Unknown facts about Messi’s childhood

Messi’s Early Steps in Football

Lionel Messi began playing football at the tender age of four at a local club called Grandoli, encouraged by his grandmother, Celia Oliveira Cuccittini. Even today, whenever Messi scores a goal and points to the sky with both hands, he dedicates that celebration to his grandmother. Reflecting on her influence in an interview with TyC Sports, the Argentine legend recalled:

"On my first day at the club, my grandmother told the staff, ‘Let him play.’ They said, ‘No, he’s too small.’ But she insisted, ‘Let him play. He will win matches.’ Eventually, they allowed me on the field, and I scored two goals that day."

In 1994, Messi joined the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys, one of the most important clubs in his career. Over six years, he scored an incredible 234 goals in 176 matches, averaging 1.33 goals per match-a phenomenal record for such a young player.

Physical Challenges

By the age of 10, Newell’s Old Boys’ doctors noticed that Messi’s height was far below average for his age, and he was not growing like other children. He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, caused by a condition called hypopituitarism, which affected the pituitary gland responsible for growth hormone production.

By age 11, Messi was just 1.3 meters tall, roughly the height of an 8–9-year-old. Such conditions often end the careers of young athletes before they even start.

Treatment and Barcelona Contract

Doctors advised that the only way to treat Messi was through daily growth hormone injections, which were expensive. His family could initially afford them but eventually couldn’t continue. At that critical moment, Barcelona intervened, recognizing Messi’s talent and agreeing to cover all medical expenses.

The treatment involved daily injections in the legs, which could have been traumatic for a child. Messi recalled in a television interview:

"Every night, I had growth hormone injections. One leg one day, the other the next. My parents did it at first, then I learned to do it myself. It never really affected me."

Rise in Barcelona

Messi began training with Barcelona’s U-13 team in the 2000–01 season, still 7 cm shorter than the average boy his age. Treatment continued alongside training, and eventually, his height reached 1.70 meters. Without the injections, he might have grown only to 1.55 meters.
 

Gradually, Messi made his mark in Barcelona’s youth teams-U-13, U-16, U-19, and Barça B-scoring 89 goals in 97 matches. Later, in the senior team, he played 778 matches, scoring 672 goals and assisting another 303. During this time, he won four UEFA Champions League titles (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015), 10 La Liga trophies, and 7 Ballon d’Or awards (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021), cementing his status as one of the greatest footballers of all time.