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Messi or Maradona? One more game may decide

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Argentine still needs trophy to best iconic predecessor.

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Free Malaysia Today

He says it’s the trophy, but what he really wants is the love.

Lionel Messi still needs the World Cup to finally bridge the narrowing gap between him and his late idol, Diego Maradona.

And only then will he be truly embraced as an equal of the late deity in eyes of Argentinians.

One more step. One more rung of the celestial ladder. So close now, he can taste it.

A win over France or Morocco on Sunday will do it.

It would also clinch a few more votes for the mythical GOAT (Greatest of All Time) award.

Many think he deserves it already – a view gathering support with each passing masterclass in this World Cup.

In the win over Croatia, his piece de resistance was an assist for the ages for the third and clinching goal.

The masked and formidable Josko Gvardiol is 15 years his junior and the best defender of the tournament.

The big boys are jostling for his signature, but the mask slipped as Messi turned the Croatian inside out before putting it on a plate for Julian Alvarez.

Gvardiol’s fee took a hit as a result, but Messi’s stock has never been higher.

He’s not as ‘otherworldly’ as he was, but the maturity of his game and marshalling of his his mostly average troops is adding another layer to his legend.

While in Qatar, he would have read the eulogies for the ailing Pele, and noted the demise of Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Maradona remains alone on his lofty perch in Argentina.

For Messi, the adoration of his countrymen has been a long time coming.

To the rest of us, he surpassed the achievements of Maradona long ago.

He has lasted much longer, scored many more goals, won far more trophies and behaved much better.

Indeed, the stats are overwhelmingly in his favour.

When Messi recently reached 1,000 appearances, comparisons were drawn: Maradona made only 411 in which he scored 182 goals to Messi’s 795.

In assists, Messi had 386 to Maradona’s 182, and 35 trophies to 11.

When it comes to the Ballon d’Or, it’s not even a contest: Messi 7, Maradona 0.

And yet… There are those who still give the nod to the legend who died two years ago.

It says something for the indelible impact he made.

One argument is that Maradona had it a lot tougher than Messi, who, they claim, has had an easy ride.

Maradona did not always play in the best teams; the tackling was tougher and the referees let a lot go.

He was almost crippled for life by Andoni Goikoetxea, the infamous Butcher of Bilbao.

Pitches were often quagmires, crowds more hostile.

The implication is that anyone could score on today’s “billiard tables” with Xavi and Iniesta teeing them up.

It’s true that Messi’s Barcelona was widely considered the best club side of all time at their coruscating peak.

In contrast, both Boca Juniors and Napoli were on the brink of relegation when Maradona single-handedly took them to the title.

Against that, though, are the own goals.

The drug bans, the rows, the cheating, the company he kept, including the notorious Comorra mafia; paternity suits, denials: a lifelong litany of shame.

Own goals? Nah, not in the eyes of his adoring faithful. Love is blind and many love a rogue.

In comparison, Messi suffered from a “goody-two-shoes” image and, in terms of charisma, that 7-0 scoreline would be reversed.

They are chalk and cheese, but both have a thick coating of stardust.

Both are ostensibly No.10s with licence to roam, but they are so, so different.

Even the way they run: although 2cm shorter, Maradona had a majestic stomp whereas Messi scurries, ferrets out space but can shift when required.

The different perception of the two stemmed from Messi’s estrangement from Argentina at the age of 12 to join Barcelona.

The Spanish club agreed to pay for his growth hormone treatment that no Argentine club could afford.

Messi grew healthy and graduated from Barca’s famed La Masia academy unseen in his homeland.

In contrast, Maradona was a highly visible one of their own.

His ‘academy’ was the barrio and so prodigious were his talents, he was turning heads as a tot and a household name by his teens.

He took the game by storm and had seven years terrorising the Argentine league before he left for Europe – Barcelona, as it happened.

What sealed his immortality for Argentinians were his two goals against England in the 1986 World Cup.

The ‘Hand of God’ was celebrated every bit as much as the divine slalom that followed it: it was seen as revenge for defeat in the Falklands War.

By contrast, Messi, despite setting the world alight for Barcelona, made a slow start to his international career.

Many saw him as a stranger who had deserted his country while repeated failures to shine in the blue and white stripes prolonged the sense of detachment.

It also bothered Messi who had refused an offer to represent Spain to stay loyal to Argentina.

But he didn’t help himself, being a quiet, shy shadow of his talismanic predecessor.

Former Argentina goalkeeper Roberto “El Pato” Abbondonzieri was moved to observe: “Messi can never be captain of the national team because he never talks to anyone.”

His woes in the national jersey came to a head when Chile beat them on penalties in the Copa America in 2016.

Messi missed one in the shootout and was devastated.

In tears, he quit playing for his country, saying: “This is the end for me with the national team, it’s not for me.”

But he soon changed his mind and, in recent years, assumed the captaincy, found his voice and has finally delivered his club form for his country.

As the fans at long last warmed to him, he began to dream once again of that elusive World Cup winners’ medal.

He knows that’s the ticket he still needs to get the same undying adoration in his homeland as Maradona.

 

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.

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