The best player in the world, Lionel Messi, isn’t watching too much of the Euro, doesn’t have anything to say about what Cristiano Ronaldo had to say about him and wishes more team were out there to play for goals and fun, instead of just thinking about results and nothing else.
It’s a relatively calm summer for Messi. No Copa America, no World Cup, no Olympics for Argentina as well. After his brilliant match against Ecuador and even better hat trick performance and goal against Brazil in what is always much more than just a friendly, Messi took the time to play in some charity All-Star match in Colombia. Then he took the time to speak about what’s on him mind.
As you might have guesses, he hopes Spain wins the tournament. Playing for Barcelona might have been more than a slight hint, making up about half the squad and the lineup. Having players from Real Madrid won’t ruin it for him. But Messi isn’t watching too much of the Euro. Maybe he’s busy with his girlfriend, or maybe having a quiet summer to relax makes you want to take your mind of football for a while.
It’s been a weird year for Messi. While he kept his upgrading scale, setting new records for goals in the La Liga (50 goals) and in all competitions during a single European season (73), Barcelona took a step backwards, or maybe it was just a minor glitch in the program. But they didn’t win the title or the Champions League. These years happen, and sometimes it’s easier to handle the relative failure by stepping away for a short while.
About Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, there’s nothing much to say, but Messi was asked during recent days about Ronaldo’s remarks regarding him. Ronaldo was under a lot of pressure earlier in the Euro. Not scoring in the first two matches and losing the first match. He then said that Messi was out of the Copa America a year earlier. Well, he was wrong about the date and the stage, but it doesn’t really matter. Messi didn’t think it mattered too much anyway.
But there are thing that bother him. Maybe he still thinks about how Chelsea knocked him out of the Champions League, and how they won the Champions League by playing awful football, defending like there’s no tomorrow and somehow coming away with the right kind of results. For Messi, and for a lot of others, that’s not how you play the game.
Football is a game. I’m trying to have fun on the pitch, always, just to play. That’s why I do it. The day I stop having fun is the day I retire. I never want to lose that spark, that passion. Today, teams are playing more statically, more for the final score than producing good football. For them, it’s more important to win than to play well. We need more players with passion coming up for the good of football.
He just needs to remember – It’s always easier playing for fun and in an attractive way when you’ve got the talent. Few teams, if any at all, have that kind of talent in their squads. Few players, if any at all, have what Lionel Messi has in his feet.