Lionel Messi – manifestation of magic on a football pitch, paradigm of grace in a physical game, ambassador for the beauty of this game that we all love. The only way Lionel Messi has divided opinion is regarding whether he is just the best we have seen or the best we have ever had.
Winding the clock years back to the summer of 2003, a 15-year-old Messi was pondering whether to join a young Cesc Fabregas on his way to Arsenal – reports claimed Arsenal were unable to purchase accommodation for his family. Wenger had refuted those claims, suggesting Messi was simply more comfortable in Barcelona.
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Whatever the truth may have been, just imagine if the outcome of that saga had turned out different. Our next "What-if" feature takes a look at the state of world football had Lionel Messi played in the Premier League.
#1 Arsenal would win UCL
There was a time when the name Arsene Wenger evoked the same aura of success and invincibility as a certain Alex Ferguson. Having led Arsenal through a period of success in the 2000s, the memorable highlights being the invincibles and the Champions league final against Barcelona in 2006, no one could have imagined what the road ahead had in store for Wenger.
It is easy to imagine the galvanising effect a player of Messi's ilk would have had in continuing that era of domination and success. In particular, the departure of Theirry Henry would not have created ripples through Wenger's squad – in essence, Messi would have been replacing one legend in Henry instead of another in Ronaldinho.
With a 19-year-old Messi primed for a few seasons of further development, Arsenal might also have managed to retain some of their world class talents from departing for greener pastures. Thus, with the magic of Messi to sprinkle on the solid foundations of a Champions League runner-up season (2005-06), Wenger might have managed to grab hold of the UCL title that has eluded him till date.
#2 No “Greatest team in football history” – perhaps no Pep Guardiola either
As good as Xavi and Iniesta undoubtedly were, in the absence of Messi, Barcelona simply wouldn't be the same – the 2008-12 era of collecting trophies for fun would remain a Barca fan's daydream.
Instead, Ibrahimovic might have established himself at Barcelona with no rival to challenge his position, and while he is no cheap replacement, he is no Lionel Messi either. This would mean that the era of 2008-12 would have witnessed a more equitable distribution of success between Barcelona and Real.
In spite of his undoubted quality as a manager, it is quite clear that the indomitable team Guardiola built in Catalonia has played a huge role in shaping his reputation. Therefore, it remains a serious question whether he would be hand picking the biggest jobs around the world in 2016, had it not been for the class of 2008-12.
His undoubted managerial talent would have eventually shown through, of course – but Guardiola would have found the path to fame and fortune much more difficult.
#3 Argentina would win a World Cup
Perhaps the Lionel Messi of current reality has never tied his boots to play for Argentina without a heavy burden hanging over his shoulders. Persistently accused of being exceptional exclusively for Barcelona, Messi has been repeatedly let down by teammates as well who are always a step down in quality from his club level counterparts.
On the other hand, if Messi had played for Arsenal, he would have been more suited to the tactical demands of the national game. With less reliance on the presence of world-class teammates at club level, a resurgent Lionel Messi would dovetail to devastating effect with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero – and the 2014 WC final that had been lost by the finest of margins might have had a different story written on it.
#4 How different would his stats be
Lionel Messi's total number of goals across all competitions for Barcelona from 2008-09 to 2015-16 read: 38,47,53,73,60,41,58,41. This is perhaps the most widely discussed point of conflict: how would his goals tally have fared if he had played in the Premier League?
In this context, it is perhaps necessary to point out first the stellar success Zlatan Ibrahimovic is enjoying at age 35 in the Premier League. Sitting lofty at 2nd position in the goalscorers charts with 14 goals, it is shuddering to think about the impact he could have had at the peak of his career.
Luis Suarez, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo also fall into a similar category – considered among the best players on the planet right now, all of them have proven while in the PL that class and quality shines through irrespective of the league it plays in.
Okay, Messi might not have scored 50+ goals season in, season out – but a tally of around 35-40 goals per season seems a realistic expectation. This is, of course, without even mentioning the dizzying assist stats – Thierry Henry would have bid goodbye to his record 20 assists from a single season long time before now.
#5 EPL would have boasted of best player in the world
While the routine routing of modest clubs at cricket scores does add gloss to the statistics, there is no question that Lionel Messi would be the best in the business whether he had plied his trade in La Liga, Premier League, Serie A or Bundesliga.
While EPL fans love to flatter themselves at the thought of world class players and managers struggling to keep up with its unique demands, the exploits of Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among others prove conclusively that the very best does what the very best does – and the rest of the world simply makes way.
Let’s shelve all this ridiculous discussion about Lionel Messi being rugby tackled by Ryan Shawcross, then – chances are he would have suffered the same fate as James Milner did for Manchester City in the CL match against Barcelona. Let's rest our keyboards, let our opinions be and simply sit back to watch Leo – while we still have time.
