A rising star with his feet on the ground

LONDON, England (CNN) -- In the age of super-rich and ultra spoiled footballers, it's difficult to come across a player who has not lost touch with reality and whose ego hasn't inflated to the size of a blimp.

However, there are still some exceptions to this rule, and recently I met one of those exceptions -- Argentinean whiz kid Lionel Messi.

Few would argue that at this moment in time, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player on the planet. However, if there is anyone who comes close to the powerful Portuguese winger, it's the short, stocky and speedy Messi.

With a low center of gravity and with ball skills that would make the circus look at his CV, Leo is a phenomenon. He moved to Barcelona at the age of 13 and since then has developed into a star.

He has also been able to keep his feet on the ground and, during an interview with CNN last week, he showed an innocent and shy side to him that was as refreshing as it was surprising.

During our 10 minute chat, we discussed many topics: the Champions League tie with Manchester United; the pressure of playing for Barcelona; his magical goal against Getafe. But what really made him open up were his thoughts on moving to Spain as a teenager and how he coped with a new country and culture. Watch Pedro's interview with Messi for World Sport »

Leo told me it was very hard at first to leave his town and his home nation. He admitted that without the help of the club and his family, he wouldn't have made it.

He added that the dedication Barcelona showed to him made him love playing for the Catalans and he seemed genuinely thankful for everything they did for him.

You could be thinking -- "what's the big deal?" But believe me, in the world of multi-million dollar contracts and endorsement deals, it's easy to forget who helped you get to the top of the ladder. It's difficult to find players who still remember their roots and have no problems admitting they needed help. Leo is an exception.

If he stays injury-free and continues to develop as a player, he could become as good as a certain Diego Armando Maradona. If he continues to develop as a person, he should be able to avoid all the demons that brought down "El Pibe" way before his time.

Here's someone who hopes he is able to do it. E-mail to a friend