Lionel Messi is the soul and leader of the Argentine team. Many people appreciate his intelligence on the pitch, however, who would have thought that he, who is now 5’7″, was once a dwarf?
Soccer prodigy suffers from growth problems Like other kids in his hometown of Rosario, Messi has loved soccer since he was a child. Although he was always the best player in the Newell’s Old Boys junior team, by the age of 12, Messi was still only 140cm tall, and according to the doctor’s examination, he was suffering from dwarfism caused by growth hormone deficiency and was basically unable to grow taller by the age of 11.
In fact, Messi’s dwarfism was not incurable, but the monthly cost of growth hormone injections was too high for his parent team, Newell’s Old Boys, to pay for a child with an uncertain future. However, without treatment, Messi’s career would have ended there, and it would even have had a huge impact on his life going forward.
“I remember, and will never forget, the day I got the diagnosis. It was particularly cold, we were in the street, Messi had no expression, extraordinary calm, and I know that he knew better than anyone that the family could not afford him any treatment, and he knew that very well.” Father Jorge recalls.
Lucky enough to get help and receive growth hormone treatment At a crucial moment, Messi met the man of his life, Tournini, a scout who was always on the lookout for young players for Barca in South America. “I spent a lot of time convincing Barça FC and I promised Messi’s family that I would not change his nationality.” Looking back, Tournini, a scout with no reputation, is quite proud, “It was one of the best gambles of my life.” With the help of Tournini, Messi moved his family to Barcelona, where the then Barca sporting director Rexarchi did not hesitate to sign with him after watching Messi’s training and games, and arranged for the club to treat him, and it was at this moment that Messi’s road to superstardom finally opened.
Eight years of perseverance, the former short child became a world star In January 1998, Messi began his treatment and had to be injected every day. It was hard to give yourself a shot, and even harder to give yourself a shot every day, but instead of saying anything, little Messi quickly adapted to this life. Lucas Sagría, Messi’s fellow student and close friend, said, “He used to come to my house and sometimes stay overnight. He would always bring his suitcase and put it in the fridge as soon as he walked in the door. At the end of the day, he would go to the kitchen, give himself a shot, and then come back as if nothing had happened. He never seemed to be afraid or minded about it.” Messi said, “For me, getting the shot was like brushing my teeth. At first people are always curious to see me doing it, and then people get used to it. I don’t think it’s difficult because it’s important for my future. And it’s related to soccer and I have to take responsibility for it.” To the delight of both the doctors and Messi’s family the injections are working and guess what excites Messi the most? He’s getting new shoes and pants every 3 months, which is a big help to his self-confidence.
Eight years have passed and Messi has become a thundering starter for Barca. He is 1.69 meters tall, lives on the Barcelona waterfront and enjoys the highest salary in Barcelona, 10 million euros per season, and started his career in 2004, first as a little brother to Luo, then as one of the “magic quartet”. When the curtain of the 15th World Youth Championship slowly fell in Utrecht, Netherlands, a 1.69m tall Argentine teenager left a giant’s back to the world. He is called Lionel Andrés Messi, Barcelona’s striker and Argentina’s international footballer, who is known as the “new Maradona”. In June 2010, Messi represented the Argentina men’s national soccer team in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and achieved good results. He has become one of the brightest stars in the world of soccer.
Conclusion Messi, like all children suffering from dwarfism, had been disappointed, but he did not give in to fate. Through regular growth hormone treatment, he improved his height and made his dream come true. At such a young age, he said, “This is related to soccer, I have to take responsibility for it”, and he took responsibility for his dream. I hope that all children suffering from dwarfism will be confident, as long as they receive regular treatment, their height can be improved, and as long as we live hard like Messi and grow up for our dreams, our dreams will eventually come true.