His teachers, coaches, childhood friends and Barça teammates, together with journalists, writers and prominent figures from the history of football, come together in a restaurant to analyze and pick apart Messi's personality both on and off the field, and to look back at some of the most significant moments in his life. Viewed from Álex de la Iglesia's unique perspective, Messi recreates the player's childhood and teenage years, from his very first steps, with a football always at his feet, through to the decision to leave Rosario for Barcelona, the separation from his family, and the role played in his career by individuals such as Ronaldinho, Rijkaard, Rexach and Guardiola.
Direction
De la Iglesia turns talking heads into theatrical dinner theatre.
Production
Childhood recreations that feel like memory, not documentary.
Writing
Interview structure lets rivals and friends contradict each other beautifully.
Director
Álex de la Iglesia
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
De la Iglesia is better known for horror-comedies like 'The Day of the Beast'—his first documentary was an odd flex.
Released during Messi's 2014 World Cup final loss, the film's worshipful tone accidentally became elegiac.
ES
