Lionel Messi might have announced his retirement from international football, but one gets the feeling that he will be back as he has a lot of years of service left in him. He is still only 29-years old and can play at an optimum level for at least 3 or 4 more years and it is for this reason that fans are imploring him to return.
In a career that has spanned over a decade, he has grown from a shy boy to the best player in the world who exudes charm like no-one else. And here is an attempt to describe the great man using all the letters in the English language.
A – Argentina
And this is where it all began. His homeland. The country of his heart. As a teenager, he was invited by the Spanish federation to represent them instead of Argentina. But he flat out refused the offer and displayed his love for his motherland by opting to play for Argentina instead.
B – Barcelona
While everything began in Argentina, it was at Barcelona where his career took a leap – one that took him to the very top, a place which he made his own.
C – Charitable
He is not just a great player, but a wonderful human being as well. He has his own foundation that helps out the underprivileged and he is also the goodwill ambassador of Unicef. He has done several charitable works; setting himself up as an example for the others.
D – Don
Clearly, the don of football right now. There is not a player who is as good as him and he has asserted that status by conquering the Ballon d’Or a record five times.
E – Eternal
Lionel Messi is eternal. His name will forever echo within the walls of the football fraternity as one of its greatest exponents.
F – Football
He breathes football. He eats football. He lives football. Lionel Messi is football and football is Lionel Messi. Some players become the image of the game – and he is one such player.
G – God
Some see him in the same light as a football God. At times, when he so effortlessly glides across defenders, it feels like he is actually God playing against mere mortals.
H – Hormone
At the age of 13, he had a hormone deficiency problem. This, in a way, was why he ended up at Catalunya as they promised to pay for his treatment and groom him as a footballer at the same time.
I – Insane
He is an insane footballer and has played 644 games, scoring 508 goals while racking up 261 assists. Some insane stats right there.
J – Joke
At the peak of his game he is absolutely unstoppable and that’s when he scores goals at will – making it all look like one big joke.
K – King
If football was a dominion, he would have been the unprecedented king of the area. Almost every other player falls short to his abilities as a footballer.
L – Love
He is the reason why humans all over the world fall in love with the beautiful game. He is the reason why most people support Barcelona and Argentina. He makes one fall in love with the game with the drop of his shoulders.
M – Mateo
His youngest son. Fatherhood has really changed Lionel Messi as he looks more matured now and his newest born son is another of his great achievements.
N – Newell
While at Argentina, it was at Newell’s Old Boys where it all started. It was here where his talents were first spotted. And it was because of Newell’s that he now plays at Barcelona as unarguably the best player in the world.
O – Oracle
His movements on the pitch makes one wonder whether he can look into the future. The ease with which he pierces defenses with his passes and dribbles makes one think that he is an oracle that can decipher the events of the future.
P – Portuguese
Of course, we mean Cristiano Ronaldo – his greatest rival and the best thing to have happened to him as a player. They both complete each other and make one another better. If it weren’t for Cristiano, then Messi would have won all the Ballon d’Ors in the last 8 years.
Q – Quality
Lionel Messi isn’t quality, quality is Lionel Messi. The quality of a team as a whole increases with his presence on the pitch.
R – Rocuzzo
Antonella Rocuzzo. The love of his life. Football might be his first love, but Antonella is the one who rules his heart.
S – Superstar
While Leonardo di Caprio is the superstar of the silver screen and Lionel Messi is the superstar of the green pitch. When it comes to football, he is the poster boy of the sport – the superstar of the sport.
T – Thiago
Thiago Messi. His first-born and his greatest teacher. The day he was born, Messi truly understood what selfless love really meant – something only a parent can feel for their child/children, and ever since the selflessness is more so evident in his football.
U – Upset
The current state of his mind. After losing 3 finals in 3 consecutive years, the grief got to him as he announced his retirement with Argentina. Given the fact that he adores his nation, he must be in a state of inscrutable agony, which resulted him in calling it quits.
V – Vigour
When he runs with the ball, taking on defenders, one after the other while splitting apart backlines with through-balls and desecrating the holiness of the goal by smashing the ball in, he exudes the vigour of the Sun that no-one else can match.
W – Wizard
A true wizard of the game. It is like his left foot is a wand and he waves it to create magic that enchants the viewers with its mesmeric transcendence.
X – X-gene
Mutation turned a single-celled organism to the most dominant form of species on this planet: humans. And further mutation created a superhuman whose name is Lionel Messi.
Y – Yearn
After announcing his retirement from Argentina, fans find themselves in a state of shock as they can’t fathom how to live with the thought of not being able to watch their idol play for Argentina. They now yearn to see him in an Albiceleste shirt more than ever and hope that he reconsiders his decision.
Z – Zeal
And it all comes down to this: zeal. Without this, he wouldn’t be the player that he is today. Money, fame, power… these are all secondary. Passion is the only thing that can drive a man to be the best – and it is this abundant passion in him that makes him the best in the world.
