FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was not always the ruthless goalscorer he is today, and the Argentine has now recalled a conversation he once had with African legend Samuel Eto'o about his wastefulness in front of goal.
Click through the gallery to see pictures of Messi and Eto'o in action together at the Blaugrana.
To celebrate LaLiga's 90th anniversary, the league's greatest goalscorer and assist-maker in history recently sat down to discuss his mindset before games, and also recalled a time he was not the deadly finisher the world has come to know him as.
Messi began his career in the Spanish top flight in the 2004/05 season, making his debut against city rivals Espanyol. Replacing Deco, many had heard of the young Argentine's talent, but perhaps nobody could have foreseen the sheer brilliance that would follow.
However, before he became a regular goalscorer, Messi would miss the target from scoring positions more often than we are accustomed to seeing today, which was something Eto'o also pointed out to him years ago.
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"I remember Eto'o told me 'the day you start scoring goals it's going to be… because you have a lot of chances and you don't finish them,'" he told LaLiga.
"Then one day it clicked, they went in."
The 32-year-old then discussed what being the division's record scorer with 432 strikes means to him.
"Every time I go out on the pitch, I think less about the goal and more about the game," he continued.
"To be the top goalscorer in LaLiga with what the Spanish league means is special. To be honest I think that this is one of the best records I have."
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Do you think LaLiga will ever see another player like Messi? Let us know in the comments section below.
