There’s no human being in this world who has not heard of the legendary Lionel (Leo) Messi. The once wander kid that soon became the most-paid football player has quite the background. Some tragic, some happy events made him what he is today: the modest, most famous human on Earth.
Early life
From the earliest of age, Messi and his two older brothers were constantly being spotted playing football. His talent was noticed by his family, so at the age of 8, he joined a Rosario football team. This is when both his family and coach noticed that he is significantly smaller, more poorly developed kid than any other from his group. He went through medical tests and was diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance that was obstructing his growth. So, he had to be injected with growth hormones, but his parents struggled with the finances to cover the expenses.
At this time, the FC Barcelona youth academy became interested in Messi. They decided to cover for his medical treatment and his stay in Spain. Without a doubt, his family agreed and they all moved to Barcelona.
Career
The treatment was working and Messi soon became a strong, dedicated teen football player, and made his debut at the age of 16. The first of his countless records noted was in 2005 when he became the youngest football player to score for the franchise. From then on, he continuously breaks records and takes home awards like Ballon d’Or and the La Liga, Champions League, Spanish Super cup titles…..
Although he is one of the most modest while being at the same time the richest football player, there were some controversies in his career. The first one was the one with the national team. Messi was scoring for and was perfectly happy in FC Barcelona, so he unwillingly disappointed his national team. In 2014 World Cup, he led the team to the finals but lost to Germany. In 2016, the same happened in the final of the Copa America, where the team lost to Chile. That was the year he announced that he won’t play with his national team again.
Another controversy was the tax fraud scandal. Messi and his father were found guilty of tax fraud, and during this time, they were caught in a casino by the paparazzi. But in court, they claimed that they were not aware of any irregularities. They were sentenced 21 months of prison time, but due to the Spanish law for first offenses, they paid a fine and did not go to prison. Being so famous is not always easy, because, you know, anyone can spot you in a casino. If you wanna gamble, visit an online casino like Novibet, and your secret won’t be revealed, right?
Love story
Messi and his childhood girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo met at the age of 5, through a common friend. Their puppy love grew as they were growing up and was made official at the age of 21. In one of his first interviews, he shyly told the world he has a girlfriend back in his Argentina.
Due to his football career and her studies, they had to separate for a few years, in which time she dated another guy who died in a car accident. When Messi heard the news, he went to see her and their affections for each other were quickly resumed. From that period on, they live happily ever after.
They got married and today they have 3 kids, 3 super cute boys. She is constantly being spotted supporting him on his matches, and quite often, she is with their sons.
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