Leo Messi was an unstoppable force from the first day he set foot on a Barcelona training pitch as a shy and scrawny 13-year-old, according to his team-mate Gerard Pique.
The 23-year-old Barcelona defender, who was a starry-eyed youngster in the same group as Messi and Cesc Fabregas, remembered how the Argentine stunned everyone despite his apparent frailty.
He said: 'When I was coming through the ranks something happened that was going to change the history of the club - the signing of Leo.
'I remember the first time he trained with us. He was so small we were afraid to touch him because we thought we'd hurt him. But then we all noticed his touch on the ball was not at all bad.
'Some of the coaches told us not to tackle him too hard so as not to injure him. But even if we wanted to, we couldn't get anywhere near him. He was so quick, he was impossible to tie down.'
Messi's opponents did not take long to resort to foul play to stop the little genius. Pique added: 'The opposition got to him in the second official game he played. He was caught by a terrible challenge. He had to leave the ground in an ambulance.
'He had fractured a bone in his face but, after that, he came right back stronger than ever and that has been the way ever since until he became the Golden Ball winner who we have in the team now.'
Pique said: 'He's always been the way he is now - all that has changed is the context. He does exactly the same things that he did when he was 13 and I wouldn't be what I am today without having come through the ranks alongside him.'
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Child's play: Messi (top left) was small for his age as a six-year-old at |
He said: 'When I was coming through the ranks something happened that was going to change the history of the club - the signing of Leo.
'I remember the first time he trained with us. He was so small we were afraid to touch him because we thought we'd hurt him. But then we all noticed his touch on the ball was not at all bad.
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Class acts: Gerard Pique (top left), Cesc Fabregas (top right) and Lionel Messi were part of a tightly-knit group who came through Barca’s youth ranks. |
'Some of the coaches told us not to tackle him too hard so as not to injure him. But even if we wanted to, we couldn't get anywhere near him. He was so quick, he was impossible to tie down.'
Messi's opponents did not take long to resort to foul play to stop the little genius. Pique added: 'The opposition got to him in the second official game he played. He was caught by a terrible challenge. He had to leave the ground in an ambulance.
'He had fractured a bone in his face but, after that, he came right back stronger than ever and that has been the way ever since until he became the Golden Ball winner who we have in the team now.'
Pique said: 'He's always been the way he is now - all that has changed is the context. He does exactly the same things that he did when he was 13 and I wouldn't be what I am today without having come through the ranks alongside him.'
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