Legend of the rise
Now that the expensive dust of El Clásico—this match alone earned $40 million from sponsors in less than 2 hours — has settled and the commotion had subsided considerably, it’s a good enough time to reflect on a peerless player. First thing first, there is no dearth of talent in the football arena. Every year, we read about young boys winning the Internet over with their genuine skills. If they are unlucky, they are going to be labeled “the next Messi” and will have to carry the burden of expectations even after hitting the senior teams. Speaking of whom, there are great players in almost all the major leagues in the globe today.
The only thread of difference being none of them are anywhere close to the genius of Lionel Messi.
It’s one thing to be good at what one does on the field but quite another to drag it to the next level; to make physicality so sublime that your sport turns into an art form. Federer does it with tennis. Sachin did too with his timeless shots. Comăneci molested perfection repeatedly. Woods, too, when those tiny dotted balls rolled on his whim. Nobody could explain how folks like these managed to accomplish what they do in front of millions of witnesses. Some miracles need to be seen, not just heard. Some heights have to be dwarfed, not merely gawked at.
Coming back to our not-so-tall hero, Messi’s greatness lies in his head. He’s one of the smartest, if not the smartest player, to grace the grass. Blessed with pace and skills, he plays football like chess. Everybody on the pitch are meant to move and nobody manipulates this cardinal truth like Messi. The principle with which he swerves the ball during a free kick or avoids being offside during a counter attack resembles the technique with which he fiddles with opposition team— and by sweet conjunction, their fragile ego — without resorting to showboating. Some stuff of legends that sets him apart from the rest. Simply put, he makes others dance to his tune. It isn’t a coincidence that we see defenders losing their balance or falling down like cards— the latest victim being Dani Carvajal — when the ball is at Messi’s feet. He might be left-footed but he is more single-minded than anyone else in his profession.
Although it’s churlish to get into the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate given how football evolved over the course of years—the game during Puskás’ days was different from Pele’s era just like it wasn’t similar to Maradona’s because the sport kept on on changing and will continue to change — it’s worth pointing out that Messi might very well be the wisest one to ever dribble. Barely three months away from 30, it’d be a splendid experience to check out whether he continues to bamboozle as he gets older. After all, it’s not always about the number of goals or trophies one wins in a career span. Sometimes, we need to go beyond the statistics and look at things that can’t be measured, to ponder what a player is sketching which his counterparts can’t even comprehend, let alone emulate.
Second lastly, the reason why this blog post is being typed or the social media basically exploded on Sunday has a lot to do with Messi’s brace on that fateful night and his completion of 500 goals for Barcelona. No mean feat in a world where players switch clubs faster than a mercenary’s bullet. What’s more admirable is the manner he celebrated (above pic) by taking off his shirt and flashing his name and number at the San Bernabéu crowd while keeping his head down, before saying a short prayer and pointing at the sky. I am yet to peel its spiritual element away from its cathartic skin. It was such a gorgeous moment, especially after being fouled harshly throughout the match as is the norm among those who haven’t figured out how to deal with him. With the blood drying on his lips, the image has attained permanence. Whoever has watched the match or seen the pictures (oh yes, memes, too) would never forget it.
Lastly, for what it’s worth, greatness must transcend to lesser mortals like us. Which is precisely why someday, when he’s retired, we’ll look back and appreciate ourselves more for existing when he was stretching the limits of art.
