Lionel Messi has marked the approach to the 10th anniversary since he debuted with the Barcelona first team.
The Argentine is a few days from marking a decade since he first appeared for the Blaugrana’s senior side, when aged 16 he appeared in a friendly against Porto.
Whilst since going on to set a number of goalscoring records, the 26-year-old has taken time to think back to that moment.
“November 16, 2003 is a very important date for me, because that’s when I was able to make my childhood dream come true – It was a very happy day for me,” mused Messi in a special report on Barca TV.
“I’d fought hard to make that moment happen and it was really special.
“I remember that we were training with the Youth A team and when it finished, [academy team co-ordinator Josep] Colomer talked to me about a few things and then told me that I would be travelling with the first team.
“He told me that I should just go and enjoy the game and the experience, but when I came back I should concentrate on the Youth A team.
“They said I should enjoy everything I was doing and that there was no reason to make any change – I should just continue in the same way.
“I think that I continue to be the same person. I see things in the same way, though I have grown and learnt how to value things.”
