Messi
Page 19
All true, but the two know that they are being watched by half the world. Cristiano Ronaldo, who, despite not having had a wonderful season, is longing to show that he is still number one, is really buzzing at the start of the match. In the first minute he takes a free kick from 35 yards. Five steps back as usual, rocking on his left leg, and the Portuguese shoots. A great shot. The ball spins, hitting Víctor Valdés on the chest, and he’s unable to control it. In a final attempt to salvage the situation, Piqué anticipates the Korean Ji-Sun Park at the corner flag. Cristiano puts his head in his hands. Before Messi has touched the ball, the white-shirted number 7 has given quite a performance: three shots and a yellow card for Piqué, who had tried to stop him with an obstructive foul. Manchester United’s best play is coming from Cristiano’s boots. In contrast, Lionel has yet to enter the game. His father, Jorge, sees it too: ‘I saw that Leo was out of the game for quite a while, and only once we scored the goal I began to see him get more involved.’ In fact, the Flea does not make an appearance until nine minutes after Eto’o has put Barcelona in front. He leaves the right-hand touchline, looks to move into the centre, and unleashes a cracking shot from 35 yards – gliding low just above the ground. Messi is playing as a dummy centre forward to force the Manchester United central defenders out of position – something Ferguson would later say ‘surprised us and made it difficult for us to mark him’. It seems to be true, because every time the Argentine has the ball between his feet, he causes problems for the English team’s defence. Barça begin to take control of the game and although it is not his best night and he only manages to infiltrate the forest of white shirts a few times, Messi is getting better and better. Manchester United’s French left back, Patrice Evra – the man who won them the duel with Lionel in April 2008 (0-0 in the first leg, 1-0 in the return leg) – had already predicted it: ‘Messi is “hungrier” and he is a better player now than he was a year ago.’ He is right: 84 per cent of Leo’s passes are on target. His angles are close to perfection, so much so that a veteran like Ryan Giggs says: ‘When you see how they move you can’t help but be amazed.’ Then comes the 70th minute, when the Flea ascends to the Roman heavens. The smallest (it is worth noting that he is 1.69m) becomes the greatest.
The action: Xavi recovers the ball after a short rebound from the English defence, he heads towards the box, lifts his head and sends in a cross with spin – smooth and precise. With his back to the defenders, Messi goes up for it, very high, and heads the ball in at the opposite post from where the goalie is. It’s 2-0.
The explanation: ‘When Xavi got the ball I got in position because I thought he would pass it there: I saw that Van Der Sar was a little off his line and I headed it.’
The photo: Messi suspended in the air, immobile, high, very high, leaning back. The ball, travelling on its arc, seems like it’s going over the bar. In front, Van Der Sar, in yellow, watches it, open-mouthed, with a look of terror on his face. Close, very close, although out of focus, Rio Ferdinand, twenty centimetres taller than the Argentine, could do nothing to prevent that jump.
The precedent: Many people were betting on the number 10 scoring for Barça in the final. The bookies were offering very short odds. But few would have predicted a header. Up until that point he had only scored two. Pep Guardiola – who psyched up his players before the final by showing a clip from Ridley Scott’s Gladiator – had been the only one to prophesy it. At a press conference in Santander on 1 February 2009, the day before the match against Racing, when asked if Messi needed to score more headers in order to become the best player in the world, the coach from Santpedor replied: ‘I advise you not to test him because one day he’ll score an incredible header and shut you all up.’
The curiosity: ‘I didn’t see my son’s goal,’ admits Jorge Messi, in the stands with his wife Celia, Leo’s siblings and their respective families. ‘At that moment I looked down, I don’t know if it was due to nerves. I saw it afterwards on TV and I had honestly never seen him jump so high. But when did he take off his boot?’ Because no sooner has his son come back down to earth – and before being inundated with hugs from his teammates – than he does a lap holding up his new blue boot, as homage to Argentina. Meanwhile, the 20,000 Barça fans in the Olympic stadium chant his name. At the end of the match, he is the first to be hugged by Guardiola – the man who has been so good to him. And what of the other competitor in the duel? Cristiano Ronaldo? He finishes the match powerless and wound up, he argues with Rooney, and receives a yellow card for a pointless foul on Puyol. Later, hurt, and already in his suit, he says: ‘It wasn’t a match between Messi and me, but his team was better than us, and he was too because he scored.’
The defeated pays homage to the victor. This time, Leo does feel that the cup is his. He kisses it, he hugs it, he adores it, he takes it on a lap around the ground, and he parties until three in the morning with his teammates, friends and family. ‘I feel like the happiest man in the world. It’s like I’m dreaming, it’s the most important victory of my life. I dedicate it to my family and to Argentina. This team deserves it after the great work they have put in all year,’ declares Messi. Great work, and some marvellous football, exquisite, as recognised by the media across the world. But the front cover photos and the big headlines are reserved for the Flea. ‘Messi, king of Europe,’ runs the headline in Corriere dello Sport, the Rome sports paper; ‘SuperMessi,’ says the Gazzetta dello Sport; ‘Messi and Barcelona on top of the world,’ reads the headline in La Nación in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, Buenos Aires sports paper Olé carries a picture of Leo with the cup, with the caption: ‘Don’t ask me to head it.’ ‘Marvellous Messi is too much for United,’ reads the headline in The Times, which opts for the same photo as El País. A smiling Messi, pointing his fingers in the air, and a matter-of-fact headline: ‘Messi is the best’. And no one argues.
2 May 2009, Bernabéu stadium, Madrid. The 34th match day of La Liga: Real Madrid-Barcelona
There is no contest; no possible comparison can be made. Two completely distinct worlds. Two different ways of understanding football, but when they eventually come face to face, there is no league position that matters, and no run of winning results that counts. The cruel, numerical reality unfolds on the pitch at the Bernabéu: six goals against two – something that has never been seen before. The greatest humiliation in the Whites’ history. The Blaugrana had never previously scored six goals at the Bernabéu; the result that came closest was 0-5 in 1974, when one Johan Cruyff played for Barça. And to think that before that sweltering Madrid night, Whites coach Juande Ramos and his boys thought they could win it. They were intending to close the gap, move within one point of Barcelona and joyfully sing their way through their last four Liga fixtures. Deep down they have reasons to be optimistic: they have come a long way since Barça beat them at the Nou Camp on 13 December 2008 (2-0, with goals from Eto’o and Leo, obviously), relegating them to twelve points. Despite an internal crisis which has affected the club, leading to Ramón Calderón’s dismissal, the Whites have broken records: 52 points out of a possible 54, eighteen games without loss. In contrast to the Champions League (they were eliminated in the final sixteen 0-5 by Rafa Benítez’s Liverpool), when it comes to La Liga they are still hopeful. True, this Barça team, together with Messi – who has already scored 21 goals in the championship – inspire fear. But when asked if he has thought about copying Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink’s plan (implemented in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals) the Real Madrid manager insists: ‘I have no anti-Messi plan because taking him out doesn’t guarantee anything. We have to try not to let Barcelona have a good day and work hard together as a team.’ It is hard work that seems to bear fruit in the thirteenth minute, when Pipita Higuaín puts them ahead. But it’s an illusion. The teams are worlds apart, because the men in blue-and-claret shirts emanate football from every pore. They represent the beauty of the game in its purest form, the art of sophisticated play to the nth degree of potential. They play with e
ase, the passes are so precise and fluid it is as if they are in a training session. They ridicule the Whites. The white ball slides from side to side across the green carpet, bam, boom, until it finds someone who transforms it into an idea, into something magical, or simply into a chance at goal. Like Leo, for example, who lifts the ball lightly; it sails over Sergio Ramos, who tries desperately to reach it, and lands delicately at the feet of Henry, who puts it elegantly and efficiently past Casillas to finish. Good grief, where would Real Madrid be without ‘Saint’ Iker? The shots are coming from every angle and there are too many to count. It is a real nightmare for the Real goalie. Guardiola’s men waste opportunities: out of selfishness, as is the case with Messi, who really wants to score against Madrid (in his previous three trips to the Bernabéu he has never once scored) and who fails to see his unmarked teammate; or out of too much generosity, as is the case with Iniesta’s yellow boots, which, after a duet of one-twos all the way up the pitch with the Argentine, do not seal the deal, and give the ball to the Flea who shoots at close range – blocked by Iker. But in any case, by the 45th minute there have already been three goals scored. After one from Henry, and one from Puyol, the captain, the half-time scoreboard is closed by Leo, who finally experiences the joy of scoring on the Whites’ home turf. Xavi, the king of the night, steals the ball from Lass Diarrá in the middle. He offers it to Leo, who finishes it with a shot at the near post. The Bernabéu falls silent and the sandwich which is traditionally eaten in the break before kick-off tastes more bitter. The game recommences and it seems that Pep Guardiola’s men do not want to be cruel to such renowned opponents. The Liga chasers bounce back momentarily when Sergio Ramos heads in a Robben free kick to close the gap. But it lasts for a matter of minutes. The Barça players control the game as they please. And the goals score themselves: because Xavi, the ‘doctor’, creates ever more beautiful assists; because Iniesta makes one dribbling run after another; because Henry makes a laughing stock of Ramos and scores his second goal; because Messi is like a spirit who appears on any part of the pitch, wherever you least expect him. Casillas is not expecting him either, and finds himself on his backside, while the ball slides into the net. That makes five, and the kid from Rosario can run towards the cameras, holding his blue-and-claret shirt up between his teeth, showing the one beneath, which has a flower and the words ‘Síndrome X Frágil’. For a while now, Leo has collaborated with the Catalan organisation that helps families who have children affected by fragile X chromosome syndrome (FXS) – also known as Martin-Bell syndrome. It is a genetic disorder passed down through families that can cause serious difficulties: from learning problems to diminished intellectual capacity. It affects one in every 4,000 boys and one in every 6,000 girls, and one in 250 women is a carrier without having any symptoms. It is not the first time that Messi is helping this organisation. In 2008 he was a patron of the book 39 historias solidarias alrededor del deporte (39 Stories of Solidarity in Sport), written by Catalan journalists who donated the proceeds of its sale to the organisation. But this gesture of solidarity and this goal dedication is beamed around the world and tells millions of people about a genetic problem as yet under-researched. It is an example of how a ball in the back of the net can serve as something more than just a football result. But let’s return to a game which has no precedent, because Barça are unstoppable. Gerard Piqué is a good example, he is majestic at the back – he doesn’t make a single mistake – and up front he manages to score the sixth goal, the goal that brings sadness. Real Madrid’s Liga career is over. And no one will knock Barcelona off the top spot, since they are now seven points clear. And perhaps no one would have knocked them off even if the result had been different. But this match serves as a reminder of the show put on by Leo Messi and Guardiola’s Blaugrana team throughout the entire season, in Spain as well as in Europe. And it closes a dark chapter for Madrid: the Whites just have to wait for the elections, a new president, or better still, a saviour (Florentino Pérez), who, with a few million, will rebuild this weak team, who up until this point had been champions. But there is something more: the 2-6 scoreline also tastes of revenge. The last time Barça visited the Bernabéu, on 7 May 2008, the players stood in two lines to form a walkway onto the pitch in order to honour Real Madrid, who had recently been declared Liga champions. It was a morbid match. And it finished in a resounding 4-1 defeat – a double humiliation for the Catalans. ‘Before the match,’ declared Leo to the Gazzetta dello Sport, ‘we said we weren’t thinking about getting “revenge” for the walkway from the previous year, but evidently, deep down, there was still a thorn in our sides which bothered us. More because of the result and the way in which we had lost than because of the walkway … We removed the thorn brilliantly.’
13 May 2009, Mestalla stadium, Valencia. Final of the Copa del Rey: Athletic Bilbao-Barcelona
‘Messi is the king’ proclaims a yellow placard, which is being waved in the curve of the stadium where the Barcelona fans are sitting. No offence intended to Juan Carlos, king of Spain, who is watching the match from the stands, but the Barça fans are right. In his first final since he joined the Blaugrana first team, Leo is crowned king of the pitch. He plays and he creates play, he scores and he creates goals. Nothing like Diego Armando Maradona did 25 years previously, on 5 May 1984, in the same final against Athletic. At the final whistle (the match had ended with the Bilbao Lions winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from Endico), Maradona aimed a kick at Sola and set off an impressive fight on the Bernabéu pitch. Practically all of the players were implicated in the battle. Maradona – who was appearing in his last fixture in a Barça shirt and was packing his bags for Napoli – wanted revenge over Athletic defender Andoni Goikoetxea, who had broken his leg nine months earlier. The result: an incredible punch-up and a three-month ban for six players. At that time the Golden Boy was 24, while the Flea is still only 21, but he seems more mature than Diego. He shows no sign of nerves and, together with Xavi, he is the central figure in the Blaugrana performance. He has a hand in three of Barcelona’s four goals, which put paid to Athletic’s dreams of winning their 24th cup. The Bilbaoans have the advantage, and they proudly resist until the second half when, just at the right moment, Messi appears. Leo makes a beautiful pass to Eto’o – the Cameroonian shoots hard across goal, Gorka Iraizoz responds, the ball rebounds freely. Keeping incredibly cool, the Barça number 10 goes for the shot and scores. It is 1-2 – the deciding goal of the match. The Flea’s show continues: a perfect pass to Bojan, which he finishes like a pro to make it three. He also plays a part in the fourth: Leo provokes the foul, which Xavi converts with a fantastic free kick into the net. Then Messi looks for the pass that allows Eto’o to score – a reward for his self-denial throughout the entire match. And were it not for Gorka, who saves it with his foot, the Cameroonian almost would have made it. Barça win their 25th Copa del Rey. Mestalla is a scene of celebrations and Leo’s name is the most chanted. And next day Marca writes: ‘Messi hardly ever fails in this type of fixture, and yesterday he showed once again that he is the most decisive player of the Spanish Liga. The titles are beginning to rain down on this footballer who, without a doubt, will be the symbol of an era.’
23 August 2009, Nou Camp stadium, Barcelona. Return leg of the Spanish Super Cup: Barcelona-Athletic Bilbao
He didn’t play in the first leg in San Mamés, but in the return leg, a week later, Lionel is on the pitch from the first minute onwards. Alongside him is the brand-new Blaugrana signing: Zlatan Ibrahimovi´c, signed in exchange for 45 million euros and Samuel Eto’o’s transfer to Inter. Without Leo, Ibrahimovi´c and the injured Iniesta, Pep’s team returned from Bilbao with a 1-2 result (goals from De Marcos, Xavi and Pedro) and the Super Cup almost in the bag. In reality it is a strange final, since Barça should have had to play against themselves, being both Liga and Copa del Rey champions, but the organisation has stipulated that they should face the Copa del Rey runners-up, Athletic Bilbao. It makes no difference, because in front of their
fans, Barça are in fact playing Barça: although they are persistent and they put up a noble fight, the Athletic players are mere testimonial witnesses. The Flea is on hand again to make an impact and, as on other occasions, starts off slowly, but when he gets going he is lethal – when he passes as much as when he finishes. He starts off by wasting a face-to-face chance against Iraizoz, the Bilbaoan goalkeeper. He follows that up by setting up the new arrival (Ibrahimovi´c) in a brilliant sequence, where the Argentine passes and the Swede controls it on his chest, before finishing it by shooting over the goalie. He sums it all up with a sensational move that breaks through the Lions’ defence. Xavi passes to Ibrahimovi´c, the striker back-heels it to Messi, and the Argentine dodges past the central defender with his left foot, in order to bounce the ball into the goalmouth with his right. He creates an impossible, fantastic goal – the goal of a real superstar. It is the advantage that has been a while coming, because throughout the first half, Barça have not been very precise when it comes to finishing. They had been lacking shots on target, but along comes Messi, who kick-starts the party with his incredible goal and finishes it up from the penalty spot in the 67th minute. After a confusing exchange that results in a foul on Alves – according to the referee – Leo places the ball on the spot and makes no mistake in getting it in the back of the net, to the right of Gorka. The game is already won, but before the festivities begin, Bojan is able to add his goal to the celebrations. It is Barça’s fourth consecutive title. And it’s not over yet.