Lionel Messi: The Fallen Great?

He is Barcelona's leading scorer in official matches. He is the top scorer in the history of El Classicos. He has the record for the maximum number of goals scored in a calendar year. He has the most number of hat-tricks for Barcelona. He is the first Barcelona player to score a hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid. He has won 4 consecutive Ballon D’ Or Trophies, a feat achieved by none in history. Add to it, 3 Champions League glories, along with La Liga titles. He created madness among people upon his only visit to our very own Kolkata. He is none other than Lionel Messi.

 Do not go by the numbers and statistics that I have provided above. Can a player with normal playing ability and passion achieve such heights in his career? Can any player single-handedly carry upon him the expectations of a whole team? Can any player create a huge buzz and craziness amongst the people of a country, where cricket is the only religion of the people? If you are still scratching your mind, let me assure you that there is only one player capable of achieving this. And he is the man, rumored to be a footballing prince in his own right, Lionel Messi.

Barring a last few of the matches that Barcelona have played, it would be a very rare occasion where you wouldn’t get to see Messi scoring a goal for the club, he regards as the reason for his greatness. One would have feared to bet on Messi not scoring for Barcelona any given day. It was as if Messi was made for Barcelona and their master form of playing, the ‘tiki-taka’, their passing game which has destroyed teams of various attacking prowess over the years. And yet when Messi, coming back from an injury, failed to find the net in the last two crucial ties, people have started writing off this talismanic player.

Being an ardent football fan, it hurts to see such a player being sidelined off the pitch by the media and fans alike. Even I wouldn’t want such a World-Class player as Messi to lose his magical form. One cannot simply forget his mesmerizing goals, those one-touch finishes, those dribbles past world-class defenders and those amazing assists. Wow!! What more can a football fan ask for? As a football fan, I surely enjoy watching him play the ball, the way he does.  It would take Messi just a single game to silence his critics. He is human too, but with many super-human and magical abilities. No player can remain in his peak in his entire career. Ups and downs are part and parcel of a sportsperson. It would be scintillating when finally one day, the Messi that we have known for years, rises from the ashes and yet again starts destroying teams (except Manchester United. I am a die-hard fan and I still have nightmare memories of the two UEFA Champions League finals, namely 2009 & 2011) with his sheer magical abilities. Till then, be happy. Watch football. Have respect. Respect women. Happy reading.

p.s: The other day, I came across an online poll: Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? I would vote for both. Both are world-class players in their own ranks. And I respect both of them for making this beautiful game even more beautiful and taking it to a much higher level. Hail both of them.