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Born in the riverfront city of Rosario, Argentina, as the third of four children, Lionel Messi, the Barcelona legend, is currently preparing for his sixth World Cup appearance with the defending champions.
Today, his childhood home in the working-class neighborhood of La Bajada has transformed into a major pilgrimage site for football fans from around the globe.
The life story of Rosario's favorite son, who is limbering up for his sixth World Cup after leading Argentina to triumph four years ago, is splashed across the walls and tower blocks of his hometown in giant murals.
"From another galaxy but from my neighborhood," the inscription on one such tribute reads.
A Colombian flag hangs on the railings around his old home, surrounded by smaller Argentine banners. "Leo, your greatness transcends frontiers, thanks for all the football and the magic. A grateful Colombian," a message scrawled on the flag reads.
Walter Barrera, one of Messi's childhood friends, grew up around the corner. He remembers a shortcut the pair used to take to school, through a hole they cut in the barbed wire fence around a military base.
On one occasion, the soldier on guard gave chase to the pair. "We were a little bit unruly, but we weren't bad kids," he confided with a smile.
The two friends tried their hand at various sports as children, from rugby to baseball and footvolley. But Messi's footballing destiny was clear. "We knew he'd go far, he was an ace (at football)," Barrera told AFP.
At the age of five, the lightning-fast footwork of the kid nicknamed La Pulga (the flea) because of his short stature, was already a source of wonder at his local club.
Soon after, he joined Malvinas Argentinas, the youth academy of Newell's Old Boys, Rosario's top team, of which he is still an avid fan. It was at Newell's that he met coach Enrique Dominguez.
Messi's extraordinary talent led to Dominguez's early retirement, who chose to step away from the sport at age 45 after training "the best player in the world."
"For me, he was like a gift from God," the 72-year-old former instructor told AFP. "There was nothing to teach him. He knew everything already. What Leo does on the field today, he was already doing at the age of 12."
Adrian Coria, who also coached Messi at Newell's, recalls the money struggles of the Messi family when Lionel was young.
His father, Jorge, a factory worker, used to say he wasn't sure his son could make training "because he didn't have enough money for petrol."
It was around that time that Jorge and his wife, Celia Maria Cuccitini, who worked as a cleaner, learned that their son had a growth hormone deficiency, which risked jeopardizing his career.
"Leo was 16 inches shorter than his teammates and 15 kg lighter. For a player, that's hard," Coria said.
The family arranged for Lionel to try out with FC Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, which immediately snapped him up and arranged to pay for his treatment.
Messi moved to Barcelona in 2000 at the age of 13. He has not lived in Argentina since. "He knew what he wanted. He wanted to be a footballer, he wanted to be the best," Coria said.
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