Messi: “I owe Barcelona for life. I can never leave.”
FC Barcelona superstar forward Lionel Messi has a very special reason to reject the potential of being the most expensive player in footballing history. It’s not because he is waiting for the most lucrative offer, but more because he is in ‘debt’ – to be more specific, indebted for life to the club that went out of their way to give him the life that he presently has; a life’s dream fulfilled to be a professional footballer. And the best one in the world nonetheless.
Destined to be one of the millions of kids growing-up whose talent were over-looked because of life’s unfortunate circumstances, even more so in his case, Messi was one of the luckiest few. Until he was rescued by FC Barcelona, a club thousands of miles and a continent away, there was no future for him as a footballer, let alone a professional player, but lady luck smiled on him, and the rest as they say is history.
Diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency illness as a young boy in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, doctors never expected him to grow taller than 5ft – no more than 4ft 7in to be precise – far too small for the game.
His father’s medical insurance was only able to cover his treatment for two years, and at €600 per month, it was beyond Newell’s Old Boys football club’s finances to bear considering there was no guarantee of his potential, even though he had shown his prodigious talent since the age of 5. His career seemed to be over even before it started.
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My father had to take three jobs, but the medical bills in Argentina were very expensive and we still couldn’t afford them, and no team at home was prepared to take a chance and pay them,” the Argentine star said, harking back to those dark days for his family.
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When I was at Newell’s Old Boys my hormone condition meant I was never going to make it as a professional.”
That is where the Catalunya club came in.
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Barcelona offered to pay them and moved me and my family to Spain.”
They spent four years worth of treatment on him, starting from when he was 12-years-old; and what an investment!
Now, standing at 5ft 7in, life looks rosy for Messi and his family. And of course, the windfall for FC Barcelona, and it should not come as a surprise that the shy but warm 22-year-old has such a tight bond with his surrogate parents.
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I will always be grateful to Frank Rijkaard because he gave me a chance in the first team when I was just 17,” said Messi.
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At that point I know there were a lot of people telling him that I was never going to be big enough. If he was proved wrong there would have been a lot of people telling him he was wrong, so it’s a big thank-you to him for giving me the chance he did.
“It’s under Pep Guardiola I have played my best football though.”
Posed with the question of whether he will be taking on new challenges to prove he can make it in leagues other than just Spain, like his hero and national team coach, Diego Maradona, possibly to the self-style tough English Premier League, the player said: “Will I play in the Premier League one day? I have said that I want to be at Barcelona for life. I will be here for as long as they want me. I owe Barcelona more than for giving me a chance – I owe them for changing my life.
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How could I ever leave a club who done that for me, and why would I ever want to leave a club who play football like this?”
Indeed, the family atmosphere that coach Guardiola has nurtured is the secret behind last year’s Champions League triumph, Messi believes.
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You go into the dressing room and everybody is smiling,” he said.
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The man whose business is doing well will go in with a smile on his face as will his staff because they will also be reaping the rewards.
“That’s what it’s like playing in this Barcelona team. We are all friends. We all enjoy playing for the manager and we stay humble enough to realise how lucky we are to be playing for this club.”