The 2009 FIFA Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi is fast, elusive, mesmerising. Nominated by Maradona as successor to his No.10 Argentina shirt, he is already set for football divinity. At only 22 Messi is widely regarded as the planet's most naturally gifted player - a hero in Barcelona, Argentina's great hope for the 2010 World Cup and the envy of all other teams. He won the 2009 Ballon d'Or with 240 more votes than second-placed Cristiano Ronaldo - the highest-ever margin. Luca Caioli draws on numerous exclusive testimonies to tell Messi's story: his parents and extended family; his coaches at Grandoli and Newell's Old Boys; Rijkaard and Zambrotta from Barcelona; and, Jorge Valdano and many others from Argentina, Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta and ex-Chelsea defender Asier del Horno. In the final chapter Messi himself sizes up his life so far. Messi is a brilliant, insightful and revealing portrait of football's most exciting player and a must-read for all true fans of the game.