FIFA World Cup 2014 - Lionel Messi singlehandedly carrying Argentina towards World Cup glory
When the 20th edition of the FIFA World Cup came up , most people were interested in seeing how the best player in the world , one Lionel Messi , would fare in front of the most hostile crowd he would ever step in front of. For an Argentinian to play football (or any other sport for that matter) in front of a Brazilian crowd is like an Indian playing cricket (or any other sport) in front of a Pakistani crowd; basically meaning less praise, more expletives .
Adding to the fact is the never ending comparison with perhaps the most loved son of Argentina, Diego Maradona and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, as that doesn’t do good for any player, even if the person is a 4 time recipient of the Ballon d'Or . Plus the fact that he was coming out off perhaps his worst season in the last 5 years even compounded the matter for the worse.
Doubts were raised by even some of the most loyal Albiceleste fans, so much so that the man, in an interview, stated that it doesn’t matter which shirt he dons, he gives all for his team .The stage was set .
In the last 2 FIFA World Cups that he featured in, he just managed a single goal, and surely that would have been ringing in his thoughts when he took to the field in the first outing of Argentina’s 2014 World Cup campaign against a stern Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 3rd minute, he curled in a free kick that a Bosnian defender ended up putting into his own net but the great man was yet to score.
Finally in the 65th minute the moment the world was waiting for finally came about, with one of his trademark runs and a wonderful 1-2 exchange, Leo Messi was on his way. In the next group stage match against Iran , the opposition coach Carlos Queiroz parked the bus in his penalty area, similar to the strategy used by Chelsea to stop him from scoring against them a couple of seasons earlier.
With no room whatsoever to move around in the opposition box, it looked like the move paid off until a minute into additional time of the 2nd half , Messi picked up the ball from outside the box and cut across the Iranian pillar like defence and let loose a ball from the edge of the area, curling into the left corner. 2 in 2 for the little big man.
The final Group match came about against a high flying Nigeria. 4 minutes is that all it took for the 3rd goal from Messi, but the Leo Messi we all know and love to love isn’t just about scoring goals but creating memories along with them. In the presence of more than 50,000 fans,1 of them including the opposition goalkeeper, Messi curled in a free kick, which was a good shot, perhaps the best in the entire tournament, that left everyone dumbfounded. La Pulga had finally arrived to the grandest stage of them all .
Last night, in their pre-Quarter Final clash, the Swiss , had intended to knock him off , positioning as many as 4 defenders around him in a bid to stop him from scoring and leaving a mark on the game. Though Hitzfeld and his men were successful in the earlier task but it seems that no one, either team nor individual, neither coach nor player, could stop him from the latter achievement .
With 118 minutes on the board and still surrounded by 4 Swiss Army Men (pun intended), the ball at his feet and the goal in his sight, Messi did what he does best, create a memory. He chose to pass the ball, the word “pass” being an understatement, to an open Angel Di Maria, who did the rest. Di Maria had stated in an interview that he was lucky that Messi was Argentinian and he could share the field with him. You are wrong Mr.Di Maria, Lionel Andrés Messi maybe carrying the hopes of an entire nation but he surely belongs to the entire world .