Messi Magic - A tribute

Ever since the beautiful game of football began to be played, there have been players who have wowed the world with their sublime set of skills and be proclaimed as amongst the best in the world. In modern day football, that status of a special player who can be considered the world’s best is undoubtedly Lionel Messi. A player who has been taking the world by storm with his gifted skills and pace, Messi is the name on every football fan’s lips when an argument arises of who the best footballer in the world is.Born in Rosario, Sante Fe in Argentina, Messi began his career at local club Newell’s Old Boys. At the age of eleven, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Seeing his precocious talent many clubs were interested in signing him but could not afford the price for his treatment. Then came along FC Barcelona who agreed to pay his medical bills in return for him plying his trade at the Camp Nou. The rest, as they say, is history as the arguably the greatest love-affair between a player and a club began.

Messi Mania

He made his debut in the 2004-05 season and broke his team record for the youngest footballer to score a goal in the league. This was the first of many honors that followed. He just kept getting better and better with every passing season. It was thanks to the then coach of Barcelona, Frank Rijkaard, who had faith in the youngster and offered him his first start for the club at the age of 17. Even now Messi is all praise for him and once said,

“I’ll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only sixteen or seventeen.”

Since his debut, scoring goals has been a routine for the young star. He scored 14 goals in 26 appearances in the 2006-07 season, which turned out to be his breakthrough year. Among the 14, the most memorable was the goal he scored against Getafe in the Copa Del Rey semi-final where he ran 62 meters, beat 6 players including the goal keeper via a slalomly run and slotted the ball home coolly before celebrating near the corner flag. The goal was very similar to the one Diego Maradona scored in the World Cup against England, thus giving rise to comparisons that Messi was the next Maradona, being hailed ‘Messidona’ by the Spanish Press. Till date, the comparison continues to grow in magnitude as Messi seeks a place in the list of all-time greats by getting better every passing year.

In the 2008-09 season, Messi scored a massive 38 goals in what was his best season then. He also inherited the coveted number 10 from Ronaldinho upon the Brazilian’s departure from the club. He scored in the Champions League final against Manchester United through a header, a pretty surprising way of scoring for a person of his height and stature. Barcelona won the treble of the La Liga, Champions League and the Copa Del Rey in the same season. This was the first time a Spanish club had won a treble and Messi was the main architect. Great players like Franz Beckenbauer and Fransesco Totti declared that Messi was the greatest footballer. Even with all these praises coming from all sides, Messi remained down to earth and grounded. He went about his business and won accolades for his club as well as for himself.If the 2008-09 season was good, then the following season was just brilliant for Messi. Josep Guardiola,the Barcelona coach, declared that Messi was the best player he had seen. Messi became one of the highest paid footballers with earning of about 9.5 million euros a year. Messi’s time of recognition came on December 1st, 2009, when he was named the winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for the best footballer of the year. He beat Cristiano Ronaldo by a largest ever margin of 473 to 233 votes. After winning the award Messi was quoted as saying,

“I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me.”

For the first time in his career Messi scored 4 goals in a single match. It was against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final. This remarkable achievement drew praise from Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger and he was quoted as saying,

“Once he’s on the run, Messi is unstoppable. He’s the only player who can change direction at such a pace. He is the best player in the world by some distance. He’s (like) a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make.”

Unstoppable

Again in 2010 Messi was named winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award and thereby making two years in a row. He beat his Barcelona team mates, the World Cup winning Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez to the award. Messi is now having a fantastic season once again, having alreadyscored over 50 goals, he looks to set a record for the most number of goals scored in a single season. His team has already won the La Liga and has qualified for the Champions League finals where they face Manchester United in a repeat of the 2009 final. If Messi can work his magic again, Barcelona is in line for another Champions League trophy.Messi has often been compared to Diego Maradona, but Messi has always played down such comparisons saying that Maradona was a great player and making comparisons with him was not appropriate. Somehow he has not been able to replicate his form at Barcelona on an international stage for his country, Argentina. He has had many memorable performances but none that can be compared to those at Barcelona. But that isn’t far away in the future.Messi truly is a one-of-a-kind player in the present age of football. There may be comparisons between him and many others but he will always remain a distinct talent in the world of football for many years to come. After having such a wonderful season Messi may be in line for a hat-trick of Ballon d’Or awards. Can he achieve it? Let us wait and watch as Messi magic unfolds.