The story of Lionel Messi's career - so far - has been told in a lavish new animation promoting energy drink Gatorade.
Entitled, Heart of a Lio, the film features the story of the Barcelona genius right from his birth, his potentially career-ending health problems and elevation to being one of the greatest players the world has ever seen.
The theme of the film is “If you have a dream to chase, nothing can stop you.”
It arrives at a time when World Cup fever has been turned up to 11 and all eyes will be on Messi's Argentina in the tournament in Russia.
As one of the world’s most decorated players, Messi has the opportunity to achieve the one thing that in many people's eyes prevents him from being talked about as one of the greatest ever - win a World Cup. The film lasts just over four minutes and tells the story of the challenges and triumphs that have led Messi to where he is today.
It begins with Messi being born then playing as an infant showing the amazing skills which set him apart from his peers, beating teams on his own in true comic book hero style. The film also touches on when a young Messi is told he has a growth defect. With things looking grim for our young hero, he is visited by a future version of himself who tells him not to give up on his dream.
A newly empowered Lio then joins Barcelona and shows that he has the power, grit and determination to succeed at the highest levels of the sport.
