Lionel Messi has been regarded as one of the best soccer player in the world alongside legends such as Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cryuff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.
"Messi is the best player in the world by some distance. He's like a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make." —Arsène Wenger commends Messi for his four–goal display against Arsenal in April 2010.
Click here to read more on his climb and rise to the top of his game.
But for a recent photograph of him with tissue in his mouth to stem the flow of blood from a knocked-out tooth and a bruised left eye from an earlier encounter, I would have given him the miss.
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| Image by courtesy of www.dreamteamfc.com |
Click here to watch Messi in action against Real Madrid.
"The ball stays glued to his foot; I've seen great players in my career, but I've never seen anyone with Messi's ball control." -- Diego Maradona
Messi is an inspiration and the following is but a glimpse of what you can glean from him:
1. Be Focus
Messi is very clear of his focus to score goals, whether directly or assisting. He practices hard out of the limelight and keeps himself fit. He is in it to nail his shots at goal. He is hungry for goals and does whatever it takes: dribbles like crazy, does one-two exchanges with his teammates, makes defense-splitting passes, converts penalty kicks, unleashes free kicks that befuddles the goalies, chips/curls/thunders shots using either of his legs with incredible poise, power and accuracy, and would even lunge his body forward to score with his chest, if that gets the job done.
2. Be Courageous
At 1.70m Messi would be regarded as dimunitive and his opposing defenders would often tower over him. That never seemed to bother him. He just take them on one at a time and weaves his way around and through them to get the ball to where he wants it to go. He would keep plodding and explore all available options, including releasing ball to a teammate. He is not intimidated by the challenges and opposition.
3. Be Prepared
You will be aghast at the kind of tackles that come Messi way. Many a time defenders could be seen sliding full flight with both legs trying to clip Messi's legs. There are times when Messi is caught out, but more often than not Messi has already anticipated their advances and would leap to avoid their crunching tackles. It pays to be wary and prepared. Messi is cognizant of the desperation of his opponents to keep a clean score and seemingly do not allow them to get on his nerves. He would just shrug off the tackles and keep playing his game. He will not allow anything to keep him down; he wants to keep playing; he was born for this. Let the dentist fix that missing tooth later.
4. Be Quick
It is definitely not an overstatement that Messi is very fast on his feet. He moves with quick reflexes and explores openings. Once an opening is found, he moves in incisively to advance his game and delivers his strike at goal. There is a hunger which translates into a sense of urgency; he is not a pedestrian but an a powerhouse for producing results that matter to his team. He moves quickly and motivates his teammate as a playmaker.
5. Be Thankful
Throughout his professional career to date, Messi has scored 513 goals according to Wikipedia. Nevertheless, he always honour his grandmother by pointing his fingers to the sky. In his own words, "I am doing this because I dedicate my goals to my grandmother. She took to me to football but now she can't see how far I have come. Nevertheless, she continues to help me and my family." You are not alone. Others have helped you along the way. Be thankful and remember them.
Click here to watch Messi at training.
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