Lionel Messi

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Lionel Messi
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Profile

• Full name Luis Lionel Andrès Messi
• Date of birth June 24,1987
• Birthplace Rosario,Argentina
• Nationality Argentinian
• Height 169 cm
• Weight 67 kg
• Club FC Barcelona
• Debut 17 november 2003

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History

• Lionel Messi started playing football at a very
  early age . From the age of 11, he suffered from
  a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were
  unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina,
  they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. In the
  2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16,
  Messi made his first team debut with Porto.

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FC Barcelona

• The services of several reserve team players were
  called upon, and Messi became a regular feature
  of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the
  youngest player ever to score a league goal for
  FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messi was
  only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

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At the beginning of career

• He was offered the chance to play for the Spanish
  national football team, but declined, prefering
  to wait for the opportunity to play for his
  mother country. In June 2004 he got his chance,
  playing in a U-20 friendly match against
  Paraguay.

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Golden boot

• Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top scorer
  with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best
  player of the tournament. Despite his youth,
  Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego
  Maradona, the best football player of all time.

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Success

• Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League
  at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian
  club Udinese. On December of that year, the
  Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the
  Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21
  player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas
  Podolski.In September 2005, Messi was given an
  improved and extended contract until 2014. Messi
  picked Golden boot at 2007-2011.