Lionel Messi has always been the one to watch no matter his age and former Barcelona defender and UEFA Champions League winner Juliano Belletti has recalled the first time he met the Argentine youngster. The Brazilian was an important member of Frank Rijkaard’s team at the time when a young Messi had just come up the youth ranks to the B team. Belletti revealed that his first encounter with the teenager on the field came when the first team came up against B team in a warm-up match. Video of 10-Year-Old Lionel Messi Playing Football for Newell’s Old Boys Resurfaces Amid Coronavirus Lockdown.

Speaking to ESPN, Belletti recalled his encounter with a 16-year-old Lionel Messi and also said that Andres Iniesta warned him about the Argentine. ‘When Messi came out of the B team, Frank Rijkaard put him in with us in an 11 against 11 on a small pitch. He was on the substitute team and I was with the starters.’ he said. Lionel Messi Best Goal Videos: Relish Top Strikes By The Barcelona Captain During Coronavirus Lockdown.

‘[Andres] Iniesta caught my attention and asked me if I knew him (Messi). I said no and he warned me: ‘Be careful, eh. When he first got on the ball, I thought: ‘Damn! This kid is cheeky!’ he added. ‘Then, when I was preparing to approach him and take the ball off him, he’d already gone past me and scored a goal. He ran right through me’ Belletti added further.

Lionel Messi made his debut for the Spanish side as a 16-year-old in a friendly match against Porto and since then has gone to rule the world of football for more than a decade.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2020 03:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).