"I admired the effort he made to continue" - Lionel Messi's ex-teammate gives rare insight into PSG superstar's growth hormone treatment
Walter Vittor, who played alongside Lionel Messi at Newell's Old Boys, has recalled how the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar dealt with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) as a boy.
Messi is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of all time, having won seven Ballons d'Or. Apart from countless accolades to his name, the forward has won every major trophy available with both club and country.
However, it was not always smooth sailing for the PSG superstar, who was diagnosed with a rare case of GHD when he was just 11. Doctors estimated that he would not grow beyond the height of about 150cm at the time.
While the issue put Messi's hopes of becoming a player in jeopardy, he did not let anything deter him from pursuing his dream. With determination as well as support from Barcelona, he went on to establish himself as one of the best players football has ever seen.
Vittor, who once trialed with Newell's Old Boys youth team, was among those who witnessed Messi's struggles when he was first diagnosed with GHD. He has now shared an anecdote of how the current PSG superstar himself used to take injections in one of his legs before every game as a boy.
"Before games, I saw him (Lionel Messi) take an injection in one of the legs to continue with the growth treatment," Vittor told Infobae. "He amazed me, I admired the effort he made to continue. At that age, giving yourself a syringe... he was always accompanied by his family; just like him, I remember his mother next to him at that moment."
Vittor developed a friendship with Messi when he came to Newell's Old Boys for trials. However, he eventually became a banker after failing to make a name for himself in football.
"It was the ending that he deserved" - Walter Vittor on Lionel Messi's FIFA World Cup win
The FIFA World Cup was one trophy that evaded Lionel Messi for most of his career. However, the PSG superstar led Argentina to glory in Qatar in December last year, leaving Walter Vittor delighted for his childhood friend.
"I have tremendous admiration for him (Lionel Messi)," Vittor said. "He suffered for everything he couldn't achieve in his career; his frustrations were his own. When you get to a certain age, your chances are getting smaller, but I knew that the one in Qatar would be his World Cup. What I didn't expect was for it to happen the way it did, epic, and with Leo at his best level. It was the ending that he deserved."
Vittor takes great pride in being a part of Messi's story.