3 Football Superstars who overcame serious medical conditions as a child

#1 Lionel Messi - Growth Hormone Deficiency

Young Messi

There's not a single football fan in this planet who has not heard of Lionel Messi. However, the Argentinean might not have become the best player in the world had he not overcome a serious adversary as a child.

Messi was just 10 years old when he was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency. This meant that his body was producing insufficient growth hormones, which was affecting his growth and overall development. He had lower pituitary function, various internal problems, poor vision and lower immunity among others.

The treatment was costly, too costly for his middle-class family to bear. Even though he was widely acknowledged to be the best young talent to have emerged from Argentina for a while, his club did not have the financial abilities to handle the costs of treatment. His father could only manage a couple of year's treatment with the help of medical insurance, but after that, it looked like Lionel Messi's incredible talent was about to go waste.

In stepped Barcelona. With the help of that infamous tissue paper and a promise of financing his treatment, Messi started his journey at Nou Camp. He finished his treatment by the age of 14 and became a part of the "Baby Dream Team", the greatest ever youth team produced by La Masia.

Lionel Messi has since spoken about his treatment, how he had needles stuck to his legs every night for three years. It is an incredible ode to his character and spirit, that has taken Lionel Messi from almost giving up football as a child to becoming the best player in the world.