Revelations from the doctor who treated Lionel Messi for growth issues and Leo’s stance years later

“Keep calm and you will be taller than Maradona.”. I don’t know if you’re going to get better, but you’re going to be taller,” he told her. Diego Schwarzstein arrive Lionel Messi January 31, 1997, was a day he remembered clearly. For Leo, who was nine years old at the time, He only worries about one thing, not being small, to be precise, but whether he will be able to play professional football when he grows up.. That was the question he asked the doctor, who was an endocrinologist at Newell Hospital at the time.

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In conversation total nitrogenThe doctor who treats growth issues for the best players in the world, originally from Rosario and a Newells fan but now based in Barcelona, ​​revealed what his first meeting with Leo was like, He still keeps in touch with Jorge Messi and Flea’s behavior toward his son years later. Additionally, he revealed the name of the Newells leader who paid for part of the treatment.

This is Diego Schwarzstein’s first day with Messi

“It was my birthday and I went over my medical history a thousand times. Yes January 31, 1997. Leo has 9 years Actually half. In order to make a diagnosis, multiple consultations, multiple visits are required as this is done through an algorithm and the steps to follow are decided based on the results of each study. Then, treatment begins,” the doctor said.

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This is how Messi ended up in Diego Schwarzstein’s office

“Leo came to my office on a recommendation from Newells, who at the time was an external consultant and the club’s doctor referred me to the boys when issues related to my specialty arose. Leo is our I look back on him as one of those boys growing up because he was so good, he looked like a player with shooting and he was small. We wanted to see if we could help him.. You can’t always help children grow, and no treatment can help them grow. There are some problems that make it difficult to grow and solutions to these problems. There is no medicine to grow taller.“,disclose.

How the Messi family reacted when they found out Leo had growth problems

“It’s nothing special. Generally speaking, children and their parents have a dual reaction. On the one hand, No one likes to have problems, let alone having their children have problems.But on the other hand, boys who are generally concerned about their height want to grow taller. for some reason, This happened to Leo in football It is suffering from the difficulties of short stature, but this is a situation that has a solution. “

What Lionel Messi told his doctor when he discovered he had growth problems

“He told me he wanted to play football All he’s interested in is knowing if he can grow up enough to play. I told him: ‘Keep calm, You will be taller than Maradona“I don’t know if you will get better, but you will be taller.” Maradona’s size is 1.67, and the table shows that Leo’s size is 1.70. And, when Leo wins the World Cup, that discussion ends. “

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How is the treatment going?

“This is called replacement. We make up for the lack of growth hormone by adding the missing hormone, This doesn’t give you any advantage over your environment. It normalizes the hormone shortage to the same level as any boy next to it. “

Treatment costs

“Today is difficult Between $1,000 and $1,200 monthly, depending on the dose to be used, which in turn depends on the child’s weight. Generally speaking, humans have growth cartilage, which extends all bones, so we grow taller. When this happens, it wears away and when there is no more cartilage left, we stop growing. “

At what age can treatment begin?

“X-rays (called bone age) are taken to see how much cartilage is present. And, treatment can begin as long as there is still cartilage. This continues until age 15. National Station has 100% coverage. If you have For social work, you pay the fee and then the Ministry of Health will refund the social work expenditure.”

Messi’s condition is not hereditary

“The disease is not hereditary Approximately one in every 4,000 live births is this way. I handled a lot of cases before Leo and a lot of cases after Leo. It’s been nearly 30 years now, and it’s not one of the most common diseases, but it’s not unusual either. “

How much can Messi measure without treatment?

“You can’t say how much I would have measured without treatment. Impossible. Need to do the math, they can be approx. Reduce 10 to 15 cm, which results in growth hormone deficiency, which can be partial or total, depending on the depth of the deficiency. “

His relationship with Jorge Messi

“I’m still in a relationship with Jorge., we are contemporaries. We are always maintaining links. Every once in a while we talk. Let’s talk football and things in life. I’ve seen Leo too. My kids have been to different places. “He was always gentle.”

Lionel Messi and Diego Schwarzstein’s gesture

“I never asked him for anything. If I have a T-shirt, it’s because he once gave it to me.what was that time I told him that my son was going to Barcelona and he wanted to see him. He called him over and asked him to watch the team train. My son, who was 18 at the time, has a wonderful anecdote. He was invited by Leo to come to Barcelona for training. Also participating in the training were Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta, Alves, Valdez and Suarez. Just like being at Disney”revealed.

The crisis of 2001 was key to the lives of the world’s best

“In the case of Leo, the social worker for the Messi family was Acindar, Jorge worked there and he took on the job. It was paid for at least two years. But when we near crisis of 2001 And five presidents a week later, the Department of Health began not complying with social work reimbursements. When they started seeing a lot of inflation in small social programs like Jorge’s, they at one point started telling Messi’s father: “Look, it’s been six months since the Ministry of Health reimbursed us and it’s hard for us to provide you with your medicines.” Because we are absorbing us.

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Problems that arise during treatment

“The treatment started to break. This is where Neuwirth’s story with Messi begins, and the fact is that it helped him very little. There was a manager named Néstor Rozín, more A lot of help was given to him out of personal rather than institutional considerations. Then the laboratory also cooperated, but it cannot be given to you for free for six months. There, the situation began to show a certain discontinuity, and the Messi family began to look for The alternative, Barcelona emerged. 70/80% of Leo’s treatment was done in Argentina. He spent eight months in Barcelona.”

“He never complained.”

“Our conversation was about football, Neuwirth’s last game, his last game, about his idol Aimar and we also talked about Martino. He never complains about his height I don’t know if his friends carried him or who put him down flea“.

First contact with Barcelona

“Leo has been a star since he was a kid; Measure less than their opponents, score goals and dribble everyone. It is more prominent when physical differences are limited and become smaller. Then a businessman showed up and told him I’m going to give you a trial in Barcelona, ​​let’s go and I’ll give you a try. The Messis were not entirely convinced, but the growth hormone situation helped them make the decision and take the test. Charlie Rexach from Barcelona signed a contract on a napkin that I saw with my own eyes. “

“Leo injected himself”

“The injection can be given in the legs, abdomen and arms. It is administered via a pen-type device, much like insulin. Leo applied medicine to his legs alone and never complained. “He has been a docile patient and he wanted to do what was necessary to make that happen.”