Small, Agile, Fast, Genius, Otherworldy.
These are just a few of the words used to describe one of the most talented people to ever play the game of soccer. Lionel Messi has become an era-defining player since the start of his career. His mastery of footwork and game-sense are beyond incredible compared to nearly every other soccer player before him.
Today, I’ll be going into what makes Messi such a top tier player in the world of soccer. This will, of course, be a shift from my old passion blogs, which were focused on movies and similar entertainment, but I will be using this semester to shift into a passion blog about the sport of soccer. I’ll be covering different tips and tricks, major players/coaches, major events, and even some cool skill moves related to the sport in my future blogs.
Going back to the topic of Messi, his full name is Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini. Messi was born in Argentina, but at the age of 13, he left for Spain to start his career in the major leagues of soccer with the world-renowned club, FC Barcelona. He was actually rejected from many clubs due to his small size, but FC Barcelona gave him a chance after seeing him play so well.
He sports the iconic number 10 on his blue and red jersey, and has played for the Barcelone for all of his career so far. He’s done incredibly well with them as well by breaking all kinds of records. Six Ballon d’Ors, six European Golden Shoes, 34 major trophies, 174 assists, and over 700 career goals. He’s widely regarding as the best person to ever play the game.
But wait, what’s so special about him that he’s done so great? Well, see for yourself!
Video from YouTube Channel, “MessiMagic”
It’s almost as if the ball is basically glued to his feet when he plays. His pristine simple dribbling and footwork combined with his absurd acceleration and precision with the ball make him an absolute fear for defenders. He’s able to get through a crowd of world-class players with ease and class.
You might think his only weakness might be his size since he’s only 5’7″, but that’s never posed as a serious problem to him. In fact, he actually manages to use that low center-of-gravity to stay on his feet during tackles and pressure from much larger players. His size also makes it much easier to squeeze himself through small gaps too. Most of the time, defenders will have to intentionally foul him as the only way to stop his run to the goal line (and sometimes that doesn’t even work too).
Although, beyond the physical skill of Messi, the true magic comes from his mentality. His game-sense during the play of the ball is entirely out of this world. The passes, paths, and plays that he sees and uses are sometimes completely unexpected. He knows exactly when and where to play the ball. Most opposing coaches even end up assigning 2 or 3 defenders just to him in order to try and shut down his plays.
Overall, from the perspective of everyone, he’s easily one of the best to play the game. In my own opinion, I’d say he’s the greatest yet without a doubt. He’s just so entertaining to watch because you never know what amazing trick he’ll pull out of sleeve next.
If you have any recommendations for future topics for blog posts, let me know in the comments!