10 Things Messi Wanted to Keep Secret..

Did you know that in December 2000, when Messi was just 12 years old, he signed his first contract with Barcelona on a paper napkin? Or did you know that every day Messi secretly loves talking through text with someone? These are the top 10 things that Messi wanted to keep a secret! Okay, so going back to that December 14, 2000 meeting, Barcelona's secretary, Carles Reschach, and the then-representative of Messi, Horacio Gaglioli, were having a serious meeting about Messi's future at the tennis club Pompeia Cafeteria. As Messi was a shining star in everyone's eyes, Carles was in a rush to sign Messi at any cost. But there was a dark twist to this story. You see, Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, was afraid of signing Messi, as he was a young player. However, Carles, who believed in Messi's capabilities, went ahead to sign him without asking for Laporta's permission. Now this decision could have cost Carles his entire career, but in the future, Messi proved Barcelona's president wrong. And just like in a scene from a movie, Carles picked up a napkin from the table and signed the contract with Messi's representative. With Messi fans spread across the world, some of them even offered millions to buy this framed napkin. And if you ask Messi about that moment, it would be difficult to obtain his opinion over a call, because when he is off the field, he seems to be very busy texting someone. Now, you might be wondering who's that lucky one blessed enough to receive a personal text from the greatest player himself. Well, the champion is so in love with his childhood memories, and to stay connected with his childhood days, he regularly has conversations with fellow members of a sports club called Newell's Old Boys. You see, when Messi was just 6 years old, he scored almost 500 goals for this club at Rosario Santa Fe. And during their free time, Messi and his fellow members used to entertain everyone with unique tricks. They were not only unbeatable, but also inseparable. However, when his destiny of winning the World Cup kept calling to him, Messi was forced to leave that group. But even today, he stays in touch with them through text. Speaking of texting, it makes us wonder what kind of phone this champion must be using. Well, with a net worth of $620 million, Messi has the power to switch to a new phone every day. But, being known for his simple nature, Messi is perfectly happy with his iPhone XS Max. And not just a simple iPhone that you can buy from the Apple Store, but a customized 24 karat gold iPhone XS Max. From mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor to Paris Hilton, this iDesign company with a vision to customize phones using luxury material has now caught the attention of Messi. And instead of getting his phone customized with some funky design, Messi decided to have his jersey number 10, his name, his wife's name, and the name of his three kids put on the phone. Guess what? After customizing this phone with 24 karat gold and sweet love from Messi, this iPhone's price has now jumped from $1,300 to a massive $21,000. If this seems a bit expensive to you, then wait to see Messi's secret car that is worth 10 times more than a Bugatti. But before that, let's dive into Messi's childhood love for which he was convinced to print her name in gold. Their love story began when Messi and his childhood friend Lucas Scalia used to play for Newell's Old Boys Club in Rosario, Santa Fe, the same club whose members are even today in touch with Messi through text. One day, Rocuzzo came to meet her cousin, Scalia. Luckily, Messi was also present there. And before you know it, the champion was already in love with his future wife. However, a movie-like twist in their story showed up when Messi was forced to leave for Barcelona to pursue his career. For several years, they could not stay in touch, but their love was growing stronger each day. One day, Antonella's best friend died in a car crash. After hearing this news, Messi, who already became the rising star of Barcelona, flew back to Argentina to be with her. But this time, he was not only there to comfort her, but also convince her family to take Rocuzzo with him to Barcelona. As you know, he loves keeping things secret. Messi opened up about their relationship in an interview in January 2009. And from being his childhood friend, Lucas Scalia became Messi's brother-in-law. Now, it might seem that Lucas must be Messi's best friend, but Neymar is here to take Messi's BFF title. Just take a look at what Messi said about Neymar in an interview. With Neymar, we have known each other for a long time, by heart, since Barcelona. Now I have met him again in Paris and we are happy to be together. I love playing with him. Moreover, Messi has always liked charming Neymar since they met for the first time on the field. And this experience was beautifully expressed by Neymar when he said this about Messi. These words surely express how kind and supportive Messi is. But not only on the field, but also as a friend. To give you a few examples, let's rewind back to 2016. In November of 2016, due to the economic crisis, Argentina's football association was being run by a FIFA committee. However, the situation became worse when three of the national team's security staff were not paid their salary for almost six months straight. Having left no option in their hands, they asked Messi to help them get back their salary. Surprisingly, instead of talking to the committee, Messi paid the entire six-month salary of all three members. And this was just a glimpse of Messi's kindness, because if you dig deeper, he also established his own charitable foundation called Leo Messi Foundation, through which he provides healthcare, education, and sports facilities to vulnerable children. Moreover, staying committed to helping vulnerable children is something he will never back off from, even in the future. But even Messi is allowed to treat himself sometimes, because with the World Cup in hand and a $630 million net worth, he now owns multiple mansions. With a panoramic view of the Catalan hills and the Mediterranean Sea, Messi bought this enormous mansion in Spain for $7 million. And when you have ample space lying around your house, it feels right to create your own private theater, a gym, a swimming pool, spa, and of course, a football pitch to train your kids. But as amazing as this mansion looks, you'll be surprised to know that Messi was very much disturbed by the behavior of his neighbors. We all, once in a while, face issues with our neighbors, and most of the time we try to live in harmony with them. But when it comes to Messi's neighbors, he had a unique solution in mind to solve this issue. And that solution was not to talk with them or call the police, but to actually buy all of his neighbors' houses to maintain silence in his mansion. Moving on to his love for music, Messi, in June of 2021, signed the biggest deal of his lifetime. And it wasn't with any football club, but with the Hard Rock Café brand. In other words, Messi is now the ambassador for the Hard Rock Café, and he has expressed his joy by making this statement, Sports and music are an integral part of my life. It is an honor to be the first athlete to partner with a brand that has a history of teaming with music legends. Pretty crazy, but not as crazy as the car that Messi owns. Messi bought this bad boy for $36 million in an auction. And the best part is that his main competitor in that auction was none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. It sure seems like Messi is the bigger fan of Sterling Moss, who drove this car in the 1958 Cuban Grand Prix. Apart from this beast, Messi also owns a Pagani Zonda Roadster, Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe, a Cadillac Escalade, a Range Rover Vogue, an Audi RS6, and a Maserati GranTurismo. Speaking of crazy cars, why don't you check out this video of the craziest cars that football players own.