Guessing who is hiding behind a photograph when you are little is not an easy task. People change a lot over the years, and the age difference often accentuates these surprising evolutions. Even so, the distinctive features of some faces help determine certain identities. Be it a smile, the shape of the eyes or head, or a characteristic hairstyle that reveals the person in question, helping third parties.
During the last few days, we have been able to see the significant differences that some current Spanish figures presented when they were minors. The first case was that of a smiling president of the government Pedro Sánchez, who could be identified thanks to the shapes of his head and his smile. The second to pass was Aitana, the renowned Catalan singer, and on this occasion we crossed the pond to see one of the most transcendental soccer players in history.
This cover photograph shows Leo Messi when he was a baby, in his native Rosario. The Argentine grew up there for a good part of his childhood, standing out in the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys, before making the jump to Barcelona. There, after signing the famous agreement on a napkin with Carles Rexach, he would become the most valued, loved and outstanding player in the history of the Barcelona Football Club, leaving legendary nights at the Camp Nou.
However, the coronavirus pandemic exposed the club’s financial shortcomings during Josep Maria Bartomeu’s presidency, and left the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in an inconceivable position. On August 5, 2021, Barça announced that Messi would not continue in the Barça discipline, causing a wave of consternation not only in the city, but also worldwide. Likewise, it also generated thousands of hands rubbing in anticipation.
A couple of those hands were those of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of Paris Saint-Germain, who caught the Argentine with the intention of achieving his long-awaited Champions League. However, not everything went as expected. The performance of Leo, who is already 36 years old, was poorer than the Parisians could imagine. In the end, Messi left PSG through the back door, but not before closing the victorious circle of him winning the World Cup in Qatar.
Currently, the forward spends his days at Inter Miami, playing with his former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. His start with the pinks was brilliant, but the bad start to the MLS season did not allow him to lift them to the play-offs, so the star from Rosario is now patiently waiting for his next move, while in Barcelona they expect it to not even be a tribute match, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the club and the works on the new Camp Nou.
