FC Barcelona Covers Messi's Growth Hormone Treatment Costs

Lionel Messi, born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, faced a significant challenge early in life when he was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) around the age of ten. The monthly treatment for GHD, which required regular injections, cost between $900 and $1,000, an expense his working-class family could not afford.

After being overlooked by River Plate and Newell's Old Boys, FC Barcelona recognized Messi's potential and offered to pay for his treatment when he joined their youth academy, La Masia, at the age of 13. This decision not only facilitated Messi's physical development, allowing him to grow to 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm), but also laid the foundation for his illustrious football career.

Barcelona's sporting director, Carles Rexach, was so concerned about losing Messi that he famously penned an agreement on a napkin during a lunch meeting in 2000, which later sold for $965,000 at auction in 2024.