God Save The King30/5/2018 “There he is again, there he is again, that’s astonishing, that’s absolutely world class!” ~Martin Tyler What is the mark of a truly great story? Action? Suspense? Love? Behind every great story, there is an underlying emotional foundation. Because in order for something to truly become memorable, it is essential for it to emotionally connect with the audience. The best works of literature or theatre, throughout history, have been recognised as the ones that capture the hearts of the audience. These works are the ones that always seem to surpass any preconceived notions or expectations that precede their reputation, and deliver an element of surprise and joy to the audience. This story is about a little boy from Rosario, Argentina, who made the impossible come true. This story is about a man who revolutionised an entire sport, setting unprecedented records. This story is about the saviour of Barcelona. This story is about Lionel Messi. “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” ~William Shakespeare What makes Messi great? The casual fan would point to his accolades – his 5 Ballon d’Ors, his 4 Golden Boots, his countless man of the match awards, and his knack of scoring goals. The more avid fan would present some further statistics, including his 91 goal year, his freekick abilities, and his dribbling heroics. Conversely, his detractors would point towards his failure of winning an international trophy with Argentina, despite reaching three consecutive finals. Some others would point towards Ronaldo’s Champions League performances, or to Péle’s seemingly unsurmountable goal tally back in the 70s. While all of these are valid points and criticisms, each and every one of them fail to capture the essence of Messi. Simply put, Lionel Messi is the greatest ever to play the game. Not because of his trophies, or goals, or dribbles, but because of how he makes the viewers feel. Lionel Messi’s greatness emanates from love. From his love for the fans, for club and country, for the city of Barcelona. But most importantly, from his love for the beautiful game. Numerous times this season, Messi netted a hattrick. For any other player in the world, a hattrick would be a huge achievement. For Lionel Messi, it’s another warm Saturday evening in Barcelona. 100,000 culés gathered in the coliseum that is Camp Nou. Millions of people from every corner of the world, glued to their television screens. Amongst them, a young man stayed awake at 2AM, thousands of kilometres away, watching him twisting and turning, twirling past defenders. Almost as if he were gliding; hovering above the ground. His movement seemed effortless, like knife through butter, splitting apart the opposing defence. And me? I sat there, glued to my TV screen, laughing. Yes, laughing. Laughing in disbelief, almost nonchalantly. This should be impossible. This should be expected. This should not be a surprise anymore after seeing over 10 years of him. And yet, it somehow is. The greatness of Messi stems from the fact that we’ve become numb to his greatness. He’s simply too good, even for himself. He has set the bar so high, that when he falls just short of his previous accomplishments, it seems underwhelming. Messi has a certain gravitas never seen before in any football player. This was visible in full effect against Chelsea. After snatching a draw at Stamford Bridge with a late Messi equalizer (coincidentally also his first goal against Chelsea in nine appearances), there was a tough task ahead of the Blaugrana at Camp Nou. As the teams walked onto the pitch, the Camp Nou speakers began playing the Champions League theme. It almost seemed poetic as the Blaugrana crowd began to unfurl a giant banner, declaring “God Save The King” with the now legendary picture of Messi hovering above the crowd after the PSG comeback last year. If Messi is the King, Camp Nou is his fortress, Barcelona his kingdom. If Messi is God, Camp Nou is his shrine, Barcelona his religion. Once again, he was Barcelona’s messiah, its saviour, guiding its people further towards its quest of winning the Champions League again. There is no way he should have been able to score his first goal. Almost standing parallel to the goal, striking with his weak foot. The ball seemed to defy physical constraints, somehow slipping through the feet of Courtois. There is certainly no way he should have been able to assist the second goal to Dembele, who finally broke into Barcelona’s history by putting his name on the scoresheet. And yet, Messi did it. The defenders seemed helpless. The ball at his feet seemed to create a black hole, attracting 5 or 6 defenders to it at once. Yet somehow, they could never take it off him. Watching Messi play is like watching a kindergarten football game. It is visible in his sheer superiority to others. There is always one special child who seems to be a clear level above the rest. It is visible in his attitude, whenever his team scores. There is something about his smile and enthusiasm, that oozes a child-like joy and happiness that indicates his love of the game. It is visible in his play, constantly looking for the ball, constantly wanting it, constantly needing it, with a childish impatience. Messi’s unparalleled ability was in full force against Sevilla. Barca were 2 goals down when Messi hobbled onto the pitch, half injured. His movements were slow. He was gasping for breath. He was tired. The clock ticked down into the dying minutes. Then, as he had seemingly done hundreds of times before, Messi struck. Delivering an inch-perfect ball from a corner, Messi cut Sevilla’s lead by half. 50 seconds later, he found the ball coming back towards him. Ahead, 15 players crowded around Sevilla’s box. It was impossible, there way no space for him to shoot from a distance. The ball would be deflected off along the way. So, what does he do? Naturally, he shoots. Naturally, he scores. It was almost effortless. Perhaps it was best summed up by his former coach. A Barca legend himself, both as a player and as a manager, and currently in charge of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola. “Don’t write about him. Don’t try to describe him. Just watch him.” Simply put, words are wasted trying to describe him. His game is almost poetic, like the Greek myths of old. An epic, akin to Homer’s Iliad or The Odyssey, full of drama, full of twists and turns. As he approaches the final chapter of his career, and his last shot at winning the World Cup, he looks to end the pursuit of that evasive international trophy with his country. For some, Messi will never hold the title of being the greatest football player, not until he wins it all for his homeland. For others, he already is. Regardless, this story, about a little boy from Rosario, has been remarkable – full of action, suspense, and emotion. He’s been through the devastating heartbreaks of losing three finals in a row. He’s been through the frustration of seeing his rivals win three Champions Leagues in a row. He’s been through the harsh criticism and abuse of his countrymen. He’s been bruised, battered, and broken, both physically and emotionally. He’s ready. Greatness has been thrust upon him, by his club, his teammates, his country. He’s ready to live up to the greatness of past generations that put Argentina on the top of the world. Ready to put on one final, grand show, in hopes of guiding his country to the ultimate glory. Showcasing his artistry, his flair, his genius, his magic. One last time. In the immortal words of Shakespeare, “all the world’s a stage”. And in this moment, everyone is watching the next move of the little maestro. Millions of fans across the world pray for his success, for a last hurrah. “God Save The King,” they say. For others, he is “D10S” – the God – himself. They pray to him for one more miracle. “What we’re seeing here is absolutely Shakespearean, but Shakespeare got it wrong; it wasn’t King Lear, it’s King Leo” ~Ray Hudson
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June 2018
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