Barca ‘Invincible’, Messi ‘Untouchable’
Pep Guardiola and his men have done it at last. There was a long tense wait for it but they’ve got it now. The Catalonians aces have got the La Liga title for the second year consecutively. They destroyed Valladolid with 4-0 in their last pass out of the season. In spite of their tragic and unexpected loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League, they will now exit the season with their heads held up high once again. But who is responsible for their ‘invincibleness’?
Well of course there is Guardiola. The man has reinvented the team again and has worked tirelessly with them. Then, there is the star-studded team itself that keeps blowing away all and sundry. Having top guns like Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Puyol and many more, great players like Xavi Hernandez often become the unsung heroes. Even so, there is a general understanding and commitment present in the team that always leads them to victory. All the players’ shine in the team but when you see Lionel Messi, you’ll be sure to know that none can shine as bright as he can.
Luis Lionel Andres Messi, a 1.69 m, 70kg man is definitely no ordinary footballer. The Argentinean born, seemingly average human being has redefined football skill and has proven that no defence is thick enough to stop him while no gap is thin enough for him to strike through.
Starting his career in 2003, he soon emerged as the rising star of football. He played his first match against Porto at the age of 16, resulting in his fame exploding immediately. He became the youngest player to score for Barcelona FC on one hand. On the other, he helped his country win the Under 20 World Cup with his marvellous football skills. Over time, he has gained nearly every award that there is to be taken. Even now, as the FIFA World Cup approaches, people are expecting Lionel Messi to become the grand edge for Argentina. Under the wings of the legendary Diego Maradona, he has trained to become the ‘one and only of his time’. Maradona was once questioned about the future of Messi. He turned back and said that he will be exactly how I was at my best, 10 years from now. It seems that he has proven his prediction much sooner.
The 22-year-old has equalled the record set by Ronaldo of scoring the most goals in a season. Messi scored 34 goals in 35 matches in the league while the record is at 47 goals. He scored twice in the end of the final match against Valladolid to accomplish that. He also assisted the goal scorers for not less than 14 times in 53 matches, most of them in the league.
During this season, there were many instances of the one-man-show performance displayed by Messi. He eventually helped Barca win in tough situations during the entire season. Barca has managed to win 31 of its 38 matches in the league season and have been defeat only once against Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid was defeated by Barca at both instances in the League. Real Madrid got knocked out of the Champions League before Barca did. Though till the end, they got a close shot of the La Liga title. Real Madrid ruined their chances when they managed a draw with Malaga at one all and while Barca went on to win against the same team with a score line of 4-0. Messi scored twice in that match.
Messi has proved to be a game winner for Barca over the season. He has this smart capability to turn on the sudden frenzy, dodge his opponents in a flash and score like there was no one left to defend. His ability and inspiring courage to face difficult teams is the quality that provides the impetus for his team to give an extra performance. This is primarily why Barca is known to be the ‘Invincibles’ of the La Liga.
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