HomeRegistrationsHappy Birthday Lionel Messi! Jayne Henry June 15, 2018 Registrations Considered by many to be the greatest football player of all time, Lionel Messi has certainly achieved a lot in his life. As a child he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, but this didn’t stop him. Although his parents could not afford the expensive treatment he needed, when he joined Barcelona as a 13 year old, the club funded his treatment and he went on to great things. Over his career he has won five Ballon d’Or awards and five European Golden Shoes. Messi always loved football from a very early age, his family were all greatly into the game, and several of his relatives also went on to become professional players. It may just be that his illness as a child had a pretty amazing silver lining. At just 1.7m tall, Messi is shorter than most other players, but this gives him a lower centre of gravity making him incredibly agile and able to change direction super fast. Perfect for sneaking the ball away from the opposition! Lionel Messi – The Fun Facts… His first ever contract with Barcelona was written on a paper napkin. There was no paper to hand and club director Carles Rexach wanted to draw up a contract right there and then. His international debut in 2005 was rather short lived. He came on as a substitute but was given a red card after just 47 seconds. He’s an Olympic gold medal winner, awarded for playing as part of the Argentinian football team in Beijing in 2008. When he scores a goal he points to the sky as a tribute to his beloved grandmother who passed away. Due to his amazing agility and speed his nickname is The Flea. Messi is shy and doesn’t like to talk on the phone. He asks people to text him instead of calling. He avoids watching his own highlights. Our pick of the plates for Lionel Messi If Messi would like to treat himself to a new plate for his birthday, then we think GOA 11L would be absolutely perfect for him. This plate is available on our website right now. He may also like F00 71Y, or alternatively he could go for 110 MES, or perhaps he’d find MES 54Y rather funny? If he’d like his initials on a plate, we’ve got plenty of LAM plates available such as LAM 6Y, LAM 8R and LAM 131E. We have LAM plates starting from just £199, so if you’re a big Messi fan, or if you share his initials, do check them out, there’s certainly lots to choose from!
