By Elsa Girard-Basset | Web journalist
Having become the greatest player in history in the eyes of many observers and football fans, Lionel Messi has not had a simple journey – and that is an understatement. A few years ago, the “Pulga” had also revealed what was his worrying daily life from the age of 12. A childhood that is definitely very complicated to understand…
We no longer count his records, his titles, his awards. If he is now in the twilight of his career with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi has left his mark on football history forever. However, things could have been very different due to the growth deficiency diagnosed in the Argentinian from a very young age… and which led to drastic measures.
Injections from the age of 12 for Lionel Messi
It must be said that at the age of 11, Messi was only 1m32 tall, or 11cm shorter than average. In fact, growth hormones were injected daily into the young boy from a very young age, which he ended up talking about publicly a few years ago in an Argentine media outlet – details to back it up:
It was first my parents who gave me the injections from the age of 8, until I learned. Then at the age of 12, I started injecting my legs myself once a night, says the Argentina international. It was something that didn't impress me. It was a small needle. It didn't hurt and it was something routine that I had to do and I did it normally.
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Comments confirmed by the 2022 world champion at the microphone of TyC Sport:
I have always been very responsible with injections. It was like a pen that I stored in the refrigerator. I took it everywhere with me. Sometimes I went to friends' houses and they were the ones who reminded me to take my injection. It started when I was 11 or 12 years old. It was shocking for my parents, but important for the future.
Was it because he was aware that his dream of becoming a professional footballer would collapse without growth hormones that the young Lionel Messi was not traumatized? Maybe. One thing is certain: the Argentinian's career would not have been possible without this chemical aid, he who ended up reaching 1m69 after long years of effort.
Let us remember, however, that this type of treatment is not considered doping, or even genetic modification. The former Barça player is not the only child to have undergone such treatment, far from it, even if the latter has fueled numerous conspiracy theories over the years.
Lionel Messi came from far away, even very far away, and he had to fight and resort to daily treatment from a very young age to reach a “normal” size. A choice that he obviously does not regret, since nothing would have been possible for him without this artificial growth spurt, which he fully accepts.
