Former FC Barcelona midfielder, Deco has revealed how Lionel Messi left the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta speechless during his first training with the first team.
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The two-time Champions League winner spoke to Soccer Laduma's David Minchella in an exclusive interview during a promotional campaign with Heineken in South Africa.
Deco moved to Barcelona in 2004, around the same time that 17-year-old Messi joined the first team before debuting on 16 October against Espanyol.
"In the very first moment he came to training. When he came to the first-team, he was exactly the same as today. Ha, ha!
"He did a move when the ball came to him and 'wah' – it was brilliant! Everyone was amazed and said, 'Wow, who is this guy?'
"Now today we are still seeing the same like what we saw when he destroyed Bayern Munich.
"We knew in that first moment we saw him. Of course he was a young player… he was 17-years-old.
"The amazing thing is he kept amazing us, and I'm talking about guys like Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
"You can expect anything and everything from Messi. It is amazing watching him play and that is a great thing."
The Portuguese, who won six trophies at Camp Nou before joining Chelsea in 2008, believes Messi is one of the few very gifted players who were born a footballing genius.
"Messi was just the same then as when you watch the games now. Yes, he looked like just a normal player, but he did something unbelievable. It's like I say, he was born with this talent," he added.
"Players like Diego Maradona, Messi and Pele only come around every 20 years or so. He is fantastic and a joy to watch. I think all fans of football have to see one player like that at least once."
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Read the full exclusive interview with Soccer Laduma's David Minchella, where Deco also gives his views on the long standing Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate and recalls playing Mamelodi Sundowns back in 2007 - in this week's Soccer Laduma, edition 920.
