On October 16, 2004, against Espanyol and wearing the number 30, a player named Leo Messi made his debut in La Liga. The rest is history. Every great story has a beginning, and Leo Messi’s with

In his Instagram story dated October 16, 2025, Lionel Messi shared an image from his Barcelona debut, which features him ready to get subbed on. He also shared the same post on his Instagram feed, alongside an image from his Barca days wearing the number 30 shirt. He wrote:

Lionel Messi took to social media to mark the anniversary of his professional debut with Barcelona, which took place on October 16, 2004. Lionel Messi is without a doubt one of the greatest players ever to wear the Barcelona jersey.

Every great tale has a beginning, and today marks the precise 21st anniversary of Lionel Messi's LaLiga debut with Barcelona at the age of 16.

Now nearing the end of his professional career, Lionel Messi remains a global soccer superstar. Still, that hasn’t made him forget the beginning of his journey — his first appearance as a professional with Barcelona in La Liga.

Former Barcelona striker Henrik Larsson has claimed that Ronaldinho was the best player in the world until Lionel Messi made his debut.