The diversity of a real “10”
Two months ago, I had a very pleasant visit from my Argentinean friend Nicolas and his exquisite girlfriend Myriam. For Nico, it wasn’t the first time that he had been to Greece but the girl hasn’t ever been here so we had to pay a visit to the Acropolis, the miracle which embellishes the city of Athens. The guys had to remain strict concerning their spending so when we reached the Acropolis we decided that the girl would go to see the Parthenon on her own and that we would wait for her outside and enjoy the view for a while.
I and Nico like to talk about two things: life and the relationships that somehow define it and football. We both believe that football is something more than commerce, money and fancy colored boots. So, as we were talking about the pressure that most of us people experience regarding our behavior in our social lives, Nico came up with an explanation of why most of the Argentineans have this great passion for Diego Armando Maradona, “el Pibe de Oro”, as many are used to calling him.
“Diego was a storm”, he said to me and I immediately replied “Messi is a storm too”. “No, no, Diego wasn’t like Messi”, he insisted. For Nico and for many other Albiceleste fans Maradona was something different. He explained to me that whenever Diego had the ball you could notice his fury, his inexplicable imagination and his passion for the sport. “Every time he had the ball, you thought that he was able to pass by everyone and score like he did in the Goal of the Century against England in 1986”, he said and looked moved recalling the only World Cup that Argentina managed to win.
But for Argentineans, Maradona is not only a football god but also a revolutionist who expresses a way of living that not all of us can have. Of course I’m not talking about his self-destructing tendency at certain periods in his life. This is about his courage to say things directly, to be always straightforward, most of the times without considering the consequences. The unlimited sources of courage and bravery that he was showing on the pitch were enough for him to express himself the way he liked and this is something that even now he can’t avoid. Is there anybody that has forgotten his memorable quotes during a press conference after Argentina’s qualification for the World Cup of 2010? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgOXc7CZxWk)
“Maradona made his blood boil, inside or outside the pitch, that’s what distinguishes him from Messi or any other Argentinean player”, my friend Nico continued. I could understand by the way he was speaking his fascination about the captain’s spirit and guts. The currently unemployed manager and once the greatest footballer of the world managed to turn into the absolute idol that a lot of Argentinean people needed. His spontaneity and defiance of criticism are the characteristics that everybody can somehow embrace, only by following the greatest number 10 of the century.
And then, it was my turn to talk about our superstar. Oh, wait! Is he really a superstar like Diego? Well, I will try to explain it. Messi is the kind of footballer that every opponent is afraid of. I strongly believe that. When Xavi, Iniesta or his Argentinean selection “compañeros” kindly pass him the ball, I always expect a moment of magic. “La Pulga” as he’s called in Spain, is a unique case of footballer and the powerful, ultra-dynamic style of football nowadays adds more value to his admirable accomplishments.
So far, I think I haven’t told anything different or strange about the world’s best footballer currently. Everyone who follows him and the most powerful team of the last decade (minimum) can acknowledge his potential. But when it comes to his personality, it seems that the FC Barcelona striker is more Lionel than Messi. I’ve been trying to observe the player’s reactions both inside and outside the pitch and what I’ve noticed so far is that he is far dissimilar to Diego. Firstly, you have to try hard in order to see him protesting, shouting or fighting with the opponents. He just seems so motivated and concentrated to what he likes the most and nothing else seems to bother him during a match. Ok, I bet that someone would make a reference to the Copa del Rey’s first leg El Clásico, but I think that this was a rare occurrence for him.
I tried to describe to my friend that another important reason that Messi is so esteemed by me and other football fans not only here in Greece but in the whole world is his modesty. “You’re right, this man could have everything and could also make himself the greatest media personality of all times”, said my Argentinean friend. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to say here. The kid that was raised mainly in the Masia academies of the Catalonian club is a real phenomenon and could easily adopt a really high media profile like Maradona or even Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. I’m not saying that Messi does not appear at all to the media but I think that this thing could be far bigger and radiant.
People like this style. Many of us admire a man that despite all the fame and the buzz around his name, he keeps on saying “no” to over-publicity and continues working hard, having his mind set to winning everything that’s possible to win. And this is not simple at all. Imagine yourself having to cope with all that interest coming from every side of the world. Messi has practically all eyes set on him. That’s why I would say that he is a strange combination of a superstar and an anti-star.
When Myriam finally came back and we had to continue our walk in the streets of Athens, Nico and I had decided that it is really difficult for everyone that has seen the best Argentinean 10’s to compete on the pitch to make up his mind and tell which one of them two prefers. But with the precious help of my friend I had the opportunity to understand that these two footballers have also a really special personality and at the same time they seem to be so different from each other and from us. Eventually this is what makes a real “10”. Diversity.