Junior Library Guild

• Soccer fans and players will be inspired by this biography of Lionel Messi, who started playing soccer in the streets of his Argentinean hometown of Rosario and is now a leading scorer for the FC Barcelona team.
• The simple, straightforward narrative contains memorable facts and anecdotes. Notably, for instance, Messi’s first soccer contract was written on a restaurant napkin after his father told the Barcelona Youth Academy’s sports director that “he would take Messi home on the very next plane if he wasn’t signed immediately.”
• Descriptions of Messi’s childhood show the challenges he faced. When Messi was diagnosed with a growth-hormone deficiency in his youth, for example, his parents could not afford the expensive treatment. At thirteen, Messi moved to Barcelona to play for a team that would cover his medical expenses.
• Brief chapters and lively photographs (often of Messi on the field) contribute to the book’s approachability.