What do you think?
Rate this book
Nuorten jalkapallokirja
Messi. Su asombrosa historia
The captivating story of soccer legend Lionel Messi, from his first touch at age five in the streets of Rosario, Argentina, to his first goal on the Camp Nou pitch in Barcelona, Spain. The Flea tells the amazing story of a boy who was born to play the beautiful game and destined to become the world's greatest soccer player.
124 pages, Paperback
First published April 23, 2013
102 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Michael Part
41 books7 followersWriting professionally since age 18, wrote for the LA Free Press, National Lampoon, Disney, Fox, Warners, ABC TV, etc. Wrote the comic book "Out For Blood" and author of 20 books including the bestselling soccer bio for kids, "The Flea The Amazing Story of Leo Messi". The first 3 books in his Gen Z Action-Adventure series of novels, "HOPE: Heroes of Planet Earth Black Hole, Book 2 Ghost Beach and Book 3 Tiger's Tattoo" are all out NOW! Member of WGA and SFWA.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
October 31, 2016
The book The Flea: The Amazing Story of Leo Messi by Michael Part is a very exciting, emotional, and thrilling book about the life of Lionel Messi and how he became the man and soccer player he is today, one of the best soccer players in the world. When Messi turns five, he gets a brand new soccer ball from his grandma, Celia and starts playing with it outside, really excited about his birthday present. His grandma then sees that Messi is a really good soccer player by looking at him in the house touching the ball against the furniture, left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, and says that he should try out for the worst team in town to prove that he is the best on the team. When Messi arrives on the field, the kids are about twice as tall as him and he wishes he were taller. When the coach sees that Messi is so small, he starts laughing because he thinks Messi is too small and he will get "trampled," but Messi proves that even though he is small, he is still a magnificent player, and the coach quickly signs him up. These same events happen to Messi over and over again. He then gets a call from on of the managers of FC Barcelona, one of the best soccer clubs in the world, that they want to see him play. Will he use his skills when he really needs them? Will he make the team?
November 8, 2016
No eihän tämä nyt mitään korkeakirjallisuutta ole, mutta vinkkarille unelma. Ensinnäkin kun ei tiedä jalkapallosta mitään ja kaikki muut tietää, joten tällä on hyvin sivistävä vaikutus tädille. Toiseksi, juuri tätähän ne haluaa. Lukea helppoa kirjaa, jossa on mielenkiintoinen tarina. Tämä tulee ehdottomaan vinkkauskäyttöön ja kokeilen heti erityisryhmän koulun kerhossa. Katotaan, miten lähtee liikkeelle. Lisää näitä kiitos.
September 12, 2013
It was an amazing book that was emotional but exciting and pulls you in every single word
November 21, 2016
Vinkkauskäyttöön. Tilasin PALJON.
Puolen tunnin lukukokemus sai tuulettamaan mummolle ja pienille teineille!
Puolen tunnin lukukokemus sai tuulettamaan mummolle ja pienille teineille!
December 20, 2022
Loved the book and really learned a lot about Messi and his journey to the top. It chatches your emotions and I can also relate to the book.
August 4, 2020
Cool book on how Messi got to where he is today and the challenges his parents had with paying the healthcare bills for his growth hormone. Cool little read/listen for any soccer fan
June 22, 2017
Reading this book was a very good choice. This is because it was really entertaining and addictive as a result of the struggles Leo had to go through to get where he is now. The biography titled, “ The Flea, The Amazing Story Of Leo Messi” by Michael Part points out the real and unabridged story of the Messi by explaining the facts that he is a Motivated player. This is the perfect book for Barcelona fans because it really goes deep into his childhood and explains a lot about his background story. There are some fascinating moments in this book which include how Leo Messi had took growth hormones because he was too small to play for Barcelona. This book is very easy to read and does a good job of holding your attention because Part does a excellent job of going deep into detail about the book. Part encourages the reader to fully understand how Messi’s family struggled to get Leo to where he is right now. The Most memorable moment in this story I wish the author covered more deeply would be about his childhood even though Part already did a excellent job doing that I still wish he added a little more about it.
March 11, 2025
Would give this book zero stars if I could
November 21, 2019
The Flee The Amazing Story of Leo Messi by Michal Part. This book is an amazing book. It is a book about Leo Messi from when he was four years old and all the soccer team that he was on in till he was seventeen years old. The author did a really good job of making a good painting throughout the whole book.
Read
December 12, 2014I think is create story about Messi that his life became truth and now his proud everything that how support him to get to top. I like his personally that did give up that his family help him to became great players now.
November 26, 2016
Höpöä, höttöä ja höpönpöppöä. Kevyesti kirjoitettu, kevyesti luettu. Paskat kannet ja nuoleskelee kaikkia Kirpun elämässä ja menestyksessä osallisia häikäilemättömästi. Voisin tilata kymmenkunta lisää.
December 21, 2017
The Flea
By: Michael Part
Review by:Max Miller
Soccer, one very big sport and this is how a star was born for soccer. (Messi)
The Flea is a biography of Messi and his life story. It starts from the beginning in Rosario, Argentina and at the age of 5. On his birthday his grandma got him a gift, a soccer ball. That was where it all started. Messi went outside and played with it. His grandma watched him and knew Messi would be great. Then she got a time for Messi to practice on a soccer team to see if he could make it. Messi thought he couldn’t do it because of his height, but when he got on the field, the tallest kids couldn’t take down Messi.
A conflict Messi had with himself was that Messi was not tall. When he went to play soccer for other teams, he is worried about the height difference and told his parents about not being tall. Another conflict was Messi went to a doctor who made him grow. When the doctor saw Messi, he told Messi and his parents there is a way. Messi had to give himself shots every day for seven years. When his parents asked the doctor the price, it was really expensive. Now his parents have to find a way to pay the expense.
I thought The Flea was a good book. I wished there was more about Messi, for example, what he does on his free time that isn’t soccer. Overall I thought is was good with a lot of detail. I recommend this book for anyone who loves soccer. Anyone can read it and learn how the best become the best. It will inspire both boys and girls to keep working hard in soccer.
April 5, 2023
This book was... WONDERFUL (as my rating suggests)!!!
It really gave more insight into Messi's childhood, how he got there, and who helped and supported him along the way. There were some facts I didn't even know, but I'm not a Messi know-it-all in my defense.
The journey of betrayal and unfairness Messi had to go through before getting to Barcelona was deep. The book showed how never giving up can get you to amazing places, and you will achieve your goals eventually if you do so. Messi was underestimated and sometimes shunned because of his physical features, but once people saw him play so naturally and effortlessly, they cheered and applauded him, and brought him into their own little family.
It also teaches a good lesson: Never judge a book by its cover. There will always be people who never get to really know someone, but still judge them critically and harshly. It is sad that some people didn't want Messi until he showed his true talents, but he did have to prove his worth, and other people always believed in him.
In my opinion, I loved this book and how it showed the start of the GOAT of football's career. It was a mix of joy and heartbreak, and it was written in a nice, understandable way (which is why it's 9+). Again, there might be and are people who will have different opinions from what I've talked about, but I hope your experience with this book will be as nice as mine. Thanks for reading!
It really gave more insight into Messi's childhood, how he got there, and who helped and supported him along the way. There were some facts I didn't even know, but I'm not a Messi know-it-all in my defense.
The journey of betrayal and unfairness Messi had to go through before getting to Barcelona was deep. The book showed how never giving up can get you to amazing places, and you will achieve your goals eventually if you do so. Messi was underestimated and sometimes shunned because of his physical features, but once people saw him play so naturally and effortlessly, they cheered and applauded him, and brought him into their own little family.
It also teaches a good lesson: Never judge a book by its cover. There will always be people who never get to really know someone, but still judge them critically and harshly. It is sad that some people didn't want Messi until he showed his true talents, but he did have to prove his worth, and other people always believed in him.
In my opinion, I loved this book and how it showed the start of the GOAT of football's career. It was a mix of joy and heartbreak, and it was written in a nice, understandable way (which is why it's 9+). Again, there might be and are people who will have different opinions from what I've talked about, but I hope your experience with this book will be as nice as mine. Thanks for reading!
May 31, 2022
I never knew that something I knew so little about could be so intriguing. I have never been a big soccer fan but while in my library I decided to grab this book. I am quite glad I grabbed it since I really enjoyed it. I had always known who Messi was but I had never gotten to hear about his life. This was perfect for describing his journey as a soccer player.
The story starts off when Messi was just five years old. It explains his experiences of what it was like being so good at such a young age. It also went in-depth about some of the hardships that Messi faced. At age 11 he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency which meant he didn't grow like a normal child. Messi persevered through every hardship he had and went on to become one of the most well-known soccer players in the world.
I would totally recommend this book to someone. I think soccer players would love it since they get to learn about someone they look up to and I think non-soccer players like me would also like it since they get to learn about something new. The thing I liked about this book is that it never felt like they skipped a part of his life. It always felt like I was there growing up alongside him and experiencing what he did.
The story starts off when Messi was just five years old. It explains his experiences of what it was like being so good at such a young age. It also went in-depth about some of the hardships that Messi faced. At age 11 he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency which meant he didn't grow like a normal child. Messi persevered through every hardship he had and went on to become one of the most well-known soccer players in the world.
I would totally recommend this book to someone. I think soccer players would love it since they get to learn about someone they look up to and I think non-soccer players like me would also like it since they get to learn about something new. The thing I liked about this book is that it never felt like they skipped a part of his life. It always felt like I was there growing up alongside him and experiencing what he did.
November 28, 2017
The Amazing Story of Leo Messi, a professional soccer player, is an inspiring book about his journey to Barcelona, a professional soccer team. I’m not a soccer fan but, this book taught me how hard work pays off. I admire how Michael Part includes the relationship between Leo Messi and his grandmother and how if it wasn’t for the type of relationship they had, Messi wouldn’t be an all time great. For instance on page 16 it says, “And you can be my coach!” Leo said. Grandam Celica chuckled as Leo snatched up his new blue ball, kissed her on the cheek, and ran out.” Also on page 145 it says, “Leo jumps up and down, raises his fingers toward heaven, and dedicates the first of many goals to his Grandma Celica, the women who inspired him to get to this place.” This book is inspirational towards people who watch soccer and people who don't watch soccer a lot. I highly recommend it.
November 9, 2017
Tämä oli hitti vinkkauksessa ja olin oikeastaan itsekin yllättynyt miten hyvä kirja tämä oli. Tarina oli yllättävän kiehtova ja todella hyvin kirjoitettu. En pidä itse jalkapallosta mutta jopa Messi alkoi kiinnostaa niin paljon että piti oikein Wikipediaan mennä katsomaan mitä miehestä muuta kerrotaan. Kirja kun keskittyy Messin lapsuuteen ja nuoruuteen ennen kuin tästä tuli maailman luokan jalkapallosankari.
Pojat ovat olleet kirjasta innoissaan. Kirjassa on paljon tekstiä mutta sitä tuntuu silti lainaavan 3. luokasta ylöspäin joten tämä sopiikin vinkkaukseen aika monelle luokka-asteelle.
Pojat ovat olleet kirjasta innoissaan. Kirjassa on paljon tekstiä mutta sitä tuntuu silti lainaavan 3. luokasta ylöspäin joten tämä sopiikin vinkkaukseen aika monelle luokka-asteelle.
November 13, 2019
I finished The Flea: the amazing story of Leo Messi by Michael Part, the story was very interesting to read and shows the amazing life of Leo Messi starting from the age of 4 and how he became this famous and legendary football player besides the point that he was really sick and had a growth problem, this legend did everything it takes to become this legend. He would’ve not done it without his inspirational grandma that’s helped him become what he is today. The story inspired me a lot that no matter what u think your limits are you can always go over them and become someone u didn’t think you would be and to trust and follow your dreams.
March 26, 2020
I wanted to read this book because of my students who have a strong interest in Leo Messi.
I really enjoyed this story more than I was expecting. This story is written for young people, so it covers the high points of Messi's journey from a 4-year-old boy to a 17-year-old soccer player with Barca. The story focuses on the personal relationships and his emotions (on a simple level). I would definitely read more books in this series about soccer players.
For an adult, this was a quick read-just a couple hours. For young readers, or struggling readers, this is a high-interest, easy-to-access text.
I really enjoyed this story more than I was expecting. This story is written for young people, so it covers the high points of Messi's journey from a 4-year-old boy to a 17-year-old soccer player with Barca. The story focuses on the personal relationships and his emotions (on a simple level). I would definitely read more books in this series about soccer players.
For an adult, this was a quick read-just a couple hours. For young readers, or struggling readers, this is a high-interest, easy-to-access text.
May 30, 2017
The Flea is written by Michael Part and the genre is a biography. I recommend this book if you like soccer and sports.I rate this book a strong 10 because soccer is my favorite thing to do so I figured I would enjoy reading about soccer. I rate this book a 10 because this is an inspiring story for boys or girls who have a desire to play good soccer. I would rate it an 11 if i could even though Leo Messi isn't my favorite soccer player, but I do think he is the best player and I respect him because of his story. Therefore this book was a good inspiration, because I like soccer.
October 25, 2019
The Flea: The Amazing Story of Leo Messi by Michael Part is a book that contains a lot of details from his childhood to his teenager experiences of soccer. For example, the book explained how Messi was diagnosed with (GHD), Growth Hormone Deficiency at the age of 11. In addition, the book explains the experiences of the 17 year old Messi in his first Team A match for F.C Barcelona. But, despite the strong points of the book there are also weak points such as, the book being somewhat boring as you progress throughout the book. For this reason, I rated the book by Michael Part a 4-star which is a better than average rate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2018
một trong những cuốn sách yêu thích nhất
Cuốn sách nói về tuổi thơ của huyền thoại Argentina - Leo Messi. Từ đó mình biết nhiều hơn về Leo: về căn bệnh của cậu, về lý do của cách ăn mừng đặc trưng, về mối tình đầu và cả về bản hợp đồng đầu tiên trên giấy ăn.
Sau khi đọc xong chỉ muốn đá bóng thật hay để vào được lò đào tạo La masia ( nhưng mình đá bóng gà lắm :)))) ), nhưng nhìn chung cuốn sách đã truyền cho mình nhiều cảm hứng để vươn lên giống như thần tượng của mình - LIONEL ANDRÉS MESSI
Cuốn sách nói về tuổi thơ của huyền thoại Argentina - Leo Messi. Từ đó mình biết nhiều hơn về Leo: về căn bệnh của cậu, về lý do của cách ăn mừng đặc trưng, về mối tình đầu và cả về bản hợp đồng đầu tiên trên giấy ăn.
Sau khi đọc xong chỉ muốn đá bóng thật hay để vào được lò đào tạo La masia ( nhưng mình đá bóng gà lắm :)))) ), nhưng nhìn chung cuốn sách đã truyền cho mình nhiều cảm hứng để vươn lên giống như thần tượng của mình - LIONEL ANDRÉS MESSI
May 30, 2019
I think that the book is good because my favorite sport is soccer and to hear a story from one of the best players is interesting. Also he used to be my favorite player to here who helped him with everything is kind of crazy his grandma did a lot for him. and he ended up achieving his goal and got to play professional and is now one of the best players in the world. I recommend this book to people who like soccer or who like Messi.
November 30, 2019
جمعه اول آذر 98، حدود ساعت 3 صبح، وقتی از خواب نیمه شب پاشدم و خونه توی سکوت و تاریکیه
برای منی که بارسا یه قسمت خیلی ارزشمند و قشنگ از قلبمه، خوندن زندگینامه مسی، کسی که سالهاست حال خوش فوتبالیم رو مدیون اون و هوش و استعداد و تلاششم، یعنی پلک نزدن و بلعیدن کلمه ها با یه لبخند بزرگ روی لب... یعنی متوجه گذر زمان نشدن... یعنی خوشی مطلق...
برای همین امتیازدهی کتاب بیشتر از اونکه به خاطر کتاب و نوشتارش باشه، تحت تاثیر لذتیه که شخصا در اون دقایق بردم
برای منی که بارسا یه قسمت خیلی ارزشمند و قشنگ از قلبمه، خوندن زندگینامه مسی، کسی که سالهاست حال خوش فوتبالیم رو مدیون اون و هوش و استعداد و تلاششم، یعنی پلک نزدن و بلعیدن کلمه ها با یه لبخند بزرگ روی لب... یعنی متوجه گذر زمان نشدن... یعنی خوشی مطلق...
برای همین امتیازدهی کتاب بیشتر از اونکه به خاطر کتاب و نوشتارش باشه، تحت تاثیر لذتیه که شخصا در اون دقایق بردم
August 29, 2018
This book was one of the best books that I’ve ever read impending my life that book tells me about Messi’s life and what here gone through in his life Messi is a great and honest player that never change a team and the best footballer the world ever known I like Messi as a player and as a person.
May 11, 2023
A great book. It truly tells a story to remember about a little boy from Rosario, Argentina representing every little boy from small towns. Showing the triumphs and foils of trying to be a pro-athlete.
September 29, 2023
کتاب زندگینامه مختصر و مفیدی از این ستاره فوتبال یعنی لیونل مسی ارائه می دهد و اگر طرفدار مسی هستید این کتاب را پیشنهاد میکنم البته کتب دیگری هم برای زندگینامه کامل تر این شخصیت وجود دارند اما این کتاب بیان مختصر و مفیدی دارد
August 5, 2017
My 9 year old read this. Good read for him
September 28, 2017
Usually dont like reading much but this book was really good
October 12, 2017
I like the Flea The Amazing story of Leo Messi because I like to play soccer. He is so talented as a kid and he still his. He played for a lot of clubs.
September 13, 2018
Very good book. This book inspired me a lot. I really got to know about Messi's personal life.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews