Over the years, a succession of Argentinian players have been hailed as 'the new Diego Maradona'. Very few, however, have been blessed with as many qualities as the latest heir tothe throne, one Lionel Messi.

Possessing superb vision, mesmerising close control and sublime technique, the left-footed Messi comes into his own in the tightly congested areas of the midfield, finding and darting through seemingly impossible gaps with deceptive ease. With his explosive change of pace, breathtaking dribbling skills and unerring eye for goal, he poses a continual threat to opposing teams.

While the Barcelona star is always at pains to avoid comparisons with El Diego, his goal against Getafe in April this year, a virtual carbon copy of the legendary No10's second against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico™, served only to underline the similarities between the two. On one occasion Maradona himself was moved to say: "I've seen the player who will take my place in Argentinian football and his name is Lionel Messi."

Born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Messi first served notice of his artistry in the youth ranks at Newell's Old Boys. At the age of 13, as the economic crisis ravaging Argentina reached its height, he moved with his family to Spain.

After settling in Barcelona, the teenager was invited to the Camp Nou for a trial, where he was spotted by the then Blaugrana youth team coach Carles Rexach. "I saw him straightaway, and just to make sure I made him sign for the club on the back of a paper napkin," Rexach would later recall.

So slender was he for his age that he was quickly dubbed El Pulga (The Flea), with the club also arranging for special medical treatment to stimulate the young wizard's growth hormones. Suitably bulked up, Messi made his Spanish league debut at the end of 2004, but it was the following year that his inexorable rise to stardom began. His first goal in Barcelona colours came on 1 May against Albacete, making him the youngest goalscorer in the club's long history, a record that has just been eclipsed by the precocious Bojan Krkic.

His love affair with the blue-and-white jersey of Argentina began just a few months later when he played a starring role in the side that won the FIFA U-20 World Cup Netherlands 2005, making off with the adidas Golden Shoe as the tournament's top scorer and the adidas Golden Ball as the best player just for good measure.

In August that year, Jose Nestor Pekerman gave Messi his first full international cap in a friendly against Hungary. It proved to be an unhappy beginning, however. Just 47 seconds after coming on the debutant was dismissed for lashing out after a foul.

Nevertheless, the youngster was back less than two months later to make his first start for the Albiceleste in a Germany 2006 qualifying match against Peru in Buenos Aires. His first goal for his country followed on 1 March 2006 in a friendly against Croatia and by the time he arrived in Germany he was being widely tipped as one of the tournament's star performers. To the surprise of many, however, Messi played only a supporting role for his side and looked on from the bench as his team-mates lost out to the hosts in the quarter-finals.

With his club, the Argentinian ace has already picked up two Spanish La Liga winners' medals and helped his side to the UEFA Champions League title. As well as that spectacular solo effort against Getafe, this year has also seen him grab a hat-trick in his debut derby against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.

An undisputed first choice for his country, the magical Messi has become the master of all he surveys. All that remains to be seen now is just how high The Flea can go.