His name may be Messi but he shows no Mercy and leaves his opponents Messy. 234 goals at only 24 years of age, and he still has a lot of years ahead to shatter all the records and rewrite history. They call him the greatest footballer that has graced the world of football. Football commentators have almost made his name synonymous with ‘greatest, best, each time you watch a Lionel Messi play, you will be forgiven if you concluded that his middle names are such adjectival descriptions. But, is he the best footballer ever? I am not anti-populist. I don’t necessarily have to go against the crowd for no cogent reason. Although being independent minded is my console. My answer to that question is a resounding NO! The realisation that in life it is pretty normal for some to be celebrated more than others is almost forcing me to stop writing at this point. But I will resist. Note that I am not trying to convince you or make you see reasons with my point of view. It is my opinion. Read it and make your inference.
I appreciate the rationale behind the decision to honour an individual as the best of the pack of footballers. But much like all things in life with pros and cons, this decision has rubbed off on our appreciation of the ‘best footballers’ out there. It is almost a foregone conclusion that the best footballer has to be he/she who scores the most goals. Players with attacking tendencies have made the honour theirs for keeps. Yes, they display a lot of flair and skills on the ball. They mesmerise their opponents into submission. They score some out-of-this world goals that leave our mouths open in awe. How about their dribbling abilities and pace on and off the ball? Always fascinating.
Although the current Barcelona team make it seem like an outdated rule, it is still very relevant and only a naïf will disagree with this: attacking may be the best form of defence, but in order to win a football match you need a good defence. Defending is an art. A team cannot win and maintain possession if it lacks a good defensive foundation. Knowing that a lot of people regard this Barcelona side as the least defensive side, it is only ideal that I use them as an example to buttress the importance of the art of defence. In order to prevent the opposition from keeping the ball, this Barcelona team applies a high defensive line to win the ball back in the vital area of the opponents as well as ensure that the opponent enjoy very little possession in their own vital area. The team wins back possession in its opponent’s vital area and commits fouls in areas with less chance of goal scoring opportunities for the opponents. The foundation of a team’s success is built on a solid defence. And this is a fact. Some are more defensive than others and vice versa. The only difference between teams is the frequency and style of defence employed.
Each time Lionel Messi scores a goal or makes an assist, somebody somewhere records it down. But I ask: who recorded the number of successful tackles that Franco Baressi made in his career as one of the best defenders the game has seen? Who recorded the number of saves that Lev Yashin made in his career. Who recorded the number of interceptions Frank Rijkaard made as a player? Is it that these statistics are just not important enough to be recorded?
On the average, a defender makes no less than 5 successful tackles in a match. Some of these chances could be game saving in some cases. In most cases, especially when teams score from a counter attacking play, a defender has to first win the ball from the opponents before a quick interchange of passes gets the ball into the other half of the opponent. The product of the move may be a goal but the start point of the move must be a defensive play.
How about a goal keeper? How often has Iker Cassillas singlehandedly ‘won’ matches for Real Madrid over the years? A goal keeper is the last man in the defensive set up and has to be on top of the game for a team to get a positive result off a game.
I join my voice with many who have clamoured for the return to the former system where players are honoured according to their positions. If Messi is regarded as the best footballer, can he ever be a better defender that Baressi? Can he be anything near Oliver Khan? Can he run up and down the flanks Cafu or Roberto Carlos did? Can he marshal the midfield like Andrea Pirlo. There is a reason why there are 11 players on a team; they complement each other and play individual but important roles.
Calling Messi the best footballer ever is like referring to soap as the ultimate cleaner. It will do a lot of cleaning but can it be a substitute for toothpaste? If still in doubt try it tomorrow morning.
At the end of the day, life is not fair.
