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Leo Messi has been granted Spanish nationality and he is now free to play for Frank Rijkaard's side. The Argentinian youngster had been considered a non-EU player for the first team until now, but with his new passport he will be able to join the squad.


The quest to obtain a Spanish passport began in July 2004 for Messi and were finally completed on Monday. The club immediatly informed the Spanish Football Federation and that means that he is now free to play for the team without any problems.

Lionel Messi was born in Santa Fe, Argentina on June 24, 1987. He came to Barcelona in 2000 aged 13 and joined the club's infantile side and having spent more than two years in Spain, he has qualified for dual citizenship.

Having secured European passport, the situation is now considered to be closed after a long and complicated process to make him a Spanish citizen. Messi was unable to play since he appeared against Albacete last season, while the club attempted to clarify the problems surrounding his eligibility.

Local debut

Messi's progression through the ranks culminated in his first team debut on October 17, 2004 against Espanyol in Montjuic. He went on to make six further appearances last season against Osasuna, Malaga, Albacete away, Levante, Getafe and Albacete at home, where he scored a spectacular goal in the 3-0 win. He also appeared in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk.

International recognition

His ability has also seen him earn recognition worldwide. In the Under-20 World Cup this summer in Holland, Messi finished as top goalscorer and was chosen as the tournament's best payer. Thanks to that performance he earned a call-up to the Argentina full team and made his debut against Hungary in a friendly in Budapest.
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nun wird man ihn wohl noch öfter sehen