As arguably the best footballer that his ever lived, videos of Lionel Messi doing insane things with a ball are a dime a dozen.

Less common, however, is footage of the Barcelona hero on his way to greatness.

As such, a video released by the Catalan club on Christmas Day of Messi tearing it up in the youth leagues is the perfect present for every football fan on earth​.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaQvhgTu7QY

He's come a long way since then, but that Messi magic is as clear in these old videos as it is today.

Merry Christmas!

Great footage, thankyou !
I had seen some similar in another football movie or video elsewhere, on his life storey from memory.
Don't care what they say of Ronaldo, no doubt he's damn good but somehow for me I see Messi a more complete player.
Maybe I just like he's like a quiet achiever whereas the other is a showmen.

I love how many tackles Messi rides. Players obviously trying to foul him (even at such a young age) but he rides so many of them, and doesn't go down with the slightest of touches from a defender (a lot of the A-League players could learn a lot from that).

Amazing skills and really such a great footballer.

Yes, to his credit Messi is not a diver, he just regains his balance and keeps going until he gets past them with the ball or they knock him over. Football played as it should be