ESPN Debuts Short Documentary "Messi: The Forgotten Tape / Messi: La Cinta Olvidada"

Story reveals Lionel Messi's path to the Argentina National Team

ESPN today announced the debut of Messi: The Forgotten Tape / Messi: La Cinta Olvidada, a new ESPN Films short documentary uncovering one of the most consequential and little-known stories in modern football history.

Debuting Sunday, May 10 at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, the documentary highlights the pivotal moment that helped shape Lionel Messi's international future and altered the trajectory of global football. Messi: The Forgotten Tape will also stream on Disney+ internationally at a later date.

In 2004, as the internet was still in its early stages, the news that a young Argentine was tearing it up in Spain was slow to arrive in his native South American country. So, when a 16-year-old Lionel Messi was beginning to turn heads in FC Barcelona, the federation couldn't believe this young player, who was on course to obtain Spanish citizenship, was still not representing a nation. A VHS tape with highlights of the young phenom was commissioned for a Barça TV journalist to put together and hand-delivered to an Argentine National Football Team assistant coach in hopes this would lead to a call-up.

The tape would travel across the world and quietly set in motion a pivotal decision between Spain and Argentina, culminating in a story never-before-told in a documentary: how two friendly matches were quickly scheduled by the Argentine Football Association with one purpose - to secure Lionel Messi's future with Argentina.

Messi: The Forgotten Tape / Messi: La Cinta Olvidada is part of ESPN's special news and information coverage leading into the 2026 World Cup. ESPN will deliver extensive English- and Spanish-language news and information coverage of the tournament across its media platforms, bringing fans closer to the biggest storylines on and off the pitch.