Ask anyone who Lionel Messi is and they will instantly tell you that he is a football player with a left foot so brilliant that it could be donated by the footballer for research purposes.
Such is his fame that there is a good chance that most of the people of the country that deem it fit to call football ‘soccer’, use hands in their version of football and elect Donald Trump as their president would know who he is.
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Barcelona might be more than just a club, but their best player is also more than just a player. The heights of his fame put him among the most powerful and influential people on the planet.
So what’s the reason behind the limelight that zooms in on him? Here are 5 possibilities…
#5 He is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner for crying out loud
Okay, let’s get this off from the word go: Lionel Messi is a divine player, there are no two ways about it. What he does on the pitch with such consistency is something that borders on ridiculous. Actually, it goes even beyond ridiculous.
So, naturally, he has won a lot of accolades for his abilities to play with a football. Indeed, if it weren’t for the superhuman efforts of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Argentine captain might as well have ended with so many Ballon d’Or titles that it would have been impossible for anyone else to ever break it.
When a player plays so good and wins so many personal honours, it is only natural that he gets worldwide recognition and fame. I mean, after all, if folks like Kim Kardashian can be famous for having the talent of not having any talent, how can someone like Messi not have the same?
#4 Best player of perhaps the best club team ever
Barcelona under Pep Guardiola were a magical team. Yeah, sure, they had their fair share of luck in crucial games, but that team was something special. The likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Dani Alves made it a treat for the eye of the fans and the neutrals.
That team was so efficient that Pep Guardiola could play Adriano in central defence and still come out with a clean sheet and a thumping win. It was basically a single unit made by a group of players who were trained so well that they became telepathic.
And Lionel Messi was the best player on that team, the only player allowed to be an individual just because he was – and still is – that good. While some say that Guardiola made that Barca team special, the other perspective would be that Messi gave Guardiola made his resume legendary.
So when you are the best player of the best unit ever assembled, you are bound to be famous.
#3 Has a humble exterior
One of the reasons why the Argentine is so loved is because of his apparent humility. You won’t see him go on a rant and claim that “I am rich, handsome and a great player,” or “maybe I am too good, I don’t know,” even when he is booed by the fans or tackled incessantly by the defenders.
In fact, the Argentine is so soft-spoken that he can barely be heard even when he is speaking through the mic. The only place he isn’t shy and reveals himself completely is on the football pitch, where he does the talking with his feet.
Apart from that, however, the former Newell’s kid is basically like an Indian bride of the 90s on the first night after her wedding. What Messi is behind closed doors is anyone’s guess, but in front of the camera, he shows that he has a personality that oozes humility like the Niagara Fall oozes water.
This, in turn, makes him a point of reference for the fans to follow – boosting his fame even more in the process.
#2 Tax issues
While the good does spread the name of a person, the bad spreads it even quicker. You can do all the good in the world, but the fame you get for doing just one bad thing is perhaps one of the reasons why people remember the mistakes more than the brilliance.
1000 years down the line, who do you think will be remembered among the modern day leaders like Genghis Khan is now? Hitler, of course. So infamy always prevails over fame and, as a result, when the news of Lionel Messi being convicted broke out, all hell broke loose.
The fans and the club began to defend their best player with #WeAreAllMessi tweets. Sure, they were embarrassing, but it catapulted his name into more fame as Messi became the talking point around the football fraternity.
#1 Chocolate-boy face
Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say, but people do just that. You won’t see a less-than-great looking player become the face of football – the face has to be beautiful along with having the ability. Messi has both. While good looks shouldn’t really be the attribute with which people form opinions on others, it is what really happens.
When one looks at the Barcelona star, they are instantly inclined to believe that he is a good and innocent person. That’s what having a chocolate-boy face does for you. With a face like Messi’s - seeping with innocence, you can basically kill puppies and still get away with it.
Also, girls dig chocolate-boys – and that is precisely why the Argentine has a lot of lady fans that drool at his mere sight. And that is also why he is famous, you just can’t forget a face like that.
