Lionel Messi Secrets and Facts

South Africa World Cup 2010 is around the corner and fans from all over the world can't wait to watch current soccer stars go head-to-head during the much anticipated tournament. On June 11th 2010, South Africa the host country will kick-off the tournament against Mexico which will be the first game of group A which is composed by South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France. Although millions of fans are expected to watch the opening ceremony, many more are expected to be glued to the TV on June 12th which is the day Argentina will play its first game of the tournament against Nigeria. The reason for the increase in viewers is not because this is a classic, but because of Argentina's young star Lionel Messi.

At merely 22 years old, Lionel Messi has been named the best soccer player in the planet already and has won championships with his current team Barcelona FC.

Lionel Messi is a small mid-fielder with heart of a lion. He is only 5 feet 7 inches making his ball handling skills and noticeable lower body strength a sight for sore eyes for the hard-core soccer fans. His soccer skills are so impressive that has been compared to the Argentinean legend Diego Maradona. Messi moved to Europe with his family at an early age, and his soccer skills were developed by Barcelona FC. In the 2004-2005 Spanish soccer league (La Liga) Messi was the youngest player to debut in a team in La Liga and the youngest to score a goal in an official game in La Liga