by Luca Caioli
Two days later comes the clash with Peru, and for the first time Messi is in the starting line-up. He will only start in three matches; for all the others Hugo Tocalli will put him on in the second half. Why? ‘That was my decision,’ says Tocalli, justifying himself. ‘The boy still hadn’t got into the rhythm of the entire team, he was used to playing in the Barça youth leagues, he didn’t have the same intensity that’s needed to play in South America … they were very demanding matches. And to add to that his opponents were from the ’85 leagues and two years make a big difference at that age. So I decided to use him with caution so as not to tire him out or give him too much responsibility.’
It is a choice that yields good results which are obvious by the last match, against Brazil in Manizales on 6 February. Messi comes on for Neri Cardoso in the 65th minute. Ten minutes later he makes the most of a pass from Barrientos and seals a 2-1 victory with a smooth shot into the back of the net, his first goal against the eternal rivals. At the end of the run, Argentina qualifies in third place for the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Holland, behind Colombia and Brazil. Messi has scored five goals – the second highest goal-scorer after the Colombian Hugo Rodallega, who netted eleven. Rodallega is a nineteen-year-old who makes no concessions, be it on the pitch or in stirring up rivalries: ‘I’m undoubtedly better than Messi,’ he declares, ‘but the big difference is that he plays for Barcelona and I play for Quindío.’ Leo responds with humility: ‘I have nothing to say, I play for the team.’ And FIFA rightfully counts him among the eleven best players in South America – an accolade that helps to win over the selector.
‘I loved him,’ confesses Tocalli. ‘I loved his change of pace from zero to a hundred in no time at all, his trick of dodging past his opponent, his ability to move extremely fast with the ball still glued to his foot. He demonstrated that, despite his stature, he was able to score many goals; he had a very good left foot and he would strike the ball well.’
For Hugo Tocalli, however, the match against Brazil was his last as the Under 20s coach. Pekerman, who has just been named manager of the Argentine national team, wants him by his side as a full-time assistant in the run-up to the Germany World Cup. Francisco ‘Pancho’ Ferraro takes over the reins of the Under 20 team due to play in Holland in June. During the final four months in the lead-up to the trip to Europe, Pancho alters his team. In come Agüero – today a much sought-after striker for Manchester City (who played back then for Independiente, an Argentine team) – and Gago (who was then at Boca Juniors and today plays for Roma); out go Boselli and Zanotti. At the last minute he has to replace José Sousa, from Estudiantes de La Plata, who has fractured his left hand. Likewise, he ends up having to replace many other players, just as his predecessors have had to do, as those who are committed to starting with their various Argentine teams are unable to play. Messi becomes a key figure on the team: he has just won the league with Barcelona and everyone is expecting him to reach his full potential in Holland. One thing for sure is that the Argentine team is one of the favourites to win the tournament. They are going for their fifth title in this competition. They won three out of four times (in Qatar in 1995, in Malaysia in 1997 and in Argentina in 2001), all under Pekerman’s reign, and let’s not forget the 1979 victory in Japan, where Diego Maradona was the protagonist.
It is Saturday 11 June: they are playing the United States at the FC Twente stadium in Enschede. Surprise! Messi is not in the starting line-up, he is on the bench and the Albiceleste lose 1-0.
It’s a bad start to the tournament but Leo keeps everybody calm: ‘I’m in a very good state of mind and I think I’m up for playing for 90 minutes, but I have to respect the coach’s decisions.’ He adds: ‘The team will pick up the pace because we have some good players. We have everything we need to qualify.’ He is spot on and he proves it on 14 June against Egypt. This time he is in the starting line-up. He scores the first goal, weakening the African defence, leaving Zabaleta to seal the scoreline definitively. The third match against Germany is a tricky one: it decides who goes into the last sixteen. The Germans have one point more than the Argentines, so a draw will suffice for them to go through. But Messi makes his mark. He gets the ball in the middle of the pitch, slaloms past the defenders and makes a precise pass – Oberman lets the ball go past him and Neri Cardoso scores to make it 1-0.
The path to the final is full of obstacles: the first is Colombia, the winning team in the South American playoffs. Messi is suffering from an absence of players able to pass to him; nonetheless, in the twelfth minute of the second half he manages to level the score, making up for the first goal scored by the ‘coffee-growers’. The introduction of Gago, Pablo Vitti and Emiliano Arementeros brings fresh legs to the team and, in the 93rd minute, Julio Barroso manages to avoid extra time. Spain awaits them in the quarter-finals. It has been widely written about as a greatly anticipated match, because the Spaniards are the current European Champions and they reached the final of the last Under 20 World Cup, although Brazil clinched the title in the end. Speaking of duels, there are great expectations about seeing Messi and Cesc go head to head, two eighteen-year-olds (Leo’s birthday was the day before the match), friends from Barcelona and rivals on the pitch.
‘I’ve got on well with Messi ever since the first day we met in the youth academy. I’ve spent three amazing years with him, scoring goals and doing one-twos. I’ve had a great time with him, it was amazing to play alongside him,’ says the ‘Wonderkid’ – as the Arsenal fans call Fàbregas.
‘Cesc is a good friend of mine – we met back in the Barça youth leagues. He’s an impressive, well-rounded player, with many attacking and defensive skills,’ replies Messi. And he assures everyone that he and his team have great respect for Cesc and Llorente’s Red Fury team. The game is actually very balanced at 1-1 until the 70th minute. Then Spain loses concentration and Leo ups the pace: first he serves up the advantage goal on a silver platter to Gustavo Oberman, then two minutes later, after chipping the ball over the head of one of his opponents, he scores the 3-1 winner.
‘The Argentine team is the rightful winner, they played better than we have,’ admits Iñaki Sáenz. Regarding Lionel, he comments: ‘He is talented, he makes good decisions, he looks for the goalkeeper and he knows what to do.’
The semi-final is the scene of the classic Argentina-Brazil clash, both four-times champions in this tournament and the memories of all the previous duels weigh on their minds – like in Qatar in 1995, when the goals of Leonardo Biagini and Francisco Guerrero claimed victory for the Albiceleste. The Argentines are playing with black armbands as a symbol of mourning – after two weeks in a coma due to a road accident, Independiente goalkeeper and national Under 17 player Emiliano Molina has just died. Within eight minutes the Albiceleste are already dominating, thanks to a torpedo-like shot from Messi from outside the area, which just edges in at the goalpost, rendering the Brazilian goalie’s spectacular dive completely futile. Renato equalises in the second half, but at the last minute, after Leo gets past his opponent for the umpteenth time, Zabaleta picks up a rebound off a Brazilian defender and manages to score. And then comes the final, at 8.00pm on 2 July at the Galgenwaard Stadium in Utrecht. The opposition are Nigeria, who have beaten Morocco in the semi-finals. The previous day, a Dutch TV channel had presented Messi with a golden clog, the trophy that declares him player of the tournament. ‘I’m very happy and I thank you for this prize,’ he says. ‘The truth is that I’m very surprised at everything that has happened to me here.’ And the surprises continue into the final. In the 38th minute, Messi controls the ball down the left-hand touchline; he begins a 45-yard zigzagging run and gets into the box. Dele Adeleye realises that he cannot snatch the ball from him and instead knocks him down. There is no doubt in referee Terje Hauge’s mind: it’s a penalty. Leo takes it without a run up, softly, with his left foot, to the right of Vanzekin – who throws himself in exactly the opposite direction: 1-0. In the 52nd minute Chinedu Ogbuke levels the scoreboard fo
r Nigeria. In the 73rd minute Agüero is fouled by Monday James in front of goal. Leo steps up to the spot once more and shoots with precision into the left-hand side of the goal. Goooaaaal: 2-1. The Argentines win their fifth Under 20 title. Leo Messi is the star player.
‘What can we say about him? The final images of last night sum it up,’ writes Clarín the next day, ‘with the trophies for best player and highest goal-scorer of the tournament, the champion’s medal around his neck and the sky-blue-and-white flag over his shoulders.’
Chapter 16
The football is his toy
Conversation with Francisco ‘Pancho’ Ferraro
With an air of intelligence in the dugout and a soothing, calming voice, Pancho – as he is known to everyone in the footballing world – has an enviable CV, between national youth teams, and clubs in both South America and Europe. But some of his best memories are still of those days in June and July 2005, when he led the Under 20s to their fifth world title.
‘It’s true, I am proud of that victory on both a personal level and as part of the team, I’m proud of what the boys did, and of players like Messi, Agüero and Gago, who made a name for themselves at international level.’
Do you remember the first time you saw Messi?
‘Yes, it was in the South American qualifiers in January 2005, I was lucky enough to spend almost 40 days with the team. José Pekerman had asked me to take over the Under 20s and Hugo (Tocalli, the coach) wanted me to be there alongside him in Colombia to see how things were run.’
What was your first impression?
‘That of a nice, polite, shy boy. He was the youngest of the group. He came from Europe and he still wasn’t fully integrated, and he didn’t have the physical stamina to play 90 minutes. That’s why, after discussing it with Hugo, we always brought him on in the second half, where he could make a difference.’
You didn’t bring him on in the first game in Holland against the United States either …
‘He had a slight injury, which is why he was on the bench, but from the second match against Egypt he was in the starting line-up, and indisputably so. He had come better armed both physically and mentally from Barcelona. He had debuted with the first team, he was stronger and he knew how to handle a higher-level match. He played in midfield, not as a playmaker; from three-quarters of the way up the pitch he could create risky situations at any moment. His presence on the team made all the difference.’
And how did he get on with the group?
‘He was happy, and even happier when he was on the pitch with the ball. He shared a room with Agüero and he never bothered us. On the contrary, we could all see that they were happy and they got on very well. They were very considerate to their peers and to the staff. Very respectful. They brought sobriety to the group and kept low profiles – they were very humble. In fact, within a team full of honest people, they were two extremely respectful and professional boys.’
You say that Messi was always happy when he was on the pitch with the ball …
‘Yes, it bears repeating that Leo loves to play, and the football is his favourite toy; he has so much fun with it and he can control it like nobody else. It’s incredible to see him on the pitch with the ball glued to his left foot; he drives it forward at a dizzying speed and he’s aware of everything that is going on around him; he reads and anticipates the play. That’s very difficult – only the greats can do that.’
Like Maradona?
‘Diego was one of a kind. It’s true that for some time now everyone has been comparing the two of them, especially after Leo’s goal against Getafe. All I can say is that both have truly been bewitched by a magic wand. But Messi doesn’t need to be compared to anyone, he is a brilliant and unique footballer, a great one, one who can create surprises in every game and that is what people love about him.’
What did that Under 20 World Cup mean to Messi?
‘It was his explosive moment as a footballer. It was his chance to make himself known across half the world. Before he went to Holland, very few people in Argentina knew of his talents; when he returned he was an idol. Best player, highest scorer of the tournament, those two goals of his in the final … He was already a star, the footballer that an entire nation had been waiting for.’
And an entire nation was hoping that he would play in the 2006 World Cup against Germany. But Messi stayed on the bench. You were at the World Cup with the kids who were sparring with the team; you’ve known José Pekerman for years – what happened in that final match?
‘We were down one substitution due to Pato’s [Abbondanzieri’s] injury and at that moment José will have decided to go for some other play, a different footballer, a different tactical move. But I have no doubt that Pekerman has been one of the best youth coaches. Who else could have brought the best out of an eighteen-year-old boy like Messi?’
Let’s leave polemics to one side and talk about his development after that World Cup.
‘I think Messi keeps on progressing and for the moment he has no limits. He progresses while keeping the same low profile as always. He doesn’t like being evaluated, he doesn’t do things just for the sake of doing them, he just wants to play in peace. He surrounds himself with his loved ones, his parents and his siblings, and they support and protect him, just as they did in Holland during the World Cup.’
Chapter 17
A friend
Conversation with Pablo Zabaleta
‘He’s a very good person,’ says Leo’s mother Celia, of Pablo Zabaleta. And she is happy that her son is close to the Under 20s captain who won the World Cup, was later a winger with RCD Espanyol, and is now at Manchester City. He grew up in Arrecifes, and before making the move to Europe he cut his teeth at San Lorenzo (Argentina). And although he is only 26, everyone already considers him a veteran, or in other words, someone you can trust.
When did you meet Leo?
‘In the Under 20 team when we won the Holland World Cup, which was an amazing experience and a joyful moment for all of us. That’s where the beautiful friendship was born. We also became close with Kun (Agüero) and Oscar (Ustari). That was a great team …’
What was so special about it?
‘There was a good atmosphere, great camaraderie, and everyone really wanted to win …’
But Leo didn’t find it easy to integrate …
‘No, I don’t think he did … The problem was that no one knew him. He had come here very young, to Spain, and he had taken a different path. In Argentina, the players move up to the first teams very young and that makes them grow up faster, it makes them find the right rhythm. Leo came from Barcelona, but it didn’t take him that long to adapt and by Holland he really took off. The world went crazy for the way he played.’
And after that World Cup there were many more important moments.
‘In Budapest I shared a room with him on the day of his debut with the national first team, although it wasn’t a great game for Leo. A happy moment that we shared was winning the Olympic gold in Beijing.’
And what is your relationship like, now that you live in Manchester?
‘We speak a lot on the phone and we see each other when the national team meets. Before, when I lived in Barcelona, we used to go out to an Argentine restaurant. Our favourite dish? A good rump steak. On other occasions we’d meet up in the afternoon to drink mate and talk football – the Argentine league, the national team, and whatever was happening in Spain.’
What is Messi like from a friend’s point of view?
‘He’s a pretty normal guy. He’s someone who likes to be at home and who loves his family very much. I think he’s an even better person than he is a footballer.’
And what is he like as a footballer?
‘As a player he’s a gem. He has the heavenly gift of handling the ball really well. He impresses me with his ability to move the ball at such speed. It’s incredible, what he’s capable of doing, the way he gets round the other players, the way the ball is always
glued to his foot. As he has shown us many times, he’s capable of taking a team to greater heights, of deciding a match. And he doesn’t feel the pressure. Unbelievable. Leo is similar to Maradona, although Diego is unique and to compare them is crazy. As a friend I’m happy that he is doing so well.’
So, what did you mean when you said that ‘he’s an even better person than he is a footballer’?
‘I said that out of humility towards Leo. He hasn’t changed since I’ve known him. Fame hasn’t made him lose himself, the praise hasn’t gone to his head. He is still a great friend.’
Chapter 18
Soap opera
3 October 2005
The 2005–06 Liga begins on 26 August. The 75th Liga season has a new protagonist in the form of Robinho, the jewel in Real Madrid’s crown, who it is hoped will sparkle alongside the other Brazilians in the league, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. It is a league marked out as always by an eternal Real Madrid-Barcelona duel. The reigning champions play the first match away, against Alavés at the Mendizorroza stadium. Messi is neither on the pitch nor on the bench. Strange, given that only two days previously the young Argentine was the indisputable star of the Gamper Trophy. The explanation is given via an official announcement:
‘FC Barcelona has decided not to play Leo Messi in the match against Alavés as a matter of caution, in light of the outstanding legal issue that will shortly be resolved within the confines of federal regulation relating to non-EU players.’
What has happened? On 8 July the Spanish Football Federation modified its general regulations regarding ‘naturalised’ players: in other words, non-EU players between the ages of seventeen and nineteen who have moved up through the youth teams of a Spanish club. The modification should allow the young player in question to play in the league, even if by doing so their club exceeds the three-foreigners-per-club limit in their line-up. Messi meets all of the required criteria to fulfil this regulation, which means that despite the club’s three non-EU positions already being filled by Ronaldinho, Eto’o and Márquez, he should be able to play. But the new ruling – criticised by certain clubs, who see it as an ad hoc measure for Barcelona and Leo – must first be accepted by the Professional Football League (PFL) and ratified by the Consejo Superior de Deportes – the High Sports Council. In other words, ‘due to the temporary situation, the FC Barcelona legal department have advised against allowing him to play’.