The Growth Of Messi

Messi was always dancing on the pitch—twisting and turning, pulling off outrageous nutmegs, scoring
scintillating goals. It seemed as if he were a child and the football pitch was his favourite toy. The large

crowds were merely there to adore the prodigy as he left them in awe. Had you told a person back in 2008 that Messi would go on to sport tattoos, take on the persona of a mature man, your words would be

shrugged off as banter.

Yet, here he is. With the responsibility of both his club and country on his mighty shoulders, he’s facing his obstacles head-on. Irrespective of just how talented a man is, one must wonder how he deals with such immense responsibility — the calls, aches and demands of the fans and the media.

“I got used to (the adulation). The key for me was to continue being myself. Be natural. You also have

to be a little self-conscious at times because you have to know what you are doing because people are

constantly filming you. I don’t have a psychologist. I always talk to the people closest to me- my wife, my

father, my mother. You know, the people that have always been there for me.”
-Lionel Messi

In essence, Messi’s tale depicts the responsibility one shoulders when confronted by his gifted self. To

face several hurdles and dribbling past each of them like they were inanimate objects, and staying down

to earth consequently requires a very special heart. Even more so, it shows just the kind of a person

Messi is. He doesn’t define people by ability. Perhaps because he has come to the realisation that a soul

is not simply defined by a set of values, numbers and accomplishments. After all, at it’s absolute core, life is but a continuum of events that may or may not overlap with each other, clouded by biased emotion and

vague paraphernalia.

Nothing more, nothing less.