Watch: Barcelona mark Messi debut with footage of La Masia magic

Barcelona marked the 13th anniversary of Lionel Messi’s first-team debut by posting footage on social media of some of his best skills for the academy.

The 30-year-old appeared for the senior side for the first time on October 16, 2004 in a LaLiga win over city rivals Espanyol.

It was a largely unremarkable outing but it signalled the start of the career of arguably the greatest footballer in history, who has gone on to win 29 major trophies, five Ballons d’Or and become Barca, Argentina and LaLiga’s record goalscorer.

Of course, Messi had been making waves in La Masia for some time and senior players had reportedly long been calling on head coach Frank Rijkaard to give him a chance before he finally made his debut.

To mark his 13 years with the first team, Barca tweeted footage of Messi’s days with the youth teams, which includes interviews with the young man himself as well as a number of rather embarrassing moments for opposition defenders.

Take a look below at the making of Barca’s greatest ever player…

 Leo #Messi made his first team debut 13 years ago today!

Let us recall some of his best moves from La @FCBmasia pic.twitter.com/MnpFqK7LOR

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 16, 2017