Date: January 10–14, 2005Setting: Barcelona, Spain.Focus: Copa del Rey preparations, rising expectations, national attention.
The city of Barcelona shimmered under a winter sun, but the tension was building beneath it.
This wasn't La Liga.This wasn't Europe.This was the Copa del Rey — where underdogs rise and giants fall.
The tournament was unpredictable. Brutal. One bad half and everything could slip. Rijkaard rotated players, gave minutes to backups, but this time… he didn't leave out Messi.
"I need your calm," the coach told him. "Not just your feet."
The match was against UD Salamanca, a lower-division side. On paper, easy. In reality, they were playing for survival, for pride, for something bigger than points.
And Messi — he was now the name in their locker room. Their target. Their symbol.
The match build-up was quiet, but the weight wasn't.
In the training ground, Messi pushed himself harder.His muscle sessions were more focused now.His abs had started to show definition — not bulky, just tight.His balance improved. His core held his turns better.He didn't talk about it.
He just did it.
Every plank, every controlled sprint, every silent repetition.A part of him wanted to be ready before others expected him to be.
Before the Salamanca match, he sat for a quick press talk — just ten minutes.
Reporter: "Leo, you've been in form. People say you'll be the next big name in Europe. What do you say to that?"
Messi:(smiling lightly)
"I don't think about being 'the next' anything. I just want to help the team and keep learning. That's all."
Reporter: "Is there pressure when people call you Barcelona's future?"
Messi:
"Pressure is part of football. I'm still young. I make mistakes. I just try to improve and listen."
Reporter: "You've had a lot of praise recently. Any message to those critics who still think you're not ready?"
Messi:(soft voice, but steady)
"Everyone has their opinion. I respect that. I prefer to answer on the field."
That last line was repeated in headlines the next morning.
"I prefer to answer on the field" – Messi keeps it humble amid rising stardom.
In training that afternoon, Ronaldinho watched him.
"You're not the same boy who arrived here," he said, walking beside him after a drill.
Messi looked confused.
"You're quieter. But you carry more now. People look to you — and you never ask them to."
He didn't know how to respond.So he just nodded.
The day before the match, news arrived that gave Messi pause.
The Argentina U-20 national team had reached out to the club.
They were watching.
They wanted to monitor him for the upcoming FIFA World Youth Championship later that year.A place on the squad wasn't guaranteed. But the message was clear:
You're on the radar now.
He didn't tell anyone yet. Not even Anto.
That night, he sat in his room alone, ice pack on his calf, notebook open, eyes half-lost in thought.
He wasn't dreaming of trophies.
He was remembering the smell of his first boots. The mud in Rosario. The echo of his father calling from the sideline.
The world was getting louder.But his focus had never been sharper.
Notebook Entry – January 14, 2005
Anto,There's talk of Europe. Talk of Argentina. Scouts. Journalists. Pressure.But I still feel like a boy trying to play well enough to keep going.I've started training harder. Not to prove something to them.To prove something to myself.Tomorrow is just Salamanca. But to me — it's everything.— Leo
Next Match Preview – Copa del Rey: Barcelona vs. Salamanca
Date: January 15, 2005
Venue: Camp Nou
Format: One-legged knockout
Barcelona's Focus: Keep momentum. Avoid embarrassment.
Scouts Expected in Attendance: Argentina U-20 team staff, French and Dutch club representatives, Catalan journalists