On This Day: Messi signed 1st pro contract with Barca; Kane scored 100th PL goal

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (February 4th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, please post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!

On this day in 2004, Messi signed his first professional contract with Barcelona

Messi joined Barcelona C in addition to the Juveniles A, playing his first game for the third team on 29 November. He helped save them from the relegation zone of the Tercera División, scoring five goals in ten games, including a hat-trick in eight minutes during a Copa del Rey match while man-marked by Sevilla's Sergio Ramos.

Messi progress was reflected in his first professional contract, signed on 4 February 2004, which lasted until 2012 and contained an initial buyout clause of €30 million. A month later, on 6 March, he made his debut for Barcelona B in the Segunda División B, and his buyout clause automatically increased to €80 million.

On this day in 2018, Kane scored his 100th Premier League goal

Kane scored an added-time penalty to equalise in a 2–2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield for his 100th Premier League goal; he achieved the century of league goals in 141 games, beaten only by Alan Shearer's 124.

On this day in 2004, Man City fought back from 3-0 down to beat Spurs 4-3 in FA Cup

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Spurs eased to a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals from Ledley King (2'), Robbie Keane (19'), and Christian Ziege (43'). As if the score advantage wasn't enough, Manchester City dropped to ten men for the second half as midfielder Joey Barton, who had already been booked earlier in the match, received a second yellow card in the 45th minute for arguing with the referee.

But manager Kevin Keegan must have delivered an amazing speech at the break, as City roared back to life in the second half. Sylvain Distin started the comeback, heading the ball past Spurs keeper Kasey Keller in the 48th-minute. A few minutes later, City goalkeeper Arni Arason scrambled to save what look liked a certain Tottenham goal to keep the margin at 3-1.

In the 69th minute, Paul Bosvelt closed the gap to 3-2 with a deflected goal, then Shaun Wright-Phillips got the equalizer in the 80th minute.

The last goal came in the 90th minute, as striker Jonathan Macken gave City their first lead of the day, which they held to emerge as 3-4 victors.

On this day in 1899, Werder Bremen founded

On 4 February 1899, a group of 16 vocational school students in the northwestern German city of Bremen used some sports equipment they won as a prize to found the club that would later be known as Werder Bremen. The club would go on to become one of Germany's most successful and influential clubs.

They enjoyed intermittent success in the post-war years, winning the German Cup in 1961 and the league title in 1965. After a subsequent decline, including relegation for the 1980-81 season, the club returned to glory in the late '80s and early '90s, winning the Bundesliga title in 1988 and 1993, the German Cup in 1991, and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1992. They most recently won the league in 2004 and the German Cup in 2009.