This week I listened to the “Lionel Messi Has Been Living in a Soccer God’s Shadow. Will He Finally Surpass Him?” La Última Copa/The Last Cup. Episode 3” podcast, however, I had trouble accessing the Pele readings so I’m just going to focus on the podcast in this response. This podcast as the name would suggest details the relationship between Diego Maradona and Messi and their native country of Argentina. While the two shared many similarities such as the need to receive injections to promote proper physical development as children, and their shared homeland, they also had stark contrasts, especially in the eyes of the Argentinian people. Maradona was seen much more as a direct product of Argentina, a true representation of the spirit, attitude, and passion of Argentina. This was due to his larger than life personality aswell as his more humble beginnings in which he maintained and developed a much closer relationship to Argentinian soccer than Messi had. This relationship with Argentina is at the core of the Argentinian public and Messi’s issues. Messi not only is harder to relate to as a common poor Argentinian from his more lavish upbringing, which occurred mostly in Spain, but he also lacks the natural charm and charisma of Maradona. These factors lead to Messi being viewed as a stranger in a strange land while playing in his home country’s uniforms. Another factor in this troublesome relationship is Maradona’s and Messi’s soccer skills. Both extremely talented athletes were at the top of the soccer world of their time. This excellence leads to expectations. Maradona had a huge success in beating Western Germany in a world cup game and bringing pride and hope to Argentina during a troublesome and challenging period for the common people. Now Argentina, in the midst of another uncertain and worrisome period, look to Messi to provide them with hope and pride, as Maradona had. This expectation of greatness laid out by Maradona has set up Messi for Failure in many ways. I thought this podcast did a great job of fleshing out Messi’s strange relationship with Argentina. The comparison and expectation of Maradona and Messi set up by Argentina seem to have only worsened, their pre-existing disdain for Messi, perhaps to the point of no matter what he does he wont ever be able to escape the shadow of Maradona.
