Diego Schwarzstein has nothing against the superstar. Argentina even more so.
Lionel Messi’s nickname “Flea” goes back to the Argentinian’s childhood. PDO
Lionel Messi has medicine to thank for his rise to the biggest star in the world of football.
The Argentinian would hardly ever have even become a professional player if he hadn’t been spiked with growth hormone as a child for years.
Messi suffers from congenital growth hormone deficiency. As a young player, being short wasn’t a big problem yet, but fortunately, Messi’s junior club knew how to think about the future.
Newell’s Old Boys sent their junior academy doctor, who had already shown his talent, but was only nine years old, away.
That doctor was Diego Schwarzstein.
He still remembers his first meeting with Messi in 1997 like it was yesterday.
– Leo (Messi) asked me if he would ever grow tall enough to become a footballer, British newspaper Interviewed by The Times Schwarzstein says.
According to Schwarzstein, Messi was only 129 centimeters tall at the time.
– I told him: Don’t worry. You will be even taller than Maradona. I don’t know if you’ll get better though.
The doctor’s promise was kept. After five years of hormone spikes, Messi finally grew to 169 centimeters tall.
Diego Maradona was 167 centimeters tall.
For the last few years, the Spanish club Barcelona was responsible for Messi’s last hormone treatments. It washed just 13-year-old Messi into his junior academy.
The rest is history.
A beautiful gift
Diego Schwarzstein helped Messi grow into a great player. EPA / AOP
Messi eventually emerged as one of the best footballers of all time. Messi, who has been voted the best player in the world no less than seven times, has not forgotten the man who made this possible.
Schwarzstein tells The Times how Messi visited his clinic one last time at the beginning of the millennium before moving to Barcelona.
He had with him the last jersey he wore at Newell’s. He gave it to the doctor, signing it “To Diego, with love Leo Messi”.
– There would certainly have been people who wanted that shirt. It is guaranteed to be valuable. But he gave it to me. It really means a lot.
Hoping to lose
The relationship between the two is still warm and close.
Schwarzstein’s comment to The Times is therefore surprising.
– As a football fan, I hope for the Argentine championship. But as a person and as a citizen of Argentina, I hope they lose all their matches and immediately drop out of the playoffs, Schwarzstein shakes.
– Why? Because I am sure that the populist government of our country would only use the championship as a way to cover up the country’s internal problems.
The doctor gives his country’s politics a complete blow. Argentina’s economy is in dire straits. Unemployment has risen drastically in recent years, while more and more people live in poverty.
The weakening of the value of money has derailed even those who have kept their jobs into poverty.
– They could even make news about the devaluation of our currency during the Argentina game, and no one would be interested, says Schwarzstein.
– I have lived through many times of internal political crisis, but this is the worst of all.