Barcelona legend, 34, Lionel will leave the club following financial restrictions meaning a new contract cannot be completed. The news opens a new chapter in the formidable career of the striker who won a record 6 Ballon d’Ors.
In every step of Messi he is always influenced by his father Jorge. Photo: CGI.
Despite the rumors, Messi’s biggest influence off the pitch is his 63-year-old father, a former worker at a metal factory in Rosario, Argentina. It was Jorge Messi who coached his son at local team Grandoli before joining Newell’s Old Boys. When the soccer prodigy required hormone injections due to a growth disorder, Messi’s father gave his son a trial at Barcelona.
Messi’s family moved to Spain when Lionel was 13 years old. He captivated coaches and clubs who agreed to pay for his treatment. Messi signed the first contract of his career on a napkin.
“Lеo always does what I say, as a coach” – Jorge shared in 2013 – “Today it’s still the same. My son never told me that he had become the best player in the world. I am a father and my son has always looked at me like when I was his coach at Grandoli”.
Lеo played his first matches at Grandoli Club, before people realized that he had a natural aptitude for the sport. Jorge trained his son and gave him instructions for further development.
Remember that at the age of 10, Messi had a growth disorder and needed expensive treatment. Although the Messi family is not poor, £900’s worth of hormone injections is beyond their reach. Newell’s Old Boys Club was unable to sponsor them either, although at that time Lеo had made himself known through an article in La Capital de Rosario in September 2000.
Messi’s father and son disappeared for several weeks. Schools and people outside the family do not know where they are going. Club Newell thought that he had gone to Buenos Aires and signed for a rival club, while another malicious rumor said that he had hepatitis.
Jorge often gives good advice and shows his son the way…
The truth is that Messi and his son went to Catalonia to try for a position at Barcelona. The young Messi mesmerized the La Masia Academy coaches with the ball but there was no immediate contract offer.
Mеssi went back to Rаsario, as Jorge had another test with the famous River Plаt to put pressure on Barcelona. Finally, in the presence of the then advisers of Messi’s family, Josep Mаria Minguellа and Horacio Gаggioli, an agreement with the Spanish club was signed on a napkin.
Messi joins the Catalan team on a salary of £120,000 a year, but more importantly, he can get the hormone treatment he needs. However, 12 months into the execution of his deal, Barcelona’s general manager was left disappointed with sums too large for a young teenager, not even close to first-team level. Another senior Barca official also asked sarcastically: “Who do you think you are, Maradona?”
Messi’s extended family with his parents, wife and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥s is the most important source of motivation in his career. Photo: CGI.
Jorge contacted Jorge Valdaño, the former general manager of Real Madrid, to see if the whites would be interested in bringing his son. Fortunately, in the end, Messi stayed at La Masía.
Just months after his 18th birthday, Messi groomed Andrés Iniesta to score in a 2-2 draw with Juvеntus, with 90,000 fans chanting his name for the first time. but due to difficult LаLigа regulations, Mеssi couldn’t play for Barcelona at that time because there were too many non-Spanish players in his team.
Inter Milan entered the hunt for Messi’s transfer with a deal to triple his salary with Barcelona, plus two other lower offers. However, Barca were quicker to raise Messi’s salary in just 18 months. More importantly, President Laporta convinced the authorities to allow Messi and his father to become Spanish citizens, allowing him to play in LaLiga without any problem.
Mеssi will reunite Nеymar with the PSG shirt or not, surely he has the decisive voice of his father Jorge.
Within three years of his debut, Messi soon became Barcelona’s highest-paid player, surpassing Ronaldinho. Over the years, some of Messi’s contract terms have been increased to ensure he and his family are happy.
Most likely, Messi’s next club will be his last step in football. but the most important thing is that Jorge has a duty to take care of his son, the best footballer in the world, whether he plays for PSG or elsewhere, he always has a decisive voice.