BEN: Hello, Little Fox readers, and welcome to the latest edition of People in the News. Do any of you like to play soccer? Well, guess what . . . Today's person in the news is one of the greatest soccer players in the world.
OLIVIA: That's right, Ben. I'm going to introduce you to Lionel Messi, who plays professional soccer (also called football in some parts of the world) for two different teams: the FC Barcelona club in Spain and the national team of Argentina. During his career Leo has become known as one of the best soccer players of all time. That's a huge feat for one of the smallest players on the field today!
Leo was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 24, 1987. His father was a steelworker and his mother worked part-time as a cleaner. Leo started playing soccer when he was just five years old, often using a soda can or stone as a ball. According to a family story, the first time he played, nothing happened when the ball came to his right foot. But when the ball rolled toward his left foot, he started dribbling as if he'd been playing forever! Soon Leo joined a local soccer club, where people noticed his dribbling skills, along with his incredible speed and agility.
By the time Leo was 11, many people had noticed something else about him: Leo was a lot smaller than most of the other boys on the field. Eventually doctors realized that Leo had a growth hormone deficiency, a disorder that leads to slow growth in children. The medication for the disorder was very expensive, and his family needed help with paying for it. So when one of the best soccer teams in the world, FC Barcelona, expressed interest in Leo—and offered to pay his medical bills—he left Argentina and moved with his father to Spain.
Leo was 13 when he joined the Barcelona team's youth academy. He was quite thin and short, standing only around 138 centimeters tall. His small size made him shy and quiet, so quiet in fact that he barely said a word for his first month with the team. But when the coaches warned other players not to tackle little Leo too aggressively because he'd get hurt, the players just laughed and said they couldn't tackle Leo—he was too fast to catch!
Leo trained at the academy for several years, moving up quickly through the junior ranks. When he was 16, he played in the top division for the first time. The following year he broke a team record when he became the youngest player—age 17—to score a goal for Barcelona during a league game. From that point on, Leo, with his powerful left foot, was a sensation in the world of professional soccer.
BEN: Did the medication help Leo?
OLIVIA: Yes, although he's still pretty small for a professional male athlete, about 169 centimeters tall.
In 2004 Leo was offered a chance to play international soccer on Spain's national team. But he declined, saying that he wanted to play for Argentina, the country where he had been born. Since then Leo has participated in many major events for Argentina, including the World Cup—that's the competition held every four years for the world's best soccer teams.
What makes Leo such a fantastic player is his amazing speed and skill with the ball. In fact, because of his small size and ability to dart up and down the field, his nickname is the "Flea." Some people say that Leo "feels" the ball and can change direction faster than any other player can. He also just loves to play. He's told reporters that he has lots of fun playing soccer, just like a boy playing on the street!
BEN: So is Leo the greatest soccer player ever?
OLIVIA: Well, Ben, soccer fans love to argue about that. Some fans claim that Leo can't be called the best until he helps Argentina win a World Cup title. And many Argentine fans question Leo's loyalty since his record with Argentina is weaker than his record with his Spanish team. But Leo strongly defends his pride in playing for Argentina, insisting that he has never stopped being Argentine even though he lives in Spain now.
One thing is certain: Leo has earned a lot of money playing soccer. He is among the highest paid athletes in the world, earning millions of dollars a year for playing soccer and endorsing dozens of products.
Off the field Leo is still a quiet, reserved person who tries to follow the values he learned as a kid—being humble and showing respect to others. And he's also quite busy with many causes that help kids. Because of his own childhood health problems, he established the Leo Messi Foundation to provide access to education and health care for kids at risk. In another volunteer position, he serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, traveling around the world to spotlight issues that affect children such as poverty and homelessness.
Meanwhile Leo is still scoring plenty of goals on the soccer field. In 2014 he became Barcelona's all-time top scorer. And he's won all of the sport's biggest trophies, including being named the World Player of the Year four times!
BEN: Wow, thanks for telling us about Lionel Messi, Olivia. The "Flea" might be one of the smallest players on the field today, but he's certainly a giant among professional soccer players!
And thanks to you, Little Fox readers, for tuning in to another edition of People in the News!