Messi and the VHS videocassette that changed the history of football

**Messi and the VHS Videocassette That Changed Football History**

The star from Rosario could have also played for the Spanish national team, but a single video recording completely changed his destiny.

Messi's legendary journey with the Argentina national team concludes today with a friendly match against Benin.

Leo has already become a symbol of the "Albiceleste," a legend who will remain forever in the memories of Argentines and all football fans.

Lionel Andres Messi was born in the Argentine city of Rosario. However, if he had chosen the Spanish national team, his life could have turned out differently. This is not a science-fiction assumption, but a real story that was averted thanks to a simple VHS videocassette.

In December 2003, 16-year-old Leo Messi was a player for Barcelona's youth team (Juvenil A) and made his debut for the first team in a friendly match in Porto. His teammates (Pique, Cesc, and Victor Vazquez) regularly played for Spain's youth national teams and urged him to join their ranks as well.

Young Leo, however, considered himself 100 percent Argentine and only wanted to play for his national team. But the problem was that since he had left Newell's at the age of 13, no one knew him in his homeland, and he had never been called up to the youth teams of the "Albiceleste."

That was when Leo's father approached a member of the club's press service:

"Jaime, we need a video with footage of Messi playing and scoring for Barcelona. Because no one knows him in our country, and you need to help us explain to them who he is."

Jorge Messi's request was fulfilled:

Barça TV recorded a compilation of the young talent's runs and goals onto a VHS cassette. Now, all that was left was to deliver this recording to the officials at the Argentine Football Association. The opportunity for this arose on December 27, 2003, when the Argentina national team arrived in Barcelona for a friendly match against Catalonia.

Bielsa could not believe his eyes:

"Play the video at normal speed, it's impossible to watch at this speed."

Vivas replied that the video was at normal speed. The thing was, little Leo's incredibly high speed had caused such a misunderstanding.

"He is a phenomenon, who taught this kid to move so fast?"

— Bielsa could not hide his amazement.

The Argentine team returned home, and Vivas handed the videocassette to Hugo Tocalli, the coach of the Argentina U-17 national team, with the following words:

"Do not lose this player, I beg you as an Argentine and a football fan."

Initially, Tocalli did not pay much attention to this and did not want to drop any player from the squad being taken to the U-17 World Championship in Finland.

However, in the semifinals of the tournament in Finland, Spain defeated Argentina. Both teams stayed in the same hotel, and the Spanish team's chef approached Tocalli and said:

"If you had that kid who plays for Barcelona, you would have been champions with this team..."

Tocalli asked him if he meant Leo Messi. In response, the chef was astonished:

"What? You knew about him and didn't bring him?!"

Tocalli simply had not wanted to change the squad, but after these events, he rewatched the recording on the videocassette. Upon returning to Argentina, he ordered an employee of the Argentine Football Association to contact Leo's family to bring him into the team.

This task was assigned to Omar Souto. He flipped through the phone book, searching for all the Messis in Rosario. During the search, thinking it was an abbreviation of Leo's name, he first inquired about individuals named Leonardo. Finally, he contacted Leo's grandmother Celia, and then his uncle, and through them, he found the player's father, Jorge Messi.

The father screamed with joy over the phone:

"Yes, he is Lionel! Finally, they have called him! My son wants to play for Argentina so much!"

The Argentine Football Association sent an official call-up letter to Barcelona. Interestingly, the player's name was misspelled in it as

"Leonel Mechchi." They did not even know how to write his name correctly. In this manner, they had called up to the national team a massive player who was destined to become Maradona's successor in the history of Argentine and world football.

In June 2004, 17-year-old Messi made his debut for the Argentina U-20 national team in a match against Paraguay. Ultimately, thanks to his phenomenal performances, Argentina won the FIFA World Youth Championship. He scored both of his team's goals in the final, becoming the tournament's top scorer and best player.

The Spanish Federation also desperately wanted to see this teenager in the "La Rojita" shirt, but Leo's loyalty to his homeland and the positive impact of a simple VHS videocassette bound his destiny to the "Albiceleste" for life.

His goals, trophies, and the immense legacy he leaves behind are eternal. But without that small videotape and Jorge Messi's initiative, the history of football would be written completely differently today.