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Messi

WATCH: How an under-developed 12-year-old became the greatest footballer of his generation

A short documentary about Lionel Messi’s development at Barcelona’s prestigious youth academy, La Masia.

EVEN BEFORE HE broke Cesar Rodriguez’s record as the most prolific goalscorer FC Barcelona has ever seen, Lionel Messi had cemented his name alongside names such as Maradona, Pele and Cruyff.

It wasn’t always assumed that the Argentinian maestro would make it to the upper echelons of world football, however. As a young boy playing in his homeland, Barca scouts had raised concerns about whether or not he had the physical make-up to succeed.

I first saw him when he was 12 and he was not big. Physically, there were doubts whether he’d ever become a good footballer in Europe,” says club scout Josep Maria Minguella in Graham Hunter’s new book Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World.

This documentary, made for Barca TV, recalls his time spent at their famous La Masia academy with exclusive footage and interviews from a number of Messi’s former coaches.

YouTube credit:

(h/t: 101greatgoals)

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