Bray People

Usual suspects in a class of their own

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THE MORE things change, the more they stay the same.

It has been refreshing to see the resurgence of both Wexford and Limerick in this year’s National Hurling League, but after all the springtime promise it’s again left to the battle-hardened old guard to scrap it out for the prize, with arch-rivals Kilkenny and Tipperary meeting in the final.

That said, there has definitely been a levelling of the playing field in hurling recently and, after Galway’s momentous win, hopefully the next few years can throw up a few surprise All-Ireland champions, like the mid-nineties when the previously unheralded Clare, Offaly and Wexford all got their hands on the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

In the big ball code, Galway had a remarkable run in the league but, similar to the hurling, the aristocrat­s again walked the walk and talked the talk, with Dublin adding to their bulging array of silverware that’s larger than a high street jeweller’s stock.

It’s not always wise to read too much into the league, but there’s no doubting that Kilkenny, Tipperary and Dublin all have that all-important winning mentality, and another thing they all have is class in bucket-loads.

Effort, determinat­ion and applicatio­n will certainly get you a long way, but you can’t beat class - just ask Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde.

In Spain one half of the divine duo may be faltering slightly by their own high standards, with Real Madrid wallowing back in third, a massive 13 points behind leaders Barcelona, as the Catalans continue to reach impressive heights.

However, the table-toppers did show a rare sign of fallibilit­y on Saturday, with the Spanish giants staring down the throat of their first La Liga defeat of the season as they trailed 2-0 to Sevilla.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and up stepped Lionel Messi to curl in an exquisite equaliser after Luis Suarez had pulled a goal back from close range moments earlier. Again class told.

Messi, who had missed both of Argentina’s friendlies during the internatio­nal break due to a hamstring injury, was left out of the Barcelona starting line-up, but when he was introduced just before the hour mark, as he has done so often in the past, he made a world of difference when he entered the fray and turned a seemingly lost cause into a valuable point. It’s often said one player doesn’t make a team, but so much of what’s good about the Spanish league leaders revolves around the Argentinia­n maestro.

Sixth-placed Sevilla, who like Barca still harbour Champions League hopes after dumping Manchester United out of the competitio­n, had chances to put the game to bed when leading 2-0, but they were made to pay, with Messi unsurprisi­ngly at the heart of the fightback.

Of course, there’s a host of world class players in the Barcelona squad, with the sublime Andres Iniesta helping to pull the strings, but without Messi in the side they’re just not the same animal.

You could argue the same could be said about Cristiano Ronaldo, but for all his brilliance he doesn’t make Real Madrid tick in the same way Messi does Barcelona.

Ronaldo may be better in the air and even a more potent finisher, but the extra bit of class on the ball that Messi exudes will always have him a touch in front in my book.

Having said that, it doesn’t really matter, and the who’s better than who can easily be left to the schoolyard. Whatever your views on the Messi versus Ronaldo debate, pretty much everyone would have to agree that it’s a privilege to watch them both perform at extraordin­ary levels, and when they exit stage left a massive void will need be filled and the beautiful game will be undeniably less aesthetica­lly pleasing.

The boots of that dynamic duo may be impossible to fill, but there’s signs that some may be capable of stepping up to superstar status.

Mohamed Salah, for example, still has a long, long way to go to being spoken about in the same breath as those two, but he’s certainly heading in the right direction.

That said, he and Liverpool seem to be the perfect fit, like Fernando Torres or Michael Owen were when they were banging them in in front of the Kop.

However, it’s too early to get over-excited until a player has strung a succession of brilliant seasons together - it’s not too long ago that worshipper­s of the Premier League were comparing Riyad Mahrez and Dimitri Payet to the world’s best.

Some players just thrive at certain clubs for certain managers, like Thierry Henry at Arsenal, Andriy Shevchenko at AC Milan, or Eric Cantona at Manchester United, although Lionel Messi’s career at Barcelona certainly outshines them all.

In all sports, whether it be Gaelic games or the more lucrative world of profession­al soccer, there’s plenty of pretenders to the crown, but for now the top dogs remain in a class of their own.

 ??  ?? Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a late equaliser for Barcelona against Sevilla.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a late equaliser for Barcelona against Sevilla.

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