July 16, 2026
Sport

How old every Spain player was when Lionel Messi made his professional debut: Two weren’t even born

Lionel Messi has been a professional player for over 20 years, which means most of Spain players were very young when he made his debut. Lionel Messi‘s professional career has lasted more than two decades, and it still is not over. The Argentina captain has one more huge challenge ahead as the World Cup final against Spain. His remarkable longevity means some of his opponents were not even born when he made his debut.

Even if he had already appeared in friendlies with the first team, Messi made his official debut with Barcelona on October 16, 2004, at just 17 years old. He came on as a substitute for Deco in the 82nd minute of a 1-0 victory.

The match was played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which Barcelona recently used during the Camp Nou renovation and which was Espanyol’s home at the time. He was not an immediate starter, but Messi quickly established himself as one of the brightest young talents in world soccer.

Age of each player

PlayerDate of birthAge when Messi made his professional debutUnai SimónJune 11, 19977David RayaSeptember 15, 19959Joan GarcíaMay 4, 20013Aymeric LaporteMay 27, 199410Alejandro GrimaldoSeptember 20, 19959Marcos LlorenteJanuary 30, 19959Marc CucurellaJuly 22, 19986Pedro PorroSeptember 13, 19995Eric GarcíaJanuary 9, 20013Marc PubillJune 20, 20031Pau CubarsíJanuary 22, 2007Not bornRodriJune 22, 19968Fabián RuizApril 3, 19968Mikel MerinoJune 22, 19968Martín ZubimendiFebruary 2, 19995Álex BaenaJuly 20, 20013PedriNovember 25, 20021GaviAugust 5, 20042 monthsBorja IglesiasJanuary 17, 199311Mikel OyarzabalApril 21, 19977Dani OlmoMay 7, 19986Ferran TorresFebruary 29, 20004Nico WilliamsJuly 12, 20022Yéremy PinoOctober 20, 20021Víctor MuñozJuly 13, 20031Lamine YamalJuly 13, 2007Not born

World Cup

**© Denis Doyle/Getty Images**Messi made his debut in 2004

Lionel Messi‘s professional career has lasted more than two decades, and it still is not over. The Argentina captain has one more huge challenge ahead as the World Cup final against Spain. His remarkable longevity means some of his opponents were not even born when he made his debut.

Even if he had already appeared in friendlies with the first team, Messi made his official debut with Barcelona on October 16, 2004, at just 17 years old. He came on as a substitute for Deco in the 82nd minute of a 1-0 victory.

The match was played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which Barcelona recently used during the Camp Nou renovation and which was Espanyol’s home at the time. He was not an immediate starter, but Messi quickly established himself as one of the brightest young talents in world soccer.

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