15 years today, Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona and football has never been the same.

The Argentine genius took to the field for the Blaugrana in a friendly against a Porto side managed by Jose Mourinho, aged 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, on 16 November 2003.

On a pitch that wasn’t any better than your average Sunday League surface, Barca lost 2-0 away from home. With around 15 minutes remaining, a young Messi entered the fray as a substitute, wearing the No.14 shirt.

A single training session with the first-team squad led the great Ronaldinho to believe that Messi would surpass him, and it wasn’t long before he was fast-tracked into the Blaugrana’s star-studded side.

16 October 2004 is the date that saw Messi make his official first-team bow. In an away derby against Catalan rivals Espanyol, with 34,400 fans in attendance, the young lad from Rosario came on in the 82nd minute, replacing eventual match-winner Deco and making a bright cameo.

It would be fair to say that Messi has done alright for himself hasn’t he? Just the five Ballon d’Ors, nine La Liga titles, six Copa Del Reys, four Champions Leagues and 566 goals for Barcelona.

We are blessed to have witness his greatness.