Messi, Cesc and Piqué together again

Argentinian journalist Jorge López, from Diario Olé, remembered his visit to FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masía, in 2003. Back then the club’s Cadete B team were up against Espanyol in their quest to win the league. Lionel Messi, Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué were part of that squad. López was watching the game as he had heard of the genius of Messi, but Messi was kicked by a rival and ended up with his cheekbone broken.  He nearly passed out and a kid named Cesc Fàbregas came in to replace him.

Following the game, López learned that both teams would face each other again, this time for the title of Copa Catalunya. Messi was told he couldn’t play for three weeks. But 15-year-old Messi went up to his coach and requested that he be allowed to play the game. And so he did, only a week after having his cheekbone broken: he wore a mask (seen in the picture) that was handed over to him by Puyol, who had been suffering from a similar injury. But the mask was too big for Messi, and he couldn’t see very well. So he took it off and kept on playing. He scored two goals in five minutes and the third one was scored by Piqué. That team, called the Dream Team, won three titles that year and didn’t lose a single point.

But before any of the three could be promoted, Fabregas moved to London, Piqué to Manchester and Messi stayed on, probably convinced of being reunited with them some day. Nine years later, the players, who played in their early teens for Barca, were reunited and celebrated together their first title, the Spanish Super Cup, against Madrid.