The Beautyof Messi
It was my wife, not a football fan, with me on the night, who summed it all up. “Messi is beautiful.”
Now, that the player is not exactly adonis, still less a narcissist, we all know. He is short and scraggly, long-nosed, walks with a stoop, and has a tendency to clear his throat by spitting, or on a bad day, seemingly throwing up. Nor does he set you on fire when he speaks, with his squeeky Rosario accent, far less musical and evocative than that of Buenos Aires.
But at his best, his transformed presence on the pitch defies the limitations of his physique, and exteriorises the hidden potential of his creation, in perfect balance of poise and action. At his best Messi touches and plays the ball and moves around the pitch like no other player I know, with an extraordinary sense of anticipation and resolution, with absolute focus and inventiveness of rhythm and shape.Tactics and strategy mould into one , teams become inspired,matches defined. This happened last night in the Camp Nou.
Messi’s utter control of the game showed is his pace and timing. The entire stadium paused whenever he stopped dead in his tracks to draw opponents to him before swerving and sliding his way through them, leaving them frustrated and with little option than to try and hack him down. He turned Man City’s star players into roughnecks, and turned his team-mates into supportive knights.
This poetry in motion was what made Barca’s second-leg quarter final win over Manchester City at the Camp Nou a particularly memorable occasion. But for the visitors’ heroic goalkeeper Hart, the Man City under impressed, the English champions outclassed by a Barca that was galvanised by the brilliance of their little big man.
For Barca’s other players, this was a night of failed opportunities with Jordi Alba, Neymar, and Suarez too easily thwarted in the strikes at goal. Messi failed to hit target with his free-kicks-but this pailed with insignificance compared to his overall performance,for each Barca attack-and there were many-had Messi involved in its conception. It was not just his assists at goal, but the sheer havoc provoked in Man Ciy’s mid field and defence, whenever he ran with the ball, creating space and endless opportunities for other attacking options . For Messi’s nobility lies in his selflessness.
‘Messi, Mesi, Messi, Messi, ‘ a packed Camp Nou chanted repeatedly through the game. It was that kind of night. Beautiful indeed.
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