There was no one happier in Barcelona on Saturday, Sept. 19, than 11-year-old Soufian of Morocco. He had seen his hero Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer player, lift his hands and slap his thighs after scoring the first goal against team Osasuna — gestures that Soufian knew indicated that the goal was dedicated to him.
Lionel Messi, considered the best soccer player in the world, had met Soufian last January and, for some unforgettable minutes, played soccer with him. When he again met the boy last Friday, he promised that his first goal would be dedicated to him. He kept his promise. It was a characteristic gesture of generosity.
Soufian had lost both legs to Laurin-Sandrow disease, an extremely rare genetic condition. Set with artificial legs, he hadn't lost his passion for soccer. And he feverishly followed Messi's performances on Barcelona's team. The Moroccan boy was never disappointed. Nor was the Spanish sportscaster disappointed either, aware of that promise, who kept yelling after that goal, "Messi is huge, Messi is huge!" When the game finished, Messi's team had defeated Osasuna 8-0, with two more goals from Messi, one of them a hat trick.
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