Ethan Young
“There is no child that doesn’t have your jersey, be it authentic or a fake, truly you have touched everyone’s lives and that, for me, is bigger than winning a World Cup. Nobody can take that away from you.” Sofia Martinez
This quote shows the impact Messi had on the world even before he eventual triumph in the World Cup final and how important he was to his country and the entire world. He became even more of an icon on the worlds biggest stage and solidified himself as one of the greatest players of all time. His impact stretched farther then soccer and brought millions of different fans to root for his victory because of the underdog story and the greatnesses he has brought for many years.
“But by the end of that final whistle, by the time Argentina lost, Messi was booed outside of the stadium, in his own province, by his own people, by Argentine fans. It was a shocking sight, especially now when you put it in perspective.”
This quote shows that Messi wasn’t always loved and adored by the world and he was actually rejected by many Argentinean fans early in his career. Many thought he didn’t do the work on the national team and didn’t care about his country winning national and world wide tournaments. Fan bases don’t just love players because they are good it takes moments of greatness and perseverance to grow the love of fans and Messi eventually attained this greatness and love.
“It’s just different ways to look at it and I feel like he can stack right up with him without the World Cup but if he wins the World Cup, then the arguments of those who say that he doesn’t just become almost pointless.”
Messi was always in the shadow of Maradona and it took his entire career and one last great moment for many to say he had equal his greatness. While this will always be a debate among Argentina and the world it is hard not to out Messi on the same throne as Maradona after his greatest achievement of them all, the World Cup.
Ethan Young
