Messi's full career match reports (including youth and unofficial matches)

Date: 31/01/2004
Game: Barcelona C 1-0 Gavà
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Tercera División (GW12)

Mundo Deportivo detailed:

Barcelona dominated throughout the entire game, with various chances to break the tie. Later in the second half, Gavà became more offensive and even won a penalty, but missed. It was Javito who ultimately gave the C team the win at the 80th minute.

Mundo Deportivo gave Messi a 3/4 rating.

 

Date: 08/02/2004
Game: Badalona 1-1 Barcelona C
Fixture: Tercera División (GW13)

Messi scored for Barcelona C at the 83rd minute after an individual play, though it was equalized by Albert Cámara near the end of the game.

The first few minutes were dominated by the blaugranas. Near the end of the first half, Badalona got some chances on goal, going into the start of the second half as well. But Barcelona stayed organized and got their goal at the 83rd minute via Messi. In desperation, Badalona intensely attacked afterward, and got a goal in the last play thanks to Albert Cámara, leaving the game 1-1.

Messi received a 3/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo.



Footage from the game can be seen here (3:28-3:38):

 

Date: 15/02/2004
Game: Barcelona C 0-0 Sant Andreu
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Tercera División (GW14)

Messi's most notable play was a shot he sent to the crossbar.

Barcelona had the initiative in the first half but couldn't convert, with Sant Andreu going for the counter-offensive. The game freed up in the second half and both teams could have won it, but the game ended 0-0.

Messi received a 3/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo, the highest in the game alongside Javi.

 

Date: 18/02/2004
Game: Barcelona 3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk
Stadium: Camp Nou
Fixture: Friendly

Messi plays once again for the 1st team in a friendly, getting subbed in at half-time. Mundo Deportivo detailed that Messi starred in the most notable actions of the second half.

Barcelona started the game strong, with good chances to break the tie, ultimately done by Saviola at the 22nd minute. Later, Brandao equalized for the Ukrainian side, followed by another goal by Saviola and then another goal from Brandaom leaving the score 2-2 at half-time. With some changes, Barcelona still couldn't dominate the game until they found their way into the net with a goal from Luis Enrique in the last minute.

 

Date: 21/02/2004
Game: FE Figueres 2-2 Barcelona C
Fixture: Tercera División (GW15)

Great game between both teams, played with pure passion for the whole 90 minutes. Comas gave Barça the lead at the start of the second half but Roger equalized not long after. Later, David Costa gave Figueres the lead but Oriol Riera put the final score 2-2 at the 80th minute.

Messi received a 4/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo

 

Date: 28/02/2004
Game: Valencia Juvenil A 2-1 Barcelona Juvenil A
Stadium: Mestalla
Fixture: Liga Nacional Juvenil Group VII (GW24)

Messi, who returned to the Juvenil A after two months, scored a goal in this game and was a receipt for multiple fouls throughout the match.

Close game between both sides. Valencia went up the score first but Messi equalized. Later in the second half, Pablo Rodríguez scored the winner for Valencia. Barcelona was now in danger to win their 3rd place spot and participation in the Copa del Rey.

 

Date: 06/03/2004
Game: Barcelona B 1-0 Mataró
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Segunda División B (GW28)

Messi's debut with the B team, using the Nº 10 shirt. He received a yellow card.

Barcelona B was superior for most the game, though they won by a slim 1-0. The game was in Mataró's advantage for the first few minutes, but Barcelona reacted and after some chances, Aitor scored an own goal after a free-kick from Santamaría. In the second half, Barcelona continued dominating the game but didn't score any more goals.

He got a 2/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo





Here's a video showing his performance in this game:

 

Date: 14/03/2004
Game: Gimnàstic Tarragona 0-0 Barcelona B
Stadium: Nou Estadi
Fixture: Segunda División B (GW29)

Close game between both teams, with chances for both sides. Gimnàstic always tried to score but Jorquera staid firm in his place and didn't let any goals in, except three which were all annulled by the refferee.

Messi received a 3/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo

 

Date: 20/03/2004
Game: Barcelona B 1-1 Yeclano
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Segunda División B (GW30)

Surprising performance from a Yeclano battling for relegation. Barcelona were in control in the first half, with chances to score but ending up 0-0 at half-time. Yeclano almost opened the score with a header from Gago, but it was Barcelona who scored first at the 60th minute via Sergio García. However, Yeclano reacted and got a goal back thanks to Alfonso, leaving the game 1-1.

Mundo Deportivo detailed:

Messi also had a chance to score in the first half but Manu sent his shot to a corner.

Messi received a 2/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo.

 

Date: 26/03/2004
Game: Girona 1-0 Barcelona B
Fixture: Segunda División B (GW31)

Both teams looked to score since the beginning, with numerous goalscoring chances for Barça and Girona. After that, the game slowed down in intensity. In the second half, both teams had chances to score once again, but it was Manolo de Gomar who finally broke the tie and gave Girona the win.

Mundo Deportivo detailed that Messi had 2 chances in the first 5 minutes of the game.

Messi received a 3/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo.

 

Date: 28/03/2004
Game: Barcelona Juvenil A 5-1 Vilobí
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Liga Nacional Juvenil Group VII (GW27)

An easy win for Barcelona, having been reinforced with Messi and Oriol Riera and noticeably helping the team's efforts in the game.

Messi scored a hat-trick in this game (5' to make it 1-0, 25' to make the score 4-1, and 56' to put the score 5-1 ), with Mundo Deportivo detailing that one of his goals was 'anthological'. He was later subbed off by Xumetra.

 

Date: 02/04/2004
Game: Barcelona B 1-2 Novelda
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Segunda División B (GW32)

A fought game between both sides. Barcelona had the initiative in the first half, while Novelda solidly held from the back and looking for counter-attacks. It was Novelda who scored first after an individual play from Loro beat Jorquera. In the second half, Barcelona once again had a chance to score but sent it high, but Sergio garcía finally equalized via penalty. Though unfortunately for Barcelona, Torrecilla scored shortly after to give Novelda the win. It was the 4th game in a row that Barcelona B didn't win.

Messi had a 1v1 near the end of the game but ended up shooting the ball out.

Messi received a 2/4 rating from Mundo Deportivo






Hugo Tocalli, manager of Argentina's U-20 national team, expressed interest in Messi later on April 6th, wanting to know his abilities further and if he was good enough for the upcoming Sudamericano U-20 in January 2005.

 

Date: 25/04/2004
Game: Espanyol Juvenil B 1-3 Barcelona Juvenil B
Stadium:
Fixture: Liga Nacional Juvenil (GW28)

After being injured for the past couple of weeks, missing both of Barcelona B's last three games (1-0 defeats against Alicante and Villajoyosa, and a 1-0 win against Lleida), Messi returned to the Juvenil B against none other than Espanyol, their Catalan rival.

Barcelona took the lead early thanks to Pitu, but David equalized quickly for Espanyol. The periquitos could have won it with a penalty, but Cristian missed it and Juanjo scored in the next play to make it 2-1. Messi scored in the second half to leave the game 3-1. Barcelona was now leader of their Liga Nacional Juvenil group.

 

Correction for all the Juvenil A games: They didn't play in the Liga Nacional Juvenil that season, they played at the División de Honor Juvenil. It was the Juvenil B who played the Liga Nacional Juvenil. Sorry for the mistake.

 

Date: 02/05/2004
Game: Barcelona Juvenil B 7-0 Mercantil
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Liga Nacional Juvenil Group VII (GW37)

There's no concrete proof that Messi played this game, due to no match report of it being available, but considering that Messi didn't play with Barcelona B the day prior, nor Barcelona C that same day, it's reasonable to assume that he stayed with the Juvenil B to win their tight group against Espanyol.

 

Date: 08/05/2004
Game: Lleida Juvenil B 0-1 Barcelona Juvenil B
Fixture: Liga Nacional Juvenil Group VII (GW30)

Against an already relegated Lleida, Barcelona looked forward to winning their group.

Although Lleida was a fairly weak team, they still tried their best and always tried to score, with some chances to confirm that, but it was ultimately Sito's goal that won Barcelona the game and the group, which constituted as a title.





Footage of that game:

 

Date: 14/05/2004
Game: Barcelona Juvenil A 5-0 Sevilla Juvenil A
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Copa del Rey Juvenil (R16 1st leg)

Barcelona's debut in the Copa del Rey Juvenil. It was an equal game in the first half, with Sevilla having the better chances. But in the second half, everything would go in Barcelona's favor after Messi scored a good goal from outside the box at the 52nd minute. With no way to stop him, Messi kept wreaking havoc against the defense and scored three more goals by the 70th minute, with an additional goal from Oriel Riera to solidify Barcelona's 5-0 victory going into the second leg.

Mundo Deportivo hailed Messi's performance, with one title stating that he scored 4 goals in 14 minutes, while another stated 'Messi sinks Sevilla'.












Here's footage from the game:

 

Date: 23/05/2004
Game: Sevilla Juvenil A 0-3 Barcelona Juvenil A
Stadium: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
Fixture: Copa del Rey Juvenil (R16 2nd leg)

Second leg against Sevilla after their convincing 5-0 win in the first leg. Barcelona played a serious game and once again easily beat Sevilla, this time 3-0 with goals from Jorgi Gómez in the first half, and then Messi and Casado via penalty in the second half, leaving the overall score 8-0 in favor of Barcelona to go into the quarter-finals against Real Sociedad.

 

Date: 29/05/2004
Game: Real Sociedad Juvenil A 1-0 Barcelona Juvenil A
Stadium: Anoeta
Fixture: Copa del Rey Juvenil (QF 1st leg)

The score kept tight for the entirety of the game. Only when the ball reached Messi's feet was danger intuitive. A patient and organized Real Sociedad opened up the score after a mistake from the defense coming from a long ball, leading to a penalty and Txoperena's conversion. Real Sociedad kept creating chances and controlling the game. Barcelona's most clear chance in the second half came from a clearance that hit Messi and thought was going into the net, but ended up going to the crossbar. The game ended 1-0 in favor of Real Sociedad, in a disappointing game from Barcelona.

 

Date: 06/06/2004
Game: Barcelona Juvenil A 4-0 Real Sociedad Juvenil A
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Copa dle Rey Juvenil (QF 2nd leg)

Barcelona dominated the first half, with Real Sociedad playing too far back. Aitor and Paco Montañés scored for the azulgrana side during the first period of the game. In the second half, Mario saved a penalty from Choperena to avoid Real Sociedad's discount goal. After this, Oriol Riera scored Barcelona's 3-0 with a great assist from Messi, and Messi sealed Barcelona's 4-0 win after dribbling past the goalkeeper. Barcelona secured their spot into the semi-finals, with their rival being Osasuna.





Also, the pictures shown here actually belong to this game

 

Date: 17/06/2004
Game: Barcelona Juvenil A 3-3 Osasuna Juvenil A
Stadium: Miniestadi
Fixture: Copa del Rey Juvenil (SF 1st leg)

Barcelona took control of the game early on, with a great goal from Messi to give them the lead 16 minutes in, a shot from 35 meters out. Messi also received an ovation for that goal. Before the end of the first half, Óscar Vega equalized for Osasuna. Going into the second period of the match, although Barcelona pressed, Osasuna knew how to do their counter-attacks and scored two more goals, leading 3-1 at the 77th minute with both goals by Óscar Alonso, the last one via penalty. But near the end of the game, Barcelona reacted and goals from Aitor and Messi left the game 3-3. Messi's goal was once again a great one, with little angle to shoot but still ended up scoring.

 

Date: 20/06/2004
Game: Osasuna Juvenil A 1-1 Barcelona Juvenil A
Stadium: El Sadar
Fixture: Copa del Rey Juvenil (SF 2nd leg)

Osasuna controled the game during the first half, getting a goal via Iñigo 17 minutes in, but Barcelona reacted and started dominating the game in the second half, getting a goal back thanks to Oriol Riera at the 76th minute. Nevertheless, the score remained 1-1 and Osasuna went through to the final due to away goal advantage (3-3 draw away in the 1st leg).

Messi received a yellow card in this game.



This marked Messi's last game with Barcelona in the 2003/04 season, but he was called up for the Argentine U-20 team for a friendly against Paraguay. He was also called up for the first team's Peralada stage, pre-season for 2004/05.

 

These were Messi's stats in this season:

Juvenil B: 7 games, with 4 goals and 2 assists.

Juvenil A: 21 games, with 31 goals and 4 assists.

Barcelona C: 10 games, with 5 goals. Average MD rating: 3

Barcelona B: 5 games, with no goals or assists. Average MD rating: 2.4

Barcelona's first team: 2 friendly games, with no goals or assists. 3/4 rating against Porto.

Messi won the 'Best Promise' award from Radio Estadio Catalunya

 

Date: 29/06/2004
Game: Argentina U-20 8-0 Paraguay U-20
Stadium: Diego Armando Maradona
Fixture: Friendly

With the game already 4-0 up in favor of Argentina, Messi was subbed in at half-time for Lavezzi, with the Nº 17 shirt. He assisted Vitti's 5-0 with a precise cross, then assisted Almenare's 6-0, and then scored a wonderful goal with a great run beginning near the half-way line, dribbling past two players, then the goalkeeper, and then shot at an open net to put the game 7-0 up. Finally, Almenares scored near the end of the game to put the final score 8-0 for Argentina. It was a great debut for Messi in the U-20 national team.






This was his performance:



And this was the full game:

 

Date: 03/07/2004
Game: Uruguay U-20 1-4 Argentina U-20
Stadium: Suppici stadium
Fixture: Friendly

Messi's 2nd game with the U-20 national team. Very little footage exists from this game except for Messi's two goals, the 1st one a shot with his left foot to the far post, and the 2nd one was a header after a good cross from Lavezzi. He later assisted Lavezzi's 4-1.