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Messi is 33 today and well established as the greatest player in the world
34 major trophies
629 goals for Barça
722 appearances for Barça
6 Ballons d'Or
6 Golden ShoesBut what do you know about his time as a youth player?
THREAD
Leo was only 12 when he came to Barça from Argentina, and although he trained with the U14A team, there was red tape to sort out before he could make his debut. The day finally arrived on 7 April 2001...
But Messi made his debut with the U14B team. Barça won 3-0 at Amposta and he scored one of the goals
But things took a nasty turn in his second game. He fractured his fibula and missed the rest of the season
But things took a nasty turn in his second game. He fractured his fibula and missed the rest of the season
It took him months to recover from the injury, but the following season he trained with the U14A team, and quickly earned promotion to the U16B team coached by Tito VilanovaHe faced another months-long wait due to red tape, but eventually played 10 games and scored 9 goals
The following year with the U16A team, Messi scored 38 goals in 31 games, including nine braces and four hat-tricks and once he scored four times! But it wasn't just the goals. It was the kind of goals and, most of all, the way he played 
The team won the league and Copa Catalunya!In the final, Messi had a broken cheekbone and had to play with protection, but took it off after 7 minutes because he couldn't breathe properly. He'd scored twice by half-time and Barça eventually beat Espanyol 4-1
Then in the 2003/04 season, Leo played for as many as 
teams.He started with U18B, but quickly got called up to U18A and when he was still only 16, Rijkaard gave him his senior debut in a friendly against Mourinho's FC Porto
That same season he also started playing for Barça C and Barça B, making 37 official appearances and scoring 35 goals. He also won the league with the U18B team and played for the U20 national team
U20 national team
In 2004/05 he alternated between Barça B and the first team. He made his competitive debut against Espanyol and scored his first goal against Albacete at the Camp Nou 
In the summer of 2005, the world took notice: he won the U20 World Cup with his country, where he was top scorer (6 goals) and MVP. A few weeks later, his performance in the Gamper against Juventus was praised all around the planet The rest⊠is history
