The debate over the greatness of Lionel Messi continues and may last well into his retirement. After witnessing his unstoppable brilliance again and again – such as in the Champions League final last season when he almost single-handedly destroyed Juventus’ defense – it is hard to deny that Messi is the best player in the football world at present. But can he match the greatness of legendary players like Pele and Maradona? Some say yes, but the evidence suggests otherwise given another forgettable performance in a major final as Argentina lost to host Chile at Copa America.
This latest setback comes just a year after Argentina lost the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro last summer, with Messi again narrowly missing a major international title as Germany grabbed an extra time winner. Messi has now lost three major finals playing for his country. When he was just a 19-year-old boy, the rising star suffered his first final defeat at the 2007 Copa America when Argentina fell 3-0 to Brazil. Unluckily, the trend has continued with even Messi’s renowned brilliance failing to end his country’s 22 year trophy drought. With the player passing his 28th birthday, time is now starting to run out.
Disappointed Argentinian media have since questioned the decision to give Messi the captain’s armband — and for good reason. The difference between Messi the Barcelona star and Messi the Argentine captain is chalk and cheese. At the 2010 World Cup, with Messi coming off another fine domestic season, the fans expected Argentina to do well in South Africa under the guidance of the legendary Maradona. Sadly, they were humiliated by Germany 4-0 in the quarter-finals with their key man kept quiet throughout.
Diego Maradona captained Argentina to glory at the 1986 World Cup
At national level, Messi is nowhere near the incredible achievements of Maradona and Pele, who led their teams to World Cup glory with famous performances. At club level, Messi’s Barca is arguably one of the best sides in history with the most systematic youth academy in the world. They are also super rich – luring the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez – and they have Tiki-Taka football installed through different age groups to make the system running smoothly. With or without Messi, the club can operate well although his silky skills certainly lift them to a new level. Still, Maradona’s achievements even at club level are worth praising. When he moved to a relatively mediocre Napoli, no one envisaged they would win two consecutive Serie A titles. Maradona became a cultural and social icon for Neapolitans as no southern Italian team, let alone Napoli, had ever won the league before.
Messi has a mountain to climb to establish himself as the best player in football history and, to be honest, the opportunity has probably already passed him by. For all he has achieved at Barcelona, the lack of international trophies remains a blight on an otherwise great career.
