Before he was a Ballon d’Or winner and one of the best to ever play the game, Lionel Messi was just a kid. Exactly 10 years ago, at age 16, that kid played his first game with Barcelona B.
He had already played for the first team in a friendly at the time, and he displayed the same touch and unmatched dribbling ability that has shaped his reputation into what it is today.
In the 10 years since that debut in Mini Estadi against Mataró, which Barca B won, 1-0, Messi has won four Ballon d’Or trophies as the World Player of the year. The Argentine has also racked up six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions Leagues, and two Club World Cups, scoring 379 goals in 487 appearances for club and country.
Watch highlights of Messi’s Barça B debut — and his free-flowing hairstyle — below:
Credit: soccer.si.com