Lionel Messi...
Lionel Messi is the heir apparent to the throne left vacant by Diego Armando Maradona. The waters are divided between those who consider him to be far from being the best No. 10, and those who believe that Messi will be even better than Maradona.
Born in Rosario, he cut his teeth in the youth ranks of Newell's Old Boys, until a hormonal problem that affected his growth changed the plans of his family and, of course, his personal future. Facing expensive treatment for their son, Messi's parents moved to Spain as Newell's were not able to afford the medical costs related to his condition, and even the wealthiest Argentine teams, such as River Plate, refused to foot the bill.
After his first trial with Barcelona, the Catalan coaches had no doubts. They decided to sign Messi and pay for his medical treatment. His growth was noticeable within Barca, and in little time he came to be considered one of the great talents at the club. He made his debut in the first division in October 2004, against Espanyol, and Barcelona have since adopted him as one of their greatest idols.
His first championship would come in the Liga season of 2004-05. Since then, and playing a more prominent role every season, he has won every major club trophy at Camp Nou - including a stunning haul of six in 2008-09 - and claimed the World Player of the Year award four times in four years, leaving many in little doubt as to the fact that Messi is the best player of his generation; possibly of all-time.
That idea was given further weight in March 2012 when, at the age of 24, he became the all-time top scorer at Barcelona - beating the 232 goals of Cesar Rodriguez - and then broke Gerd Muller's record for goals in a calender year when he scored 91.
 Messi turns down €30 million salary from Russian club.... The world’s top footballer Lionel Messi, has turned down a super-rich offer from Russia and decided to prolong his deal with Barcelona. El Mundo Deportivo paper reports that an unnamed Russian Premier League side offered Messi a three-year deal with a record annual salary of €30 million. If the deal was struck Barcelona were to receive €250 million for the Argentine’s transfer. Messi’s father, Jorge, who’s also his agent, said his son rejected the proposal because of the Russian club’s vague prospects of participation in major international competitions as well as weather and the language barrier. On December 18, it was announced that Barcelona has prolonged the contract with their biggest star until 2018. There are only two Russian clubs capable of making such a generous offer for Lionel Messi. They are Zenit Saint Petersburg, who spent nearly €100 million on Hulk and Axel Witsel this September, and Anzhi Makhachkala, who are paying Samuel Eto’o football’s biggest salary of €20 million.
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