I Wrote This About Messi

I don't doubt Messi's talent one slightest bit but being the best that can possibly be is about a little more than talent. Does Messi lack just a little bit in terms of heart and mental toughness in the tightest, hardest and most crucial of occasions? Maybe having top quality players in Barcelona alongside him, some of whom are marginally superior to him in terms of heart and mental toughness, makes us rarely see these shortcomings there but with the national team even though there are a few players like Mascherano who have as much heart and toughness as possible, not having as much talent as Barca, exposes these shortcomings of Messi all the more. Maradona was Maradona not just for his talent but also for his determination, fighting spirit, mental toughness and leadership (ability to drive his team and bring the best out of others). Maybe in spite of being just as talented if not more Messi can never be Maradona and maybe this is the reason for it. I never watched Maradona live but there are a few other players who I have watched for years who I think, had they been on the pitch instead of Messi last night, Argentina would have won. Maybe no one will agree with me but I think someone like Zinedine Zidane, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Pavel Nedved, Steven Gerrard and a few others would have won the match for Argentina last night. We were superior to Chile on paper. They didn't have the big names that we had. What was most missing for us was the one player who could drive things from midfield. Argentina's play maker was Javier Pastore and while he has impressed me with his talent he has also convinced me that he has even less heart, toughness and personality than Messi. It's actually the much maligned Angel Di Maria who probably is the closest to the kind of player Argentina needed last night. Maybe he couldn't have done it but I think the ones I named would likely have done it. Yes it's true that when Messi had the ball in the right area he was still capable of creating a magical moment and yes it's true that Higuain etc. bottled it big time but what's unforgivable is that this was only Messi's second (and maybe last) international final and he hid on the pitch for so long. Last year in the world cup final he had done something similar but this time it was even more conspicuous. Like alex, dani and a few others here have mentioned time and again laziness has become a disease that Messi just cannot be cured of any more. No one knew more than Messi just how important this was for Argentina and for Messi but he just didn't do enough to the extent that my eyes could barely believe what I was watching. Does the world's greatest player look unsure and scared just because the going has got tough and he is in a battle more than in a football match? Maybe in spite of the superstar that he has become within Messi there still lies that child that suffered from hormonal growth deficiencies and he happens to show himself in the most inopportune of occasions. I can't believe I am saying this but for the very first time I actually understand why some in Argentina don't like Messi and accept their point of view to some extent. BTW let it be understood very clearly that Barcelona was never a one man team, at least not when we were at our best. Messi is Barca's best player but Barca is much more than Messi. When Messi in a major final sees Iniesta, Xavi, Suarez, Neymar, etc. next to him he feels that much more confidence that the team will win. Without them he loses belief really fast. He is not a Maradona and cannot do it alone, whatever that may mean. Maybe this is just a knee jerk reaction from me. Maybe more. I don't know and maybe will never know.