By S. Obeyesekere
Argentine Lionel Messi has won worldwide acclaim as the all-time greatest soccer superstar surpassing the legendary Pele not only for the number of goals he has scored, but for extraordinary multiple magical all-round flair of ball handling, speed and dictating play to his opponents to dribbling the ball to floating through whatever wall of defence to striking goal.
If compatriot the late wizardry Argentina captain Diego Maradona widely regarded as one if the greatest players in history, surpassed all boundaries to kicking Argentina to its maiden world cup in 1986 by as mercurial agility to dictating the game to opponents to scissoring his way to some breathtaking goals like his stand out header and famous world cup winning Hand of God goal against England, Lionel Messi has since then stood up for Argentina as the new soccer King after the great Maradona. In the Maradona-Messi equation though, it is questionable why the great’s name is left out blandly by scribes in virtually making out that there is no other than Messi which is a denial of the legendary wizard with the ball heightened by his magical ball handling skills in breaching defences with one id his greatest skills being a master of headers such as his famous hand of God Goal against England in 1986, When touching on the Messi value output, particularly what Maradona did for Argentina and his living greatness though the soccer genius named by FIFA as the Player of the 20th century, cannot be blacked out as we unfortunately witness largely by the media.
Contrastingly to Maradona delivering for Argentina during his early hey day prime, their next world cup came after an unbearable over three decade struggle in 2024 with Messi finally achieving the biggest dream feat in his life after several failed previous attempts.
Of course, when the Goat at long last finally kissed that ultimate perfection to greatness, he did so in the inimitable style of the stylist he had planted his name on the world soccer hemisphere mainly in an hitherto overseas club career heightened by his exploits with his club Barcelona. The world cup champagne overflowing flowering of his career was the ultimate realization of ultimate soccer bliss to Messi literally touching the moon. Such was the moment to be savoured of a greatness that had like a darting magnet kept eluding him. It is to Messi’s credit that undaunted and unflinching confidence of the world cup stayed with Messi in that running blank period he was to overcome with the gift of an extraordinary talent destined for cup glory.
TRANSFORMED
When he did achieve world cup glory at long last of it was to further transform Lionel Messi’s career with that heavy burden made light in a tremendous acceleration o²f his extraordinary skills in a demonstration of a perfectionist a master in the art of ball control and the dexterity of goal scoring of what has set him out as an impeccable stylist. It is this hallmark of style in his play that he has coupled with skill that has set him apart in a harmonizing blend of a perfectionist that has set him in the highest planet of an all-time great.
LIKE A MIGHTY OCEAN
Indeed, with passing time Lionel Messi has ascended like a mighty ocean to winning undisputed world acclaim as the modern age all-time great an overwhelming virtue of a precise finisher coupling style of play characterized by exceptional dribbling skills, close ball control and quick acceleration while holding onto the ball effectively at high speeds in dictating the tempo of the game usng both the inside and outside of his foot changing direction and maintaining control of the ball snd the game.