Lionel Messi – 5 things that come to mind?

As human beings, we have the tendency to link up things even when there is little or no resemblance. When we see, hear or feel something, we attach something or someone to it without even putting in an effort.

For example, if you hear someone’s name, you instantly have a flurry of thoughts in your head – those thoughts are precisely what you associate with that person. So what happens when that person is Lionel Messi?

Ah, well, a bit tough this one, isn’t it? What do I think when I hear the name of Lionel Messi… a lot of things, to be honest. He is, after all, one of the finest players of all time. There, I have already mentioned one of the things that come to my mind.

And here are 5 of them…

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#5 Impulsive

If I wrote this slider a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have had this on my list. However, after Lionel Messi decided to retire from the Argentina national team after failing to win the final of the Copa America in 2016, this is one of the things that pops up in my mind when the Argentine finds a place in it.

Messi is a man who loves his national team more than anything. It is for this reason that he was seen crying after losing the final of the Copa America final last year. The frustration of losing was such that he actually decided to quit the national team right then and there.

Of course, it was a result of a combination of events that had Messi’s head spinning – a reaction of impulse that had anger and sadness for its root. After a few months, however, the Argentina captain made a return to the national team and has been playing with them ever since.

#4 A family man

Messi's son doesn't look too pleased

These days – especially after his marriage to Antonella Rocuzzo earlier this year – whenever the term ‘Messi’ comes to my head, his family instantly flashes in front of my eyes. The Barcelona star might be the greatest player of this generation and loves the game with devotion, but his love for Antonella and their kids is unparalleled.

When he was getting married to Antonella, you could see the excitement in his eyes – so much that he almost ate her during the ‘kissing the bride’ part. If you follow the former Newell’s youngster on the social media, you would also realize the amount of care he has for his kids and family.

People idolize Messi like a God due to his footballing abilities – and they are right to do so – but his humane aspect, the one where he is a father and a husband, is also fascinating, to say the least. A truly happy man is one that has a happy family – only then can he focus on work.

And by the way that Messi plays every other week, he looks like a happy man with a happy family.

#3 Soft-spoken

Messi is a quiet man

Being a player with superior skills has both advantages and disadvantages, like everything in the world. The fact that Messi is above the rest makes it easier for him to beat his direct opponents more often than not.

However, it also makes him susceptible to be at the end of harsh tackles from the defenders. Every now and then, you will see opposition players swarming against the Argentine and making him a subject of tackles that are borderline dangerous.

But what makes him special is his reactions to those tackles.

Like a Shaolin monk, he is often calm and doesn’t give way to wrath when being made a victim of brutality. Yes, there are times when he does lose control and show his displeasure, but he almost always keeps himself in check in these situations.

He rarely reacts and is soft-spoken in his approach, even when faced by the media.

#2 Barcelona

Mr. Barcelona

Thinking about Lionel Messi should automatically make you think about Barcelona. To put it simply, Messi is Barcelona and there is nothing that can take that away from him. Growing up in Argentina as a child, Messi looked destined for great things.

But there was only one problem: he was too short and suffered from a condition which wouldn’t let him grow to have a physique required to succeed in football. The Messi that we see now could not have been had it not been for Barcelona’s intervention.

The Catalans saw so much talent in him that they not only signed him instantly but also accepted to pay for his treatment. It was really a small investment considering how he has grown up to become the best player in the world while also helping them to numerous trophies.

The fact that Messi is still there and his new contract will allow him to be there till 2021 all but confirms the thing that we already knew: Lionel Messi is Mr. Barcelona.

#1 The greatest player I have seen

GOAT?

Yes, that is right. I have been watching football for a while – over 10 years, to be precise – and I have had the privilege to witness a number of star players including the likes of Raul Gonzalez, Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Pavel Nedved, Luis Figo, Steven Gerrard and the likes.

All of them had something unique about them but Lionel Messi is something else entirely.

Despite watching so many legends – and some of them at their peaks – it puts me in a place where I think could make a reasonable comparison and conclude that Lionel Messi is the best I have ever seen.

It is not just the dribbles or the goals or the passes… it is just… everything. When you combine all the abilities of the Argentine and do it on a regular basis, it becomes difficult to disagree that he is perhaps the greatest player our time has seen.

When he is at his pace, it is as though time just stops and he goes in the ‘Flash mode’ where he sees everything else in slow-mo and gets the better of his ‘enemies’.

Messi is just Messi and there is perhaps none better than him.