Lionel Messi: Messi is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation. He was born on 24 June 1987.
Lionel Messi’s height is 5 feet 7 inches. Messi started playing football at a very young age. And soon Barcelona recognized his potential. He had a childhood condition called growth hormone deficiency (HDD).
Because of this the length was less than the rest of the children of 11 years. He left the Rosario-based Newell’s Old Boys youth team in 2000 and came to Europe with his family, after Barcelona signed him for treatment for his growth hormone deficiency.
Lionel Messi: Record-Breaking Debut and Early Career Highlights
Taking the field for the first time in the 2004-05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game and, at the same time, became the youngest league goal scorer. The match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as coach of Argentina. Argentina won the match 4-0 with Lionel Messi opening the scoring.
Messi played his first game in Copa America 2007 when Argentina beat the United States 4-1 in the first game. In this game, he demonstrated his abilities as a playmaker. He set the target for his fellow striker Hernan Crespo and several shots were successful on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.
Lionel Messi: Early International Career and Rise to Prominence
International career In June 2004, he made his debut for Argentina in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005, he was part of the team that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. There, he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe. In a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela on 28 March 2009, Lionel Messi jersey number 10 for Argentina for the first time. The match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as Argentina’s coach. Argentina won the game 4-0 with Lionel Messi opening the scoring.
Lionel Messi: Personal Life and Relationships
In his personal life, Lionel Messi was, at one stage, romantically involved with Macarena Limos from his hometown of Rosario. The girl’s father is said to have introduced her to him when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury days before the start of the 2006 World Cup In the past too her name was linked to Argentine model, Luciana Salazar.
In January 2009, he told Hat Trick Barça on Channel 33: I have a girlfriend and she is settled in Argentina, I am relaxed and happy. After the Barcelona-Espanyol derby, he was seen at a carnival in Sitges with a young woman named Antonella Roccio. Rokuzo is also a resident of Rosario like them. They plan to get married in late 2010.