Eighteen years have passed since a shaggy-haired, 16-year-old Argentine prospect by the name of Lionel Messi made his Barcelona B debut against Mataro - but the video footage of his performance in the Segunda División B game in March 2004 was equally mesmerizing. ever made.
Lionel Messi was born and raised in Rosario, Argentina, but was raised by Barcelona at the age of just 13 and immediately transferred to Catalonia.
From there, the club helped them develop into their famous La Masia youth academy. Barcelona also provided treatment for growth hormone deficiency which the Messi family could not tolerate.
Messi was still relatively young, but he flourished in the Barca youth teams, showcasing his uncanny talent and dribbling skills.
He moved up the ranks rapidly. At the age of 13, he was already playing for the Under-16B team.
And in the 2003–04 season, when Messi was still just 16 years old, he made his debut for five different Barcelona teams – Under-19B team, Under-19A team, Barcelona C, Barcelona B and Barcelona K. first team.
Interestingly, Messi's senior introduction came five months before his first game for Barcelona B, when he took part in a friendly against Porto in November 2003.
Barcelona B's debut - in a competitive game against Mataro in Segunda B - took place on 6 March 2004.
Barcelona won the match 1–0 at the Ministadi and although Messi did not appear on the scoresheet on that occasion, he displayed the brilliance of the world-class player he would become in later years.
Some of that talent can be seen in the video below. One passage in particular caught the eye (starting at 00:31), in which Messi escapes from five defenders and manages to get a cross. It comes from nothing, but the signs of the skill he had were all there.
Messi scored six goals in 22 appearances for Barcelona B, most of which came in the next season, 2004–05.
Manager Pere Gretakos, who gave Messi his Barca B debut, later said: "[Messi] was very fast physically, but also mentally. The opponent didn't even think about it when he made the decision.
"There are two games in which Messi left Mini [Estadi] fans speechless.
"We won 2-0 in the derby against Espanyol, Leo gave an exhibition and scored a goal, and on the last day of 2004–05, when we beat Osasuna 4-0, Messi was unstoppable.
“He got buried in the 87th minute so that Mini could appreciate him and give him a standing ovation. He deserved to say goodbye to Mini like this.
Messi's competitive senior debut also took place in 2004–05, with Argentina, then aged 17, coming off the bench in the derby from city rivals Espanyol on 16 October.
Messi would make nine appearances for Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona that season, scoring once, an effort made famous by Brazilian legend Ronaldinho.
From there, Messi would eventually rise to the heights of the stratosphere, winning everything to win with Barcelona and reaffirming himself as one of the greatest footballers of all time.