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occasion were, first, Iniesta from Albacete, and second, Jorge Troiteiro from Mérida, at that time both La Liga clubs. There was no prize for second place, but the debate centred around which one of the two was better. Barcelona took note, spoke with Iniesta’s family, worked out the contractual details with the player before deciding that he should remain at home and that they would monitor his progress from a distance. The idea was to bring him to LaMasía two or three years later when he had reached the age of Cadete.
    Troiteiro’s father was not prepared to take defeat sitting down, so he set out by car from Mérida, in Extremadura in western Spain, across the country to the offices of Barcelona; his son was going to be a footballer – no question about it. He knew that the club had had positive reports about the boy and the idea of Barcelona appealed to the family. So, either they signed him now or he would go to Madrid or to Valencia, or wherever. Barcelona had told the family about the effect on the boy’s schooling, the upheaval, the relocating, but his father persisted. It was his son and he was going to get him into a big club.
    Barcelona, despite their initial objections, yielded to the pressure because the youngster, an extremely skilful left-winger, had a lot of talent, something that he would soon show at the lower levels. But there was no boy of that age at La Masía; in fact there was only one under the age of 16. So what did Barcelona do? They called Iniesta, also from La Mancha, to come to Barcelona to keep Troiteiro company so that he would not be lonely.
    Jorge Troiteiro was eventually thrown out of La Masía for indiscipline. Iniesta, who spent a lot of the time crying in his room in the farmhouse in which the players from outside Barcelona lived, would years later score the goal that earned Spain its first World Cup.
    There are fears, doubts, promises and today also a methodology in Barcelona’s famous academy, but still there is no guarantee of success.
    Someone asked Leo after eight days of training if he still thought it was a good idea to sign for Barcelona? That person was Rodo Borrell. Leo said yes, he liked the training methods, in Rosario it was all much more physical and here most of the work was done with the ball, which pleased him. He was enjoying it. And he could see how massive the club was. And the challenge.
    He wanted to stay.
    Ten days after the Messis’ arrival at Barcelona, there was little more to see of the city. No more to know about him as a footballer. Everything was done. He had taken nearly two weeks off school and that had never been part of the plan. It was clear that any club wouldhave wanted Leo, but this was a unique experience for Barcelona and no one wanted to take the risk: they had to wait for Charly.
    Jorge was ready to return home. ‘Stay one more day, Rexach will be back on Monday,’ he was told.
    The president’s adviser finally arrived from Sydney and met up with Rifé. There were a number of issues on the table, among them the matter of the Argentinian boy. ‘Play him in an older group, two years older. I want to see how it unfolds when he plays with the bigger boys,’ said Rexach.
    Charly Rexach: I got involved so as to give my casting vote, because if those under me had said ‘let’s sign him’ then I wouldn’t have come down.
    The final trial was set to take place on 2 October. At six in the evening. Instead of the clay surface where he had played most of the time, this would take place on pitch three, the artificial surface located behind the bowling alley. Facing the Mini Stadium.
    The moment had come. There was no going back. The following day Leo and Jorge were to return to Argentina. Leo, all one metre forty-eight centimetres of him, was to face youngsters two years older than him.
    Migueli came to see him. And Rifé, of course. And Quique Costas, Xavi Llorenç, Albert Benaiges, and also Rodolfo Borrell who had had him in his team for the