Estadio Riazor

Estadio Municipal de Riazor [esˈtaðjo muɲiθiˈpal de rjaˈθor] is a multi-purpose stadium in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. The stadium is the home ground of Deportivo de La Coruña, and accommodates a total of 34,600 spectators.

History

Although the stadium hosted home games for Deportivo since its establishment in 1906, it wasn't until 1944 that essential facilities (e.g. bleachers, locker rooms...) were constructed. That year, the stadium was officially known as Deportivo's ground. The opening game was against Valencia CF on 28 October 1944, which saw Depor lose 2-3.

The enormous total area of 30,000 led Riazor to be one of the chosen stadia to host the 1982 FIFA World Cup finals. Also, this asset made Riazor favorable for a Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and RCD Espanyol in 1947, which saw the capital's side claim their ninth cup title.

1982 FIFA World Cup

The stadium was one of the venues of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, and held the following matches:

References

External links

Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi]; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the sport as the greatest of all time, Messi is the only football player in history to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or five times, four of which he won consecutively, and the first player to win three European Golden Shoes. With Barcelona he has won seven La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, as well as three Copa del Rey titles. A prolific goalscorer, Messi holds the records for most goals scored in La Liga (299), a La Liga season (50), a calendar year (91), a Champions League match (five), and most Champions League seasons (five).

Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child. At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona, who agreed to pay for his medical treatment. After a fast progression through Barcelona's youth academy, Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. Despite being injury-prone during his early career, he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award, a feat he repeated the following year. His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins.