21 years ago on this day, a kid from Rosario began his journey to become a Messi-ah

It's been four years since Lionel Messi left Barcelona to try his luck, first in France, then in the United States, where he plays with Inter Miami.

But the memories he left dangling in the Barcelona locker room keep popping up every now and then, especially when the calendar flips to October 16, the day the Argentine wizard made his debut for the Spanish giants.

"We had no idea what was coming," posted FC Barcelona on Thursday, the 21st anniversary of Messi's debut with the La Liga side. Messi came on as a substitute for Portuguese attacker Deco in the 82nd minute. Deco had scored the solitary goal in the match in the 9th minute.

Messi finished the game alongside Ronaldinho, Henrik Larsson, Andres Iniesta and Xavi. He almost scored at the end of a neatly timed run, but goalkeeper Carlos Kameni was alert to the threat posed by the diminutive 16-year-old.

Messi had to wait till May 1, 2005, for his debut senior goal for Barcelona. But the rest, like they say, is history. He played 779 matches for Barcelona, scoring 672 goals. Across 17 seasons, Messi had 10 seasons with more than 40 goals. He famously scored a record 73 goals in a season in 2008-09, the first under visionary manager Pep Guardiola. Messi lifted 41 trophies during his Barcelona days, including 10 La Liga titles.

Meanwhile, Messi also etched his name onto the Argentine book of football greats, as the worthy successor of Diego Maradona. But his greatest moment in the iconic blue and white jersey came a year after he left Barcelona when he led Argentina to glory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ending the South Americans’ 36-year wait since Maradona crowned them world champions in 1986.

But Messi's dribble to greatness started 21 years ago, when coach Frank Rijkaard, convinced by his senior players, decided to introduce the boy from Rosario. And like Barca said, who would have thought what was to follow.