[Colofn Arbennig Cwpan Pêl-droed y Byd]Lionel Messi, representing Argentina in the Qatar World Cup final. A reporter from the Spanish culture magazine Panenka explains the legend that challenges the final stage of the World Cup.
■ The history of football itself
It seems that everything has been written about Lionel Messi. But the players themselves continue to write their own history, forcing us to discover new words. Messi runs football history himself, so it can’t be helped.
Messi has been defined in so many different ways.
“Messi is a dog”
– The Argentinian journalist Hernán Casiari struck a chord with us when he described Messi as a man who never falls, never dives, never complains, and focuses only on the ball and the goal.
“Messi is a foreigner”
-Barcelona newspapers have said as much dozens of times, perpetuating the lie that his homeland is extraterrestrial.
‘Messi is the surest thing in sport’
–This is the opinion of journalist Marti Paralnau.
“Messi is a goat”
――Goat pictograms that appear endlessly on SNS. “GOATS (The Greatest Ever)”.
“Messi, don’t get bored!”
–This is the wish of Dani Alves, one of the people who understood each other the most on the field.
Also, even if you explain it simply and clearly without using exaggeration, you can understand the wonder of Messi’s existence. For example, journalist Juamma Romero wrote on Twitter: “A good striker scores good goals. A good midfielder assists well. Messi does it all by himself. That’s why he is the best.” Noted.
“Total Footballer”. The most decisive player in the world who will be recorded and remembered. From the age of 18 when he made his debut for Barcelona’s first team to now, at 35, Messi has remained the same. The numbers I’ve left in my career, the numbers I’ve left in Qatar, prove that. No player has scored more goals, assists, dribbled or created chances than Messi in this World Cup. Although this is his fifth World Cup.
The magic dribble that Joszko Gvardiol pulled off in the team’s third goal against Croatia in the semi-final showed that genius has no concept of age. The Croatia centre-back, who has made a big presence at the tournament, is 15 years younger than Messi. But Leo was making him dizzy, as if he was teaching him a cumbia rhythm.
Goddess of Argentina
(C) Getty Images
Everyone knows that Messi has always wanted to win the World Cup. That said, I don’t see him feeling as frustrated as he used to. Perhaps he knows that the real treasure is to enjoy the World Cup itself to the fullest. Because there is no next time. Messi spent his days in Qatar with all kinds of emotions. His mental maturity was recognized from his attitude of leading the team and the way he shared joy with the fans. You’re an idiot.”
Messi kept his anger inside himself, and it was not uncommon for him to express himself in unhealthy ways (the media highlighted his displeasure through the people involved and scandalously excited him). However, in this World Cup, he always gives interviews after the game and says what he needs to say. When we lost our first game against Saudi Arabia, he stood in front of the microphone as if he wanted to take responsibility, and since then he has told us to be more careful when we win (as if I was telling myself). It would have been unthinkable before for Messi to speak so publicly.
Once a target for criticism, Messi is now being defended more than ever by his own media and teammates. Messi drifts around the pitch while Rodrigo De Paul blocks counter-attacks or Nicolas Otamendi clears the ball from his own penalty. To the uninitiated, it seems like lazy walking, but analysts disagree. Like a control character in a video game, he builds up his stamina meter, looking for the space and timing to make a decisive play. To maximize the impact of play only you can do.
After all, a team called Argentina plays ‘for Messi’, not ‘to Messi’. The difference between the two is great. Messi is the goddess of Eugène Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People”. Beautiful and menacing, she leads her people, who shoot, attack, and are covered in mud. Leo is flawless, but he holds the flag high as a symbol of Argentina, not France.
■ Last Messi
(C) Getty Images
Messi reached that point in his fifth World Cup. Germany 2006 was still a young player. At the 2010 South African Games, he was coached by Diego Maradona. In the 2014 tournament in Brazil, he suffered a major disappointment when he lost to Germany in the final. There was nothing in the Russia 2018 Games… And now, in Qatar 2022, he has taken it one step at a time, enjoying the joy of just playing, not suffering the pressure he has had in the past .
Messi may have unloaded himself by winning the Copa America in the summer of 2021. The tears he shed after defeating Brazil in the final made him stronger. Messi has long been accused of having a ‘Pecho Julio’ (cold heart) who did not give his best to Argentina, and once retired from international football. But after winning the Copa America, no one doubts it anymore. Not only that, but it doesn’t make it a condition to love, like winning a title. Messi is now one of us who sings like them and sheds tears with them.
Messi is so beautiful in this moment, with Diego Maradona watching from the sky. It’s been almost 20 years since Michael Jordan retired until we saw the classic Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance on Netflix, but it’s like watching a documentary like that in real time. Messi is definitely making history right now. There is no need to wait and look back.
The man broke the record for most World Cup appearances after winning his seventh Ballon d’Or on Sunday. Win or lose, the footprints will never disappear. Now, he is “Last Messiah”. Let’s be grateful that we live in the same era, and burn it into our retinas.
Text = Roger Xuriach (Spanish “Panenka” magazine)
Translated by Shinichiro Ema
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