The date was 17 December 2007. The venue was the Zurich Opera House. Lionel Messi, at just 20 years old, was present at FIFA’s annual awards’ ceremony for the first time.

‘La Pulga Atomica’ ultimately finished second behind Kaka. Nobody could have possibly predicted that, 16 years later, Messi would be at the ceremony again aiming for a staggering eighth top prize.

To underscore just how extraordinary the longevity of this Martian is, FIFA takes a light-hearted look at what was happening in the world around 17 December 2007.