Sports

Lionel Messi

His family could not afford his growth-hormone treatment; Barcelona paid for it and signed him at 13.

Born: 1987 · Rosario, Argentina
Roots: Argentine; Italian and Spanish descent
Family: Working class; Steel-factory worker father who coached his boyhood club; part-time cleaner mother.
Education: Left school for La Masia, Barcelona's academy
Started with: A medical bill; The ~$1,000-a-month hormone treatment his family couldn't afford was covered by Barcelona as part of his signing.
Affiliations & societies: None documented.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1997 · age 10
Growth hormone deficiency diagnosed
Treatment costs roughly $1,000 a month; neither his family nor local clubs can sustain it.
2000 · age 13
Barcelona signs him
The club agrees to pay for treatment; the first commitment is famously written on a napkin. The family emigrates to Spain.
2004 · age 17
First-team debut
2009 · age 22
First Ballon d'Or
The first of a record eight.
2021 · age 34
Leaves Barcelona
The club cannot afford his contract under league salary rules; moves to PSG.
2022 · age 35
World Cup champion
Captains Argentina in Qatar.
2023 · age 36
Inter Miami
Signs a deal that includes revenue shares from Apple's league streaming and Adidas.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.