FIFA World Cup 2010 – Argentina's Lionel Messi a step away to become a Legend in the same footsteps as his Coach Diego Maradona
Everyone is aware of the fact that the Barcelona star Lionel Messi adores his Argentinean coach. We all know the fact that Messi and Maradona are almost the same, when it comes to game play on the field. However, both are pretty different when it comes down to being a good person on and off the pitch.
They both are the “big names” in football. However, Maradona is now history, as a player and Messi is the present. Messi and Maradona are alike in too many ways. They both have short height. Maradona, though, is a bit shorter than Messi and stands at five and a half feet. On the other hand, Lionel Messi is a bit taller than his idol and stands 2 inches taller than Diego Maradona at five feet and seven inches. Although, they both are very short in height, but their small steps make them run fast and they cover long distances, with the ball, in no time.
Another thing that they both have in common is the fact that they both played for the Spanish football club Barcelona. We all know how Lionel Messi because number 10 for the Catalan side, after his amazing performance against the Spanish giants, Real Madrid. He was able to make use of his skill to get past the defender of the year Fabio Canavaro and the Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos. On the other hand, Diego Maradona has had his times in Barcelona, and he is still known as a legend in their team.
On number three, they both wore the number 10 Jersey for their international team, Argentina. Diego Maradona, in the 1986 World Cup, wore the shirt number 10 just like Lionel Messi is wearing it in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Both of them were known to be the best of their time and wore this shirt of their country to provide the team with good chances and to score for winning matches.
Moreover, in 1986, Argentina qualified for the quarter final and met England as their opponents. The English side lost 2-1 and Maradona scored the first goal with the “hand of god” as he took a “little help” from his hand to score the first goal of the match. Messi, on the other hand, was playing for Barcelona and scored a goal with his hand on 18th April 2007, against Getafe’. The same way Diego Maradona did it. In the 1986 quarter final, Diego Maradona scored his second goal by sweeping past 6 of the English defenders and it was later known as “goal of the century.” Messi, likewise, scored a goal against Getafe’ in Copa del Rey and he ran the same distance, 62 feet, and was able to beat the same number of players and scored a goal from the exact same position.
Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona are so alike that Messi later on was beginning to get famous by the name “Messidona” as he was doing the exact same things as the legendary Maradona used to do. They both are left footed, they both played on the right wing and they both can do wonders when the ball is at their feet; but the fact that the attitude on pitch and off pitch, of both the players is very different cannot be left out. Diego Maradona is famous for his negative side, which was his attitude and his anger issues, while on the other hand Messi is known to be really humble.
Although, Messi is so much like Diego Maradona, but Maradona still has something that Messi craves and that is the fact that Maradona helped his country win a world cup and Lionel Messi has yet to prove himself when it comes to international football. If Messi wins his country this FIFA World Cup 2010, just like Diego Maradona did back in 1986; Messi’s name is going to be recorded in the books of history, as a legend.
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