When I were a young lad, I spent large chunks of my time reading football annuals, those that were given to me every Christmas, and those left behind by my brother when he left home. Like all football-mad boys of that time (late 60s, early 70s, and it was always football then as well, NOT soccer), my reading was voracious, and particularly the older annuals were crammed with references to di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Eusebio, and young Pele. The articles waxed - well, not lyrical, because these were annuals for boys, and 'lyrical' would have been wasted on us - in awed tones about their talents, and skills, and the way Puskas in particular had, almost single-handedly, rid England of the view that this was an English game and as such, we were the masters. Two games, which we lost 6-3 & 7-1, and in each of which he scored 2 goals, nailed that particular myth in its coffin. We may have been re-animated for a short while some 13 years later, and staggered around enough to win the World Cup, but we've never really recovered. At the time, I had to take those writers and editors at their word, for I'd never seen footage of most of those players. I did get to see Pele at the Mexico World Cup on TV, but by this time he was 30, somewhat past his best (though still phenomenally talented), and seemed to direct things with the proverbial 'pipe and slippers'. It may be sacrilege, but I couldn't see quite what the fuss was, and on that showing, still don't. He was patently more at ease on the ball than any of the English players I'd watched, as were all the Brazilians, but to be honest Jairzinho caught my eye more than Pele.
I watched and was an admirer of George Best, Johaan Cruyff, Michel Platini and others as the years went by, mourning the fact that the latter 2 were denied World Cup Glory by Germany (twice) and Argentina. Still though, those old black and white photos and the stilted prose of those old annuals sang about the old days.
Cut forward to 2012, and for the last five months I've been watching La Liga games to follow Barca and Real Madrid in their battle for supremacy in Spain. Week after week, I've been astonished, mesmorised, flabbergasted and thoroughly blown away by the talents on display from both sides, but in particular Barcelona, with their majesty and trust of the ball, and what they are able to do with it, and to make it do for them. I've been left open-mouthed at their ability to know just what each other will do, where their teammates are going next, what space to run into. Each week, it seems, there are more things to gasp in disbelief at, more examples of vision, timing, footwork that leaves you dizzy.
Last night, March 7th 2012, Lionel Messi became the first player in the Champions' League era to score 5 goals in one match. I watched in wonder, and was left laughing and crying by the sight. He has it all - supreme first touch, the ability to run with the ball as though it's laced to his boots, the skill to play a pass with any part of either foot. He has the centre of gravity, apparently, of a Weeble - in most cases, he will not go down under challenges most players would be left writhing in agony over- yet he bounces up, still with the ball, to play the pass or strike at goal. I've never seen anything like it.
Today, I've been reading various opinions of him, and his position in the footballing pantheon of greats. Lots of support, agreement that he's the best. However, there's also a school of thought that he's a sheltered icon; that he's only ever produced this for one club, rarely for his National side; lots of talk along the lines of 'let's see him do it on a rainy Wednesday in Stoke' - the usual 'our League's better than yours' guff. What garnered most quotes, though, was the view that he cannot be crowned the best player who's ever lived until he wins a World Cup Winners medal, citing Pele, Maradona, Zidane and Ronaldo (not that one, the original).
Complete hogwash. Let me say that again, hogwash.
Let's take Pele. He won three World Cups. Hang on though, yes, he won in 58 with Brazil. He didn't play in 62 beyond the second game in the group stage, and had to have his winners medal claimed retrospectively. In 70, he'd just come back from international retirement, and as mentioned above, took the game at leisurely pace. He was also helped by playing in a fantastic team, that revolutionised how Europeans saw football.
Maradona did win a World Cup, scoring in the process a wonder-goal that I'm sure we've all seen. Breath-taking indeed. But so was the blatant cheating he employed to give his team the stepping stone to that victory, and all the ambigous piffle about a 'Hand of God'. And the following World Cup, he came back leaner and meaner and more wired - of course he did, he was out of his head on drugs. HIs record should be expunged.
Zidane was a marvellous player, with time, vision, great passing, marvellous set-piece play. But did he score as many goals as Messi? What was his work-rate like when France (or Real) were defending? He disappeared. And to cap it all, in his great swan-song, whatever the provocation (and it was mighty) he blotted his copy book with that pathetic head-butt and a sending-off.
No, because his National coach doesn't play him with players who like and love the ball, who don't exert the possession that his Barca team-mates do, Messi's discounted from the title of best there's ever been. Or worse, because his Argentina coach doesn't pick him, (Jose Pekerman, 2006) even when everyone knew what he was capable of, he's at fault. Tell me, did Puskas win a World Cup? Did di Stefano? Nope, and he tried with three different countries, perhaps Messi should try that? Did Cruyff? I rest my case on that aspect.
Then there are the goals that Pele scored. 'Until Messi can point to 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, he can't lay claim to the throne'. Some problems with that. First, that was over a period of 21 years. Messi is still only 24. Secondly, most of those goals were in Brazil, where defending has always been a mysterious art that other countries practice, not Brazil, and also included lots of non-competitive games (his actual club total in the Brazilian leagues was 589 in 605. A mighty tally, agreed, but let's not forget those non-existant defences). And then there was his time in Major League 'Soccer'. Well, I mean to say. Really?
I'm honoured and blessed to be able to watch Lionel Messi, and to know that I'm unlikely ever to see his kind again. I will hold him as a shining example to my kids (who already have their Messi replica kits) as someone who plays that way in part, because he loves what he does; he plays with a smile on his face, not a snarl, nor a pout, nor an expletive on his lips. Sure, he isn't perfect. I've seen him dive; seen him handle the ball - but he's never hidden that behind some awful 'my God was acting through me' excuse. He celebrates his goals the way players always did when I was young - no posturing, no stupid dance moves at the corner flag, no phoney 'kissing the badge' for the fans. And I can assure you, he has more reason to swear his allegiance to Barcelona for what they've done for him than most who've worn the shirt. He wants to play every minute, of every game - even the ones that don't matter to the club. Because they matter to him, just the simple act of playing this game.
Opinion will always be divided when it comes to football, mainly for ridiculous tribal reasons, or because one player denied someone's side a title, or a place in a final, or showed them up in a one-on-one. However, I'm happy with my opinion, and that is that we are currently enjoying the prodigious talents, and delightful humility of, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, the best footballer the world has ever seen. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…..Lionel Messi.
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