This newly-wed footballer born in Rosario, Argentina, has an estimated net worth of $340 million. Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini was born in Rosario, Argentina on June 24th, 1987. He is the son of Jorge Horacio Messi and Celia María Cuccittini. His paternal family is originally from the Italian municipality of Recanati. Angelo Messi, his great grandfather emigrated to Argentina in 1883.
His maternal grandmother, who encouraged him to dedicate himself to football, and whom Messi thanks after score a goal, her name was Celia Oliveira de Cuccittini (26/5 / 1930-8 / 5/1998). He has two brothers, Rodrigo and Matias, and a sister, María Sol.
Beginnings as amateur footballer
When he was just five years old, Messi took his first steps in the club Abanderado Grandoli, located in the neighborhood Grandoli, south of Rosario, a few blocks from his home. The club was run by his father, and his first coach was Salvador Aparicio. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.
In August of 2000, Messi went to Buenos Aires to test himself to River Plate, and he was accepted by the recruiter Federico Vairo who requested his contracting, but this never materialized.
Arriving to Barcelona
On September 17, 2000, coming from a flight from Buenos Aires with a stopover in Madrid, he landed with his father in El Prat. He was summoned to participate in a first training the day after his arrival on September 18 with the infantile team, although he was not able to perform the prescriptive tests to enter the base soccer azulgrana due to the absence of Rexach, responsible of the quarry that time. He scored six goals, he kicked twice at the post, and he had to change team in the second to balance the match.
Professional career.
Messi made his unofficial debut for the first team on November 16th, 2003, in a friendly match against Porto, then coached by José Mourinho, at the inauguration of Estadio do Dragao. On February 18th, 2004, he was called again to play his second friendly match with the first team, this time against FC Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Argentine began the pre-season playing three friendly matches in July 2004, against Banyoles on 16, Figueres on 18, and Palamós on the 20th at Camp Nou, where against the latter, in the minute seventy-four, he scored his First goal with the first team, making the 0-4 partial, then winning the Barcelona 0-6 in the global. Frank Rijkaard made his debut in an official match against R. C. D. Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on October 16, 2004.
Since then, Lionel Messi has won everything with this team. He is the winner of the Golden Ball five times, four of them consecutive (2009-2012), is the top scorer in the history of Barca, he is already in the top ten ‘historical of the artillerymen of the Spanish First Division; Is the foreign player with more games played with the Blaugrana jersey.
