All language subtitles for Messi.2014.1080p.BluRay.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]-en

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IN MEMORY OF JORGE "TOPO" LÓPEZ

"I'LL TELL THE STORIES
THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD,

TO SHOW AGUSTÍN AND LUCÍA
THE WAY." VERÓNICA.

Leo is a genius. A genius.

Messi is a genius.

The world's top players,
no doubt.

The love story between Barça
and Messi is immortal.

-He is a diamond...
-"A monster," I said.

He has everything.

The world's best player,
I think.

He is a hero to us.

All time best players.

The world's top players
in all history.

A unique talent.

The best I have seen.

The kid is unearthly.

He is the chosen one.

It would be nice
to be him for five seconds.

To see how it feels.

My name is Lionel Messi
and I'm 13 years old.

I play center-forward and...

-Hello.
-Good evening. Welcome.

Come in, please.

Thank you.

-Look at that!
-That's Cruyff!

He captained and was the best
player for the Netherlands'

1974 Clockwork Orange
World Cup team.

- Oh...

-If it's on the house...
-Valdano...

World Champion, 1986.

[both laugh]

Cruyff was groundbreaking,

first as a player
and then as coach.

When he got on the pitch,
madness ensued.

-And there sits Menotti.
-Really?

[woman]
Our idol back in 1978.

He was coach in 1978.

When did you see Leo
for the first time, Johan?

-He was just a kid, basically.
-A kid?

-What's your first memory?
-Kindergarten.

In a play.

He was dressed
as a firefighter.

Look at this picture!

Too bad I don't have
my glasses.

-This was in sixth grade.
-He looks like a fourth grader.

That's what we said.

-Cintia is here.
-And Walter also.

-It was a school play.
-You look exactly the same.

Oh.

I love this picture
of the four of us.

-We were babies.
-Our mothers were so young.

They were our age.

-You brought lots of pictures.
-What a small baby.

He was dressed as a firefighter
and I was a teacher.

He was the snail.

That was in first grade.
This was in kindergarten.

He played a snail
in the school play in 1993?

Yes!

World's fastest player
playing a snail.

I never thought
about it like that.

It was hard to talk Lionel
into doing the play,

so he had to hide in the suit,
though his face was visible.

But he did it very well.

-I was a grasshopper, and you?
-I was a butterfly.

And he was a red elf.

[Mónica] I overslept,
so the kids were on their own,

but we had rehearsed a lot.

Lionel was really good.

That's from the teachers' day

when the kids gave us
flowers and presents.

Leo destroyed all the plants
in his grandma's garden

when he and Pablo played ball.

It's mostly good memories.
We did everything together.

In kindergarten,
in the schoolyard...

The kids could not take
the ball from Leo.

The other children
would ask for a different ball

so that they could also play.

How did you get into soccer?

I started playing
in my neighborhood club.

I heard
that it was his grandmother.

She took him to play.

His grandma took him to play.
He started thanks to her.

Was she his mom's mother
or was she his dad's mother?

She was his mom's mother,
right?

I couldn't wait for you to turn
four so you could play soccer.

You're going to want
to go all the time.

When you see
how much fun your brothers have,

you'll want to play.

But you have to wait
a couple of years to play.

Like Rodri and Matías?

Yes, because you're so little
right now and they're big,

but in two more years you'll be
playing like your brothers.

-Rodrigo was a good player.
-Yes.

Really?

Rodrigo was the first
to play,

and Leo watched
as he played.

You know what?

You will be
even better than them.

Do you know why?

Because we never know
what you're thinking.

Your little head is a mystery.

Mark my words, you will become
the world's best soccer player.

Shall we?

-What's the name of the club?
-Grandoli.

Rodrigo's coach discovered him.

-I don't know how it happened.
-We have to look into that.

-What is happening?
-A kid from Grandoli overslept.

I can't wait any longer.
All right, we'll play.

Okay, sir.

This is nonsense.

-Can I play, Grandma?
-Do you want to play?

Yes.

I don't really know
what she said to the manager.

Excuse me.
My grandson wants to play.

Those kids are too big for him.

-Who wants to play?
-My grandson's great.

He was really short,
so they didn't believe in him.

I don't know.
He looks very small.

-How old are you?

-Almost six,
and he's fast as lightning.

-What are you good at?
-Everything.

Are you fast?
You get to play outside.

Put on your shirt and go!

Go!

The youngest of the Messis?

If he's anything like his
brothers, we might be lucky.

[man] Show them!
Show them!

He has the ball!

Pass the ball!

[all] Goal!

Did you see what he did?

-He scored and people
lost their minds.

-When he got control
of the ball,

he left everyone in the dust.

[man] He played for Grandoli,
I played for Nuevo Horizonte.

I'm a year older than him.

He played like a god
and had us all outclassed.

[all] Goal!

Can you start
bringing him afternoons

to practice with the other kids?

I want to see what we've got.

Rodrigo, Matías
and the other big kids

wouldn't let us or Leo play.

But there came a point where Leo
wanted to play so, so badly

that they finally let him.

They'd say, "Don't let Leo play.

He's too little
and we might hurt him."

But then they'd say it
because they didn't want

to get embarrassed by Leo.

[grandma] Leo!

-His grandmother.
-The famous grandmother.

When the bell rang for break,
he changed completely.

He would wait for a break
to go out with the ball

and go compete
with the other kids.

Everyone would run after him,

"He is with me.
He is with me."

They would fight over him.

Otherwise, they wouldn't win.

Whoever chose Leo would win.

Sometimes they wouldn't give
a ball during the break,

because fights would break out.

If he didn't have a ball,
he would take a plastic bottle.

They would take bags, fill them
with paper... he had to play.

In the end,
he had a good fabric ball

that wouldn't fall apart
when kicked.

He enjoyed himself elsewhere.
The school didn't interest him.

-He liked other things.
-He had other interests.

Don't talk to me about math
or literature...

just let me play soccer.

I will defend him.

When he wanted to study,
he succeeded.

Of course,
no one said otherwise.

But we had to insist
to make him study.

I remember
that Celia would threaten him.

If he didn't do his homework,
if he didn't shower,

he wouldn't play soccer.

Leo would bring
his homework done,

and say that he had done it.

Thank you, Cintia.

He would sit in front of me
and kick the chair.

And then I knew I had
to convey something for him.

He would roll up a note
and throw it at me.

-And we didn't know.
-We didn't know back then.

Because they were neighbors.

-They were good friends.
-Like brother and sister.

We were so close back in school,
we used to say we were cousins.

She would organize everything
for him.

He would ask her everything.

His classmate was like
his interpreter

to talk to the teacher.

Yes, she was like a mother
to him, like an older sister.

Once, Celia had to go out
and she left him at my house.

And my mother nursed him.
And it happened to me too.

They left me at her house,
and Celia nursed me.

It has a name, it's called...

It's called milk siblings.

Milk siblings, yeah.

In the neighborhood,
when the streets were flooded,

because the sewer openings
in the corner were clogged,

the street would fill
with water up to our knees.

We would play soccer
in the middle of the sewer,

among all sorts of bacteria.

My brother
is a year older than me.

I remember in our group,
when we went out on the pitch,

we were the only team

that had pieces of paper
thrown onto the field.

We wouldn't head straight to
the center

when we got on the field.

We'd go sideline to sideline

on both sides
of the center line,

and then Matías's father,
Raúl,

would throw papers
and whistle hard.

And we felt that we were playing
in front of 50,000 people.

And we would stand like this,
with our hands in the air.

What position did you play?

I was a center-forward
like him.

Did he let you score goals?
Or did he score all of them?

He wouldn't give me much,
but...

I would take the ball from him
sometimes and score too.

Sometimes he would come
and take the ball off your feet.

Sometimes he would take it
from me.

When you had a problem,

you would pass him the ball,
and he would solve the problem.

-What is your name?
-Diego Rovira.

-What's your favorite team?
-Newell's.

Tell the camera
all about your goal.

[Diego] On a free kick, Mariano
Miro tapped it to Leo,

who fired a centering kick
that I banged in.

[reporter] Who do you want to
dedicate the championship to?

To everyone who knows me.

I always say
I scored a lot of goals,

because he would draw
the defenders to him,

and it was easier
to get one-on-one that way.

He spoiled us,
because we won a lot.

So afterwards it was difficult.

[chanting]

The problem was
when we won 2-1, 3-1, 3-2.

Then we were really sad.

-What is your name?
-Gerardo Grigini.

-What's your favorite team?
-River.

With Leo we would have won 7-0,
8, 9. Without Leo, 1-2, 3-1.

There was a game we won 16-0,
do you remember?

We all scored.

There came a moment
when we scored so much

that they told us
to compete against ourselves.

One team gets Leo the first
half, the other the second.

We'll see who scores more.

He was very shy
around new people,

but he was okay among us.

Within the small group,
Leo was always fine.

He laughed and talked a lot.
He was one of us.

-Name and last name.
-Franco Casanova.

-Favorite team?
-Newell's.

And who do you want
to dedicate this goal to?

To everyone who knows me.

We all know he was
our natural leader.

Right.

He would always take the ball,

and thanks to him
we won all of the matches.

He was a kind of quiet leader.

He was with me until he was 11.
Then he got him.

I'm not in the picture,

but this is the team
with Domínguez.

Is he Domínguez? You know him.

-Franco, me, Leo, Lucas.
-This is in '99.

And Diego...

I would go in
with a red sweatshirt,

red pants and a red bag,

and when he would arrive,
he would laugh and say,

"How are you, Santa Claus?"

-He would hide people's shoes.
-He always did that to me.

He always started
the pranks and jokes.

I suddenly realized
that I had lost my car keys.

I couldn't find them anywhere,

and the match
had to start already.

I entered the dressing room
to get the children.

When I opened the door,

Leo goes [engine noises]

and says,
"Are these the keys you lost?"

No way, he had them?

He was always so serious.
Deep inside, he was a prankster.

I was never included
in the group.

Somehow, I was always
left out.

You would climb a loquat tree

and eat loquats
and strawberries.

Those summer days
in the trees...

-He was so small, so quiet.
-But he was very naughty.

-It wasn't easy with him.
-But I liked

that there was no evil in him.
He wasn't malicious.

He was shy, or withdrawn.

Actually, I don't think he had
any problems with his peers.

Maybe with other adults,
but not with his peers.

In many tournaments,

the prize was a bicycle
for the winners.

Do you remember, Franco?
The tournament with the bike.

We were losing 2-0, and Lionel
was nowhere to be found.

[man] Did you play
for a bicycle?

[all] No, a bicycle
for each player.

-[man] Eleven bicycles.
-[all] Yes.

There were also prizes
for second and third place,

but we wanted the bikes.

Dad, I'll be late for the game!

He locked himself
in the bathroom.

[announcer] The players
of Newell's Old Boys,

one, Juan Leguizamón,

two, Mariano Miró,

three, Bruno Milanese,

four, Héctor Correa,

five, Lucas Scaglia,

six, Federico Rosso,

eight, Franco Casanova,

nine, Diego Rovira,

ten, Gerardo Grigiri,

eleven, Lionel Messi.

[*]

[all applaud]

-Where have you been?
-You're amazing, kid!

Stop, this is a final,
and we're losing!

Shut up!
It's your fault!

We're losing 2-0.

Picture, picture.

Pablito! You can't kick
the ball like that!

-How much time left?
-Twenty minutes.

Hey, ref!
Substitution.

Do you mind?

Pablito, come, come.

The goalkeeper is bad
at low kicks.

Come on, Leo, come on!

Jorge, his father,
used to take him to the club,

and he would not socialize
with the other parents.

He was a quiet man.

He would stand behind the goal
and watch his son play.

Do you remember when he didn't
manage to score a goal?

He would come with the ball
right up to the goalkeeper,

and would dribble
until he scored.

And if he didn't score,
he would get angry.

He wasn't able to finish
a game without scoring.

-He asked for all the balls.
-He had to touch all balls.

That hasn't changed.

Yes, he gets angry,
it's normal.

As if his toy
was taken away from him.

It was like that
even when he was little...

I never removed him because
people would've rioted.

He's a nine-year-old boy
who wants to play,

and you take him out of the
game, of course he gets angry.

[all] Goal!

[blows the whistle]

He is a figure in our history.

Could someone like Messi
be born in Korea?

No.
Not even in Germany.

There are several such stories
about him coming in late

and saving the game.

Do you remember
how happy we were?

You are a champion.

Leo on and off the pitch
was two different people.

When you scored for the third
time, I couldn't believe it.

You came in
with 20 minutes remaining

and completely
turned the game around.

They put him on the pitch
and it's...

Goal, goal, goal.

You're a star.

Why'd you get him this bike?

You couldn't find a bigger one?

Stop bothering him.

Every day the same joke?

How'd you get out of the house?

God, what happened here?

We were so successful
that we were invited to Peru.

Remember when
you returned from Peru?

Yeah, from Cantolao.

[Franco] We played a tournament
in Peru when we were eight.

We stayed in family homes.

There were two, three children
with each family.

Leo!

* Leo, Leo *

There is also a story
about Rosario's playing style.

A lot of footwork,
lots of nutmegs.

He motivates the players
around him.

He brings out the best
in everyone.

You feel confident.

When he gives you the ball, you
feel you have to do it well.

There was a commitment.

There's the group.

Well, these moves
are typical of Leo.

We won these games
by a wide margin,

and in the end
we were champions.

It was amazing.

-Everyone would go to see him.
-He was wonderful.

When he was little,

he was very frail, thin...

He was so small.

But this little dwarf
drove everyone crazy.

Off the pitch you wouldn't have
given him a second glance.

We thought,
"This kid can't make it."

Because one didn't know
if he would grow up

or what would happen to him.

I know he was treated by
an endocrinologist in Rosario.

Yes.

He was nine the first time
I met him in '97.

Well, as we said
in previous visits,

the tests confirm
a growth hormone deficiency.

What does that mean, doctor?

He lacks a hormone
he needs to grow normally.

So he won't grow any more?

If we don't fix that deficiency
and start the treatment,

it'll be very difficult for him
to grow to a normal height.

So what is the treatment?

There are injections in devices
that resemble pens.

They are very easy to use.

You've probably seen them
being used by diabetics.

He needs to be injected
with the hormones every day.

Is this an aggressive treatment?

They're just injections.

The needle is very thin.
It hardly hurts.

But the treatment is expensive.

We will do everything possible
to make the insurance cover it.

Can I keep playing soccer?

Yes, of course, why not?

You've always been the shortest
on the team, haven't you?

Don't worry, you'll grow up
and become taller than Maradona.

I don't know if you will be
better, but certainly taller.

When I went to pick him up,

he would say, "Wait a minute,
I'm coming."

We'd go to my house
after a game

and Leo would disappear.

If he went to a sleepover,

he would take the injection kit
with him.

And he injected himself.

He was so brave.
He was just ten or eleven.

[Cintia]
I remember his mother saying

that he had learned to inject
himself to go on a school trip.

To him, the treatment
wasn't strange at all.

He took it
as something normal.

Everyone knew about it.

[man] When you're offered a
growth treatment for your son,

I imagine
there are many doubts,

you consider all the risks...

They made the decision.

And obviously it worked.

[woman] Every mother wants
her child to be healthy,

obviously she wanted that.

And Lionel probably
wanted it the most.

Leo, tell me
when you get the shot.

It's okay, Mom, I'm done.

Don't you want me to help you?

No, really.
I'm fine.

Well, I'm going
to take a shower.

When he came back,
he would say,

"I had to inject myself
for the treatment."

This is what he used.

Is that what made Messi
into Messi?

-No.
-Oh!

Some people say he received
the treatment to be a star.

If that were true,
I would've given it to my son!

If he hadn't received
that treatment...

After all, he had talent,

but he wouldn't have gotten
the same opportunities.

-No, he wouldn't.
-I'm not sure.

In one of the last pictures
I have,

he is half a head
taller than me.

It's amazing how he grew.

He was quite aware that
the treatment was helping him.

Everyone who has walked
that alley

knows that cars hardly
drive through there

because there are children
playing soccer there.

These alleys
are an integral part

of the children's stories.

He must have learned
how to deal

with stressful situations

from the Newell/Central rivalry.

-Rosario is an extreme city.
-Extreme in everything.

It's amazing
in terms of soccer.

There are cities that are
identified with culture.

Rosario is known for soccer.

The city of Rosario
is all about soccer.

Because the field where
he played is still inside him

and will stay with him
for the rest of his life.

-That makes him different.
-Exactly.

-That's the difference.
-That's the difference.

If you give growth hormones
to a child that grows normally,

you won't change anything.

He will grow
according to his genetics.

The hormone only helps
those who lack it.

Say, kid, do you know

you're not allowed to walk
around here alone?

I'm talking to you.

What's up? Can't you hear?

That's a nice bike, buddy.

What's the matter?
Can you lend it to me?

Leave him alone, Martín.

What's the matter?

Little baby gonna run home
and cry to mommy?

I'd rather cry than be
a fucking wimp like you.

[laughs]
What did you say?

Oh, so you're a wimp and deaf?

[Varsky] Rosario.

Che Guevara was from Rosario.

He was terribly stubborn,
stubborn as a mule.

-What time is it?
-I don't know.

-He must be playing somewhere.
-This boy is unbelievable.

I don't understand
why he didn't come back.

What happened?

-Leo, what happened to you?

Some kids beat me up
and stole my bike.

I can't believe it.

They stomped on my shots.

How did it happen?

-They laughed at me.
-They laughed at you?

If children laugh at you,

you put your head down
and keep walking.

They laughed at my size.

Lionel, this is
what will help you grow.

Do you understand?

You can't lose your doses
when someone laughs at you.

Do you know
how much each shot costs?

Enough, stop.

Did they hurt you?

No, Mom, don't worry.
They ended up running off.

The treatment continues
throughout the growth period.

When he started it,
his height was 1.24m, 1.25m.

-He's under 1.70m now.
-He's close to that...

-Let's say 1.68 m.
-Surely less than 1.70m.

-Now his height is 1.69m.
-He grew about 40 cm.

Let's see how tall you are.

Stand up straight
and don't cheat.

Move.

Well, well done,
you're growing nicely.

You've grown a little more.

Yes, I want to be
a soccer player.

That would be cool.

-Did you play last Sunday?
-Yes, we won.

Really? How many goals
did you score?

Three.

So you want to be
a soccer player?

-Like who?
-Like Tata.

-Tata?
-And Aimar.

Awesome.
You gonna play for Newell's?

Yes.

-Score a goal for me.
-Yes, I'll dedicate it to you.

Excellent.
You owe me that.

-Yes.
-Okay.

-He dedicated a goal to you?
-No, he still owes me.

But I want him to do it
on Newell's pitch.

Let him score as many
goals as he wants now.

When he comes back,
he can dedicate it to me

on Newell's pitch.

[announcer] Rosso
is looking for the ball,

Rosso to Messi.

Messi runs,
leaving a player behind,

trying to score!
He shoots... goal!

[man] I lived three blocks
from the building.

He'd come over for milk;
Leo, Lucas Scaglia, Geri.

And we'd play PlayStation.

Leo wasn't so good at it.

-No no.
-Because he said on TV...

He wasn't that good
at Playstation.

Now I don't know.

He wasn't so good
when he was younger.

I remember we played
FIFA 94 and 95.

-Family.
-No, Sega.

He would turn it off.

-You remember, right?
-When he was losing,

he would go over
and turn it off.

He was a sore loser.

He didn't know how to lose
at PlayStation and Sega.

At Lucas's, it was the same.

How are you, Lucas?

Hi, Leo.

Where are your parents?

They'll be gone all afternoon.
Let's play World Cup.

No, not the World Cup,
let's play Champions.

Let's have a tournament.

Okay, if you want to lose.

But with shirts.

No, my mother will get mad.

-Why?
-Because you destroy them.

You know it's better
with shirts.

Yes, well...

-I want Madrid.
-No, Madrid's mine.

[all] Goal!

This is the only shirt
Leo would wear.

He'd get there and put it on

and would'n't take it
off till he left.

He was crazy about Barcelona.
He really loved it.

Kluivert was playing
at that time.

-Rivaldo.
-All these players.

-He's alone, take the ball!
-Go ahead!

Pep Guardiola
with the bicycle kick!

Goal.

-Hello.
-Hi, what's up?

This is Antonella, my cousin.
She lives upstairs.

Do you want something
from the kitchen?

We ordered pizza.

-[kid] Goal!
-[kid 2] What a stupid goal.

How did Leo's face look
when he saw Antonella?

-Imitate him.
-[laughs]

-Who fell in love with whom?
-He did.

-So he fought for her.
-He worked hard.

He met her when he was 11.

And in the end, he married
his girlfriend from Rosario.

This also says something
about his character.

He could travel the world,
appear in gossip columns...

He will return to Newell's,
because he is a loyal man.

And here is a picture

from the annual trip
in seventh grade.

We have a DVD from this trip.

Go Lepra!

Oh...

I heard he's a great player.

Go Lepra!

Look at me there!

There's Walter.

There's Leo.

Cintia.

-[man] Where are you, Cintia?
-[Cintia] We saw it already.

[man] I remember when Walter
trying to drive...

[Walter]
I crashed into everything.

[man] He would collide,
break free,

crash, break free, crash!

Well, come on. Up until then,
I had only ridden a tricycle.

They did a report on him
when he was with me,

when he was about 12.

-First and last name.
-Lionel Messi.

Did you know that we chose you
as the best player on the pitch?

No.

He talked about the goal.

The second one.

Well, tell me
about the second goal.

Federico Rosso throws it in,

Grigini passes it to Lucas.

Lucas sends it back to me,
and I knock it in.

[reporter] You scored two goals,
right, Messi?

To whom do you dedicate
this championship?

To my father, my uncle,
my whole family,

and everyone who knows me.

-To his whole family.
-I know his parents,

I don't think they ever
asked him to say that.

No, it comes naturally to him.

Jorge is like that.

[announcer] Corner kick,
Messi passes it to Giménez,

Giménez to Messi... he fires!

And it's off the post.

That was close.

[all boo]

In October 1999,
Jorge approached the fence

behind field two
where we practiced.

I said hello to him,
and he said,

"Enjoy these last two months."

Yeah, you told me that.

I asked him why,

and he said, "Enjoy them,
because I'm taking him away."

And I looked at him and said,
"Where are you taking him?"

After all, Leo was untouchable.

"As long as you don't take him
to Central, it's okay."

He was lucky.

Yes, and why did he leave?

He told me... I don't remember
if he had lost his insurance

or if he had had
a problem at work.

We need to call Messi and ask
him what happened exactly.

My father was about to be fired.
So we had a problem.

He said he didn't have money
for the medicine,

which was necessary for him.

Otherwise, he would remain
that size.

Two clubs couldn't give him
the treatment.

Newell's and River.

He tried out for River too.

I think so.

-He tried out for River.
-Yes, in Buenos Aires.

The family said that Newell's

wouldn't agree
to finance the treatment.

López must want to die now.

And River were willing
to finance half of it.

-Right.
-So small...

maybe the managers thought,
"This kid has no future."

And there was a political and
economic crisis in Argentina.

The country had gone to shit.

Devaluation, pesofication...

And the insurance had problems
to pay for the treatment.

Leo's father appealed
to many people,

he looked for clubs in Argentina

that would finance
the treatment.

Jorge felt he was abandoned,

and he wanted to take him out
to show his anger.

I mean,
we had a star in the club,

because he had a bright future,

and they couldn't help him.

No one took the chance.

Only Barcelona
agreed to bet on him.

Celia talked about it at school,

and said that neither they
nor the club

could finance the treatment.

There were many factors that,

upon the arrival of the
Barcelona representative,

led to his father saying,
"Yes, we are going."

If Leo had stayed in Argentina,

I'm not sure that he would have
gotten this far.

No.

Only the two of them traveled.

-Yes.
-Leo and his father.

-He was so young.
-The family stayed here.

He left at the age of 13.

I still remember
the day he left.

You threw him a farewell party.
I was late.

We threw him a farewell party,
and we had five power outages.

And then we had five days
without electricity.

Right, but it was very moving,

because he was so connected
to us, to the neighborhood.

It was terrible.

Yes, I remember that
the next day everyone cried.

-He cried too.
-[Walter] Obviously.

I am very sad,
but also very happy.

because of the place
where I'm going to play.

Do you like it, Leo?

Smile, come on.

Leo, smile.

Well, hurry up.

We need to go out,
we'll take a walk.

Comb your hair for your mom.
Well done.

You missed a spot.
There.

You're so slow.
And you want to play soccer?

[reporter]
After you came from Newell's,

where you had friends,
were you nervous?

How did you feel
at the beginning,

during the first practices?

Yes, during the first days,
I was a little stressed,

but then I adapted and...

When he arrived at La Masía,
he was 13 years old,

and it was a bit strange.

In the first days,
in the dressing room,

Leo always sat off to the side.

[reporter] So did you
talk to anyone?

No.

Well, one person, but not much.

What is this boy doing here?

I don't know, he must have
run away from home.

The tryouts for ballboys
are tomorrow.

He would come to the dressing
room and sit in the corner,

looking at everyone around.

A corner from which you
can see everything.

Panoramic.

After that, he felt comfortable.

What did they ask you
to do in practice?

We worked with the ball,
shots on goal,

we had exercises with cones,
one-on-one.

And at the end
we finally had a match.

[*]

[*]

-What's your name?
-Messi.

Messi.

He was very fragile.
He was a kid, just a kid.

He was extremely small,
but also extremely good.

I remember the coach
would tell us,

"Don't go hard at him
because he's small.

He's fragile, don't kill him."

But you couldn't catch him.

We would say,
"No, don't worry."

But because
we couldn't catch him!

[Piqué]
When I met 13-year-old Leo,

I wondered if he would be able
to play professional soccer.

That was the big question.

There are many talented kids

who can dribble
and score 20 goals.

I have seen many great
soccerers who disappeared.

This is very good.

Yes, that's it.
Header, header.

[phone rings]

-Hello.
-I love your boy.

He's phenomenal.

Good.
So?

Right now I'm meeting
with the board.

Thank you, bye.

Excellent.

Shall we go out and celebrate?

-Listen to me, the kid's a star.
-Right now.

But what'll happen when
everybody's three heads

taller than him?

Then we'll pay
for his treatment.

Do you know how much that costs?

What if we pay
and then it doesn't work?

You have to see him, really.

He's one of the best
I've ever seen.

If we reject him,

we'll regret it
for the rest of our lives.

There were people who objected,

and there were people
who were impressed by him.

We are a soccer club,
not a charity.

"We can't do it now
with a child his age.

We'll think about him
when he's 17 or 18."

In a few years,
it could be too late.

This boy will be on one of
the five best clubs in Europe.

What did you do in your first
days in Barcelona?

We walked around the city.

[man] He arrived, and Rexach
had to see and examine him,

but Rexach wasn't there.
He was somewhere else.

[man 2] Charlie had to return
from the Olympics.

It was difficult for the kid,

because he had to wait
to be tested.

[man 3] They sat in the hotel
and waited for Barcelona

to invite them for a tryout.
And they didn't call them.

They sat all day in the hotel,
looking out the window.

We've been waiting
for two weeks.

That's a long time.

You must understand that
it's not easy for the club

to take chances.

What else do you need?

I left my job in Rosario
to come here.

The kid is far from his family.

Exactly, there are many things
to consider.

The contract is complex
and requires time to draft,

and the treatment...

It's more expensive
than we thought.

And to bring
the whole family here...

If it's that complicated,
then we'll just leave.

Bye-bye.

Look, if it were up to me,
I swear I'd sign him tomorrow.

Let me talk
to the vicepresident,

and I'll get back to you
in a few days.

The Olympics delayed us a bit,
but he just kept playing.

-What surprised you?
-Barcelona's field.

Maybe the father, Jorge,
suffered more.

I didn't see that Leo suffered
because of that.

The only time Leo admitted
to be stressed

was during
the Barcelona tryouts,

with kids who were
two years older than him.

Rexach caught him
when he returned.

-A former Barcelona player.
-Yes.

He was the manager of the group.

What is that boy doing here?

-Which one?
-That one.

Shouldn't he be
in the kids' group?

Well, that's the kid.

It says here he just celebrated
his 13th birthday,

but he has some hormone issue.

They want us
to pay for the treatment,

but we can't promise anything.
-Shut up already.

[*]

Call the club.

Tell them we need this kid
at any cost.

Only an idiot
would see Messi playing

and not realize how good he is.

[man] What Leo did there...

It was clear
that he should be signed.

When they asked for my report,

I wrote in the comments
"Little Maradona,"

because he resembled him
very much.

Left-footed, head bowed,
in excellent shape, strong.

Speed, performance,
he had it all.

He was a little Maradona.
I had no doubt.

[reporter]
Tell me about Barcelona.

First, when you heard that
you might have an opportunity

and then how you felt
when you were there,

when you trained at the club.

It's really fun to be there,
to play in Barcelona,

in the biggest club
in the world. It's cool.

Because Lionel went first,
and then Matías.

They left gradually.

I remember that,
when Matías left,

his grandfather took him
in a van,

and he suddenly
hits the windshield.

"Stop, Grandpa, stop!"

Then he gets down
and kisses the street corner,

says bye, and leaves.

I think there is something
special in that neighborhood.

I don't know what. You leave,
but you always come back.

It has us.

It's really special.

He was in a somewhat
unusual situation for a while.

He was in Barcelona,
his family was here.

And the documents
still hadn't arrived.

Only Leo and Jorge received
a resident certificate.

He told me that it was hard
for the whole family.

He also suffered
because of the language,

he was learning Catalán.

My name is María.

I'm nine years old

and I'm from Argentina.

Nice. Now in Catalán.

[speak Catalan]

I don't know, and I don't care.

Yes, yes, I know.

But what is FIFA saying?

I don't know, insist.

You have to fix this,

you have to talk to them,
push them.

Okay.
We'll talk tomorrow, okay.

They haven't talked
to Newell's yet.

Can you believe it?

We've been here
for four months now,

and Leo still hasn't signed.

You know what it's like to
train every day with the team

when you can't participate
in the championship?

Come.

Do you think
it makes sense to stay here?

What?
What are you trying to say?

Are you seeing us?

We are lost.

We're far from our family,
from our home and friends.

María can't learn Catalan.
She will lose a school year.

And Matías is depressed.
He misses his girlfriend.

Fuck.

You know this business.
This is a difficult business,

and no matter how good Leo is,

there are things
we can't control.

Maybe you should stay with him.

I don't know, I'm just saying.

Think about the children,
they are his siblings.

I'll talk to Leo, okay?

We'll see what he says.

So you're here, Leo.

Look, I talked to your mother.

I want to play for Barcelona.

Okay.

I'll stay here with you.

[Messi] And now I'm back,
and I feel good.

I haven't found my rhythm yet.

His goal was
to play for Barcelona,

and he went with it to the end.

He had balls.

"I'm going to succeed in
Barcelona, so I'm staying."

Then his mother
returned to Argentina.

Celia returned
while he stayed with Jorge.

And that destroyed him.

And yet, he was convinced
that he would succeed.

He would look at you and say,
"I will reach the A club,

I'll be the best player."

[man]
I think if you asked Leo

what was the hardest moment
in his amazing story...

Be it the shots,

being criticized
on the national team...

If when Pekerman didn't play him
in the match against Germany...

The most difficult moment
for him was this moment,

when his family split up.

He felt a little guilty
because he was there with Jorge

while Celia was here.

No one could guarantee him
that it would work.

After a year, they may say,
"Thank you, go home."

I think his mother would go
to visit him and return.

But at least his father was
always with him in Barcelona,

because...

I went through it,
I went to England when I was 17.

And I traveled completely alone,

and even though I was 17,
it was hard for me too.

But when you look at where we
are now, it was for the better.

He didn't live in La Masía.

He lived with his father
in a big apartment.

A whole year passed
before Jorge found out

if he was staying or not. Why?

The process of signing the
contract was complex and slow.

Any of us, after six months,

would return to their homeland.

He didn't have
a transfer permit

from Newell's,
he was injured.

He injured his ankle
while going down the stairs.

A home accident.

He was going to Argentina,
and on the way back to Spain,

when he was sitting
on the plane,

he fastened his belt
next to Jorge

and burst into tears.

We met for the second time

and drafted a contract
that forecast a trajectory

of seven or eight years,
and I thought,

"We're signing for hundreds
of thousands of pesetas."

It was scandalous
for a 13-year-old boy.

Come on, champ.

Is he okay?

His family returned
to Argentina.

There were managers who said,
"We've gone completely crazy."

The truth is that we probably
went a little crazy,

because otherwise we would not
have approved this project.

He was so small that he went
to another category.

He started with us, his peers,

and then they dropped him
to the B club with younger kids.

In his debut match at Barça,
that day Barça won 14-1.

And he scored three
or four goals, as if to say,

"You've been waiting for me
for so long.

I went for it, I stayed here.
And look, here I am."

And in the second official
match, he got injured.

They broke his leg.

They hit him hard,

and he left in an ambulance.

I would go to an internet cafe,
and it would disconnect

and cut out
in the middle of a sentence.

It wasn't nice, the distance.

He lost contact
with many people.

He left everything here
and went somewhere else.

[Cintia] Yes,
and he was a teenager.

Leaving his friends
was hard for him.

He started the treatment
at the age of nine

and finish it in Spain.

[Piqué] There were days
that he didn't practice

because he got an injection.

The doctor would say,

"Leo is not training today,
because yesterday

he got an injection,
and it's better to rest."

[*]

His progression was meteoric.

I lack endurance and speed.

I get tired sometimes.

Yes, a lot,

because getting above Español's
youth team is a dream.

Well, I scored five goals.

I hope to keep scoring,
and that's it.

In the beginning,
because of the injury,

it was a little difficult,
but now I'm fine.

And he came back from Spain,
and we saw Leo,

he was much more muscular
and taller.

Colliding with him

is like colliding
with a 1.85m-tall guy.

Today, if you run into him,
he doesn't move.

He has amazing fitness.

You see all the muscles.

Muscular, fibrous.

So you understand
where the power, the speed,

the change of pace comes from.

Not everybody
has that explosion.

He developed this physical
ability over time, with help.

He got to be strong
through working out hard.

-So manly.
-Yes.

"You look so manly,"
I said to him.

Yes, he is a man.

I once saw him
at a match in Cantera

when Leo was on the youth team
and got his cheekbone broken.

He got elbowed.

[man] He cried,
not because of the fracture,

but because he thought
he wouldn't be able to play

the following week, in the
Catalonia Championship final.

In the end he ended up playing
wearing Puyol's mask.

I remember he told him,

"If the mask bothers you,
if it hurts you,

I'll take you out."
"Sure, sure, sure."

He started playing, and the mask
moved because of the sweat.

He threw the mask away
and played without it.

His father almost had
a heart attack.

He won the game and went out.

First of all, Messi is
a diamond, one of the best.

He found the way to keep shining

so that idiots couldn't
overshadow his brilliance.

Some players remain
in the shadows

because of stupid managers.

It says good things
about whoever put him there.

It's an act of faith,
the vision of someone to say,

"Let's talk about it,

even if it goes against
what is accepted."

I think this is what happened
with Rexach and Cruyff,

who ignored the prejudice

and created
the Philosopher's Stone.

Touch the ball, control
the pitch, attack when possible.

Slow down
when you need to recover.

All those things.

It starts with Cruyff.

He found conditions in Barça

that didn't exist
in most clubs in the world,

and he undoubtedly became
the best player in the world.

Come on, come on,
the first practice of the year.

I want to see you focused.

You had free time,
you're rested.

Now you have to start working

and get in shape
as soon as possible.

Come on, come on.

You are moving up a level,

which means that the
demands are also higher.

Stop the clapping and nonsense,
let's play.

Leo was playing there
for Barça B,

and Frank Rijkaard asked
if he could borrow some players

because they had a friendly
at Das Antas in Oporto.

He was really polite.

So he said,
"No, you pick the players."

"Well, then you have these."
And I tell him, "Messi too."

So he looks at me
and says, "Who is Messi?"

[laughs]

-Hello.
-Hello.

This is the guy.

It's good to have
a coach like Rijkaard,

who trusted the youngsters,

who put them in the game,

whether it was Messi or Iniesta,
or somebody else...

He lets them play.

It was amazing when he put on
the Barcelona shirt and played,

at the age of 16, right?

Mati, come on, it's Leo.

-Is that Leo?
-Yes.

[Messi] I'm debuting this
Wednesday with the A team, Mom.

What's going on, Mom?
What did he say?

Sounds like he's debuting
with the A team.

-Debut game? Tell me.
-Give it to me.

Stop.

Yes, of course we're going.
This is your debut.

Organize everything for me,
we're going.

Don't bother.

Don't worry. Yes, we're going.

When I saw his debut match
against Porto I think it was...

-They wore a gray shirt, right?
-Gray shirt.

-A brown shirt.
-Brown.

-Number 30, number 30.
-My mother shouted,

"Diego, Leo is coming in."

[Messi] Today it appeared
in all the newspapers.

I hope this will help me
make it to the national team.

I would really like that.

The question is, is it a myth?
Or is it real?

Vivas kept him
from signing with Spain?

Did Grondona save him?

He said, "Organize a match and
make sure he participates.

Otherwise, he will play
for a different team."

It was in the semi-final match
with Spain in 2003.

When we arrived, we found out
that we were in the same hotel

as the Spanish team.

And they always took
their own chef with them.

I'm walking, and suddenly...

someone approaches me
and asks me,

-Are you Hugo Tocalli?
-I'm busy, sorry.

Excuse me, Mr. Tocalli,

I want to talk to you
about a young man.

Leo Messi from Rosario,
you know him.

I don't talk about work
with strangers.

Call the union, please.

He is 15, and they are trying
to entice him to play

for the Spanish national team,

but he wants to play
for Argentina.

What 15-year-old boy doesn't
want to play for Argentina?

No, you don't understand,
he's a phenom, a genius.

If you don't call him now
and add him to the U-17 team,

we will lose him forever.

If they had paid me
every time someone said that,

today I would be a millionaire.
Sorry.

Sir, wait.

His father asked me
to give this to you.

If you're not interested,
it's fine,

but if you are,
feel free to call him.

It's urgent, please.

And most importantly,

the Spaniards can't hear
about this.

Okay.
Anything else?

Yes, thank you, Mr. Tocalli.
Thank you very much.

Bye.

I took it and turned away.
I didn't even thank him.

So in the final
of the youth championship,

a cook came and said he had
a player that would save you?

I didn't believe him.

No, Pedrito, we're talking
about the national team.

Those who train seriously
play here.

Those who came to have fun
should go home. Okay?

Of course, but I told you
this morning, Pedro.

You didn't listen.

In the end, I am on my own,

and they're making fun of us.

They're making fun of us.

[cheering]

That disc had five
of Leo's plays on it.

He took the ball,
went with it, stopped.

He'd go from 0 to 100km
in three meters!

That shocked me.

José and I always said

that on every youth team
we needed a fast player,

a player that knows
how to change pace.

I thought, "He's the one."

Before that you had no contact
with him.

I didn't know anything.

Wait a minute, please.

I immediately called
Omar Souto,

who was the administrative
employee who was with us.

Listen to me, listen carefully.

I need you to get me a boy
who lives in Barcelona.

His name is Lionel Messi.

Do you understand?
Lionel Messi.

I asked him to call Spain

and check if we could contact
him through Javier,

who was on the A team,
or through someone else.

Thank you.

I think it took him
about 40 minutes.

I'm calling from the
Argentine Soccer Association.

I can't believe it.

"I spoke with the boy's father,
and he is thrilled.

If a match is scheduled,

he will ask Barcelona
for permission and go."

When he was 16,

they took him to the U-20
or U-18 national team.

We organized a game
against Paraguay.

A game they invented
on the spot.

So Leo became part
of the national team.

It bounded him
to the Argentina team.

If Messi had played
on the Spanish team

of the most recent
World Cup...

That won the
European Super Cup twice...

It would've been impossible
to beat them.

At this point
we should have a toast

for the video, for the game you
managed in the Argentine field,

because Julio approved
buying a plane ticket for him.

Would Messi have been debuted
at Real Madrid at 17?

I hope that in the future

I'll be able to keep playing
on the A team.

In the end, he arrived
at the A team

and that's the last
we heard of him.

It was the right time,
both in soccer, in general,

to make the A team
with this particular coach

and particular lineup.

Ronaldinho adopted him
as if he were his son.

The players asked the coach
to call Leo.

[Messi]
It's not easy to arrive at 16

and enter the dressing room,

especially with my character...

But Ronaldinho, Deco,
Silvinho, Mota...

They immediately adopted me,
especially Ronaldinho.

On the first day,
he sat me next to him

and made everything
easy for me.

The way his teammates
in Barcelona received him

is a testament
to Leo's character,

because everyone adopted him.

That's my Leo!

It was a very complex game...

We managed to score
the first goal...

Yes, the truth is,
it worked out for us...

They adopted him
and helped him grow up.

Frank had a lot of patience.

[Messi] Rijkaard led me step
by step, without rushing.

Sometimes I said

I didn't understand
why he didn't call me to play.

[man] He really protected him.

Another coach might not
have bet on him.

[Messi] Today, with a cold
and examining look,

I understand
that he guided me right.

And I thank him very much,
because he knew

at every moment
what was best for me...

Because sometimes you run
too much, and you lose your way.

Then the damage is irreversible.

In Barcelona, Messi got
a coach who, in my eyes,

represents the Dutch school.

Everything about Rijkaard
is simply successful.

And he leads Messi
to the top-class team.

Even after
his debut in Barcelona,

no one imagined that he would
be the best player in the world.

No.

The first goal he scored
in the Barcelona stadium...

He came in that day
and scored a huge goal.

Ronaldinho made the pass.

He put it over
the goalie's head.

The first one to hug Messi
was Ronaldinho.

[Messi] I didn't notice
what he was doing,

or how we were celebrating.

I was so happy
when I scored my first goal.

Then, when I watched it calmly,
in detail, how we celebrated.

It proves how he feels about
me, what kind of person he is.

It was as if he scored himself.

He hugged him like a father.

It was really special
to see them on the field.

-It was amazing.
-To see both of them...

They seemed to have fun.

Ronaldinho is a great guy.

He didn't keep it to himself,
like others,

those who thought Messi
would become too important.

[Messi] In the dressing room,
he would come up with an idea,

and he would practice
until it was successful,

and the next day he would come
and show you what he learned.

Marías once said,
"Ronaldinho is a beach player,

and Messi is
a neighborhood player."

For Messi, every game
is a neighborhood game.

Even in the stupidest game,
his honor was at stake.

He continues to play
as if the prize is a bicycle.

[Messi] Ronaldinho is the best
player in the world,

and to play with him
is impressive.

[reporter]
What is your dream?

To play for
the Argentine national team.

Messi's start on the Argentine
national team wasn't easy.

The rst game in the World Cup,
in Germany against Hungary.

When he played
on the national team?

Yes, the first game.

The ball reached him,

and the defender caught him
by the shirt.

And he waves his hand
to escape from him.

And the referee gives him
a red card for assault.

[all boo]

-That was madness.
-The referee was insane.

Yes, of course.

And they removed him
from the field after 30 seconds.

Leo cried in the dressing room.
It was so hard for him.

It was a shame, we expected
a lot from him in this game.

When did you realize
that he was a different player,

that he was one of those players
who define an era?

In the game against Juve,

it was the game that opened
the eyes of the world.

-And there they met him.
-They started talking about him.

[*]

It was amazing to see
what he did on the field.

I think he was 17 years old.

He did something
very impressive tonight.

He proved his talent,
against a team like Juve

that expected to win.

And they committed
many fouls to stop him.

He helped Andres Iniesta a lot.

He caused Juve a lot of
trouble,

it's a team
with high level players.

Even Capello, the coach,
said, "Okay."

I have never seen a player
of such quality at that age.

He has personality, speed,
everything. I loved him.

There was a conversation

between Rijkaard
and Fabio Capello on the field.

Fabio tells him,
"Say, give him to me."

And Rijkaard says, "No, no."

Such talent should be protected.

It was an amazing evening.

The crowd really enjoyed
seeing him on the field.

We haven't seen this guy
before, until Camp Nou.

It was the first time
everyone shouted

"Messi, Messi, Messi."

[all cheering]

And they immediately
renewed his contract.

They understood that Messi's
contract situation

was precarious.

Messi's contract
is always precarious.

-Always.
-It's been revewed six times.

We mustn't forget
his international performances,

and I'm referring to his match
against Chelsea.

It was unbelievable.

He must've had nightmares for a
week because of del Horno.

And Mourinho's performance.

The performance.

Excellent performance.

The game against Chelsea
at Stamford Bridge

is a decisive point
in his career.

Del Horno bullied him
excessively.

It was the first time I saw
Messi in a decisive match.

That game revealed
a lot about Messi,

and especially about the terror

that he would inspire
in his opponents.

I experienced it with you

when we went to a bar to watch
the Real Madrid-Barcelona game.

He scored a hat trick,
didn't he?

-It was a long time ago.
-Yes, three goals.

He scored the three goals
in the derby.

That was huge.

-That was huge.
-Really good.

And then comes who I consider
the best coach in the world.

Without a doubt.

The team that Guardiola receives

had Messi, Eto'o,
Ronaldinho and Henry.

Awesome.

They had to do many things,

and they did them fast.

Ronaldinho is out.

Ronaldinho leaves,
Messi gets the number ten.

And then you start
to think that maybe...

Laporta says to Ronaldinho,
"Our story is over."

They both cried
and hugged each other.

After the tears,
Laporta left the house,

took a phone
and called Jorge Messi.

He said he had something
to tell them.

"Leo, you're the leader."

He was 21 years old.

I guess his first reaction was,

"You're screwing my friends,
my adopted brother."

And yet, the second thought
was,

"How will the group be?
How will we play?

Which players will come?"

I think that at that moment,
Messi wasn't the leader.

I think that, at 21, Messi
wasn't the leader of Barça.

That's just how
it was presented to him.

The leader of Barcelona
was Guardiola.

The leader who decides to give
Messi center stage is Guardiola,

and he does it
on a certain day,

against Real Madrid,
when the score is 2-6,

when he actually removes Eto'o
from the group,

giving him a side position
as a right-wing striker.

He puts Messi as the center
of the team,

as a center-forward.

This is a decision
of symbolic importance.

That says, "We will build
the team around you."

Because until then,
the group wasn't built.

But it's not Messi's decision.
It's Guardiola's decision.

Messi grew, partly because
maybe Guardiola understood

that Eto'o was a tribal leader
who didn't really help Messi,

because he overprotected him.

And Messi preferred not to have
Eto'o around him.

Ronaldinho was taken out

because he believed
Ronaldinho's aura

overshadowed Messi.

He figured that he inevitably
had to adopt this role.

But Guardiola created
this scenario.

When you knock on the door
and say "Good afternoon,"

everyone knows who you are.

When Guardiola opens
the door of the dressing room,

everyone knows
what the game is.

That's the coach's goal.

And the Barcelona team is
improving under his leadership.

A whole generation
at Messi's service.

No one argued with Messi.

And those who argued with Messi
ended their journey at Barça.

What would happen if Cristiano
Ronaldo played in Barcelona,

and Messi played with Mourinho?

Good question.

[Menotti]
Would it have been the same,

or maybe Cristiano Ronaldo
would have left

as other great players did?

Leo likes to play
in the neighborhood playground

with friends.

He likes to play with people

who feel the same way
about soccer.

He mainly needs close partners,
right?

Friends.

Eventually, they reach
a certain connection,

give and take, give and take.

I remember that Zlatan
came for a year,

and he was
a much more anarchic player.

He was a great player,

but it was difficult for Leo
to connect with him.

Does Messi have to play
with the best players,

or with those he gets along
best with?

With those he gets along with
the best, who can be the best.

There were forwards
who had to move

because they were
in the diagonal line of Leo.

Villa, Eto'o,
Bojan Krkic, Ibrahimovic.

This is how they play
in Barcelona.

If you want to play differently,
go to another team.

Ibra was an obstacle,
just another defender.

Yes, yes, he was a barrier.

Messi needs perspective.

If Messi has the ball,
and you want to help him,

you have to keep the opponent
away from him

and let him play one-on-one.

What does it mean "to help"?

It's to give a teammate
the best possible conditions.

-It's called helping.
-Exactly.

In my opinion, first of all
we need to define

why he is
such an amazing player.

After all,
soccer is not so mysterious,

you don't need to talk so much.

You don't need 4-3-4,

which sounds like
telephone numbers.

In soccer,
there are four actions.

And they are to define, develop,
respond and protect.

These are the four actions.

Messi started by being
an excellent setter.

First as a midfielder,
from the side, but then...

We have found a new position
in soccer.

-A false nine.
-A false nine.

He invented this position
to take advantage of his skill

in the best way.

Without a doubt,
and all credit to Guardiola.

He plays outside,
he plays inside,

he plays wherever he wants,

because he is
a wonderful player.

He just needs to be
a good defender.

What about his sprint the other
day to take the ball from Kun?

His father, Jorge Messi,
told me about the day

he realized that his son
would be successful.

He told me that they made a
circle, Messi was in the center.

He took the ball, and as soon
as it reached the center,

he ran straight to the feet of
whoever was holding the ball,

and took it from him.

He wanted the ball
more than anything else.

-Messi needs the ball.
-Exactly.

He is like a violinist

that's not allowed
to play the violin.

Or they let him play
every two minutes,

"Now it's your turn."

They've been playing
for an hour,

and the idol,
the genius who plays the violin,

has only two notes.

If Messi doesn't have the ball,
he's just an ordinary player.

Because if you give Messi
thirty balls or just five...

I've seen matches
of our national team

where Messi got the ball
only four times.

It takes a miracle to score
four goals from four passes.

It's impossible.

The ball should always be
with Messi,

because then you know
that at least

he will always make sure
he reaches a teammate.

And then you breathe
a sigh of relief.

At one of the meetings,
I asked Maradona to go outside,

and I asked everyone

how many balls
will Maradona be given?

Everyone just looked at me,
and I said, "All of them."

That's why Busquets, Xavi,
or Iniesta

are so important
for his way of playing,

for the ball to reach him.

Besides, he has the advantage
that when they see each other,

they look straight in the eye,
because they are the same size.

The same weight.

This is also important.
You see everything.

You have no idea
how important it is

for a soccer player's career

to have three or four
serious players on the field.

We can give ourselves a medal
and say it's true...

[all laugh]

But Leo is Leo
regardless of who he plays with.

I once heard Cruyff say
that it all started...

With Xavi.

He always keeps the pace.
When Xavi takes the ball,

he quickly passes it to Messi

only when he is
free and able to react.

He doesn't just pass him
the ball to see what he'll do.

And recently,
he also has Iniesta.

You understand each other
very well.

You know when
you should pass the ball to him

so that he breaks forward.

And sometimes he gives it back
to you in a perfect way...

You are good players
with a similar profile.

-They are...
-Connected.

Connected, yes.

Even if I played with him
all my life,

I wouldn't be able to return
a good ball to him.

[announcer]
Time is running out for Barça,

midfielder Dani Alves enters.
Thierry releases the ball,

Samuel Eto'o comes forward,
waiting.

He passes it to Leo Messi,
he holds Messi in the box...

He leaves the ball
to Andrés Iniesta!

Iniesta shoots... goal.

[all] Goal!

[announcer]
Barça's goal!

Andrés Iniesta's goal
in the 93rd minute!

What an awesome kick!

It's amazing for Barça
to reach the final

of the Champions League
in Rome.

Andrés Iniesta again!

Leo Messi again!

Barça is going to Rome!

That's why I say that for many,
soccer is played with the feet.

For me, soccer is played
with the head,

your feet are just
interpreters.

What I like about him

is that he always turns a
disadvantage into an advantage.

A short man that uses his body
well can beat a big guy.

It's always under
the control area.

Yes, he does not have
the option to clean up.

He's down here,
so if he's pushing,

if you're pushing here...

At that time in Barcelona,
there were many short players,

and they all had this feature.

They took advantage
of the tackle.

Because, if someone runs
into you, you speed up.

You'd think he can't perform
headers because he's short.

I wish I could hit like him.
His head is like a hammer.

There's a picture
from the final...

Was it the Champions League?

-Yes.
-The goal he scored.

Crazy height.

It was a huge leap.

I heard Piqué
talking about the practice.

I've seen this a lot
during practices,

when I had to follow him
as a defender.

You know the feeling,

when you know
what he's going to do?

You know
what he will do to you.

You know he will go there.

I know where
he will come at me from.

But even when you know,
you can't stop him.

-He goes out anyway and runs.
-Right.

I have the feeling that if he
wants to pass you, he just does.

Otherwise, he wouldn't do it.

He plays with you.

And you know
he will touch the ball,

and it looks like two touches,

but it's only one touch.

He chooses
whether to touch it or not,

because it doesn't matter
if he touches it or not.

But when you take a step,
he always does the opposite.

When I hear people
praising Messi,

I think they should see this.

This is the most important,
and much more beautiful.

He can score, yes. There are
many who score beautiful goals.

When the ball reaches Messi,
he never doubts.

[ovation]

They asked me
what I thought about him.

I said he was a monster.

Few times have I seen
a player run so fast

with the ball so close
to his feet. Few times.

His big advantage
is in driving the ball.

Instead of a defender
taking a step, he takes two.

-So he can go right or left.
-Right.

And again, it's...

-It's a big advantage.
-It's a big advantage.

Every step he takes is an
opportunity to change course.

Yes. That's why he needs
so many touches.

That's why Barcelona
is so good,

because they make
a lot of touches.

The people around him know
that he needs a lot of touches.

This part of Barcelona
is wonderful.

Even in slow motion,
it looks fast.

It looks at a different speed,
it's not slow at all.

He controls the ball
with dizzying speed.

When he is angry with someone,

he'll nutmeg them.

When you think about it,
he can do it all the time,

but he doesn't.

He does what he wants,
when he wants to do it.

He scored a goal the other day.

Iniesta passes the ball
to Alexis Sánchez,

and Messi is pushed
in the middle.

As if to say,
"Excuse me, I can do this."

He takes control

and puts it in the only place
the ball can go.

And that is why he is Messi.

It's magic.

In crowded places, he's sly

and pulls a rabbit
out of the hat for you.

To score or pass the ball.

He makes a substitution
within 30 meters.

In free kicks, for example.

He's left-footed, I know.

But he doesn't use
his right leg just to walk.

Yes, he's scored many goals
with his right foot.

And there are very few lefties

who play well
with their right foot.

He's not a lefty like
Maradona,

in the sense that Maradona,

when he had to kick
from the right,

we would do a rabona,
he would do anything...

-He would make up anything...
-To avoid the right foot.

But Messi can use it
when needed.

There is always one leg
stronger than the other,

but if the ball comes
from the right side,

you have to put it in.

And you have more possibilities
if you are capable of that.

What position does he play
for the national team?

He is...

Free position.

In any case,
you have to keep up with Messi.

Yeah, sure. But no...

It's better
not to leave him alone.

No, but you can follow him
in all kinds of forms.

Yes, yes.

And with Messi, one-on-one
isn't enough.

You need two-on-one.

It can only be done
if rules are slightly flexible.

Yes.
Or you can beat him.

I don't like him getting hit
or falling, it's hard for me.

Here comes the great Messi...

He's so accurate that he
doesn't need to kick hard.

He always puts the ball right
on the corners of the goal.

He aims as far away from
the goalkeeper as possible.

He broke all the records.

Scoring three goals
is normal for him.

If he scores just one goal,
it doesn't seem enough for us.

We got used
to the extraordinary.

In training, people miss
a lot of things.

I don't want to play
against him, ever.

-Nobody wants to.
-[laughs]

People expect that...
I don't know,

that he will do two somersaults
in the air before scoring.

And his advantage

is that he is not looking
for a beautiful goal.

He just wants
the ball to go in.

How? Who cares.

And therefore,
he can pull any move.

That doesn't matter.

That's what I like.

And a double transfer between
the legs. It's almost bragging.

Like a circus.

He does exactly what is needed.

-He spares his movements.
-He respects his opponent.

But he probably swears
every now and then.

Because otherwise,
it's like we're talking

about a wax doll.

-Well, yes.
-There must be something wrong.

When Leo is angry,
when he loses, he is unbearable.

Because you also know
how to annoy him.

You know how to annoy everybody,
you can even drive me mad.

He is always a second
ahead of the game.

You don't know who is behind
you, but he always knows.

He has panoramic vision,

he knows where the opponent
is coming from,

where his teammates
are standing.

How much room he has
for maneuvering. It's a gift.

I think a turning point
in Spanish soccer was

the Madrid-Barça game.

It was Mourinho's first year,

a very complex game for Barça.

This was the game where Pepe
was sent off. Do you remember?

The grass was high,
there were many problems.

And I think that if Madrid
had won this game

and had played
the European League final,

maybe that would have changed
the face of Spanish soccer.

Messi prevented that.

In an amazing,
extraordinary move,

he caught the ball
in the center of the field.

He eluded three players,
and scored an impressive goal.

I think that's where he
destroyed Mourinho's Madrid.

It's true that after that,

Madrid won the league
the following year,

but Barça continued to create

a feeling
that this was its era.

And I think it was Messi
who tipped the scales,

as if he said,
"Here, in this game,

we are still in control."

He won the game
with a Maradonian move.

In my opinion,

it was a sort of historic moment
in Spanish soccer.

A large part of the problems
Madrid had against Barcelona

were psychological.

I think Messi had a noticeable
impact on these games.

This feeling that everything
starts and ends with Messi,

it was just too much
for Madrid at some point.

[announcer] An opportunity
to score a penalty goal

for Leo Messi.

He looks focused.

[*]

What are you good at?

Everything.

You will be the best player
in the world.

[announcer]
Messi shoots... goal!

Goal for Barcelona
soccer club!

Barcelona is already
tired of winning.

It almost bores them.

It's like saying
the Mona Lisa is boring,

and to have fun,
you'll draw a mustache on her.

You cannot touch the artwork.

[announcer] Ball to Messi.

The hat trick for Messi.

Goal, goal, goal!

The stop is much more important
than the speed.

-Obviously.
-And he stops.

Stops in place
and then breaks out again.

Have you seen such speed?

-Yes, yes.
-Who?

The Brazilian dude.
Pelé.

I think Pelé
is in another realm.

When talking about soccer,
don't mention Pelé,

because Pelé
is from another planet.

He has something from every
great player throughout history.

He has the control of Zidane,
the speed of Ronaldo.

One of the first times he won
the Ballon d'Or award,

I was so excited.

As if I had won it.

Lionel Messi.

[applause]

Lionel Messi.

I thought, "This is so nice."

I was moved almost to tears.

Obviously.

Leo Messi,
this is his fourth Ballon d'Or.

He is a great player,
there is no doubt about that.

Yes, no doubt.

Do you already see him
by your side in history?

Yes, without a doubt.

He is already sitting
next to Maradona,

next to Di Stefano,
next to Cruyff.

He's already sitting
at the big table.

-Did you arrange this?
-What?

You are making a play, a comedy,

and you want to include me
as a character.

All of your comments are
to compare him to someone else.

You see?

He already did that
as a child.

-He was seven or eight.
-Yes.

It was half time
of a Newell match.

He dribbled 300 or 400 times
without dropping the ball.

You see Maradona, and you see
Lionel, and they are the same.

The difference is
that Lionel was younger,

and Maradona was a grown up.

It doesn't happen often.
For example, Diego.

He could do it with a can,
with an orange,

with a lemon, with a cork.

Messi doesn't like doing that.

That's what I meant to say,
he doesn't like to show off.

He was always modest.

This is what brought him
to the place where he is.

-Who's your favorite player?
-Maradona.

You have similar features.
You are left-footed,

you can control the ball.

You look up to Diego.

-Do you want to imitate him?
-No.

That's the move
I always talk about.

[*]

It's similar to Maradona's goal
against the English.

Yes, they run the same distance
in meters.

They encounter
the same obstacles.

Maradona makes
more changes of pace,

he needs to deceive more

because he's not
as fast as Messi.

In contrast,
Messi simply accelerates.

When you think of the base,
there are many differences.

Both are left-footed, yes.

One is faster than the other...

Maradona hides the ball
and shows it.

These are different periods.

Different style,
different opponents.

It's impossible to compare
those English defenders

with current defenders.

It was 30 years ago.
It's impossible.

Diego's story is mythical,

what he did in 1986
against England,

after the Falklands War...

Maradona leads the team.

Leo defines the game.

Maradona himself made
a nice comparison, he said,

"I have better field vision.

Leo has better goal vision."

Messi also has it.
Both things are common to both.

Maradona has an aura, he carries
the team on his shoulders.

He shouts at the fans,
he curses at those

that boo our national anthem.

Leo carries the team
in the match.

-He leads the way.
-He's a natural leader.

He leads people, his friends.

-Not out of tyranny.
-Not out of tyranny.

He doesn't force anything.

Messi was Maradona.

But he wasn't Maradona
every now and then,

as happened to Maradona.

Messi was Maradona,
not every day, but every minute.

I remember Diego's matches
with Napoli,

where Diego would disappear
from the field sometimes.

I don't agree with that.

Why not?

Maradona invented Napoli.

-Messi didn't invent Barcelona.
-Yes.

Messi added details
to a work of art,

he added eyes, hair,

one last swipe of the brush.

But Napoli was just
a bunch of people

running in all directions.

Napoli was a team
of the Italian lower class.

And they beat
the powerful Milan...

What Maradona did was epic.

The stars aligned well for them.

That's why
the comparison is unfair.

Leo is Leo, Diego is Diego.

Leo will always be Leo.

And if you asked me today
who is better, Leo or Diego,

I'd say Leo.

That's my humble opinion.

We Argentinians often
compare them in everything,

in the number of similar goals
he scored in his career.

And the one with the hand,
did you see?

-No.
-The one with the hand.

Look at the handball
that Leo does.

Exactly the same as Maradona's.

Amazing.

If Maradona had scored
the hand goal,

and hadn't scored
the second goal,

no one would remember
"the hand of God."

He is remembered because
it was against the English.

Because in addition
to this goal,

he was the best player
in the entire championship.

Look, it's exactly
the same. Right.

It's a miracle.
It seems to be pre-ordained.

The extremism,

the exaggeration that surrounds
Diego off the pitch.

Leo doesn't have that.

Diego Maradona
has to be shut up.

It's bad for the public figure,

but great for the soccer player.

Diego suffered more in his life.

And maybe he's better
than Maradona

precisely because of
the mistakes he doesn't make.

Messi is the Argentinian
we would like to be.

Maybe.

Yes, the educated Argentine
who goes out into the world

and succeeds.

And Diego is the Argentine
we are today.

We're more aggressive,
more exaggerated.

It provokes people.

Leo was never sent off the
field for such an offense

in the World Cup.

And that's my only comparison.

That's why
you're sitting like that.

You don't want to listen
or say anything.

I sit with folded hands,
it means my lips are sealed.

Because now you are only dealing
with comparisons.

I am not comparing.

I repeat, I don't want
to get into comparisons.

I repeat, both of them
are exceptional players,

the best players in the world.

Among the best players
in history.

I just don't want
to make comparisons.

When asked, he asks
not to be compared.

I think Maradona was better.
I don't know.

I have no way to know
if he is better.

I already said who was
the greatest in my eyes.

After him,
everyone is great.

Thank God that Messi exists,
imagine he didn't.

Then we would still be talking
about Maradona.

And that's ridiculous.

Therefore, there is no room
for comparison.

You just have to enjoy.

-Who is your idol?
-Maradona.

Leo, I just wanted to say
that I love you.

You're so great.

Let everyone talk.

You will be the best
in history.

We will decide that when you
reach the end of your career.

Enjoy today,
and be happy with your family.

I love you very much, Leo.
I mean it.

I have never seen
a bad match from Messi.

Out of 100 games, I might have
seen him play bad three times.

He's not a robot, he's a kid.

I only saw two matches
where Messi was booed,

in Copa América
in Santa Fe,

and in Monumental Stadium
against Bolivia.

In the preliminary game to...

But I think that this was the
crowd's reaction to the team.

When the team plays poorly,

they don't attack
the right striker,

they attack the main character.

The free kick?
Do you remember the free kick?

He kicked it
into the fourth row.

Everyone booed him.

And it's okay to be booed.
I would boo him too.

If I had been his coach,
I would've told him,

"I can't allow that."
But that's all.

[all boo]

Why do you emphasize the fact
that he was booed?

They booed the team.

Well, he was booed.

Obviously he was booed.

That was another Messi.

Many times, people repeat
things they heard.

There were journalists
who made an issue of it,

people joined them,

and they started
talking about the fact

that he is not devoted
to the team.

There were jokes about Messi.

I'm talking about
the people on the street.

They say...

He is a failure,
he has no balls.

He has no soul.

I've always supported him,
all my life, but that's it.

Enough, stop it. He is a lie.

He is a lie.

I was so upset
when they criticized him.

It hurts you too.

All this kid ever wanted to do
was play for the national team

and they criticized him.

He has no soul.
He walks the field.

He should never be compared
to Maradona.

Don't be mean.

They slapped him in the face
for not singing the anthem.

His music teacher...

I'm sure I taught him
the national anthem.

I went to Santa Fe,

where there was
Leo's story with the anthem.

[Argentine national anthem
plays]

Everyone, including him,
knew it wasn't fair.

You feel great excitement
at this moment.

You think about many things.

You don't have to sing the
anthem to be a proud Argentine.

I left five minutes
before the end,

because it was hard for me
to hear

what the people next to me
were saying about Leo.

When you deal with these things,
it's so mediocre.

I don't sing the anthem, ever.

[laughs]

I don't care.

Shouldn't we appreciate
the fact

that he didn't want to play

for the Spanish national team?

He wanted to play
for Argentina's national team.

I remember what La Volpe said.

"Stop criticizing him.
Leave him alone."

He considered leaving the team.

"One day he'll get fed up
and won't come back."

Nevertheless, he kept coming.

Leo's more Argentinian
than I am.

Argentina is always
on his mind.

And Rosario.

He will return to play there.

He must want to enjoy things
he didn't have

in his childhood, right?

Messi has lived in Spain
since he was 13.

And he still speaks in
a Rosarian dialect.

He doesn't speak Argentine.
He speaks Rosarian.

Someone in Barcelona told
me that Leo is a player

who wakes up in Rosario,

trains in Barcelona,

and returns to Rosario
at the end of training.

That's him.

He is more Argentinian
than dulce de leche.

I think there was some kind
of transformation

for the Argentine team.

It was in the game
in Barranquilla.

Yes, it was in Sabella's time.

Is Sabella here?

-On the right.
-There he is.

From that day,
it was Messi's team.

And Messi was
the leader of the team.

There was a change.

I think the team started to play
more like Messi wanted,

and not the way you thought.

Look, it happens many times.

There are games
that are a turning point.

[announcer]
Yes, Argentina has won.

You have to try
and understand each player,

and when you have
the best player in the world,

he also needs to be understood.

Messi came out,
I was in the dressing room...

and he told me...

This is how the team
should play today.

"This is how I like to play,
to get side passes."

-He had Kun Aguero.
-He had more options.

He got used to it in Barcelona.

The interesting thing is
that even when he is not well,

he is there.

You think he's not there,
but he is.

He's not there, but suddenly
takes the ball and makes a mess.

Alejandro,
you will be remembered

as the coach of the team

that let Messi play
like he did in Barcelona.

We didn't admit it then,
but we can admit it here.

He was the world champion
in the youth group.

He was also an Olympic champion.

To win the three championships
and be the best in the world

is to reach the peak.

Many say he doesn't have
a World Cup,

but he has
four Ballon d'Or awards.

-No one else has that many.
-Exactly.

In my eyes, he is the best,

even if he doesn't win
the World Cup.

But I say it would be ideal
for his career

if he could also win
a World Cup.

One day we will get
the Falklands back,

Messi will be the general,

and we will scold him
for not wearing the rosette.

When you interview Messi...

To say it's boring
is an understatement.

He is a pure soul.

He throws clichés at you,
one after another.

There is nothing dark in him,
nothing dubious.

And it was at the time

that Leo's tax problem
became public.

"Send me the questions.
I will answer them."

And he answered them via email.

He knows how to dodge,
even better than in the field.

It was the only interview I did
by email, and I work in radio.

It's a really new experience.

There are always people
who want to meddle.

If Iniesta and Xavi have a
massage therapist they trust,

the board can't fire them,
only they can.

And he is the man to stop it.

Can Messi say what is good
for the team,

what is useful for the club?

Should he help or not?

-The answer, Ramón, is yes.
-Yes.

And then he disconnected when
he changed his phone number,

because he was really
being hounded.

I haven't talked to Leo
since the World Cup in Germany.

Really?

I can't believe it.

-I didn't want to bother him.
-Exactly.

We were in constant
communication

and then he broke it off,
because...

Because of your phone.

Because I lost my cell phone.

Everyone who met him,
when we see him running,

we say, "A drop of his sweat
is mine."

For us, he is already a hero.

He doesn't have
to prove anything.

Let's toast.

To Messi.

[*]

[ovation]

[all] Goal!

[*]

I have an important memory
for both of us.

We were 11 or 12,
and his grandmother passed away.

He said to me,
"Come with me to the cemetery.

Come visit my grandma with me."

I told him, "Okay, we'll go,
but it's far."

We were young, we had no idea

of what happened
beyond our neighborhood.

It was terrible.

We traveled through slums.

People looked at us,

because they saw two children,
dressed quite nicely.

After walking around
up to there,

we finally arrived
at the cemetery.

She was an important figure
in his life,

because she instilled in him
optimism

regarding his decision
to play soccer.

He suffered so much
when she died.

It took us
a long time to get back.

"Where have you been?"

We said, "We went to visit
Leo's grandmother."

It describes how close
he was to his grandmother

that he felt
a strong need to visit her,

even though he knew

how dangerous it was
to leave his neighborhood.

[*]

[announcer]
Giménez has the ball.

Good pass to number seven,
two players left behind.

Pass to Messi,
nice move by the lefty.

It might be their second goal.

Goal!

Goal!

Goal!

She really liked soccer.

She loved soccer.

Foul, foul!

[cheers]

[*]

He loved his grandmother
very much.

She didn't see his success.

In every goal he scores,

he thanks his grandmother.

This move.

[*]

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[*]

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