FC Barcelona recognized his talents right away. After a tryout with the club in 2000, it signed Messi away from his boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys, in Argentina. The boy nicknamed “The Flea” for his small size and style of play signed his name on the back of a napkin.
“In two minutes, I saw his speed, his skill, and decided we would sign him,” Barcelona’s technical director told a reporter. “He will become the best in the world.”
1. A boy nicknamed “The Flea” for his small size and style of play signed his name on the back of a napkin.
2. FC Barcelona recognized his talents right away.
3. “He will become the best in the world.”
4. “In two minutes, I saw his speed, his skill, and decided we would sign him.”