We normally equate magicians with trickery or artifice. However, every once in a while someone comes around who makes us believe that everything he does is truly supernatural. Lionel Messi is that kind of magician, and today he picked up his record-setting fifth Ballon d'Or trophy for being the best player in world football.
I have appreciated Messi's greatness for five years now since I first watched a Barcelona match on TV. Messi seemed to float around the pitch and to effortlessly do things that no other players was doing. Yes, there were goals galore, but it was the way he scored rather than the sheer volume of his goals that was awe-inspiring. Since that time, and even before I became an admirer, Messi has been thrilling fans worldwide, and 2015 was no exception.
To appreciate what Messi has achieved this year requires a formal accounting. First, he scored 52 goals in 61 games-one goal every 101 minutes and the second most in European football. Some of these goals were astounding, including this goal in the 2015 Copa del Rey Final that was one of three finalists for the goal of the year. Importantly, Messi scored many other goals that really mattered, including this brilliant strike in the Champions League semifinal that literally left one of the top defenders in the world on his backside and that secured Barca a spot in the Final.
Further, Messi is not just a goal scorer. He also provided 26 assists last year-the most in Europe. This is an amazing feat for a midfielder, never mind a forward like Messi, and speaks volumes about Messi's unselfishness and team play.
Finally, one must also consider what Messi helped his teams achieve this year-both Barca and the Argentine national team. Both of these teams were in every single final of every single competition available to them. Messi led Barca to five out of six possible trophies, a feat only surpassed once by Messi's 2009 Barca team. These trophies include: Spanish La Liga League title, Spanish Copa del Rey title, UEFA Champions League title, UEFA Super Cup title, FIFA Club World Cup title. Messi also led Argentina to the Copa America Final, where he executed his penalty in the shootout while his teammates badly faltered and cost them the title. Five trophies in a lifetime would be a feat, but to play an indispensable role in securing all five in a season is unheard of.
More than all of the silverware and plaudits, though, Messi exudes class and joy when he is on the field. I truly believe him when he said today, "I don't think about whether I am the best. I just enjoy the day-to-day and after all that if I am the best or not-it doesn't change much." His humility in the face of his achievements is truly unheard of, and that is another reason I love him.
Truly, at this point, Messi has nothing more to prove. He knows he will never win over some of his critics who constantly remind him of his empty World Cup cabinet. However, I hope that some of them can set aside their personal grudges with this man and simply sit back and enjoy the show he put on in 2015 and continues to put on in 2016 (5 goals and 2 assists in 3 games so far). I know I will enjoy this little magician's act for as long as he on stage.
Here's to Leo!
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