Barcelona's Lionel Messi will always be remembered as one of the greatest footballers in history.

Football fans are starting to treasure the Argentine more than ever as he creeps into this thirties with six Ballon d'Or trophies, more than 600 goals, almost 300 assists and countless major honours.

There's a quiet acknowledgement that Messi will be retiring in the next decade and that we must treasure each and every season before, sadly, he inevitably plateaus.

So, there's never been a better time to reminisce on all the magic moments that Messi has provided us and the fact Barcelona trusted him from such a young age has been a massive bonus.

While Messi has produced some stunning goals and skills across his peak years, there's an untamed rawness about his younger days that arguably made him even more entertaining.

Magic Messi memories

The same can be said of Cristiano Ronaldo who, despite improving since his Manchester United days, was probably at his most box office when he was dropping outrageous skills and dribbles.

It's a great shame that beating seven consecutive players with step-overs and roulettes isn't necessarily the most effective way of becoming a footballing great.

However, the wonderful world of YouTube means that those old Messi memories haven't been lost and it's fascinating to reflect on just how much of a live-wire he was back in the 2000s.

Destroying iconic players in his teens

And most interestingly of all, YouTuber 'MessiThe Boss' - take from that username what you will - has decided to draw on a particular theme from Messi's early days.

That's because he's honed in on Messi schooling some iconic and oftentimes legendary footballers who were in their peak, while he was just coming through the ranks.

Don't pretend as though you don't want to see a teenage Messi skinning the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Fabio Cannavaro, Ashley Cole, Roberto Carlos, Ashley Cole and many, many more.

Check out the full video down below:

GIVEMESPORT's Kobe Tong says

Even then, you can tell that Messi was destined for greatness.

The fearlessness with which Messi ran at the World Cup and Ballon d'Or winners shows he not only had faith in his ability, but also the determination to overhaul his forbearers. 

It's just a shame that Messi's footballing brain that matured so much that those mazy runs past three or four defenders are becoming less frequent because, simply put, they're an absolute joy to watch. 

Legends of their time like Carlos, Zidane and Cannavaro should simply thank their lucky stars that they never had to face a prime Messi, because it could have gotten - excuse the pun - messy.