Barcelona star Lionel Messi would win every single Oscar
Never has football seen such a wonderful player
His story would and should grace the big screen
Not even Hollywood's best screenwriters would have been capable of imagining and creating a successful film, worthy of an Oscar, that Lionel Messi has starred ion since he landed in Barcelona from Argentina in 2000, aged 13. A kid with a growth hormone deficiency who left his home to follow his dream in the world of football.
His story and his life are genuinely extraordinary, worthy of one day being seen on every screen in the world. A film which would tell the whole story, from his humble beginnings in Las Heras in Rosario to becoming the biggest star in football in Barcelona, achieved through humility and hard work, because talent alone is never enough.
It's indisputable that there are people who are born with a talent and who know how to cultivate it. Among thousands of examples, there's Mozart in music, Dali in painting, Foster in architecture, Michael Jordan in basketball, Roger Federer in tennis, Cervantes in literature... Geniuses of their time because they broke the norms and became a reference, not just in their time, but for generations to come.
Messi doesn't need to leave us physically, like some of the other greats, to be worthy of praise and recognition. Camp Nou doesn't carry his name, but it wouldn't be bad to start to think now, as Barça looking for a sponsor for their stadium, to baptise it with his name. It would be the best homage for the best player the club have ever had, the player who has most enriched their history and their honours.
A few days ago Pep Guardiola, the coach who is driving Manchester City towards the Premier League title, said that the favourite for the Champions League "will always be the team that has Leo Messi in their ranks." Similar praise was repeated by Diego Simeone on Sunday: "If Messi had played in an Atletico shirt, we would have won the game."
It was an elegant way of admitting that for as much hard work as you put in collectively, there will always be a factor which you cannot control because it's not in your hands. And that factor is called Leo Messi.
He is not just the best player of all time due to his numbers, honours and performances, but above all because of his longevity and his achievements. Something never seen before. Maybe in tennis, with Federer. Leo has spent more than 12 years at the top level and has never veered from the excellence which accompanies him.
As of today, he is the top scorer in La Liga, the player who has had the most shots on goal, who has laid on the most assists, who has scored the most free kicks... In summary, if there was an Oscar in football for best leading actor, best secondary actor, best screenwriter, best special effects, even best animation, abosultely every one of them would be for Messi.
Messi is like that actor that you have to go and see at the cinema because his presence alone is a guarentee of success, that you are going to enjoy a great production.
On top of that, he doesn't protest, he doesn't complain, he doesn't get irritated, he doesn't scream to the sky, despite the fact he is kicked, followed, stamped on... there is only one Messi. And he plays for Barça. He wears the No.10.
