Lionel Messi has won more titles than any other player, scored hundreds of goals for every club he has played for, and won over millions of fans around the world.
However, his early career was key to his current success. It was there, during his years in his hometown of Rosario, that he earned a special and little-known nickname.
Messi and his curious and unknown nickname
The current goalkeeper for Argentine club Huracán and the Ecuadorian national team, Hernán Galíndez, had to face Leo in the youth divisions. While he defended the goal for Rosario Central, Messi was already making a name for himself at Newell’s Old Boys.
In an interview with ESPN, the 38-year-old goalkeeper revealed that even back then it was difficult to face Lionel: “Messi played with the number 10 for Newell’s and for many other teams… All the teams that wanted to be champions called on him. That’s the truth,” he recalled.
In addition, during the interview, Galíndez revealed that Leo’s name resonated with other clubs and that he had a great reputation because of how difficult he was to face: “He was famous. They always called him ‘El Colorado [redhead] who plays with the number 10,’” he recalled. This nickname, referring not only to his appearance but also to his unique playing ability, was something that instilled fear in his opponents: “If you heard that, you started 3-0 down,” said the goalkeeper.
Traveling back in time, Hernán also recalled an old anecdote: “He was a beast. There are videos you can see, and that’s how he was. It was striking for someone our age to handle the ball like that,” he began.
In one of them, Leo is seen wearing a white and orange Abanderado Grandoli jersey, a team Hernán also faced: “That was also very close to my house and my grandparents’ house. We also played each other there. My first memory of saves, of a goal, was against him. He passed five teammates, including me,” recalled the goalkeeper.
The truth is that this story does not end here, but years later Galíndez had to face ‘El Colorado who plays with the number 10’, but this time defending the colors of their respective countries. “After facing him again as an adult, I felt very proud,” he said.
He also revealed that he was able to exchange jerseys with Leo thanks to a request from his 8-year-old son. When he mentioned this to his roommate from Ecuador and Messi’s teammate at Inter Miami, Leo Campana, he suggested talking to Lionel after the game, assuring him that he already knew him.
And so, he managed to exchange jerseys with him and fulfill not only his son’s wish but also that of the boy who faced ‘El Colorado who plays with the number 10‘.
Read the full article here
