Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Did you know Lionel Messi's very first virtual appearance was back in 2004? We are booting up Pro Evolution Soccer 4 to hunt down a 17-year-old Messi and see how he plays!
Today we’re firing up the emulator and taking a trip back to the golden era of sports gaming with Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (known as Winning Eleven 8 in Japan). Released months before EA's FIFA 05 (which completely missed out on adding him to their roster), Konami managed to sneak a highly promising 17-year-old Argentine forward into the Barcelona squad.
We’re diving into the retro menus, checking out his original stats, looking at his very first in-game face model, and taking him onto the pitch to see if his 2004 virtual counterpart plays anything like the GOAT we know today.
Did you know Lionel Messi's very first virtual appearance was back in 2004? We are booting up Pro Evolution Soccer 4 to hunt down a 17-year-old Messi and see how he plays!
Today we’re firing up the emulator and taking a trip back to the golden era of sports gaming with Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (known as Winning Eleven 8 in Japan). Released months before EA's FIFA 05 (which completely missed out on adding him to their roster), Konami managed to sneak a highly promising 17-year-old Argentine forward into the Barcelona squad.
We’re diving into the retro menus, checking out his original stats, looking at his very first in-game face model, and taking him onto the pitch to see if his 2004 virtual counterpart plays anything like the GOAT we know today.
