Lionel Messi can thank all of his success to steroids, without them, there wouldn't be Lionel Messi in the first place.
There is no doubt that Lionel Messi is probably the most talented player in the history of the game, but without steroids, there wouldn't be a Lionel Messi. Currently, the best player in the world, and arguably the best player that walked on the face of the Earth, can thank the injections of steroid, or more correctly the human growth hormones.
Messi, born 30 years ago in a work class family was diagnosed with a growth hormone disorder or GHD. It is often called idiopathic short stature, but other health issues come with this illness as well, such as skin problems, teeth problem, immune system, etc.
The treatments were expensive, a $900 monthly expense that his modest family could not afford. River Plate and Newell's Old Boys, storied Argentinian clubs, passed on that investment despite the promise of a very young Messi.
But back in Europe the club from Spain, Barcelona, took a risk and signed the young Argentinian prodigy under their wing and opted to pay for the expenses of his treatment.
But would Messi become the world's greatest if it was not for the steroids, the short answer is no.
Messi is listed at 5'7" by FCB, which is exactly average for an Argentinian male. At the time Messi was diagnosed, he was only 4'2"! The average height for that age is 4'7''.
Messi is now normal and average in the physical sense, but without the steroid treatment, he would never grow to this height and would never become the best player in the football's history, let alone a professional footballer.
The steroid treatment in Barcelona lasted for four years, from the age of 13 till the age of 17, at least in this period his treatment was charted by the medical staff at Barca.
When he was 17, he made his first senior Barca appearance, and since that game, the Barcelona staff have sealed Messi's medical records and are no longer giving responses on queries to Messi's possible ongoing steroid use in the means of treating his illness.
The GHD is an illness that needs to be treated all the time, and this would mean that Messi is still taking the HGH which in return gives him an unfair advantage over the other athletes.
Increased energy levels, exercise performance, lean muscle mass, hair growth and stronger bones are few of the many benefits of human growth hormone.
The use of HGH is growing in society. While HGH and testosterone are both banned in all major sports, we continue to see advertisements touting its benefits.
Clinics advertising the use of HGH are popping up everywhere, raising many ethical questions about why it's "good" in one case, but "bad" in another.
Messi may well be the best player in the game right now. He is arguably one of the greatest of all time, being mentioned not only with his countryman, Diego Maradona (who was only 5'5" himself) but with a pantheon of greats like Pele, Johan Cruyff, and Eric Cantona. Without the use of the controversial medical treatment, we may not have seen this incredible athlete on the pitch.
