that Maradona debuted against for Argentina. However, he only played three
minutes of the game, being harshly shown a red card in his first attempt on
goal.
On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally
able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had
previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of
their quota of non-EU players.
Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on
Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing
and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a
standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that
year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title
for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski
Profile
Full name: Luis Lionel Messi
DOB: June 24, 1987
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
Other nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward |
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LIONEL MESSI PICTURES |
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