Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players in the history of the sport. It turns out the 28-year-old icon was pretty good as a kid, too.
Obvious or not, though, these old highlights of a 12-year-old Messi laying waste to poor children in Argentina might be the best five minutes of your day.
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The feints. The ball control. The diminutive height. The helpless defenders. Even back in the day, it was all there. The game shown atop this post -- posted to YouTube Monday by Goal.com -- features Messi playing for Newell's Old Boys against El Torito.
Not long after this video was recorded -- three years at the most -- Messi and his family moved from Rosario, Argentina, to Barcelona, Spain. The family made the move after Messi was accepted into the youth academy at legendary club FC Barcelona. Messi has starred for the club, along with the Argentina national team, since.