ROSARIO, Argentina (AP):

The breeze off the Paraná River brings a chill to the afternoon in Rosario. As the kids warm up, the clatter of their tiny cleats intensifies until the referee signals for the players to enter the pitch.

They're wearing the orange-and-white-striped jersey of Abanderado Grandoli, the neighborhood club where Lionel Messi's football journey started 34 years ago. From a nearby building, a mural of a young Messi watches over the children as they chase the ball.