MESSI - A MAGICIAN STOPS MESSIMERISING

MESSI - A MAGICIAN STOPS MESSIMERISING

- Shivraj 

 

Sport has a habit of coercing equivalence. A good day, they say, is seldom a forebearer of success tomorrow. Win and loss are as certain as life and death, and a sportsman ought to live with them. How then does one explain Lionel Messi, who defied all such logic to transcend boundaries and leave in his trail a sea of joy and admiration? The moment he received a football, he would transform the area around him into an impenetrable bubble. It seemed like he had a moving 4D map of the field in his brain, purring along with him as he plotted his next move. A man so gifted, he could cook a posse of defenders and leave them on the floor, but just as well serve the ball up on a platter at the precise moment to a mate, who wondered ‘how?’

Born in 1987 to a middle-class family in Rosario, Argentina, Messi was drawn to football as a child. His coach at Newell’s Old Boys when he was seven, felt he was too fragile, too short. Only to be disproved by our lad’s extraordinary ball skills and game vision. At age 10 Messi developed growth hormone deficiency. By then clubs were queuing up to pay for his treatment if he signed with them - such was his reputation. When he was 13 the family moved after Barcelona signed him in their youth academy. By next year the Royal Spanish Football Federation had enrolled him. His ‘Baby Dream Team’ set record after record in the youth circuit, and he scored 36 goals in 30 games. Team mates and opponents alike were overawed by his immense talent and dribbling skills. When 16, he began training with the senior Barcelona squad and sure enough, Ronaldinho professed that this guy could become an even greater player than himself.

 

Next year Messi debuted in La Liga and helped them win the league title. It was under new manager Pep Guardiola that Messi truly hit his straps. Pep was quick to spot the youngster’s extraordinary skillset, and there was no looking back. A spate of Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the Year awards, and titles for the club perched him atop the football world. With the arrival of Suarez and Neymar, the trio, called MSN, formed a massive attacking force that struck fear in opponents. Several La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and Champions League titles followed. Despite lucrative offers from clubs across the world, Messi’s loyalty to Barcelona remained unwavered.