<P> After a year at Barcelona 's youth academy , La Masia , Messi was finally enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation ( RFEF ) in February 2002 . Now playing in all competitions , he befriended his teammates , among whom were Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué . After completing his growth hormone treatment aged 14 , Messi became an integral part of the `` Baby Dream Team '' , Barcelona 's greatest - ever youth side . During his first full season ( 2002 -- 03 ) , he was top scorer with 36 goals in 30 games for the Cadetes A , who won an unprecedented treble of the league and both the Spanish and Catalan cups . The Copa Catalunya final , a 4 -- 1 victory over Espanyol , became known in club lore as the partido de la máscara , the final of the mask . A week after suffering a broken cheekbone during a league match , Messi was allowed to start the game on the condition that he wear a plastic protector ; soon hindered by the mask , he took it off and scored two goals in 10 minutes before his substitution . At the close of the season , he received an offer to join Arsenal , his first from a foreign club , but while Fàbregas and Piqué soon left for England , he chose to remain in Barcelona . </P>
when did lionel messi play his first game for barcelona
2002