Any player dubbed the 'new Maradona' is bound to face a mountain of expectation. But when the epithet is bestowed by the great man himself most players would crumble under the pressure. Not so Lionel Andres Messi. At just 21, the Argentine superstar is proving he can live up to his illustrious predecessor's name.
Messi's story is a triumph of skill and will over adversity. Born with a growth disorder, he played with Newell's Old Boys and River Plate showed interest. However, obscurity beckoned as no team was prepared to fund the rare condition. However, after Barcelona scouts spotted him in action the Catalan club decided to pay for the treatment and took Messi to Spain.
Messi flourished and on his debut in October 2004 he became the youngest player to appear in La Liga. He soon developed an almost telepathic understanding with Ronaldinho and just as quickly became an idol of the Nou Camp faithful. As a footballer he is practically peerless, possessing fantastic awareness, touch, passing and shooting skills.
But it is his ability to run at defenders that marks him out as the true inheritor of the Maradona crown. Indeed, one of his two goals for Barcelona during the Spanish Cup semi-final against Getafe in 2007 bore an uncanny resemblance to Maradona's famous 'goal of the century' against England in the 1986 World Cup. Afterwards the press dubbed him 'Messidona.'
With Barca, Messi has won three Spanish league titles, the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey and two Champions Leagues. He is also the focal point of the Argentina team, debuting in August 2005 against Hungary. In 2007 he was part of the Argentine side that finished runner-up to Brazil in the Copa America. He has been showered with individual honours, including FIFPro Young Player of the Year in 2006, Best Foreign Player in La Liga and runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007. In the words of the master Maradona himself: "I have seen the player who will inherit my place and his name is Messi."