Lionel Messi explains he never felt the hormone treatment he received as a child put his career in doubt | OneFootball

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·6 December 2021

Lionel Messi explains he never felt the hormone treatment he received as a child put his career in doubt

Article image:Lionel Messi explains he never felt the hormone treatment he received as a child put his career in doubt

Speaking to France Football after being awarded his seventh Ballon d’Or last week, Paris Saint Germain forward Lionel Messi (34) recounted how he handled needing hormone treatment as a child, explaining he never considered his football career to be in doubt.

At the age of 10, you learned that you had a hormone deficiency. How do you take the news?“I remember going for check-ups with my mum for an hour or two. When I learned I had this problem, I must say that it didn’t cause me any problems. I don’t know if it’s because I was still little and wasn’t aware of what it meant, because I didn’t really understand what was happening to me… Then, they explained to treatment, I had to give myself injections every day, one in the evening in one leg, the next day in the other. It never prevented me from doing anything, I was able to continue playing and continue my life as before.”


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So the idea didn’t cross your mind that your football career might be in jeopardy?“No, never. I was able to continue doing everything I was doing before, although of course I had to go through the treatment. It became something normal in my life. I would go to see friends and take the doses I needed with me. As they had to stay cold, I put them in the fridge when I arrived, and everyone knew that in the evening I had to take my injection. So it was not difficult for me. Once I started taking the treatment, it was seamlessly integrated into my routine.”

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