01.12.2009 10:30
A prize for Barça's youth policy
www.fcbarcelona.cat
Messi joined Barça at the age of 13. His innate talent combined with a consistent style of football have created an incredible player. The first Golden Ball to emerge from the Barça academy.
But it wasn’t an easy ride for the young Leo Messi. After just two matches with infantil B,
he suffered a serious ankle injury that kept him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. He
then missed half the following season due to an appeal by his former club, Newell’s Old Boys
in Argentina, which delayed the arrival of his international transfer.
Those difficulties, combined with the brusque change from his hometown of Rosario to
Barcelona, were a tremendous obstacle to overcome for a shy and reserved youngster.
The breakthrough
The
international transfer eventually came through and the 2002-03 season was a turning point in his
career. He was a vital element in the cadet A side that won everything going and where he coincided
with Piqué and Cesc.
Messi started the following season in juvenil B, but his talent was so outstanding that he
was moved up a category. That year he moved to juvenil A, to Barça C and to Barça B. And to round
off a fantastic year he made his first team debut in a friendly against Porto. The sky was the
limit for Leo Messi.
Albert Benaiges, currently Barça’s coordinator of youth football, told Barça TV:
“That achievement is a lesson for all players. I’ve never seen anyone with such
humility and good taste for playing football who accepts to play where he’s told without ever
protesting and with such happiness and love for the Club”.
A long awaited moment
Leo Messi will never forget 2004. On 16th October, in a local derby against
Espanyol, Leo Messi finally made his first team competitive debut. Two months later on 7th
December, he played his first Champions League match in the cold of the Ukraine against Shakhtar
Donetsk. Then he scored his first senior goal against Albacete. The Messi era had begun.