<P> Lionel Andrés Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop . On his father's side, he is of Italian and Spanish descent, the great - grandson of immigrants from the northcentral Adriatic Marche region of Italy and Catalonia, and on his mother's side, he has primarily Italian ancestry . Growing up in a tight - knit, football - loving family, "Leo" developed a passion for the sport from an early age, playing constantly with his older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and his cousins, Maximiliano and Emanuel Biancucchi, both of whom became professional footballers . At the age of four he joined local club Grandoli, where he was coached by his father, though his earliest influence as a player came from his maternal grandmother, Celia, who accompanied him to training and matches . He was greatly affected by her death, shortly before his eleventh birthday; since then, as a devout Catholic, he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute of his grandmother . </P> <P>--Newell's Old Boys youth coach Adrián Coria shares his first impression of the 12 - year - old Messi . </P> <P> A lifelong supporter of Newell's Old Boys, Messi joined the Rosario club when he was six years old . During the six years he played for Newell's, he scored almost 500 goals as a member of "The Machine of' 87", the near - unbeatable youth side named for the year of their birth, and regularly entertained crowds by performing ball tricks during half - time of the first team's home games . However, his future as a professional player was threatened when, at age 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency . As his father's health insurance covered only two years of growth hormone treatment, which cost at least $1,000 per month, Newell's agreed to contribute, but later reneged on their promise . He was scouted by Buenos Aires club River Plate, whose playmaker, Pablo Aimar, he idolised, but they were also unable to pay for his treatment due to the country's economic collapse . </P> <P> As the Messi family had relatives in Catalonia, they sought to arrange a trial with Barcelona in September 2000 . First team director Charly Rexach immediately wanted to sign him, but the board of directors hesitated; at the time it was highly unusual for European clubs to sign foreign players of such a young age . On 14 December, an ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their commitment, and Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered a contract on a paper napkin . In February 2001, the family relocated to Barcelona, where they moved into an apartment near the club's stadium, Camp Nou . During his first year in Spain, Messi rarely played with the Infantiles due to a transfer conflict with Newell's; as a foreigner, he could only be fielded in friendlies and the Catalan league . Without football, he struggled to integrate into the team; already reserved by nature, he was so quiet that his teammates initially believed he was mute . At home, he suffered from homesickness after his mother moved back to Rosario with his brothers and little sister, María Sol, while he stayed in Barcelona with his father . </P>

When did lionel messi score his first goal