A few weeks ago, Lionel Messi was unanimously considered the best soccer player on the planet and one of the best of all time. Since then, the young Argentine wizard has been in the form of his life (which, by his own incredibly high standards is unimaginable). He is now in a league of his own and the argument as to who is better between Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi is now history as ancient as Julius Caesar’s reign. He recently scored four goals in 5-1 home win for Barcelona against Valencia. He scored three in a 3-1 win for Argentina in a recent friendly against Switzerland. In a difficult away game at Atletico Madrid, Messi scored a magical free kick unlike any I’ve ever seen. The way he curved the ball into the top right corner from a difficult angle was superhuman. In a recent Champions League game, Barcelona played Bayer Leverkusen. The Catalan giants won the game 7-1 and Messi scored five wonderful goals, setting a new record in UEFA Champions League history. Just a few days later, he scored two goals in 2-0 win against Racing Santander. Each time the Argentine wizard steps onto a soccer pitch, he manages to do more and more incredible things with a soccer ball, surpassing (if that is possible) what he previously achieved. Not only does he virtually score at will, his dribbling, passing and link up play is enchanting. His brilliance transcends mere words.
Messi’s origins are truly inspirational. Born into a poor family in the Santa Fe Province of Argentina, Messi’s father was a steel worker and his mother a part-time cleaner. As a child, Messi lived and breathed soccer. According to an interview with the Guardian, he would always play in the house and break household items, which would anger his mother. He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 11. Barcelona agreed to pay for his medical bills only if he would move to Spain to enroll in their youth academy. Soon after, Messi and his father were on a flight to Spain. Little did Messi’s father know that his son would one day be one of the greatest soccer players in history and a truly honorable role model.
Lionel Messi shot up through the Barcelona youth ranks and soon became the youngest player in Barcelona’s history to score a league goal. If Leo Messi keeps improving the way he has been doing, he will no doubt be the game’s greatest player ever.
The Argentine legend also does his best off the pitch. His philanthropy is inspiring. In 2007, he established the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity that supports education and health care for vulnerable children across the world. Messi is also a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. The look on his face when he scored Barcelona’s second goal in the 2011 Champions League Final against Manchester United tells a tale of a man who tries 100 percent every time he steps on a pitch. His contributions to the world will certainly never be forgotten
