Lionel Messi completed his 10th anniversary at football club Barcelona.In the past decade, he has given us infinite amount of joy and many moments to savor for the life time.  Being a great footballer is one thing, but Graeme Souness says there is something else which makes him the most adorable footballer player in the world. Aftermath of 2011 UCL final, Graeme Souness said : "There is everything about him which you wanna like. I was  at Nou Camp last year, his performance against Arsenal(4-0) was the best individual performance I have ever seen in my life time. Not only that, he doesn't complain when he gets tripped/fouled". All Messi cares is : To play football,to have ball at his feet.

 From the beginning, he showed the signs of a great player. If you're looking for Ronaldinhoesque skills, he ain't the right guy. Yes, Messi doesn't do stepovers/ like Ronaldinho, Neymar or Ronaldo. No fancy stuff, all he does is  collect the ball, deep in the midfield and head towards the goal. It is one quality which he has by birth. The coach/manager don't recommend players to go on their own. But Messi does it week in, week out efficiently on a constant basis at a very high level speaks volumes about the legend.

Messi is three world class players encapsulated in one

1) Messi as a Striker/Forward : Many people rate Messi as a GOAT for his insane goal scoring statistics. He has broken almost all records. His 91 goals/year is an insane statistic, at the very least .This brilliant piece by Benjamin Morris should be enough to accept him as a GOAT. (For his role as forward alone)http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/lionel-messi-is-impossible/

2) Messi as a Winger : Messi started on the wing under Frank Rijkaard. For me, Messi is the best dribbler of all time. There are lot of forwards who are lot quicker than Messi, say Theo Walcott of Arsenal. But nobody comes even close to Messi, when it comes to run with the ball. If you observe, it looks like the ball is glued to Messi's feet, all the time. His close control, speed and accelaration with the ball precisely makes him stand above the rest. 

Pep Guardiola is one of the main reasons why Messi is best in the world.  When Messi used to play on the right wing, he didn't have enough space to exploit. He used to beat LB, cut in, look out for a pass. You may ask, was he average then?. Nope, when he played on the wings, we didn't have another Messi to finish. Just see the below video how he beats so many legendary players only to see Eidur Gudjohnsen fuck up the chance.


 Still with proper tactics, Messi was easy to contain in the wide areas. Guardiola who saw this over the course of the season(2008-2009) thought that, " Touchline is the best defender" . Precisely, the reason why he was easy to contain(Not easy to contain in the wide areas too, but yeah, to some extent).
Guardiola is an innovator, always looks one step ahead. Guardiola thought : Some players aren't meant to play on the wing(caged), their talent is just too high enough to restrict them on one  side of the pitch. *Cough* TATA Martino * Cough*.  Guardiola introduced Messi as a false 9 at the Santiago Bernabeu and the rest is history. Messi had acres to exploit. Now he could dribble either way, there is no touchline to hinder his talent.




3) Messi as a passer : The ability to make key passes is another attribute which sets you aside in the world of football. There was a recent discussion as , who of Iniesta/Fabreagas have an excellent eye for a key pass. Many were contemplating over the matter and both the parties had  valid points, and it was very tough to decide: Who is a better passer?. But when someone asked where Messi stands in terms of passing? Both the parties came to unanimous decision that Messi is the best passer in the world. His assist to David Villa in the 5-0 thumping and a similar one to Iniesta, a year later are the perfect examples. Lately, he is playing very deep in the midfield like the way he played for Argentina, and is showing the world: Another set of skill set.. Oh, how can I forget this wonderful pass to Di Maria.


The world of football is very lucky to witness one of the football's greatest magician. The world of football will be mundane once Leo Messi retires. So enjoy the moments till then. Once again, Happy 10th Anniversary at the club, Leo.