Lionel Messi may have evolved from being a
master musician to a magical composer, but the world awaits his greatest
orchestra as eagerly as the maestro himself. He has gone from being a
lethal striker to a masterful playmaker, added a nuanced understanding of the
passage of play and the real estate around his feet. But for all his
wizardry in Argentine colours, the trophy cupboard is still bare
despite appearances at six major tournaments.
Sunday's Copa America final at the Metlife Stadium in
East Rutherford will be strike three for the Argentine genius, who is
eager to embellish his stamp of greatness with a cup victory for
Argentina. The excruciating pain of the 2014 World Cup loss to
Germany and the Copa defeat to Chile last year left Messi
stained by the scars of defeat. He wants to heal those wounds with an
emphatic victory over Chile. However, at 29, he is running out of
time.
Messi
hasn't lacked in accomplishments — five Fifa Ballons d'Or, including four
in a row, becoming the first player to win three European Golden Shoes —
attest to a sustained spell of magic over the game. Eight La
Liga titles and four triumphant Champions League campaigns fueled largely by
the twinkling magic of Messi's dancing feet substantiate his influence not
just in Spain but all over Europe
And yet, critics call out the one glaring hole in his resume to delay his
consecration to the misty heights of football greatness. But for that one
single vacuum, Messi's acknowledgment has been universal.
"Messi is the best," praised an exasperated Jurgen Klopp, one of
the most highly rated managers in the world of football. "There must
be life out there somewhere, on some other planet. Because he is too good
and we are just too bad for him."
"Messi is the best player ever," Adriano Galliani, the chief
executive of Italian giants AC Milan, gushed. "And this is said by
someone who has seen Maradona and Pele play."
The best compliments are often those that are received from your
contemporaries. "It is clear that Messi is on a level above all
others. Those who do not see that are blind," said Xavi, who has
plenty of football with the Argentine legend.
Messi's greatness, however, stretches far beyond goals, though most of which
have been mesmerising. For Barcelona, he's scored 481 goals, while for
Argentina, he's netted 55; both figures that will be hard to emulate. But
it is his growth and evolution into an unparalleled playmaker that sets him
aside from the greatest players to have played the beautiful game.
Messi's enormous presence irrespective of whether he plays right, centre or
as a false nine have showcased his vision, creativity and unmatched genius
time after time. The physics of his game are a compelling sight both in
design and execution. At just 170-cm, Messi enjoys a low centre of gravity
and makes the most of it. He has used his short stature to dance his
way around perplexed defenders — racing through them with sheer pace
or tricking them into submission through his creative wizardry.
One of those many magical moments came in the 2015 Champions League
semi-final against Bayern Munich. Messi's dribbling nuance forced Jerome
Boateng down to his knee, before the Argentine maestro chipped the ball
past a stunned Manuel Neuer into the net. It is an aesthetic piece of art
that shall remain etched into the grand theatre of Champions
League folklore. It was a night in which Messi scored two goals, separated
by just three minutes, before he assisted with a third goal to throttle
their alarming opponents from Munich.
Even in this specially crafted Copa America Centenario, a one-off event to
celebrate the rich heritage of the competition, Messi has provided us some
typically mesmerising moments. A curling free kick against the United
States that left an entire field numb and astounded; the brilliantly devised
overtake to Gonzalo Higuain in front of a nearly open goal
was characteristic.
Messi does genius like we drive a car to work through messy Indian
traffic. An international trophy is within striking distance, so Messi and
company will still need to keep their heads together for one more match
before they can start exulting about a almost perfect tournament.
Eduardo Vargas, the leading scorer in this Copa Centenario with six goals,
Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal will be hungry to avenge the only loss of
this tournament, the 1-2 defeat to Argentina in their first
match. Argentina will be eager to avenge their defeat in the finals last
year, 1-4 on penalties. Javier Mascherano and Higuain will need to step it
up on Sunday to make up for the likely absence of Ezequiel Lavezzi (left
elbow), Augusto Fernandez and Angel di Maria (abductor) and play the perfect
accomplices to Messi's heroics in arrange to deliver a 15 th Copa to La
Albiceleste.
If the men in white and cobalt win on Sunday, it will end a 23-year title
drought. Most importantly though, the team will have decorated their
captain with that final dose of greatness needed to catapult his legend to
the top of the pantheon of football greatness.