The Golden Ball or Golden Blunder

                                    

With millions of fans entering hibernation for another 4 years, us fanatics are in a familiar waiting period of constant speculation on clubs wheeling and dealings before the start of their respective pre-season tours. The World Cup, as promised boasted goals, amazing saves, drama and moments of tactical genius that we all longed for. But as the final whistle blew and we thought it was all over, we were treated to yet another debatable topic, the Golden Ball award, reserved for the player who performed the best throughout the Cup, was gifted to arguably the greatest player the sport has ever seen.

Whats wrong with this you might ask? Only that by and large the footballing world believes that he does not deserve this award, for his displays throughout the competition, namely the group stage format. Countless calls of "rigging" or "scandal" rang out as he was presented with the award, with almost a handful of more deserving candidates standing only a matter of meters away. The ruthless, and disciplined Germans watched on as the Messiah collected the award, and maybe a few felt they were more deserving. Facebook seemed the outlet for most of the frustration however, as my news feed turned into a who's who of football experts chiming in with their vote for who should have received the award. Claims of Tim Howard due to one spectacular game in particular surprisingly seen in a few posts had my head in my hands within seconds. With the outlandish suggestions brought forward, it had me wondering really if anybody really watched the performance of Messi in this World Cup, or did they just go to watch matches with friends while drinking beers and small talking while paying attention only to the "exciting or attacking" moments within each game.

We collectively have been blessed to witness in our lifetime arguably two of the greatest footballers there has ever been, in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (had to put him in there guys). In my opinion, it is this blessing which has cursed us. Have we become ungrateful or desensitized to the simple intricacies involved in Lionel Messi's football ability? Has his past proficiency in front of goal made us expect so much more on the Worlds greatest stage? Have we overlooked what a player is to a team, and sacrifice one makes for the progression of said team? I watched this World Cup mostly in the comfort of my home, and in the office, missing only one or two matches which could not be helped, choosing the simple silence over constant banter during the game so as to study the positioning of players, the role they played and formations used.
                            
This allowed me to witness the brilliance of players many would overlook in favor of those who steal the limelight due to a quick dribble or brilliant finish that they didn't expect. James Rodriguez for example who scored amazing goals, and earned the Golden Boot award for his 5 goals scored in the tournament can be used as an example. To many football fans, he is no newcomer and his talents have been known, but not the extent he displayed at the Cup. Only becoming a starter at Porto with the departure of Falcao, Hulk and Guarin, Rodriguez developed into quite a footballer, commanding a transfer fee of 40 Million Euros to move to Monaco. The fact that his performance was so unexpected, led many football fan to overlook his instances of failure, or disappearance from a game, in favor of his positives throughout. A luxury not afforded to the great Lionel Messi, who although scored 4 goals and provided a crucial assist has been criticized widely for his absence or lack of "influence" in the 7 games he played 90 minutes of in the Cup.

Football fans, myself included, have always held the notion that until he can win a World Cup, Messi will always be in the shadow of Diego Maradona. A player with the same physique, ability and talent of the same country, with the same aura and menacing dribbling technique, only 2  decades before, who was able to carry his nation to successive World Cup finals lifting it on one occasion, almost single handedly. It is this image, this notion that we expected such greatness from Messi that we overlooked his abilities on the pitch. Maradona showed just what a World Cup trophy can accomplish.. Instant Glory, and the power to have  indiscretions and poor performances overlooked, due to the blinding light of the trophy's golden rays. Nobody ever makes mention of the poor 1990 performance, and his doping allegations, with the only memory fans seem to remember is his Hand of God, or slalom run against England.

For my money, maybe the award should have gone to players such as Manuel Neuer, Phillip Lahm, Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, James Rodriguez or even Javier Mascherano. The choice to give Messi however, was not totally unfounded and in my opinion should not have been met with such uproar and immediate disagreement. Stats don't lie, and they also dont measure a players influence. Without Messi would Argentina have reached the final? Without his driving runs in the group stage, (which salvaged points for his team when needed), without him pulling 3 or 4 defenders at a time and hold them off long enough to feed the likes of Angel Di Maria, would Argentina have made the final? Did anyone take notice of this or was it just the norm, what we have come to expect from Messi? Is it because Argentina had what many would describe as an easy route to the final that his goals and displays not be counted? Is this why it came as such a surprise to many that he won the award?

Messi dropped deeper than we have seen him in recent years, sacrificed himself on numerous occasions and strove for collective glory of his teammates rather than individual, which by all accounts could have been so easy. As Jose Mourinho pointed out, it would have been easy for him to play a Robben role or a Muller role and stay up top waiting to receive and then dazzle on the counter, without helping in defense and he would have done this twice as effectively as Robben if he did, but this was not the case. Messi performed a duty, knowing that his midfield could not create as well as they should, and knowing that their defense was not as strong as most others, dropped deep, and became a play maker, a work horse, an outlet for his defenders to confidently pass to.

He single-handedly inspired and drove when given the opportunity as we have come to expect him to. Truly a person who "Carried" his team and inspired his nation once again to believe.

As pointed out by a truly amazing article that I read yesterday by Jen Evelyn, football fans of my age and younger only have the highlight reels of Maradona or Pele which highlight their greatness, and never show their mistakes, whereas Messi's are there plain for all to see every week over 60 times a year, and it is for this that Messi has lost in my opinion some of his God Like appeal today, which seemingly will only be regained once he has left the sport.

Messi had a great world cup by footballing standards, and a poor world cup by Messi standards, and it is for this reason many cannot accept that he deserved the award, myself included. But it is only by truly understanding the pressures he had, the simplicity with which he played, and the sacrifice he offered that we can truly appreciate his awarding or even nomination for the award. Again, his humility in defeat, and strength in not shedding a tear, which seems to be the new trend/embodiment of passion in the sport showed me a true great, a man whose disappointment at his falling at the last hurdle was highlighted tenfold by his sad demeanor rather than a decision to shed tears on the ground being consoled by teammates as so many players opt to do nowadays. As he made the long, lonely and unwanted journey up the stairs of the Maracana to receive the award, walking past the World Cup trophy on his way, Lionel would be the first person to tell you that maybe he did not deserve it, and should have been given to another on the same field that night. Such is the class of the Messiah.

 Im not trying to convince or agree that he deserved the award, (as many friends know I am not a Messi Fan per say #CR7) but merely putting into perspective, that he was definitely justified in contention for the award, and by his subtleties in his displays, deserves recognition as such.