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With an enormous amount success during the senior career spells of any player, it is seen that the time of the at the youth club generally tends to be forgotten.Here, in this slideshow, we bring back to you the identity cards of footballers during their youth.
#1 Ronaldo
In 1993, after his youth career at Valqueire and Sao Cristavao, Ronaldo joined Cruzeiro at the age of 16. In 1994, he went to PSV Eindhoven, scoring 54 goals in 58 games in his two seasons. The 1996-97 season saw him play at the Camp Nou. After a solitary season with the club, Ronaldo went to Inter Milan. During his 5 season at the club, he played 99 games, scoring 59 goals. He returned to Spain, to play for Real Madrid where he spent four years before moving to AC Milan. He returned to Brazil and played for Corinthians, retiring eventually.
#2 Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta attracted the attention of various scouts in Spain while playing for Albacete, but it was Enrique Orizaola, the youth-team coach of FC Barcelona who able to persuade Iniesta’s parents in making them send their son to the Barcelona Youth Academy. He was the captain of Barcelona U-15 team which won the Nike Premier Cup in 1999, scoring a last minute winner. He was named the player of the tournament.
Iniesta made his first team debut in 2002, at the age of 18.
#3 David Beckham
David Beckham’s first youth club was Tottenham Hotspur followed by Brimsdown Rovers. He signed for Manchester United as a schoolboy on his 14th Birthday. Beckham was a part of the Famous Class of ‘92. He spent 11 years in the club before switching to Real Madrid. He joined Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 while playing for Milan on loan in two occasions. He joined PSG for a 5-month deal. He announced his retirement on the 16th of May, saying he would retire at the end of the season.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo
One of the greatest players and s step away to breaking Raul’s European goal-scoring record with Leo Messi, this is an ID of Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro during his days at Andorinha where he started his footballing journey. Ronaldo then signed for Nacional after a title-winning season at Andorinha and then went to Sporting for an undisclosed fee.
Ronaldo then went on to become the first-ever Portuguese player to play for English-Giants, Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson signed him for £12.24 million before the start of the 2003-04 season. After a successful 6 years at Old Trafford, Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid for a record sum of £80 million (€94 million).
#5 Lionel Messi
Arguably the greatest player the game of football has ever seen, this is an ID of Lionel Andrés Messi during his days at the Newell’s Boys Club.
After a successful time at the Newell’s Boys, Messi made a switch to Barcelona along with his father, having signed the contract at a napkin. He came up through the ranks of the Barcelona C and B-sides before eventually making his senior debut for the club and thereby, cementing his place the very next season.
