The Argentine came on as a substitute for Deco on his La Liga debut for Barcelona against Espanyol in 2004…
Lionel Messi, an FC Barcelona youth product, was promoted to the senior team during the 2004-05 season and he made his La Liga debut for the club on October 16, 2004, against city rivals Espanyol.
The Argentine came on as a substitute replacing Deco in the 82nd minute of the match. At the age of 17 years and three months, Messi became the youngest player to represent Barcelona in an official competition.
Although Messi had played for the Barcelona senior team a year before against FC Porto, it was a friendly tie between the two clubs and not an official game.
The Argentine's debut La Liga match has two unusual India connections. Former FC Goa defender Carlos Pena was in the matchday squad but did not feature in the match. Also, former Bengaluru FC and Hyderabad FC coach Albert Roca was a part of Frank Rijkaard's coaching team when Messi played his first game.
Since the Espanyol tie in 2004, Messi appeared in a total of 520 La Liga matches donning the Barcelona shirt. He also became the most-capped Barcelona player of all time with 778 matches under his belt.
Let us take a look at the players who played alongside Messi in his La Liga debut for Barcelona and where are they now?
Getty1Victor Valdes – GK
A Barcelona academy product, Victor Valdes played for the club for 12 years from 2002 to 2014 after which he joined Manchester United. During the 2015-16 season, Valdes was sent on loan to Belgian side Standard Liege. In 2017, Valdes retired from professional football after playing a year at Middlesbrough.
In 2018, Valdes completed his UEFA Pro Licence and joined a local Madrid club ED Moratalaz's youth team. In 2019, he returned to Barcelona and took charge of the club's Juvenil A side as their head coach. Since 2020, he is managing a local Barcelona club UA Horta.
AdvertisementGetty Images2Juliano Belletti – RB
The Brazilian right-back joined Barcelona in 2004 and played at the club for three seasons before joining Chelsea. He retired from professional football in 2011 after suffering from a serious Achilles tendon injury.
In February 2021, Belletti joined Brazilian Serie B club Cruzeiro as their assistant manager.
Getty Images3Carles Puyol – CBClub legend and former captain Carles Puyol played for Barcelona all through his career from 1999 to 2014. He won all major trophies with Spanish giants which include six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. Puyol is the club's fifth most-capped player of all time with 593 appearances under his belt.Getty4Oleguer Presas – CBThe Spanish central defender played at Barcelona for six seasons (2003 to 2008) after which he moved to Ajax. He retired from professional football in 2011. Oleguer Presas currently works as a coach at a local football school in Catalunya.