From the second he stepped onto a professional pitch, it’s been glaringly obvious that Lionel Messi is special. And not just special in the way that an elite player is, but special in that he’s a bona fide generational talent and likely the greatest to ever do it. And anyone who’s been paying attention since even his earliest days has known that Messi’s ascent would be the thing of legend.
Recently, a video has emerged from Messi’s days as a young academy lad in Argentina. And it’s amazing how even then, people had a feeling he was simply different.
A Young Lionel Messi Is Compared To Diego Maradona
Before moving abroad to Barcelona as a teenager, Messi was the centerpiece of Newell’s Old Boys, one of the oldest football clubs in Argentina. While in the club’s academy, Messi and his young teammates established a reputation for destroying the competition, earning them the collective nickname of “The Machine of ’87” in reference to their birth years.
Needless to say, they conquered the Copa de la Amistad, one of the most prestigious youth tournaments in Latin America, in 1996. And in celebration, Newell’s Old Boys brought a young Messi onto the pitch in front of thousands of passionate supporters. And recently, video has emerged of that monumental occasion.
Footage of a 9-year-old Lionel Messi doing kick-ups on the El Coloso pitch. The crowd chants "Marado, Marado", already comparing him to Maradona.
— Newell's Old Boys – English News (@Newells_en) June 25, 2025
Messi's "Machine of 87" team had won the 1996 Copa de la Amistad in Peru & were presented to the fans.
(Matías Sauro YouTube) pic.twitter.com/2MYAwoRvhl
In the video, a young 9-year-old Messi can be seen effortlessly controlling the ball on the volley as he casually walks around. Impressed by the youngster’s obvious talent and natural ability, the crowd went into a frenzy and began chanting at him a hallowed name in Argentinian football: Maradona.
This, of course, was in reference to Diego Maradona, who at that time was considered to be the greatest Argentine to ever play football and one of the greatest from any country. Under Maradona’s leadership, Argentina won the 1986 World Cup. And now, Messi was expected to be the one to again lead Argentina to international glory.
Of course, Messi would go on to do that and then some. After solidifying himself as the greatest player to ever touch grass during his 17-year stint with Barcelona, Messi went on to lead Argentina to winning the 2022 World Cup, as well as two Copa America titles. Messi not only lived up to the insane hype — he somehow surpassed it, and then some.
It’s a wild piece of video that I’m glad exists. And it shows that while hard work does indeed pay off, some people are just special.
