If any player can be said to be the natural successor to Diego Maradona, then surely it must be Lionel Messi.
Born in 1987, he signed for Barcelona from Newell’s Old Boys of Argentina at 13 years of age, and since that time Messi has been marked for super stardom.
What has always singled out ‘Leo’ as being special is his ability to dribble at speed with the ball under perfect control. Although primarily a winger, he can play more central or even deeper but, whatever his position, when he has the ball at his feet, the fans always expect something special from him.
Since scoring his first league goal for Barça in May 2005 Messi has become Barça’s lucky charm – his reserved off-pitch demeanor and his constant praising of the work of his team mates ensuring that the fans always regard him highly – you can see him play at the Nou Camp by ordering FC Barcelona Tickets online.
Despite having a huge amount of talent talent, life wasn’t always easy for Leo Messi. As a youngster, he suffered a hormonal disorder which stunted his growth – FC Barcelona helped tempt him to Spain by offering to pay for the specialist medical treatment required. This short stature, ironically, has enabled Leo to have that low centre of gravity that enables him to weave through defences.
Despite being wooed by the Spanish national team, Messi has always been eager to represent Argentina – he was voted player of the tournament in the Under 20 World Cup in 2005, where he was also top goal scorer. In the 2007 Copa America he was voted young player of the tournament. He was not afraid to let it be known that he was desperate to represent Argentina in the 2008 Olympic Games and although Barcelona we far less keen on releaseing him, he did help Argentina win the gold medal – creating the only goal of the final in the process.
And in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa he is showing what can be done under the managership of his idol, Diego Maradona.
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