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Hi i'm Lionel Andres Messi.

I went through a rough life.

I live in Rosario, Argentina. 

I was born in 1987.

My father was a factory steel 

worker. And my mother was

a cleaner.

At the age of 11 I was diagnosed a 

growth hormone deficiency (GHD) .

GHD causes you to have a short height.

When my dad and mom found out they were 

shocked.

The treatment to this condition was very 

expensive. My parents didn't have the 

money to pay for the treatment.

So my parents were going to sign 

me in a soccer club that would pay 

for my treatment, because I was 

good at soccer, and I liked soccer. 

The local club, River plate were 

interested in signing me in, but 

didn't want to pay for my 

treatment, because it was too 

expensive

However   I was giving a trial with 

Barcelona. And the coach Carles Rexach 

was impressed.

He offered me a contract when I was 13. 

The contract included paying for my 

treatment but in Spain. That meant I had 

to move to Spain.

It was going to be a challenge I had to 

take, for my future. So my dad and I 

moved to Spain.

I made a sacrifice by leaving Argentina, 

and by leaving my family to start a new 

life. But everything I did I did for soccer.

Later on I became part of the prestigious 

Football Club Barcelona youth academy. 

And I started to get taller.

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