Here are the facts about Lionel Messi you should know bout him as a fan.
1- Luis Lionel Andres Messi is his full name.
2- He was born in Rosario, Argentina on June 24, 1987.
3- Messi’s father, Jorge, worked in the steel industry and coached a local youth football team.
4- Messi was born with a growth hormone deficit, which prevented him from growing normally at the juvenile age of 11. Most significantly, his parents were unable to finance his $900 per month treatment.
5- Because Messi’s father’s medical insurance covered only two years of therapy, Messi’s father began looking for other options. Additionally, the Buenos Aires team scouted Lionel Messi but were unable to pay his therapy.
6- In September 2000, Messi’s family organised a trial with Barcelona through their cousins in Catalonia. Second, he impressed the first team director, who immediately wanted to sign him. Without paper, he scribbled Messi’s first contract on a paper napkin.
7- During his first year, Messi was unable to play in official youth team matches due to his nationality. This is one of the few unexpected facts about Lionel Messi that many fans are unaware of.
8- Messi was reticent to speak, and his colleagues originally assumed he was deafeningly silent. Above all, he performed admirably and astounded everyone with his technique. One of the most well-known facts concerning Lionel Messi, especially among Real Madrid fans.
9- Messi had homesickness upon his mother’s relocation to Argentina. He stayed in Barcelona with his father.
10- Arsene Wenger claims that after signing Fabregas, he attempted to sign Messi while he was still a teenager. To his disappointment, the agreement fell through because Messi was unwilling to leave his team.
11- Messi was a member of Barcelona’s greatest ever youth team, the “Baby Dream Team.”
12- During his whole 2002 season, Messi led the league in scoring with 36 goals in 30 games.
13- The Royal Spanish Football Federation is pursuing Messi to join the Spanish National Team. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, declined the offer.
14- During the Copa Catalunya, Messi covered his damaged cheekbone with a plastic protection mask. However, after a few minutes, Messi removed his mask and scored two goals in the ten minutes preceding his substitution.
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Messi made his Barcelona debut against RCD Espanyol at the age of 17. Additionally, he became Barcelona’s third-youngest starter and the club’s youngest scorer. Above all, this is one of the greatest Lionel Messi facts.
16- Following his first training session, Ronaldinho realised Messi’s greatness. Above all, he assured his teammates that Messi would one day become soccer’s best player. Additionally, Ronaldinho befriended Messi, referring to him as his “little brother.”
17- After scoring five goals in ten games, Messi spared Juveniles A from relegation. He scored a hat-trick against Sergio Ramos’s man-marking in a Copa Del Rey encounter.
18- Ronaldinho provided an assist for Messi’s senior debut goal.
Messi signed his first contract as a senior squad member on his 18th birthday. He had a €150 million buy-out provision in his contract, which was extended until 2010.
20- Following Messi’s spectacular performance against Juventus, then-Juventus coach Fabio Capello wanted to loan Messi.
21- Inter Milan made a bid for Messi at Capello’s instruction. They were prepared to pay his €150 million release clause in addition to double his salary. He ultimately chose to remain in Barcelona.
22- Due to an injury, Messi was unable to participate in Barcelona’s 2006 UEFA Champions League final victory over Arsenal in Paris. He was so sad that he neglected to celebrate his team’s Champions League victory, which he later regretted.
23- At the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Messi became Argentina’s youngest player.
24- Messi became the sixth youngest player to score in a FIFA World Cup competition in his debut encounter.
25- On March 10, 2007, Messi became the first player in 12 years to score a hat-trick in an El-Clasico. His goals levelled the score for Real Madrid, and the match ended in a 3-3 extra-time draw.
26- In a three-week stretch, Messi recreated two of Maradona’s most memorable goals. He scored a goal comparable to Maradona’s 1986 FIFA World Cup goal, dubbed the Goal of the Century, in the Copa Del Rey semi-final. He added another goal in a manner reminiscent of Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal against Espanyol in a league match.
27- Messi earned the nickname “Messiah” from the Spanish media when he was just 20 years old because to his spectacular performances.
28- Messi assumed the iconic number 10 shirt following Ronaldinho’s departure in 2008.
29- Initially, Messi was unable to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics due to the fact that they were on the same weekend as Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League qualifiers. He was allowed to play following Pep Guardiola’s intervention. Argentina went on to capture Olympic gold that year.
30- Because of his injury issues, Messi took new training, nutrition classes, and lifestyle regimens. He was even assigned a personal physiotherapist who would travel with him during call-ups for the Argentinian national team.
