El veinticuatro de junio/June 24th

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Photo from biography.com. Click HERE. 
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Lionel Messi (Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini)! (1987-       )

An Argentinian soccer star who plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentinian national team, Messi is often considered the best in the world. He has a record five European Golden Shoes and a record-tying five Balon D'Or awards.  He has won 9 La Liga titles with FC Barcelona and holds the record for most official goals scored in La Liga. Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina, the third of four children. His father was a steel factory manager, and his mother worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. His maternal grandmother, Celia, had a huge influence on his life and often took him to training and matches. She died when he was 11, and since then he has looked up and pointed to the sky after his goals in a tribute to her. At age 13 Messi enrolled in Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia. He stayed with his father while his mother moved back to Argentina with his two older brothers and younger sister. He was extremely homesick. He quickly worked his way up the ranks, though, and made his professional debut on October 16, 2004. Messi has been in a relationship with his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, since 2008, and the two have three sons together: Thiago (2012), Mateo (2015), and Ciro (2018). Roccuzzo is also from Rosario, Argentina, and the two have known each other since they were five years old. Click HERE for a La Liga video of Messi's 10 best goals with FC Barcelona.

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

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