'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Football isn't a game, it's a way of life. Most people forget this but there come from time to time, few inspirational players who keep their fans waiting for more with bated breaths. They play an enjoyable game of tug of war with the emotions of fans but in the end, leave them happy if not satisfied. They carve a different style of playing and even a chunk of space into the record books in their playing time and if they decide to retire, they leave their fans hanging, fans who crave for more.
One such player arrived onto the scene on 16 October 2004 playing for FC Barcelona against Espanyol in an away game, Lionel Messi. Messi played for the first-team in a friendly against Porto in November 2003 and was ruling the scene in the Barcelona 'B' team.
17 years old, Messi came on as a substitute replacing goalscorer Deco in the 82nd minute while Barcelona was leading 1-0. The 'Little Magician' didn't register a goal or an assist but made people stand up and take a look at him. His footwork and the control he possessed was brilliant and the awareness of the defenders clearly showed that he was there to stay. Wearing the #30 jersey, Messi didn't take long to embed himself into footballing history. He still has a lot left in him but it looks like he has achieved the career stats of other greats.
Let's take a step back and talk less about Messi and more about the players who were beside him on this memorable occasion.
Let's take a look at Barcelona's starting XI when Messi Made his debut.
Note: Stats updated as of 27th January 2019
Goalkeeper- Victor Valdes
Victor Valdes was the goalkeeper when Messi made his first-team debut. The shotstopper broke through to the first team in 2003 and soon became a mainstay in front of goal. He was solid for most of the part and represented them for 535 games and won 6 La Liga titles and 3 UEFA Champions League titles. He created a legacy in Barcelona and after breaking many records, Valdes made a surprise signing to Manchester United after initially agreeing to sign for Monaco.
After being made to watch from the sidelines by David De Gea's brilliance, he moved on to play for Standard Liege and later Middlesborough. He was never the first-choice keeper for Spain with Iker Casillas in top form but won the World Cup in 2010 despite not featuring in a single game. He retired after Middlesborough released him post the 2016-17 PL season. He's currently the manager of the ED Moratalaz youth side.
Left Back- Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst played the left back position when Messi made his debut. Initially starting as a central midfielder, he changed to a left back and was Barcelona's mainstay in that position in all the 5 seasons he played for them. He scored 10 goals in the 155 appearances he made for Barcelona and later returned to his first club, Feyenoord in 2007 and played until 2010 and scored 11 goals in the 111 matches in that period.
He scored a total of 72 goals in the 585 appearances in club football. He was a key part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for Netherlands and scored the opening goal against Uruguay. The goal was a long range screamer and was rated as one of the best goals in World Cup history. He kept a clean sheet until he was there in the finals and was substituted in the 105th minute only for Iniesta to score.
He later became the assistant manager for both the Netherlands U-21 team and Feyenoord and in 2015, was appointed the manager of the club. He has had a successful managerial career and Feyenoord have won 101 out of the 161 matches under with a win percentage of over 62%. He also announced that this would be his last season with Feyenoord.
Right Back- Juliano Belletti
Juliano Belletti played as the right back in Messi's debut match. It was a position which the Brazilian was accustomed to playing for most part of his career. He joined Barca from Villareal in 2004 and was the first-team favourite before the emergence of Oleguer Presas who also played right back and Belletti began to start the games on the bench. He scored his only goal in his Barcelona career in the 2006 Champions League Final against Arsenal which won them the title.
He left Barca and signed for Chelsea in 2007 and was more of a success there than in Barcelona. He left Chelsea on a free transfer in 2010 after earning the praise of managers and fans alike. After a short stint with Fluminense, he signed a one-year contract with Ceara'. But he was unable to play as he failed to recover from an Achilles injury and announced his retirement. He scored 1 goal in 102 games for Barca, 5 goals in 94 games for Chelsea. He has made 23 appearances for Netherlands in international football scoring one goal. Not much has been seen of him since his retirement.
Centre Backs- Carles Puyol and Oleguer Presas
Carles Puyol, the one-club man was the defensive wall for Barcelona during his stay at the club. He can certainly be called a Barcelona legend. A product of the club's youth system, Puyol worked his way up the ranks into the first-team and played 593 matches for the club and scored 18 goals and won 20 titles including 6 La Liga Titles and 3 Champions League Titles. He also made 100 international appearances for Spain and scored 3 goals. He retired in 2014 at the age of 36 and was appointed as the assistant of Barcelona's Director of Football Andoni Zubizarreta. He resigned after his boss was fired and is enjoying his personal life now.
Oleguer Presas
Oleguer Presas partnered Carles Puyol at the heart of the Barca defense. The Spanish defender spent most of his career with Barcelona and made a total of 167 appearances with the senior team and scored 1 goal. He moved to Dutch club Ajax in 2008 and played 57 games scoring 2 goals before being released by the club. Presas was actively involved in politics and majored in economics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He was a supporter of the Catalan nationalist movement and also took part in the Dutch protest against squatting during his tenure at Ajax.
Midfielders- Rafael Marquez, Deco and Xavi
Rafael Marquez
Rafael Marquez is a Mexican football legend in all rightness. The central defender played in a defensive midfielder role for Barcelona had great control over the ball, was excellent in counter attacks and was sublime in passing. Marquez joined Barcelona in 2003 from Monaco after a highly successful stint there and became a first-team regular. He was also the first Mexican to play for Barcelona. After an eventful journey with Barca where he won many awards and the hearts of fans, he was released by Barcelona in 2010. He signed for New York Red Bulls but didn't have a great time in the MLS League.
He then moved to Mexican Club Leon and enabled them to win 2 consecutive league titles. Then he had a short stint with Hellas Verona in the Serie A before returning to his first club, Atlas and retired in 2018 after playing 3 periods. He was highly successful in international football and captained Mexico in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In doing so, he became the first player to play as a captain in five World Cups. He scored 26 goals in his long club career where he featured in 615 matches. In international matches, he scored 19 goals in 147 matches. Post retirement, he was appointed the Sporting President of the Atlas Football Club.
Deco
Deco is one of the best midfielders in Barcelona or even in the whole world. He was a clever tactician, was brilliant with his passing and was a great playmaker. He played as an attacking midfielder later in his career. In Messi's debut match, Deco scored the only goal and was replaced by Messi himself in the 82nd minute and when he patted Messi on the back, little did he know that Messi would outclass him.
Deco is nevertheless a legend in his own rights. He played for clubs like Alverca and Salgueiros before he joined Porto where he played under Jose Mourinho and became a favourite of both the fans and the manager. He won the UEFA Champions League title with them, UEFA Best Midfielder of the year and the Club Award for Best Player.
The Brazil-born Portuguese signed for Barca in 2004 and played 4 seasons for the Catalans. He scored 22 goals in 161 matches and won the Champions League with Barca too. He then moved on to Chelsea and after a tough first season, Deco slowly began to settle in. But age was always going to be a factor and in 2010, he moved on to Brazilian club Fluminense and scored 6 goals for them in 79 appearances after scoring 6 in 57 appearances for Chelsea. He was originally a Brazilian but acquired Portuguese citizenship and played in 75 international matches for Portugal scoring 5 goals. He announced his retirement in 2013 and hasn't been seen much.
Xavi
Xavi is one of the most loved Barcelona players and was instrumental in the team's success for more than a decade. Xavi was a La Masia graduate and made it to the first-team in 1998 and he slowly started to become more important for the side. Xavi was the vice-captain for Barcelona during Messi's debut and was one of the players who helped groom him. Xavi was always a great passer and had excellent vision. He was important in implementing Barcelona's Tiki-Taka style of play and along with Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, made Barca's midfield the strongest in the entire world. He almost always topped the assist charts in the league.
After a career marked with many awards, Xavi announced that he was going to leave Barcelona in 2015 for Al Sadd, a Qatari club. Xavi won 8 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League Titles. He scored 85 goals in 767 appearances for Barca and recorded far more assists. He's still active and playing for Al Sadd, where he has scored 21 goals in 100 matches. Xavi was also a key player for the Spanish International team and won the Silver medal in 2000 Olympics, Best Player in Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010. He announced retirement from international football in 2014 and it was a tearful moment for many fans and players alike. He has scored 13 goals in 133 international appearances.
Attacking Midfielder - Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho's legacy speaks for himself. One of the most stylish, creative and devastating players, Ronaldinho created ripples of fear in the hearts of opposition defenses whenever he got the ball. After a successful yet controversial couple of seasons with Paris Saint Germain, Ronaldinho joined Barcelona in 2003. In 2004, he was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. He also played a key role in grooming Messi during his stay at Camp Nou. The longer Ronaldinho stayed, the more awards he won.
He won the FIFA Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year and also played an important part in Barca's Champions League victory. He formed a great partnership with Samuel Eto'o. He left Barcelona for AC Milan in 2008 and said that he was sad that he couldn't play more matches alongside Messi. He had a good stint with AC Milan and after 3 years with the club, moved to Flamengo in 2011. He then played for many clubs like Atlético Mineiro, Querétaro and Fluminense before finally announcing retirement in 2018.
He scored 280 goals in the 719 club matches he played in and 94 of them came with Barcelona. He was an important player for the national team too and won the 2002 World Cup and the 2008 Olympics Gold Medal. He scored 33 goals from 97 international appearances. He also played for Goa 5's and Delhi Dragons in the Indian Futsal League.
Strikers- Samuel Eto'o and Henrik Larsson
Samuel Eto'o is a natural goal scorer and debuted with Real Madrid in 1998. He failed to make too much of an impact and after being loaned to Espanyol, he played for La Liga club Mallorca. He showed his talent and eye for the goal and after a successful stint there, it was time to move on to a bigger club but this time, Real Madrid's rivals, Barcelona. He was signed by Barca in 2004 and was highly successful and scored a lot of goals. He was instrumental in 2006 when Barcelona won the Treble. He scored a total of 130 goals in 199 matches for Barca and in 2009, he signed to play for Inter Milan.
He played well in Inter scoring 53 goals in 102 matches before signing for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. He stayed there for 3 seasons and scored 36 goals. Then he signed for Chelsea and Everton in successive seasons in the Premier League. He then played for many clubs like Sampdoria, Antalyaspor, Konyaspor and is currently with Qatar club Qatar SC. In 753 matches he has played in, he has scored 368 goals. He had a successful international career and has scored 56 goals in 118 matches.
Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson is one of the greatest Swedish players and was a prolific goalscorer. His best time was when he was with Celtic from 1997 to 2004. After playing for Swedish clubs Högaborg and Helsingborg, he played 4 seasons for Dutch club Feyenoord before going to Scottish club Celtic. Here, Larsson scored 242 goals in 313 matches before signing for Barcelona. At Barca, he couldn't replicate the same goal scoring spree and scored only 19 goals in 59 matches. But he played a key role in Barca's Champions League triumph in 2006, especially in the final where he gave both the assists in their 2-1 victory over Arsenal.
He then moved to Helsinborg again and was loaned out to Manchester United and scored 3 goals and then moved back to Helsinborg. In his second stint with the Swedish club, Larsson scored 54 goals. In total, he scored 434 goals in 769 matches. Larsson won the 1994 World Cup Bronze medal with Sweden and was successful in international football. He scored 37 goals in 106 appearances. He retired in 2009 and became a manager later. He has managed clubs like Landskrona BOlS, Falkenberg and Helsinborg and is currently the assistant manager of Swedish club Angelholm.
