The then Newell's academy player talked about his heroes, his likes and dislikes and his hopes for the future...
Those who saw Lionel Messi play when he was a young lad predicted great things for the left-footed Newell’s academy player - predictions which he would later, of course. go on to fulfil… or in most cases surpass. And at 13-years-old the young Leo Messi was already giving interviews, with answers that showed he was already different to his peers.
Almost 19 years later an interview Messi gave to Rosario-based newspaper Diario La Capital has been recovered and has gone viral in Argentina and Spain. Here are Messi’s answers…
Full Leo Messi interview
A hero: Two, my dad Jorge and my god-father Claudio.
A coach: Everyone I’ve had, because I’ve learnt something from all of them ((Gabriel, Morales, Domínguez, Vecchio and Coria).
A fitness coach: Pablo Sánchez.
A player: Two, my brother and my cousin.
A team: Newell's
A hobby: Listening to music.
A type of music: Cuarteto and Cumbia.
A TV programme: Primicias
A magazine: Pasión Rojinegra (Newell's fan magazine)
A book: The Bible.
A film: Baby's Day Out.
Other sport: Handball.
A model: Nicole Neumann.
A food: Chicken and sauce.
A subject: Spanish
A job: PE teacher
An objective: Finish secondary school.
A goal: Play in the first division.
A joy: When we were champions.
A sadness: My grandmother's death.
A hope: To play in the first division with Newell's
A memory: When my grandmother took me to play football for the first time.
A dream: To play for Argentina.
A tale to tell: When we travelled to Peru and became champions.
Humility: What a human being must never lose.
Argentinean youth teams: I'd love to play for them.
Expectations for this year: To be champions again.
Family: My dad Jorge, my mum Celia and my brothers and sisters Rodrigo, Natalia and Marisol.
Friends: I'm lucky I've got lots of good friends - if I tried to name them I'd forget someone.
What does Newell's mean in your life? Everything, absolutely everything.