It’s the way he does what he does that delights me, comforts me, confounds me
Do you believe in magic? I, for one, most certainly do. Trapped within the humdrum nothingness of our daily lives, we all need a touch of magic. For 90 minutes twice a week, Lionel Messi provides that source of magic for me. Watching Leo play is like magic, for he makes the sublime look simple, and the simple sublime. As the jewel in the crown of Barcelona’s golden generation, Messi has won all that is there to be won. But it’s the way he does what he does that delights me, comforts me, and even after a decade of seeing him in action, confounds me.
The way he glides past defenders, the poetic grace with which he caresses the ball and strokes it into the back of the net, the nimble footwork that bails him out of entanglements no one else can escape, encapsulate the wizardry of the man, making him special to millions, and to me. After a hard day’s work, there’s nothing that compares to the sight of Messi at his best. Irrespective of mood or season, he remains my perennial source of boundless joy.
I was exhausted, having covered almost as much distance as the Venezuelan defenders, who like me, had chased Messi everywhere he went
September 2, 2011 is one of the few indelible dates on my life’s calendar. That was the day when Messi led Argentina to a 1-0 victory over Venezuela in an international friendly. The match, of course, was held at the Salt Lake stadium, Calcutta, providing me with a golden opportunity to watch my hero in the flesh. For two hours, I do not remember sitting still for a moment. With binoculars in hand, I ran all around the gallery, looking for the best angle to catch a glimpse of the number 10. In the second half, every time Argentina won a corner, I raced down to the barricade, jostling with hundreds to witness Messi up-close. In the oppressively sultry heat of Calcutta, Messi seemed ice cool. By the end of the game, I was exhausted, having covered almost as much distance as the Venezuelan defenders, who like me, had chased Messi everywhere he went.
That day in Salt Lake, I also happened to notice something that left me perplexed, something fans rarely get to observe while watching football on television. That something was Messi’s movement, or sometimes, the lack of it. For short spells during the match, I could (much to my annoyance) see Leo becoming anonymous. It was as if he had suddenly lost interest, or worse still, had gone wandering about the pitch to admire the artificial turf!
After the game, I watched several videos on YouTube that focused solely on tracking Messi during matches, and the pattern that I had detected through the friendly repeated itself in the clippings, time and again. It was not until much later when I read a column by Pep Guardiola (who famously coached Messi at Barcelona) that I understood what he is actually up to in these moments of apparent detachment. Leo deliberately isolates himself from the action for two reasons. First, he wants to figure out exactly how the opposition defence is shaping up and how each player is moving. Second, he does it to lull his rivals into a false sense of security. Just when they think Messi is having an off day, he springs back to life, armed with valuable information, which makes his impact all the more devastating. Only if I had known all this on that September evening!
How he scored his 500th and what he did after
There are many moments of magic that have made the Messi legend what it is. Like at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 23, 2017, the latest instalment of El Clasico. With the score locked at 2-2, the match entered injury time. Barcelona desperately needed a win to stay alive in the hunt for La Liga and Messi was sitting on 499 goals for the Blaugrana. Leo had already netted in the game, but that was to be of little consequence were Barca to squander two vital points. Seated in my “lucky” chair at home, I was certain that something had to give, and in the second of three additional minutes, it most certainly did. Receiving a cut-back from Jordi Alba on the edge of the penalty box, Messi used the inside of his left boot to curl an inch-perfect shot beyond the reach of Keylor Navas at the near post. I was ecstatic, as were millions of Cules around the world. Barca had claimed a last-gasp victory and Messi his 500th strike for the club.
What followed the goal was (arguably) more iconic. After embracing his teammates, Leo headed over to the section of the stadium where the away fans were seated, took off his jersey and held it up to remind one and all who was boss.
More glory to the Barca shirt; more glory to Messi.
That one moment that sums up the magic of Messi
Who is the greatest of all time? The debate rages on. But I firmly believe that Lionel Messi has already done enough to stake his claim as the greatest of all time. I concede that Diego Maradona was a more elusive dribbler; Pele a more complete goalscorer; Johan Cruyff a better technician; Alfredo Di Stefano a greater reader of the game. Each of these legends had something the other did not, but Messi combines all their attributes and displays them with unparalleled consistency. Messi represents the sublimated essence of footballing excellence.
If I were to list all the instances when Messi has proved his status as the all-time greatest, this article would see no end. There is one moment, however, which to my mind stands atop Messi’s wondrous feats and sums up the true magic of the man.
May 6, 2015: Barcelona are playing Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou in the first leg of a blockbuster Champions League semi-final. The clock is approaching 80 minutes with the hosts leading 1-0, courtesy a pile driver from their talisman. But Messi is far from done. Ivan Rakitic feeds the ball to Messi whose initial burst of pace is enough to leave his markers trailing, allowing him to square up to Jerome Boateng. At 6’ 3’’, the German centre-back can afford to crouch and still tower over Messi, physically that is. As Leo drives into the penalty area, Boateng is focused, staring intently at his adversary’s feet. The excitement is palpable, the 90,000-plus crowd, expectant. At such a pivotal juncture, Boateng decides to premeditate and places all his weight on his right leg after anticipating that Messi will cut inside on his left foot. The big defender is not naive in making such an estimate, after all, that is what Messi does nine times out of 10 when faced with a defender one-on-one. Sadly, for Boateng, he happens to be the one in 10. Just as he shapes up to unleash a fierce challenge with his right foot, Messi goes the other way. With one swivel of his 5’ 7’’ body, Messi makes Boateng collapse in a heap. Like a paper cutout, the hapless Jerome takes a comical tumble as Messi proceeds to chip the ball over the on-rushing goalkeeper (Manuel Neuer) with his “weaker” right foot to score the second goal of the night.
In a match where Messi’s former coach (yes, Guardiola again, this time on the opposite side) had tried every conceivable thing to shackle his protege, Leo and his magic had once again made the difference. To this day, fans ridicule the unfortunate Boateng for his fall, but then there’s only so much any mere mortal can do when tasked with stifling the magic of Messi.
Every time he steps on to the pitch, a part of me will be by his side
There are those who believe that Messi does not deserve to be included in the discussion for the best footballer in history until he wins a World Cup. What such experts fail to account for is that in the present era of football, the UEFA Champions League has far superseded the World Cup in terms of the quality of players as well as the fierceness of competition. Messi (yes, along with Cristiano Ronaldo) has been the standout player in the Champions League for over a decade, having won it four times. So, I see little merit in Messi needing to be a world champion to confirm his standing as the greatest ever.
Having said that, I would (obviously) love to witness Leo holding aloft the biggest trophy in international football. Not only to exorcise the ghosts of past World Cup disappointments, but also to help Messi realise a life-long obsession — taking Argentina to the zenith of world football.
At 30, Messi still has miles to go. May be with time, Messi will transition into a more conventional midfielder; perhaps the goals will dry up and those trademark dribbles will become a rarity. But every time he steps on to the pitch, a part of me will be by his side; every time he does the impossible, a part of me will bask in his glory; every time he encounters failure, a part of me will sink, only to rise with him once more. Greats will come and greats will go, but for me, Lionel Messi will always mean the magician of the beautiful game.
Priyam Marik
Lionel Messi is.... Tell t2@abp.in in 30 words or less
