14 years ago today Lionel Messi made his La Liga debut for Barcelona. The game of football has never been the same since.
Lionel Messi had taken to the field for Barcelona in a friendly against Jose Mourinho's Porto side, aged 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, on 16 November 2003, and he was already turning out for the Barcelona 'B' team in no time.

A single training session with the first-team squad lead the great Ronaldinho to believe that Messi would surpass him, and it wasn't long before he was fast-tracked into the Blaugrana's star-studded side.
16 October 2004 is the date that saw Messi make his first-team bow. In an away derby against Catalan rivals Espanyol, with 34,400 fans in attendance, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner entered the fray in the 82nd minute, replacing eventual match-winner Deco and making a bright cameo.

Aged 17 years, three months and 22 days, and wearing the No.30 shirt on the right flank, Messi didn't manage to score or register an assist in the 1-0 but as you'll see in the above clip, there were plenty of impressive touches and passages of play that then went on to become features of Messi's game as his burgeoning talents improved to an extraordinary level.

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#OnThisDay 14 years since the official debut of Leo #Messi with the first team
9:45 AM - Oct 16, 2018
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Squawka Football ✔ @Squawka
ON THIS DAY: In 2004, Lionel Messi made his LaLiga debut vs. Espanyol.
426 games
389 goals
153 assists
9 titles
The all-time top scorer and assister.
9:46 AM - Oct 16, 2018
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On this day in 2004, Lionel Messi made his first appearance for Barcelona.
Trophies won before his debut:
Barcelona - 62
Real Madrid - 72
Trophies now:
Barcelona - 94
Real Madrid - 90
10:46 AM - Oct 16, 2018
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14 years on and he doesn't seem to be regressing despite now being into his 30s. His recent performance for Barca against Spurs in the Champions League was one of his best as he ran the show.
There aren't many stats and records that he hasn't broken for the Catalan giants or in football in general and he continues to shine as by far and away their best player.

From a young kid replacing Deco to a real GOAT.

http://www.sportbible.com/football/legends-14-years-ago-today-lionel-messi-made-his-debut-20181016