At the risk of sounding like a football Twitter account, we’ll start by stating emphatically that Lionel Messi has won a FIFA World Cup.
It took him five tries, but he finally got his hands on the trophy he desired the most in his career. And now, a long and tiring debate in the media and on social networks has been given a new direction thanks to the outcome of the game played on Sunday, December 18, 2022 in Lusail Iconic Stadium, Qatar.
Also, with that victory, he is only one title away from becoming the most decorated football player in history.
At this point, you could question the idea behind this article, seeing as everything points to one acronym: GOAT.
However, there is some context to be explored in this conversation and that is what we will do in this article.
Messi over the years
“The little boy from Rosario” made his way to Europe from the South American nation of Argentina as a 13-year-old, thanks to FC Barcelona, who were the only team willing to help him develop as healthily as an adolescent should.
The Spanish club invested in the lad who they signed from Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario, Argentina, and he paid them back by growing into one of the best players they had ever had the privilege of forming at the famous La Masia academy.
At 17, he made his first team debut and immediately made an impact. Everyone who watched him had great things to say about him. And soon, Argentina called him up to the first team, where he wasted no time in sealing a permanent spot.
Two decades later, at 35, Lionel Messi is a veteran with multiple personal accolades for his exploits in the Blaugrana of Barcelona and the Albiceleste of Argentina.
Most goals for Argentina and Barcelona. Most goals in South American international football and La Liga. Most appearances for Barcelona and Argentina. Every record book or list you check for both teams, Lionel Messi’s name is on the first page, at the very top, written in gold.
Now with Paris Saint-Germain in the twilight of his career, he has gone and done the impossible by winning the World Cup as a PSG player.
The GOAT debate
For many, none of these matter in the grand scheme of things, impressive though they may seem.
Not the goals, not the trophies, not the multitude of records, not even the way he has the heart of hundreds of millions of people who love and follow the beautiful game.
For those in this category, Messi has not done anything new and the ones he has done, he didn’t do them better than those who had done it before him. And for a subset within this category, his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, is a step ahead of him.
When Messi started getting GOAT shouts, his career was compared to the likes of Pele and Maradona, two era-defining players who changed the way the world viewed the sport. His goal-scoring prowess was compared to the likes of Pele, Josef Bican and Ferenc Puskas. His playmaking abilities were compared to some of the best, past and present.
And while many chose to give the man his flowers, some are giving those flowers to others. A decision made out of personal preference and sentiment for most part.
It is quite easy to rub salt in the wounds of people in this category by just providing the list of records that Messi CREATED in Qatar 2022.
● Oldest and youngest player to score and assist in a World Cup game
● Most goal involvement in the World Cup
● First and only man to assist in five tournaments
● Most appearances in the World Cup
● First and only man to win two World Cup player of the tournament awards (Adidas Golden Ball)
● Most appearances as a team captain at the tournament
● Joint most assists in the World Cup knockouts
● Most World Cup man of the match awards in history (11)
But there are many who will, after seeing all of these records, stand their ground regardless and keep on arguing, logically and sentimentally, about their choices in this debate.
What does this say?
It simply says that choosing a GOAT for football is as impossible as recreating the career that Messi himself has had thanks to a lot of variables.
However, the fact of the matter is that, with the outcome of Qatar 2022, “the little boy from Rosario” has solidified his position to be the GOAT if a winner is ever unanimously decided upon in the near or far future.
Answering the question: What is Messi’s legacy?
When he does retire, what will he leave behind?
Aside from the goals, assists, trophies and personal awards, as well as a solid case for being the GOAT of the sport which have been discussed in earlier sections of this piece, Messi will be leaving a huge obstacle behind for the upcoming generation.
Let’s explain.
Argentina battled France for the 2022 FIFA World Cup title in Qatar. PSG teammates Messi and Kylian Mbappe completed in a match that was the ultimate representation of passing the torch on to the new generation.
At some point, Mbappe, the bastion of the new generation, looked to be close to yanking the crown off Messi’s head. His hat-trick happened to be the best performance of any player in the final of a World Cup since 1966. But Messi showed experience in other areas of the pitch to school the young man.
Now, Mbappe can hold his head high after the tournament he had. In fact, he dispatched Messi and co in the previous tournament on his way to being the youngest World Cup winner since Pele. But after facing a much more experienced Messi, the lad will have come to terms with how much work he has to do to achieve his dream of becoming the best.
Imagine what others who are not as talented as Messi – or Mbappe – must feel like.
Lionel Messi has set a bar so high that football is likely to become a boring sport when he hangs up his boots. And more than his achievements in the game, this is his true legacy.
He is a freak of nature whose talent has made the game a little toxic to handle.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
