FIFA World Cup 2014: Lionel Messi's passage into the pantheon?
Messi could be bracketed with Pele and Maradona
He has won everything there is to win, with his club Barcelona. He is their greatest goal scorer of all time. But one criticism of Lionel Messi has been that he has never performed well enough for the Argentine national team.
But one thing could change that all. One performance. One title. If Messi can lead Argentina to glory, then he will definitely be talked about in the same bracket as Pele and Diego Maradona.
Messi started off this World Cup with absolutely brilliant performances in the Group stage. He started off with a brilliant goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina after he had jinked past three or four defenders. Then, came the spectacular injury time winner against Iran, and the brace against Nigeria. One just got the feeling that this would be remembered as the Lionel Messi World Cup.
Messi’s form has waned in the knock out stages
But his form has waned as Argentina progressed into the knockouts. Messi has been kept quiet by all of Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Perhaps, it is fatigue kicking in after a long season. Perhaps, it is just that teams are being cautious and not leaving him with enough space.
Against the Swiss, he was against a team intent on asserting their physical presence against him. Belgium are among the best defensive units in world football. And in the semifinal against the Dutch, he came up against an inspired Ron Vlaar, who made several perfectly-timed sliding challenges against him.
Pele and Maradona were critical to their respective team’s World Cup successes. If Argentina do win this one, Messi will once again have to be their main man, as they look to derail the well-oiled German machine.
Many already recognise Messi as the best ever, better than Pele and Maradona, but as Messi has never won a World Cup like them, there will always be an easy argument for his critics.
By lifting the World Cup tonight, Messi would, with a single strike, silence this argument. He would be hailed as the greatest ever without any grudges. If Messi does lift that one elusive title tonight, there can be no arguments against him being called the greatest ever player to have played the Beautiful Game. Instead, it would lead us to focussing on the weaknesses of Pele and Maradona.
Do Pele and Maradona’s club achievements surpass Messi’s?
Pele never came out of the Americas, where, with all due respect to those leagues, the level football is nowhere near the the European leagues. Maradona played in Europe, but played only six games in the European Cup, and never won that tournament. Now, compare that with Messi, who has won the Champions League thrice, scoring in the two finals that he has played in. Messi has an astounding overall record of scoring 69 matches in 89 Champions League games.
But, there will always be that argument about different eras, and how players who played so far apart could never be compared. But then, one common yardstick for comparison would be the player’s performance at the international level.
While Messi has not had the greatest time in the blue and white of Argentina, there is one simple truth which cannot be denied. Argentina have made it this far at this tournament, thanks to Messi.
Be it the 4 goals in the group stages, or that decisive assist for Angel Di Maria in the Round of 16, Messi’s mere presence has been pivotal for Argentina.
Despite Germans’s pedigree – which was demonstrated loud and clear in their rampaging 7-1 win over Brazil, the conditions for Messi to shine could not be more favourable. The World Cup is being held in South America. He is the captain. He is the driving force. He is the creative mind of a team, that has been built around him.
Both of Messi’s previous World Cups have ended against Germany. A penalty shootout defeat in the 2006 quarter-finals was followed by a humbling 4-0 defeat at the same stage four years later.
Messi has time again reiterated that he wants people to remember him for his football, and 354 goals for Barcelona, three Champions League titles and six La Liga crowns have ensured that, there is one decisive step left.
One small step for the Argentine national team, one giant leap for Lionel Messi into sporting immortality.