Leo Messi continues to emulate the great Diego Maradona. However, unlike his wondergoal in the cup against Getafe, Messi’s effort in scoring his first goal against Espanyol was not so praiseworthy. Messi clearly handled the ball into the net just as Maradona did against England in that memorable World Cup Quarter-Final in Mexico.
No doubt many will now label him a cheat, but in today’s money-spinning world of football this is a little unfair. At the end of the day, he was only giving his all for his team. Of course he broke the rules, but the same could be said for every case of timewasting, over-acting or every cynical foul which happens in modern football. If Messi is singled out it will be because he is such a fantastic player and also because in 99% of goals scored in this manner the referee will spot it, give a yellow card and the matter will be forgotten in a week. Fortunately for Barça Messi seems the type of player who responds positively to criticism, so if opposing fans decide to boo him, they will end up spurring him on to greater things.
3 responses so far ↓
Lynda // Jun 10, 2007 at 14:52
I was really disappointed that Messi resorted to a handball, but the point about a cynical foul is well-taken, and I did say afterwards, “Well, at least he didn’t actually try to injure another player,” which is a far more serious offense and something we see far too much of (often against Messi).
On the other hand, this will only add fuel to the fire of Messi’s detractors who call him a dirty little cheat. Now I can’t take the moral high ground with them any longer!!
Nig // Jun 10, 2007 at 16:52
I suppose it is precisely because of the fans who take the moral ground that I make the point about other forms of unfair play. I get quite annoyed at fans of other clubs telling me this Barça player is a diver, this Barça player is a cheat, as if their teams are all squeaky clean, which is nonsense. It is a highly paid professional sport, and just as in big business where people bend and break the rules to be more successful, while football continues to create so much money we will continue to see such behaviour. I do not for a minute mean to condone Messi, just to understand what he did, and to challenge anyone to say they would not have done the same in his situation.
Lynda // Jun 11, 2007 at 0:13
Yes–in all seriousness, the fan who insists no one from their club (or worse, their national team) ever dives, or whatever, is maddening. I know love is blind and all that but one does honestly begin to wonder whether they are just that stubborn or downright delusional.
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