Lionel Andrés Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. He started playing football at a young age and joined the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys. At 13, he moved to Spain to join FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, where he received medical treatment for a growth hormone deficiency. Messi’s talent was evident from an early age, and he quickly progressed through the ranks of Barcelona’s youth system.