Messi -- The Name Is Enough - II

Rajendra Kshetri *

Now that he has won the elusive Holy Grail of football, is Messi the greatest player to have ever played on a football pitch ? He has won/achieved every trophy/title/award there is to win.

Winner of 7 Ballon d'Ors, Fifa World Player of the Year (2009), The Best FIFA Men's Player (2019), 6 European Golden Shoes, 2 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (2014 and 2022, the only player to win it twice), FIFA World Cup Silver Boot (2022), 2 FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball (2009, 2011), FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Ball (2005), FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Boot (2005), 2 Copa America Best Player (2015, 2021), Copa America Top Goalscorer (2021), 6 La-Liga Best Player, 8 Pichichi Trophy, Laureus World Sportsman of the year (2020), 14 Argentine Footballer of the year; Messi has surpassed any other player, past and present, and set the bar too high for any upcoming player to emulate.

In addition to his individual achievements, Messi at club level has won 10 La Liga titles, 4 UEFA Champions League, 3 Club World Cups during his stay at Barca. After moving to PSG, Messi has won League 1 (2021-22) and Trophee des Champion (2022) till date. At the National level too, Messi has won for his country Argentina FIFA U-20 World Cup (2005), Summer Olympics (2008), Copa America (2021), Finalissima (2022) and the grandest of all Cups/trophies-- the FIFA World Cup (2022).

There has been /are football greats in history-- Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., Zinedine Zidane, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Zico, Platini, Lothar Matheus, Romario, Bebeto, Marco van Basten, Luis Figo, Ferenc Puskas and others who all in their unique styles have made this 'beautiful game' more beautiful and popular. But none of them could come anywhere close to three names/players, 3 super greats-- Pele, Maradona and Messi-- to be considered/named as the Greatest of All Time. The GOAT.

What more could one say/add about Pele (may his soul rest in peace), the Black Pearl. He is the only player in history to have won 3 World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970). Labelled 'the greatest ' by FIFA , Pele is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and was among the most popular sports figures of 20th century. It is not for nothing that his name is synonymous with football.

Maradona became a household name after the 1986 Mexico World Cup. Had he not been there, the Mexico edition would have been just one of the world cups played every four years. With his 2 most famous goals-- 'Hand of God ' goal (one of the most controversial moments in FIFA World Cup history) and 'Goal of the Century ' (most spectacular goal ever seen in history)-- scored against England in the quarterfinal enroute to the final (Argentina beat Germany 3-2 in regulation time) , Maradona rightfully staked his claim to be one of the greatest players of all time.

Mexico World Cup was indeed Maradona's World Cup. A rebel and controversial figure off and on the field, and not afraid to hit out at FIFA many a times, justice was done though when Maradona and Pele were declared as joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century (20th century) in the year 2000. It is no surprise that Maradona is hailed as 'God of football'.

The 21st century heralded a New Avatar of football. An alien, a person from another planet who came down to planet earth to not simply play but show football as an art form. The world has since then witnessed his magical skill, uncanny ability to read the pitch/game, score goals, dribble, assist/pass, create space when there is none, change the course of a game within minutes.

An artist with the ball at his feet, a dazzler, a super fast runner with the ball than without, a prolific scorer, a wonderful playmaker, an incredible free-kick taker, a cool penalty taker, a gifted dribbler, a never-seen- before assister, you name it. He has everything and is everything. Football comes natural to him and he plays in so natural a manner that it looks easy, simple and effortless. Messi (who else) is to football what a duck is to water.

No piece of writing (on Messi, Maradona and Pele, or for that matter Ronaldo) can be complete if the 'goat debate ' is not mentioned/addressed. Who among Pele, Maradona and Messi is the Greatest Player of all time ? The GOAT (by the way, all three are Latino players. Does it say something about the quality/superiority of South American football over the European football?) . The 'goat debate' is purely subjective and everyone will have opinions depending on his/her tastes, likes and feelings. It is a matter of personal opinion/choice. There is no such thing as the Right Answer or the Wrong Answer.

For someone like yours truly, an ardent football fan and enthusiast, who grew up watching Basanta Kabui and Ramkumar way back in the late sixties and early seventies in the CC Meet Tournament (the oldest tournament in North East India) at Imphal Polo Ground (Mapan Kangjeibung) , the privilege to watch Pele play live was beyond reach. Pele played in an era before the advent of television in Manipur.

Barring a couple of video clips and the Hollywood picture 'Escape to Victory' (where Pele was seen in action) , I have not been privileged to watch him play live. It will therefore be outlandish and highly presumptuous on my part to compare Pele with either Maradona or Messi. That being said, it does in no way takes away the greatness of Pele in any manner. The fact is, Pele was, is and will always remain as one of the greatest players in history.

The advent of television transmission in the State in the early eighties (Manipur was brought under the coverage of Doordarshan during the Asian Games 1982) revolutionized people's perception/conception of football. For the first time, people have had the pleasant experience of seeing/watching football Greats on television. Diego Armando Maradona was brought/seen live on the big screen and following his never-seen-before exploits/footballing skills in Mexico 1986 , was /is soon worshipped as ' God of football '.

So was Lionel Andres Messi whose stunning performances at the club (Barca) and National (Argentina) level were/are there for all to see and watch. Messi's skill and technique on the pitch is so incredibly mesmerizing and out of this world that it is difficult to believe that an earthling would/could possess such qualities. It is magical, to say the least.

There is something celestial, some elements of divinity about Messi and his play/game. Watching Messi play at his best is pure poetry. Messi is poetry in motion when he catches, dribbles, assists the ball and scores. How so befitting and poetic Messi is hailed as an 'alien, from another planet’.

For a player to be hailed as the best and /or the greatest in history, scoring goal is not enough. He needs to be involved and excelled in all aspects of the game. Be it score, assist, pass, dribble, control, play making, heading, free-kick, penalty kick. Versatility is what is needed to be the Greatest. And this is where only Maradona and Messi fit the bill as they have all the prerequisite credentials.

Maradona's ability to control the ball and create scoring opportunities for himself and others, enviable and inimitable trickery with the ball at his feet are stuff only legends are made of. Only Messi, of all the greats, past and present, matches Maradona in every aspect of the game.