 |
| Watch Live Soccer |
Right now, if Messi maintains his fitness it's hard to imagine him not being the decisive factor. His brace against Racing Santander this past weekend means that, although we are barely in March, Messi has notched 50 club goals this season.Click here to watch his goals live.
Barcelona's BrillianceGraham Hunter is also the author of "Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World," available as an e-book on the iPad, Kindle and Kobo. The printed version is available in paperback and can be ordered at BackPage Press. Watch football live here
It is a ridiculous figure. And it means that, at age 24, he is six short of beating the all-time Barcelona scoring record of 235 held by Cesar Rodriguez. Over the past week I have, for one reason or another, been in Messi's presence three times for interviews and I can tell you that there isn't a trace of hubris. No arrogance, no intense desire to grab the record and all the plaudits which go with it -- not even a hint of self-satisfaction.
One of the elements which may, eventually, elevate Messi to gold-medal position in the pantheon of all-time greats is his manner. For all the wealth, fame, acclaim and brouhaha which is quite naturally drawn to a sportsman of such excellence, he's still simply doing the thing he enjoys most.
Speaking to him after the destruction of Bayer Leverkusen, during which Messi became the first man in Champions League history to score five times in a match and the also the first to score four goals on two occasions, the striker was completely nonchalant. He'd done his job, he'd enjoyed it, he'd kept on going and going like a shark pursuing baby seals toward the end of the match, but Messi came off the pitch quite unconcerned at the records he was setting.
No comments:
Post a Comment