There are football discussions that are actually worth having. Should the offside rule be adjusted? Is the three-back line an ingenious move or a desperate cry for help? Was the grass really better before? Adults can disagree on this – and that’s perfectly fine.
Then there’s the discussion about who is the best footballer in the world right now.
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That discussion is over.
Yes, some will naturally highlight Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored goals at a pace that makes the calculator ask for a break. He has a physique that defies both age and biology textbooks. Impressive. Really.
But if football was only about the number of goals and the size of one’s own statue, we could just as easily name the sport’s greatest legend in an Excel sheet.
In last night’s World Cup match between Portugal and Croatia, Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal came on a penalty. “For his country and club, he is given every opportunity, while Lionel Messi, who we will probably see in tonight’s match between Argentina and Cape Verde, makes the whole team better.
Lionel Messi plays football the way the rest of the world dreams football should look like – when they close their eyes and let their imagination run wild.
He doesn’t need to shout for attention. He doesn’t have to tell you he’s the best. He just catches the ball, sends three defenders into an existential crisis, and makes a perfect pass – as if gravity itself has made an obedience agreement with him.
The most fascinating thing about Messi? How easy he makes the impossible seem. While other superstars look like they’re fighting the forces of nature themselves, Messi looks like a guy who’s five minutes away from picking up milk at the corner store. No theatrical glances at the camera. No excessive celebrations. Only football.
Of course, there are objections. “But Ronaldo is more complete,” some say. Maybe so. A Swiss Army knife is also more complete than a surgical scalpel. Still, it’s the latter you want when precision actually matters.
And then came the World Cup triumph in 2022. The last argument for the sceptics disappeared around the same time as Messi lifted the trophy to the sky. Suddenly, many professional contrarians had to start looking for new hobbies.
And in this year’s World Cup, there doesn’t exactly seem to be a rest break. New trophies will be handed out – and Messi could easily be the worthy recipient once again.
Is this subjective? Of course. Football is about emotions. But there are subjective opinions that are well-founded – and then there are people who think pineapple belongs on pizza. The fact that something is an opinion does not mean that all opinions carry the same weight.
Messi combines goals, assists, understanding of the game, creativity, technique and an almost absurd ability to decide games – without physically dominating them. He makes football look like art, not industry.
So yes – you are completely free to think that someone else is the best living football player. No one can take away that right.
You only have the small disadvantage that you are wrong.
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