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| Lionel Messi, AKA "Messi-ah," AKA "D10S" |
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| Mario Lemieux, Emperor Penguin |
Even purely objective statements of fact about Lionel Messi start to, before long, sound like wild west tall tales and religious tomes. While leading Barcelona to buckets full of trophies, Messi has set the following records:
*Most combined national + club team goals in a calendar year (91 in 2012)
*Most goals in a La Liga season (50, in 2011-12)
*First player in a professional league (anywhere in the world!) to score goals against every league opponent in consecutive games (Nov. 2012 - March 2013)
*Most FIFA Ballon D'Or (world player of the year) awards (4, won consecutively, 2010-2013)
*Most career goals for F.C. Barcelona (354 in all competitions, 243 in La Liga)
*2nd most career goals in La Liga (243, only 8 behind the all-time record, which has stood since 1955)
Leo has done all that before his 27th birthday, which he'll celebrate later this month.
However, in 21st century sports punditry, nothing can ever be good enough. The fact that Messi has not (yet?) won a World Cup is a bludgeon that vengeful commentators continually beat him with upside the head. This is especially true in Argentina, where Diego Maradona is still worshipped as a deity. (Figuratively by most, but literally by some.) In 1986, Maradona almost single-handedly (pun intended) carried Argentina to the title; and that performance casts a shadow the size of Mount Everest over Messi and Argentina football as a whole.
There is also a popular sentiment in Argentina that Maradona "is one of us," while Messi is "foreign." Maradona grew up dirt poor in the slums of Buenos Aires and worked his way up through Argentinian clubs before moving to Europe (to Barcelona, ironically) at age 21. Messi grew up in slightly better socioeconomic circumstances, but he had a growth hormone deficiency that required expensive medical treatment. With Argentinian clubs unable or unwilling to pay for said treatment, Messi joined Barcelona's fabled "La Masia" youth academy at age 13 and has remained with the club ever since.
Being anointed "The Next One" can be a rather thankless task, which current Penguins star Sidney Crosby can understand. As the shadow of "El Diego" has followed Messi through the years, Crosby started getting comparisons to Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux before he could legally drive. Crosby is about a month and a half younger than Messi, and he has already won a Stanley Cup, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, and various individual awards. But just being the best player right now isn't enough. Crosby is measured not against his contemporaries, but against 66 and 99.
That said, while it is fair to lay a significant share of the blame at Crosby's feet for his team's failure to win the Cup since 2009, the criticisms of Messi's World Cup "failure," are quite unfair. In 2006, Messi was 18 / 19 years old and played few minutes of any consequence (Messi first entered as a 75th minute sub in a group game Argentina led by 3 goals, and then he started the final group game after they'd already clinched a place in the knockout stage. His 36 minutes as a sub against Mexico in the Round of 16 were his only serious involvement.) He did not play in the quarterfinal match where Argentina were eliminated by Germany on penalties. Then four years ago, Messi was still just 22/23, and Argentina's coach was none other than Diego Maradona. Like many great players across different sports, Maradona was an awful coach. His tactics resembled something out of an acid trip. That didn't end up hurting Argentina until they faced the equally or more talented and far more tactically astute Germans again in the quarterfinals, where they lost 4-0. Messi was ripped for not scoring a goal in South Africa, but he assisted most of the goals that his teammates scored. (Unfortunately, FIFA does not keep track of assists as an official statistic.)
This year's Argentina side also resembles the Penguins in another way; it features outstanding offensive talent but its goalkeeping and defense corps are shakier than the San Andreas Fault. Messi should have plenty of help up front from Manchester City's Sergio "Kün" Agüero, Napoli's Gonzalo "Pipita" Higuaín (whose less talented brother Federico plays for the Columbus Crew), and Real Madrid's Angel DiMaria (AKA "Di(ve) Maria"). Goalkeeper Sergio Romero, and all possible components of the starting back four, on the other hand, may resemble Marc-Andre Fleury, Kris Letang, and the rest of the Pens' keystone cops blueliners of recent years. Defensive midfield ace Javier "Smash" Mascherano will provide some help, but will it be enough?
Argentina is in a fairly easy Group F and should cruise to the top of it. They seem to have as good a chance to win the tournament as anyone, especially since (at least through the first few games, knock on wood) goals are everywhere at this World Cup, and no one's defense looks particularly strong as yet.
P.S. Don't call Argentina the "Albiceleste." As nicely as it rolls off the tongue, my Argentine friend Sergio says people from Argentina don't use that nickname, only American and British media do.
P.P.S. Here's a Messi highlight reel. Prepare to be amazed.
However, in 21st century sports punditry, nothing can ever be good enough. The fact that Messi has not (yet?) won a World Cup is a bludgeon that vengeful commentators continually beat him with upside the head. This is especially true in Argentina, where Diego Maradona is still worshipped as a deity. (Figuratively by most, but literally by some.) In 1986, Maradona almost single-handedly (pun intended) carried Argentina to the title; and that performance casts a shadow the size of Mount Everest over Messi and Argentina football as a whole.
There is also a popular sentiment in Argentina that Maradona "is one of us," while Messi is "foreign." Maradona grew up dirt poor in the slums of Buenos Aires and worked his way up through Argentinian clubs before moving to Europe (to Barcelona, ironically) at age 21. Messi grew up in slightly better socioeconomic circumstances, but he had a growth hormone deficiency that required expensive medical treatment. With Argentinian clubs unable or unwilling to pay for said treatment, Messi joined Barcelona's fabled "La Masia" youth academy at age 13 and has remained with the club ever since.
Being anointed "The Next One" can be a rather thankless task, which current Penguins star Sidney Crosby can understand. As the shadow of "El Diego" has followed Messi through the years, Crosby started getting comparisons to Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux before he could legally drive. Crosby is about a month and a half younger than Messi, and he has already won a Stanley Cup, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, and various individual awards. But just being the best player right now isn't enough. Crosby is measured not against his contemporaries, but against 66 and 99.
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| As unreasonable as many of Crosby's "haters" can be, his poor play and petulance in the last few years' playoffs have given them plenty of ammunition to use against him. |
That said, while it is fair to lay a significant share of the blame at Crosby's feet for his team's failure to win the Cup since 2009, the criticisms of Messi's World Cup "failure," are quite unfair. In 2006, Messi was 18 / 19 years old and played few minutes of any consequence (Messi first entered as a 75th minute sub in a group game Argentina led by 3 goals, and then he started the final group game after they'd already clinched a place in the knockout stage. His 36 minutes as a sub against Mexico in the Round of 16 were his only serious involvement.) He did not play in the quarterfinal match where Argentina were eliminated by Germany on penalties. Then four years ago, Messi was still just 22/23, and Argentina's coach was none other than Diego Maradona. Like many great players across different sports, Maradona was an awful coach. His tactics resembled something out of an acid trip. That didn't end up hurting Argentina until they faced the equally or more talented and far more tactically astute Germans again in the quarterfinals, where they lost 4-0. Messi was ripped for not scoring a goal in South Africa, but he assisted most of the goals that his teammates scored. (Unfortunately, FIFA does not keep track of assists as an official statistic.)
This year's Argentina side also resembles the Penguins in another way; it features outstanding offensive talent but its goalkeeping and defense corps are shakier than the San Andreas Fault. Messi should have plenty of help up front from Manchester City's Sergio "Kün" Agüero, Napoli's Gonzalo "Pipita" Higuaín (whose less talented brother Federico plays for the Columbus Crew), and Real Madrid's Angel DiMaria (AKA "Di(ve) Maria"). Goalkeeper Sergio Romero, and all possible components of the starting back four, on the other hand, may resemble Marc-Andre Fleury, Kris Letang, and the rest of the Pens' keystone cops blueliners of recent years. Defensive midfield ace Javier "Smash" Mascherano will provide some help, but will it be enough?
Argentina is in a fairly easy Group F and should cruise to the top of it. They seem to have as good a chance to win the tournament as anyone, especially since (at least through the first few games, knock on wood) goals are everywhere at this World Cup, and no one's defense looks particularly strong as yet.
P.S. Don't call Argentina the "Albiceleste." As nicely as it rolls off the tongue, my Argentine friend Sergio says people from Argentina don't use that nickname, only American and British media do.
P.P.S. Here's a Messi highlight reel. Prepare to be amazed.
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