Lionel Messi and his idol Juan Román Riquelme

Hello friends of Steemit, especially football fans and their incredible stories, I hope you are well and that all your investments continue to grow. Today I will tell you a funny story between two great legends of Argentinean and European football.

I'm talking about Juan Román Riquelme and Lionel Messi, both Argentinean football legends who later jumped to Europe where one of them left his legacy and the other continues to win championships and make history.

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Those who have seen both players play know that both have a similar style of play. They both control the midfield well and have a left foot that sets up safe passes.

Well, we were in 2002 when Riquelme was the great signing of Barcelona, the idol in Argentina with Boca Juniors was signed for the sum of 15 million euros. He had recently won the Copa Libertadores twice and this time he arrived in Spain with great aspirations to continue growing.

Josep Minguella was the first coach Lionel had in Barcelona, a great guide both on and off the field. This coach used to invite his players to a barbecue or barbecue at home after each match, and when Messi showed maturity in his game and got into the team decided to invite him, with the thought of acquiring a little personality to be with players of great trajectory and maturity.

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In that opportunity attended Riquelme, Rochemback, Motta and one that another player, then came Messi accompanied by his father who was the one who brought him in his car, with only 17 years was a young man still shy and did not dare to greet, Minguella only wanted the boy to put aside his shyness and socialize with other players, but that day was not so. He only sat at one corner of the long table when he noticed the presence of Riquelme, who was his greatest idol.

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Leo couldn't believe that at that moment he was sitting with the player he most admired, his favourite player of all time, he began to sweat cold and only bowed his head shyly. He didn't engage in any conversation, he just looked at Riquelme under his hair, he saw him as a superstar. They offered him a glass of wine but he only wanted to drink water, lowering his head again with his two furrowed eyebrows.

For Messi he was the 10th of the team, the left-handed who dominated the midfield and it was there where he made his greatest promise, to look like Juan Roman Riquelme both on and off the pitch. From that moment he began to work hard to match his excellent level, his passes, centers, ball control, the ability to define with coldness, humility with his teammates, even his few words in the press conferences.

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When Leo reached great potential and became a great referent for the team, he was able to get to know his idol better, with whom years later they would play the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the 2007 America's Cup in Venezuela, the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where they won the gold medal and the qualifying rounds for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Together they became good friends on and off the court. Each learned something from the other and even though Riquelme is no longer playing, his compatriot and friend Lionel continues to pay tribute to him in each of his matches with his unique style of play.

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Spanish Version