 Lionel Messi started playing football at a
very early age for his hometown club, Newell's Old Boys. From
the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as his
parents were unable to pay for treatment in Argentina, they
decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. Shortly after arriving,
Lionel tried his luck with a trial at FC Barcelona, despite
being only 13 years of age. He excelled at the trial and rapidly
found himself starting for the Barcelona B team, averaging more
than a goal per game.
In October 2004 Messi made his official debut for the first team
against RCD Espanyol, becoming the third-youngest player to ever
play for FC Barcelona. He scored his first senior goal for the
club against Albacete on 2005-05-01.
On 2005-06-27 FC Barcelona renewed his contract until 2010,
establishing a selling clause of €150 million.
Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on September 25 and was
finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First
Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC
Barcelona had filled their quota of non-EU players. Messi's
first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on
September 28 against the Italian club Udinese. He impressed with
some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with
Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd
Nou Camp faithful.
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