by Luca Caioli
When did you first meet him?
‘At the end of 2000. Leo was back from Barcelona. I interviewed him without any problem. We went over to the monument of the flag to take some photos. People didn’t recognise him. He was little, just like everyone else. My impressions? A very submissive kid of few words. But he’s like that, he transforms when he steps onto the pitch, he changes completely when the ball is at his feet. On the pitch the real Lionel Messi appears. You have to sit back and enjoy it.’
Five years later everything changed …
‘It was after the 2005 Under 20 World Cup. That’s when Messimania began. It was all the rage. The media mobbed his house: newspapers, TV channels, national and international radio stations. Everyone wanted to interview him, talk to him. And so did the locals. Not a day passed when someone didn’t come up to him to congratulate him or ask for his autograph. Why such a frenzy? Because Argentina had been waiting for someone like him for a long time. They were talking about Riquelme, Tévez, Aimar … and along came Messi. He surprised us all with what he did at that World Cup. He proved himself as a distinct class of footballer – unique. And he was crowned King of Holland.’
And now when he comes to Rosario, what happens?
‘When he comes here he’s an international star in a small town. Because he has signed deals with important, internationally renowned firms, he represents capital. The companies need to promote him and people want to see him. But he takes refuge in his family, and his friends … in order to return strengthened and in the right frame of mind for his demanding Barcelona life. Rosario is where he can recharge his batteries.’
In your opinion, what is he really like, this famous Rosarino?
‘Only his intimate circle knows the real person. Even after reading many things about him one cannot really know him. It’s not easy. It seems to me that he is painfully humble. Stardom is not drowning him, it hasn’t changed him. He’s as solid as a rock.’
And in terms of football?
‘I think he was born from a mould that had seemed long forgotten since Maradona.’
Let’s analyse his skills.
‘Solidarity with his team, loyalty, attacking with the ball, and with dynamite possessed by few others. His power to accelerate is impressive. And he does all this in a unique way.’
And the future? What do you predict?
‘Leo’s future has already arrived. He has proven himself now in the competitive game of Spanish and European football. But he is still very young. He hasn’t reached his maximum level of explosiveness, although he has certainly scored some outstanding goals that are comparable to Diego’s.’
Is he the new Maradona?
‘He is the true Messi.’
Chapter 9
Across the pond
17 September 2000
English
Spanish (Spain)
Spanish (Argentina)
goalie
portero
arquero
bus
autobús
colectivo
Danish pastry
bollo
factura
biro
bolígrafo
birome
flip-flops
chanclas de dedo
ojotas
apartment
piso
departamento
skirt
falda
pollera
round (in shape)
esférico
redonda
t-shirt
camiseta
remera
coat
abrigo
sobretodo
… and in Spain, the word coger means ‘to get’ or ‘to catch’, while in Argentina it means something altogether more vulgar, which is best left unmentioned.
They say that the same language is spoken in Spain and Argentina and, in effect, the language of both countries is castellano – Castilian, denoting standardised Spanish – but the differences are numerous, and not just in terms of the meaning of particular words or expressions of slang (charming or otherwise). It is a question of different ways of life and, on occasion, different ways of understanding life. Almost all Argentine families have some Spanish or Italian ancestors, but more than a century after great-grandfather left the Iberian peninsula, or the Italian boot, becoming a gallego (slang for Spaniard) or a tano (slang for Italian), things have changed significantly. History has opened up a chasm, creating profoundly different cultures, such that today, if one abandons the current path and returns to the country of origin, adapting is no mean feat. It is always a difficult challenge: more so if the one who must face it is a boy of barely thirteen. It requires a lot of willpower to leave behind one’s childhood, one’s hometown, school, friends, the team that you love, the Malvinas and Bella Vista grounds, and part of your own family. And, above all, without any guarantees for the future.
Leo Messi and his father Jorge leave Rosario for Barcelona on 16 September 2000.
Let us take a step back and find out why father and son are embarking on an Aerolíneas Argentinas transatlantic flight, how they came to the decision to try their luck on Catalan soil, and what they are expecting from their journey.
At thirteen years of age Leo is already a well-known figure in youth football. The newspapers dedicate double-page spreads to him, he is talked about in the minor leagues, and even in Buenos Aires his game has been very positively evaluated by River Plate. Two years previously, Fabián Basualdo, former defender for both Newell’s and River, represented Leo for a number of months, attempting to direct his career as well as possible, until the Messi family realised that it was unnecessary for someone so young to have an agent. But one fine day in 2000, Martín Montero and Fabián Soldini, of Marka – a company with Rosario headquarters dedicated to the buying and selling of players – introduce themselves at number 525, Estado de Israel. Lionel’s father Jorge does not want to speak about these people, because as the story unfolds it is revealed that they did nothing to help his son – in fact they did rather the opposite … such that there are lawsuits and appeals in various court cases even today. Legal disputes aside, let us continue with the story.
Montero and Soldini want to represent Lionel. They are convinced that the young lad could have a bright future with any great team, be it in Italy or Spain, from Inter to Milan, from Real Madrid to Barcelona. They make assurances that they have contacts and friends in high places. The Messis do not succumb easily to empty promises. Until the boy manages to land a trial in Europe, no one is going to take care of the bills.
It did not seem to be an impossibility, given the precedent set by Leandro Depetris, the boy who had gone to Europe to train with the Milan youth team. The only thing to do was to see if these friendships and contacts were not simply a ruse. They were not: in August 2000, Montero and Soldini call Horacio Gaggioli, one of their associates in Barcelona. Gaggioli, a Rosarino who has been buying up real estate in Barcelona since the 1970s, works with the football agent Josep Maria Minguella, Barça shareholder number 2292, transfer advisor to then president Joan Gaspart, and future candidate in the elections that resulted in Joan Laporta becoming club president.
‘I saw a home video of the lad; Horacio, Martin and Fabían assured me that it was worth me taking a look. So I called Charly, who is a good friend of mine,’ recalls Minguella.
‘He told me about a really good kid … Something like Maradona. I thought he was talking about a bo
y of eighteen or nineteen – when they told me his age I was surprised,’ adds Carles (also known as Charly) Rexach, who was the technical director of FC Barcelona at the time. ‘He’d have to be absolutely phenomenal for us to take an interest. It wasn’t club policy to sign kids from outside Catalonia, let alone a non-EU player. They assured me there was no one else like him. I travelled quite a lot in South America, but we decided to bring him to Barcelona to train with us over a few weeks so that the coaches at the club could have the chance to watch him at their leisure. That was the best solution; it was better for him to come to Spain with his family when it suited him than for us to plan a trip to Argentina. Anything could have happened – he could have been ill, or unable to play that week … For us to go over there would have been unhelpful.’
And so on Sunday 17 September 2000, Lionel arrives in the capital of Catalonia accompanied by his father and Fabián Soldini. Horacio Gaggioli is waiting for them at El Prat airport to take them to the Plaza Hotel, in the Plaza de España at the foot of Montjuïc, where years later Leo would debut with the first team in the Olympic stadium. The city can be seen from the windows of the hotel: if things go well, if there is a place for him at Barça, this will be his new home. There will be a house, money, a job for his father and maybe even a team for his older brother, Rodrigo.
It seems strange that an entire family should put all their faith in a thirteen-year-old boy. Before they got married, Celia and Jorge had already thought of emigrating to Australia – they wanted a new life in a new world. Things were not bad, but they knew they could not achieve much more. Their life in Argentina could not change for the better. They were looking for a new opportunity for their children, and Leo could receive his medical treatment in Barcelona and continue to improve his football at a great club, as his talent deserved. But it was not an easy decision. The Messis asked themselves time and again whether or not they were doing the right thing. Before leaving, they gathered the family around the table and asked each one of them what they wanted to do, making it clear that if even one of them did not want to go, they would all stay in Rosario.
The trial is arranged for the afternoon of Monday 18 September. Leo is stunned by all the sporting facilities. He makes them take a photo of him by one of the gates of the Miniestadi (the reserve and youth team stadium), just like the multitude of tourists who visit the Nou Camp every day. Then he goes into the dressing room to change and joins the youth teams on the second and third grounds. During the course of a week he trains and plays a short match with children his age. Jorge watches in silence from the stands, just as he always used to do at the Rosario grounds. Not wanting to disappoint his father, Leo scores five goals and another, which is disallowed, all in a single match. Dad had promised to take him to buy a tracksuit if he managed to score six. In the end he has to keep his promise.
All the coaches who see him comment that the Argentine kid plays very well, but it is Rexach who must make the decision regarding his future. Charly is on the other side of the world, in Sydney, Australia, where the Olympic Games are taking place. He has gone to observe the football tournament, which will conclude with a Spain-Cameroon final, eventually won on penalties by the Africans. And so, Leo’s stay in Barcelona is extended until his return, scheduled for 2 October. The matter has been left up in the air and needs to be resolved as soon as possible, so a match is organised between cadets, aged fourteen–fifteen, and first-year students at the Miniestadi third ground on Tuesday 3 October at 5.00pm. Charly wants to see how Leo fares against older lads.
‘I was coming straight from a meal and I arrived at the ground five minutes late. The two teams were already playing,’ recounts Rexach. ‘I had to run halfway round the pitch to get to the bench where the coaches were. It took me seven or eight minutes to get all the way round. By the time I sat down on the bench I had already made my decision. I said to Rifé and Migueli [the youth team coaches]: “We have to sign him. Now.” What had I seen? A kid who was very small, but different, with incredible self-confidence, agile, fast, technically polished, who could run flat out with the ball, and who was capable of swerving round whoever stood in his way. It wasn’t difficult to spot it; his talents, which are now known to everyone, were more noticeable at thirteen. There are footballers who need a team in order to shine – not him. To those who tell me that I was the one who discovered Messi, I always reply: if a Martian had seen him play they would have realised that he was very special.’
The boss has agreed; the deal is done. Two days later, Leo and his father are on a flight to Buenos Aires. They return home happy. Via a third party, Charly Rexach has assured them that they will soon be invited back to Barcelona so that the details of the contract can be formalised. To this day, Jorge does not know Charly personally, although he agrees that the fact that his son plays for Barcelona is thanks to the coach’s stubbornness.
The adventure on the other side of the Atlantic has gone well. But in the final stages things do not turn out to be so easy. There are still many difficulties to overcome. Today, Rexach – who is known as the Pedralbes Kid, one of the most emblematic figures of Barcelona FC – recalls all the issues precisely, over a coffee in the bar of the Princesa Sofía Hotel, a stone’s throw from the Nou Camp.
‘First of all, he was foreign, and the law doesn’t allow a foreign child to play in any national league. A considerable handicap. Second, he was a kid. He could end up not becoming a Barcelona player, whether due to his own choice, injury, or age. Third, what are his parents going to do? We’d have to find work for them if they moved to Spain. And finally, the boy has a growth problem, he needs treatment.’ Rexach explains that he weighed up the pros and the cons, and he was convinced that they had to take a risk no matter what ‘and sign him, because he’s so good’. Nonetheless, not everyone at the club is so convinced and when the moment comes to make a decision, questions arise. Some see Leo as being too small and scrawny and think that this is just about a nifty little player. Charly responds immediately to such objections: ‘Bring me all the nifty little players, I want them all in my team.’ Even the club president, Joan Gaspart, wants an explanation of the matter, asking if it is worth them taking on the responsibility of the family of a thirteen-year-old boy. And Charly says yes, it is a necessary risk. Meanwhile, time ticks on. October and November pass by without the anticipated decision having been reached. On 4 December Minguella calls Rexach. They meet in the restaurant of the Pompey Real Tennis Society, in Montjuïc. Horacio Gaggioli – who at that time represented the Messi family – is also present. He is the most insistent: ‘Charly, we’ve got this far. Either you play him or the boy goes elsewhere …’ Gaggioli remembers adding: ‘I wasn’t bluffing. We had already begun talks with Real Madrid.’
‘They didn’t trust me, they didn’t trust Barcelona. They wanted a written agreement or that was the end of the negotiations,’ says Rexach. ‘I knew for sure that I couldn’t let that kid slip through our fingers, so I grabbed a paper napkin and wrote something to the effect that the club promised to sign Leo Messi if the agreed conditions were met. I signed it and I gave it to him.’
Both Minguella and Gaggioli also signed the paper napkin (a relic which has been conserved with care), an agreement of honour that is, nonetheless, insufficient. Before packing all their bags and leaving for Barcelona, the Messis want some guarantees. Starting with the cost of the journey and extending to the house and a job for Jorge, who will have to leave his job at Acindar in order to follow his son and the rest of the family. Charly Rexach works hard to resolve the problems, but it is not easy. ‘At the beginning we couldn’t discuss a contract. He was a kid who was going to play youth football, but it was a signing that had to be made, and we made it.’
On 8 January 2001 a final agreement is reached in Via Veneto, another Barcelona restaurant. Joan Lacueva, then director of professional football, meets with youth academy coordinator Joaquím Rifé, who is looking towards the future and wants the club to make an effort to woo Messi. A
nd he asks for a report from the enthusiastic Rexach, who simply writes that Messi is incredible. Two letters are therefore written to Jorge Messi: one from Charly, who confirms the sporting agreement made with the family in Barcelona, and the other from Lacueva regarding the financial terms. In it he includes details of the house they are to rent, the school, and the 7 million pesetas (approximately equivalent to £40,000) the footballer’s father would receive as remuneration for a position at the club, which is as good a way as any of remunerating the footballer himself, who would only have been entitled to a study grant.
The letter is enough to convince the Messis to pack their bags. On 15 February 2001, in the depths of the Barcelona winter, the entire family touches down at the Catalan airport.
Chapter 10
Latigazo
Conversation with Fernando ‘Chiche’ Niembro, Fox TV commentator
Let’s talk about Messi and his transfer to Spain.
‘He didn’t stop in, or even pass through, Buenos Aires. Ezeiza, the international airport where he departed for Europe, is not even in the city. He went as a kid with growing problems and in Barcelona he exploded. We knew nothing about him. The Spaniards pinched him from us, and then we found out that there was a left-footed kid over there who was doing really well. What happened then happens more frequently now. The big European clubs recruit very young South American players. They don’t need to have played in the first league or be champions in order to be bought. They extract them by helicopter from a Brazilian slum and put them in their football schools. It’s an exodus of talented youngsters that damages our leagues.’
How would you assess Messi now?
‘Messi is currently a latigazo.’ [Literally ‘lash’, or ‘crack of the whip’.]