MERCURIAL MESSI
Even though Barca are holding all the aces now, don’t be surprised if Ronaldo puts Real in pole position in the title race with a sparkling show on Sunday
The exit of English teams from the Champions League marks the end of the road for imposters in the world’s most important club competition this season. The wheat has been separated from the chaff and fans can’t wait for the kick-off in the quarterfinals that have a stellar cast. English clubs have a lot of time for introspection on their disastrous foray into Europe. It’s, however, time to move on from also-rans to the real deal even as the football world braces for the match on its annual calendar: El Clasico. Even a PlayStation match between Barcelona and Real Madrid can’t be brushed aside. The rivalry between the two is so intense that words can scarcely do justice to it. The return leg of their La Liga match every year assumes significance because the title race is closer to the finishing tape. Among the plethora of Super Sundays that pervade the football universe, this Sunday will be some day indeed.
Fans of the English Premier League can point out to the popularity of the competition across the globe. La Liga’s answer to the ever-enlarging tentacles of the EPL is one match. It’s the match no football fan would dare to miss. No sporting contest boasts a global appeal like the bewitching battle of wits between the two Spanish institutions. Credit must be given to Barcelona and Real Madrid for not letting the intensity to drop. Journalists must have grown tired of saying every season that the result of El Clasico would decide the title. Unlike the Bundesliga and Serie ‘ A’ only a few strands of hair separate the top two in Spain. Atletico Madrid made the title battle spicier last season and this year it would be a two-horse race. Sorry for saying this again: the result of Sunday’s El Clasico will determine the title contest this season. After a midseason slump, Barcelona have gained a one-point lead over Real ahead of the big match. And, a win on Sunday will certainly deposit the title at Camp Nou because Barcelona are unlikely to surrender a four-point lead in the remaining 10 matches.
Once again the protagonists of the match would be Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The two players would approach the meeting at Barca’s home in a contrasting frame of mind. Ronaldo’s failure to join his teammates to celebrate Gareth Bale’s goals against Levante over the weekend became a talking point in the press. In form and fitness, the Portuguese isn’t on top at the moment. More important, Messi has been in sublime touch. The coruscating brilliance of the little fellow came to the fore in all its resplendence against Manchester City in the Champions League on Thursday. Messi played a different ball game while the other 21 on the field were doing something else. The Argentine was virtually unplayable all night. Messi has rediscovered his magic and it’s no good news for Real. If Messi isn’t enough, Barca can also call upon Luis Suarez and Neymar from an attacking trident, the likes of which would be inconceivable for any club. Even though Barca are holding all the aces now, don’t be surprised if Ronaldo puts Real in pole position in the title race with a sparkling show on Sunday. Football wouldn’t be football if it followed a script. The beautiful game supplies the most gripping unscripted drama that the world is enamoured with. Halfway through the first half, Lionel Messi receives the ball next to the byline with James Milner tearing down on him. A deft touch, an ever so subtle sidestep and the Barcelona man was away leaving his counterpart red-faced on the grass.
In many ways the second leg of the last-16 Champions League encounter between Barcelona and Manchester City was all about Messi as the diminutive Argentine showed just how mesmerising his skills with the ball can be.
His ability to score phenomenal numbers often only tell half the story about a player who just might be the best to ever lace up a pair of boots.
His recent tax evasion case and his so called fall-out with manager Luis Enrique earlier this season has cast a shadow on the mercurial forward’s image as a humble human being in the eyes of the public, but there is no doubt that once he steps between those white lines, few can hold a candle to his ability.
With already 43 goals in all competitions this season, Messi — along with Cristiano Ronaldo — has set a new benchmark for goal scorers at an age where 20-goal a season striker is priced at a premium amount.
While his ability to find the back of the net with alarming regularity and his close control and dribbling are held at high regard, the 27-year-old’s allround play often goes without much notice. His assist to Ivan Rakitic’s winner on Thursday was his 21st this season and showed his vision and passing ability as the Barca number 10 shook off two defenders before finding his teammate with a precise cross field ball. But perhaps the most underrated quality of them all is Messi’s ability to stay still and find space in a game where movement is of paramount importance. While the debate of his presence as the all time great will rage on and his supposed battle with Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to polarise opinions, there is little doubt that people of this age are blessed to be witness to what can only be called a genius in action.