unicef O occer is by far the world's most popular team sport Part of that popularity comes from how little equipment is needed A to start a game With just a ball and goal posts even impro vised ones you can get a game of soccer going pretty much any where This is an important consideration in many less economically developed coun tries where kids may not have access to expensive clubhouses or sporting equipment In Argentina a soccer player named Lionel Messi showed many of the traits of a standout player A from an early age Among these In an April 2011 match Lionel Messi dazzled fans at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona Spain with his fancy footwork and superb control of the ball skills that have made him a living legend of soccer
Introduction traits are the intelligence and the athleticism that soccer demands QUICK FACT Also notable is that Messi overcame physical difficulties as a young man Outside of the United States and and later dominated the sport and Canada soccer is commonly surpassed his peers Today he is a known as football or association iving legend football The word soccer was Messi plays forward on both originally derived from an abbre Argentina's national team and for FC I viation of the word association in Barcelona a popular team in Spain association football His coach has called him the Michael Jordan of soccer a player capable of defining an era Many sports critics even suggest that he may be the best soccer player of all time He is a skilled playmaker and a thoughtful team player To be at the top of one of the most popular sports in the world is a big honor but also carries with it huge pressure and responsibility At only twenty seven years old Messi wears these pressures on his shoulders as ably as he handles the ball with his feet 5
