Soccer superstar Lionel Messi is arguably one of the greatest players ever to step foot on the pitch, winning a record six Ballon d'Or Awards, four of which he won in consecutive order, and a record six European Golden Shoes. The top Argentinian goal scorer of all-time, Messi is a creative playmaker and a prolific goal scorer whose 474 goals are a La Liga record. Messi has become a legend, but all legends have to have a beginning, and for Messi, that beginning came on November 16th, 2003. The then 16-year-old Messi made his debut for FC Barcelona during a friendly against Porto to inaugurate Porto's new stadium, the Estadio do Dragao. Messi created two chances and recorded one shot on goal during Porto's 2-0 victory over Barcelona that impressed the staff at Barcelona. Messi would begin training with the club's reserve side, Barcelona B, and weekly with the first team.

Presented here is a full ticket from the friendly between Porto and Barcelona on November 16th, 2003 when soccer phenom Lionel Messi made his pro debut. The 3/8 x 2-inch ticket from Messi's debut game feature a barcode on the left side of the stub. The midsection of the ticket features an FC Porto logo and the logo for the stadium on the right side. The seating location is located on the bottom right corner of the ticket. The full ticket comes encapsulated and authenticated by PSA (55781779), who gave the ticket the grade of VG-EX 4.

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