THE STORY OF A CHAMPION: LIONEL MESSI

Hi friends! Today I am going to tell you the story of a real phenomenon: Lionel Messi! In my opinion Messi is the strongest footballer in the world and he is even stronger than Cristiano Ronaldo.  

Lionel  Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario (Santa Fe’), the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. He grows up in a tight-knit, football-loving family.

"Leo" developed a passion for sport from an early age, playing constantly with his older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and his cousins, Maximiliano and Emanuel (both of them became professional footballers). At the age of four, he joined the local club Grandoli, where he was coached by his father, though his earliest influence as a player came from his maternal grandmother, Celia, who accompanied him to his training and matches. He was greatly affected by her death, shortly before his eleventh birthday. Since then, as a devout Catholic, he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky as a tribute to his beloved grandmother. He loved her so much and I hope that she will be happy for her grandson’s success from wherever she is now.

A lifelong supporter of Newell's Old Boys , Messi joined the Rosario club when he was six years old. However, his future as a professional player was threatened when, at age 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. As his father's health insurance covered only two years of growth hormone treatment, which cost at least $ 1,000 per month, Newell's agreed to contribute, but later on renegated their promise. He was then scouted by Buenos Aires club River Plate,  but they were also unable to pay for his treatment due to the country's economic collapse. 

As the Messi family had relatives in Catalonia, they tried to organize a trial with Barcelona in September 2000. First team director Charly Rexach immediately wanted to sign him, but the board of directors hesitated; at that time it was highly  improbable for European clubs to sign foreign players of such a young age. On 14 December, an ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their commitment, and Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered a contract on a paper napkin. 

During his first year in Spain, Messi rarely played with the Infantiles because of a transfer conflict with Newell. As a foreigner, he could only be fielded in friendlies and the Catalan league. Without football, he struggled to integrate into the team and he was so quiet that his teammates initially believed he was mute. However, thanks to his extraordinary talent, Messi after a little time became a player of FC BARCELLONA and he received the shirt number 10. Since then he has become a legendary footballer.

I’ve also read a beautiful article by Roberto Saviano in a book called “La bellezza e l’inferno” (Beauty and The Inferno) and in this article Saviano talks about  Messi and he says that he met Messi at the locker rooms of Camp Nou Stadium. Saviano says that if you look Messi closely, you  think that he is a thin, short and timid boy and you can’t even imagine how much will power he must have had to succeed in a world where his opponent are taller and stronger. I liked this article so much because Saviano says very touching  things about Messi. You must read it, even if you aren’t a football fan. That’s a real life lesson.

Today Messi is not one of the strongest footballers in the world, I think he is the strongest! Not only because he is the captain of Argentina’s national team or because he won 5 golden balls. He is the strongest champion of all because he had to fight in a world of giants and … he won.  Will is power!

ANDREA