4. Messi earned his reputation on the Spanish coasts, but his success spread across the Atlantic to Argentina, where he was born.
Despite being the apple of Barcelona’s eye, he was a relative newcomer. The existence of the little genius, who would go on to be adored in both Spain and Argentina, was not widely known. They didn’t know what Messi’s name was when he was first called up by the Argentine Football Association for the Under-20s. At the time, he was the only player who played outside of Argentina. When he finally got his call, it was addressed to someone named ‘Leonel Mecci.’
3. At the age of 18, Messi made his Argentina debut in a friendly against Hungary on August 17, 2005, as a 63rd-minute substitute for Lisandro Lopez. It should have been the start of Messi’s love affair with La Albiceleste, but it wasn’t to be. Messi came on for a brief 43-second cameo and quickly found himself on the ball. He took off on one of his signature runs, hoping to make a strong first impression.
But it was not to be, as Vilmos Vanczak, a Hungarian international, grabbed the then 18-year-old by the shirt. Messi smacked Vanczak in the face with his arms while attempting to shake him off, and the referee ruled it a deliberate elbow. Before the rest of the world could see him, the youngster had received his marching orders and was back in the dressing room! Messi was reportedly discovered crying in the changing room with his head buried in his hands following his unceremonious debut. As per Sportskeeda.
2. When attempting to define Lionel Messi’s genius, words become useless, and even dictionaries struggle to keep up with the little maestro. Santillana, a Spanish dictionary, added a new adjective to its books in February 2013: “Inmessionate.” The term was coined by then-Argentine coach Alejandro Sabella in collaboration with Pepsi, and it approximately translates to The ideal way to play football, limitless capacity for self-improvement.
Lionel Messi, the greatest player of all time, is described in this way.
Messi, on the other hand, isn’t the only footballer with a dictionary entry. In 2012, Sweden honored Zlatan Ibrahimovic by adding a phrase to the Swedish lexicon to denote his magnificence. ‘To dominate’ is the meaning of the verb ‘Zlatanera.’ Fitting!
1. Even the greats are mortals, and regardless of his incredible footballing abilities, Messi is still a human being. The small Argentine may be found in the left corner of every team photo, standing arm in arm with his teammates but with a slightly distinct stance. The reason for this is due to a latent inferiority problem that the Barcelona great has had to deal with throughout his career. He was still the most gifted of his colleagues at the moment, but he had not yet conquered the footballing globe. Messi does not need to bend his knees because he stands alone on one end of the picture, and his stance appears taller than that of his teammates, who bow their knees for the perfect photograph. Small things like this serve as a constant reminder that, no matter how talented Messi is, he is still an ordinary mortal!
