Messi's achievements in danger? What an ex Man City player asks because he doesn't give Messi credit, here is the reason

Former Manchester City player Joey Barton is not impressed with Lionel Messi's achievements and believes that there should be an asterisk next to Messi's name and on his achievements, due to a treatment he received as a child to combat a rare growth hormone deficiency. Barton said, "There’s a big asterisk on Messi's name for me because he got on the steroids and all that at a young age to mess with his growth. Messi’s been genetically modified at a young age, so there has to be an asterisk next to his name. He was given growth hormone and all kinds of medications to help him grow. As far as I know, no one else has done that."

Related News: Al Hilal would accept Neymar's exit for this amount, the millions Inter Miami must pay to take him

Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency [GHD] when he was 11 years old and reportedly needed growth hormone injections in each leg when he was 12. The cost of these medications was very expensive, but FC Barcelona helped Messi and his family with the treatment when they brought him to the club. The family moved from Argentina to Spain as Messi's career was starting at La Masia.

Messi made his professional debut with FC Barcelona at 17 in the 2004-2005 season. He was the youngest player to play for FC Barcelona in a competitive match at the time, and the rest was history. Messi would go on to play 778 competitive matches for FC Barcelona in all competitions, scoring a total of 672 goals and providing 303 assists for the Catalan club. With Barca, Messi won four Champions League titles, three FIFA Club World Cups, ten La Liga titles, three UEFA Super Cups, seven Copa Del Reys, and eight Spanish Super Cups.

Related News: Neymar earns millions promoting alcoholic beverages, the fines Mbappé prefers to pay for not promoting them

Messi's individual awards during his career

While Joey Barton wants to put an asterisk on Messi's name, that would affect the individual awards he has won over the years. Messi has won eight FIFA Best Men's Player awards, eight Ballon d'Ors, three UEFA Best Player in Europe awards, ten Player of the Year awards, and 23 Top Goal Scorer awards.