Lionel Messi is 26 years old and his magisterial pace,touch of the ball, speed, agility, and intelligence of the game has him considered one of the best- if not the best soccer player to ever live. What is really amazing is that Messi has played the same way since he was 8 and that isn’t an exaggeration. There are plenty of videos of the young Leo running down the pitch, passing through young defenders left and right over and over again. What is hard for most people who know very little of the sport to understand is the importance of a player so gifted from such a young age. Messi is gifted in the same way that Mozart was, in the same way that Einstein was, Michael Jordan, Ash Ketchum, Tiger Woods, etc. In short, Lionel Messi was born to be the greatest soccer player of all time. And we’re all alive to witness the way he plays.
His fruitful career in FC Barcelona cannot be unnoticed, going into the 2015-2016 season he holds with him a record 365 goals scored for the team since he has joined. That’s an average of 14 goals a year. But that is since he was a teenager. If you average out the goals since he became a regular starter in 2007, his average is 43 goals a season. A good year for most strikers is considered 20 goals a season. These incredible stats are what brought Messi 4 Ballon D’Or, the trophy given to the player considered the best of the year. His skill is acknowledged by every person who loves the sport. Any club manager will admit the greatest player alive is Messi and so will most players. Messi is our generation’s Pele or Maradona with the exception that no one will reach the levels of excellence and goal scoring that Lionel has.
But one thing holds him back from being cemented as the best. One trophy. The World Cup. Sadly, the bookies like sboth don’t think Messi will be getting his hands on this prestigious trophy anytime soon. Making his first appearance in 2006 he was too young to be considered a starter regardless of his genius and in 2010 he was accompanied by an Argentine team not strong enough to challenge the dominant teams, not to mention being managed by the eccentric Diego Maradona. Messi was and still is criticized for not winning the cup. However he hadn’t reached his peak age. His maturity had not been at the adequate level yet and Messi knew all of this. His dip in performance came this past season after injuring his thigh. It was this injury that made Lionel Messi realize that he needed to take care of himself for the World Cup, it was a realization of now or never. He played conservatively for Barcelona and scored just 41 goals when he was expected to score 70 or more.
2014 is the year Lionel Messi needs to win the World Cup; not for just for Messi or Argentina. He needs to win for the people who love the sport. He needs to win because you and I and everyone else who loves to cheer for goals, no matter who the team is, would be witnessing the greatest moment in the history of soccer. We would see the greatest player to ever live cement his place and status as the greatest. If you truly love the sport you can put you national bias aside in hopes of witnessing one the most important moments of sports history.