Messi has been injecting himself every night since he was 12 years old.
The owner of five Golden Balls suffered from a growth hormone disorder and had to undergo thousands of injections to be able to grow normally and play football like he does today.
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Messi had to get injections every night to combat growth hormone disorder. Photo: Reuters |
"At first, my parents gave me injections from the age of eight until I learned how to do it. I gave myself an injection once every night, starting from the age of 12. I got used to it and it didn't leave an impression on me," Lionel Messi shared. "It was a small injection, it didn't hurt. It became a daily habit and I did it normally."
Messi's growth hormone disorder prevents him from growing normally. To treat this disease, his family has to spend about $1,400 a month.
When Messi joined his first team, Newell's Old Boys, the club helped his family pay for his medical expenses. In 2001, at the age of 13, Messi was taken by his parents to Barca, joining the La Masia training academy. The Catalan club then offered to pay all of the Argentine striker's medical expenses.
"It wasn't too difficult for me to decide to go to Barca. I adapted quickly but my family didn't. My siblings wanted to go back and they did. I was left alone with my father, and he asked: 'What should we do?'. I replied: 'I want to stay'," Messi said.
Overcoming those difficulties, Messi has become one of the best players in the world. He has scored 374 goals in 410 appearances for Barca and won five Ballon d'Ors. This summer, Messi hopes to help Argentina win their first World Cup since 1986.
The barefoot boy dribbles the ball as skillfully as Messi, causing a stir in Nghe An.
The character in the video is young player Le Anh Duc (born 2007) in Huong Son - Ha Tinh. Although he plays football barefoot, Anh Duc possesses speed, the ability to dribble and shoot spontaneously like Messi. In the summer of 2017, Anh Duc won the title of best player in Huong Son district.
