Lionel Messi has been destroying football defenses for so long that it seems we know him completely. And yet, here are nine things you probably didn’t know about the PSG and Argentine star.
Let’s dive into those fun facts about Lionel Messi.
One, the first surprising fact about Messi is simply the reason he’s named Lionel. Actually, he was named after Lionel Richie. His parents were huge fans of the American singer.
Two, Messi signed his first contract with Barcelona on a napkin. The director of football was anxious to have him signed and used the closest thing on hand.
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Three, At 11 years old, he was diagnosed with a growth issues disease, the treatment would have cost more than $1,600 per month some of his family could not afford. Luckily, Barcelona paid for his medical expenses. Without this treatment, Messi would never have grown to be more than five feet tall.
Four, Messi did convince Barcelona’s managers to recruit him. Messi juggled with oranges, the Argentine juggled 113 times without dropping the fruit. It’s the perfect example of his incredible technical skill from a very young age.
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Five, Lionel Messi his anti-social behavior is due to a form of autism. In his youth, people assumed he couldn’t speak because he was incredibly shy. At school. He used to ask his friends to ask his questions for him. And he was just as shy when he first showed up for FC Barcelona at 13. He was so small and timid that Gerard Piqué made fun of him. “He’s going to play with us. Looks like my kid brother”. Once he had a ball at his feet though, Messi quickly showed the world who he really was.
Six, Lionel Messi has his own adjective, which was added to the Spanish dictionary meaning the greatest player of all time.
Seven, His dog is named Hulk. Because he’s enormous, like really enormous. It has been part of the family since January 2016. And Messi never misses a chance to play football with him.
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Eight, Messi has an insane number of tattoos. He’s even got one of his mother’s faces on his back in the hands of his sons on his calves. He’s also got the face of Jesus tattooed on his shoulder as a reminder of his religious beliefs. The rest are mostly representative either of his love of football or his gratefulness for the success he’s had in spite of his humble origins.
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