Yet another award that Lionel Ritchie has picked up, and deservedly so. He is the best player in the world (even though some may argue against that), and all the awards (I swear they keep making up new ones) that he is receiving is justification of his incredible individual quality and achievements. But with all this praise, rather than solidify his "greatest ever" status, it will only hamper it in the long run.
We currently now live at a time. where the World Cup is an afterthought. It's now become the person who owns the house where the house party is taking place, but he's actually no longer cool enough to attend his own damn party. Therefore, you have players like Cristiano and Messi touted as the "best ever" since, after all, it's all about the Champions League, which is they say is the "tougher" competition. Even though Messi now has four Champions League crowns, playing a key part in three of them.
At club level and for Barcelona, I can't name any one player who has done more than Messi on a consistent basis. There is a great argument to be had that he is the greatest club football player of all time. His performances in three of the Champions League finals that he has been in is proof of this, as well as how he's been manhandling poor excuses for defenders in La Liga. The boy has done things that we may never ever again see achieved...at club level.Which leads us back to that 1000 pd Elephant in the room?
As much as people would like to ignore the World Cup; it is still the one competition that known globally. A man from the road may not be able to tell you who won the last Champions League, but there's a good chance that he knows who the current World Cup winners are. That is the same with the Olympics, Wimbledon and the Ryder Cup. No matter how much people try, facts are facts. The World Cup is football's premier competition.
So are we just going to simply ignore how Messi has not been as dominant for Argentina as he has for Barcelona? If you are to be called a great, it encompasses all aspects. So perhaps, you could say the closest thing to greatness was in fact Maradona, when you look at what he did for for both Napoli and Argentina. Those were two different teams, two very different competitions and so required Diego to adjust himself accordingly. That is a far greater achievement than letting the question continue to linger as to why you are so good in one scenario, but can't get it done in another one.
We need to be fair and objective here, and stop coming up with excuses as to why Messi hasn't done it with Argentina, when in fact this is the most talented Argentine football team of all time. I am pretty sure the thugs that Maradona played with in 1986 were not as talented as this current Argentine team who have some of the best individuals out there.
The more of these awards that they give to Messi, the less hunger he will have to win a World Cup, let alone a Copa America for Argentina. The world has already told him he's the greatest, so there is no need to push himself to win something for Argentina. To win something like the World Cup which is the most difficult football competition, despite what anyone tells you, requires not only talent but also the will and desire. Without both the physical and mental, you are simply not winning a World Cup.
Alas, my preaching shall continue to fall on deaf ears. Ignorance is bliss as they say. People don't ever want to look at the bigger picture, because all that matters is living in a time where people can say they lived during a time of the greatest ever player. Even if there is truth to what I say when you knuckle right down to it, nobody wants to know. I'm that annoying itch that you don't want to scratch, but eventually, after much resistance, you will end up having to tend to it.
HH
