Barcelona, Spain – May 2004
The envelope was plain.
No gold seal, no ribbon, no fancy font. Just an A4 white sheet in a club mailbox marked "Messi."
He nearly walked past it — until one word caught his eye.
Asociación del Fútbol Argentino
He froze.
Then tore it open, heart racing.
You have been selected to represent the Argentina U20 national team in the upcoming South American Youth Championship training camp.
His eyes stopped moving. His hands trembled slightly.
It wasn't a dream.
It was a call-up.
For his country.
The Locker Room Buzzes
Ronaldinho saw the letter first.
He snatched it from Messi's hand and read the headline.
Then, a wide grin.
"¡Mi hermano!" he shouted. "Argentina is calling!"
The room cheered. Some clapped. Deco threw a sock at his head playfully. Xavi patted his back.
"You're not just Barça's future anymore," he said. "You're Argentina's too."
Messi smiled, shy and quiet.
But inside, fireworks.
A Call to Home
That night, he called his mother. She cried.
Then he called Antonela.
"Leo," she whispered, "you're going to wear the blue and white."
"Yeah," he said softly. "Just like we dreamed."
Departure Day – Buenos Aires
He boarded the plane wearing a plain hoodie and headphones. No fanfare. No interviews.
But the moment he landed in Argentina, things changed.
There were reporters at the airport.
Not many — but enough.
"Is it true Barcelona wanted you to play for Spain?"
"Why Argentina now?"
"What do you say to those who've never heard of you before?"
Messi just nodded and passed by.
He didn't come to talk.
He came to play.
The AFA Training Camp
The Argentina U20 camp was intense.
Players came from all over the country: Rosario, Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Córdoba.
Some played for River Plate, others for Boca Juniors.Some were tall and loud. Others built like trucks.
Messi was… none of those.
He was shorter. Quieter. Stranger.
"Who's the Barcelona kid?" someone asked.
"That's Messi."
"Never heard of him."
First Scrimmage – Prove It
The coaches split the squad into two teams for an internal match.
Messi's first few touches were neat, cautious.
Then came a pass to him in midfield. Two defenders rushed in.
He didn't panic.
First touch: shift left.Second: chop right.Third: ball flicked through both of them, and Messi gone in a flash.
The coaches whistled. One wrote something quickly in a notepad.
Later that game, he nutmegged the team captain, chipped the keeper, and jogged back like nothing happened.
Nobody whispered after that.
The Coach Speaks
After training, Coach Hugo Tocalli gathered the team.
He spoke of the tournament. Of preparation. Of commitment.
Then, he looked at Messi.
"You don't talk much," he said.
Messi looked down.
"But your feet do."
The coach nodded. "You're starting next week. Let's see what Argentina really has."
A Nation Divided
But the media wasn't fully convinced.
Messi had left Argentina when he was 13.He played for a European club.He spoke with a Spanish accent sometimes.
And that made him different.
Some headlines questioned:
"Is he really one of us?""Is Messi Argentine enough?"
But there were others — old coaches, scouts from Rosario — who defended him fiercely.
"That boy grew up with a ball under his arm. He is Argentina."
Back at Barcelona
When the news broke, Rijkaard made no public comment.
But privately, he told the staff:
"Good. Let him feel the weight now. Let him carry it early."
He watched Messi's highlights from the U20 camp and shook his head.
"He's ready for more than we give him."
Rosario – Antonela's Home
Antonela stayed up late watching a grainy online stream of the youth match.
Messi started in the number 18 shirt.
She smiled. "Doesn't matter the number," she whispered. "He still plays like Leo."
And when he curled in a free-kick in the 32nd minute, she jumped off her chair and ran to the living room screaming, "GOAL!"
Her family laughed. "You'd think it was the World Cup."
She replied: "For him, it is."
Match 1 – Argentina U20 vs. Chile U20
Estadio Ciudad de Lanús, packed with 30,000 fans.
Messi stood in line, hand on heart, the anthem echoing across the stadium.
His eyes welled up.
He didn't cry.
But his chest rose with something deeper than pride — identity.
He was home.
Minute 8 – First Impact
Mascherano tackled and passed the ball to Messi.
Messi ran.
He weaved left, danced right, then lofted a ball to the far post.
The striker nodded it in.
1–0, Argentina.
Coach Tocalli clapped.
"That pass," he muttered, "was like art."
Minute 31 – The Goal
Messi picked up the ball 25 yards out.
He dribbled past two defenders, then cut inside.
He looked up, took one breath, and curled it.
Top corner.
GOAL.
The crowd roared.
The commentators screamed: "¡Messi! ¡Messi! ¡El chico de Barcelona!"
And in the stands, a banner unfurled:
"¡ORGULLO DE ROSARIO!"(Pride of Rosario)
After the Match
The media changed their tune.
They stopped asking if Messi was "Argentine enough."
Instead, they said:
"He's not just one of us. He might be the best of us."
Notebook Entry – Back in Camp
Anto,Today I wore the blue and white. The anthem played, and my hands shook.Then the game started… and I remembered.The streets. The little goals. The cold nights by the river.I don't care what the critics say. This is my home.Not because I was born here… but because my heart beats louder when I wear this shirt.—Leo
Volume Ending Soon…
The camp continued.
Messi's name grew with each match. Scouts came. Interviews followed.
But something inside him stayed the same.
He still trained the longest. Still wrote the same way. Still called Antonela after every game.
And the next challenge?
Senior debut for Barcelona.
It was coming.
And when it came… it would change football forever.