False nine, true champion

Messi exits the national team in a blaze of glory

Two great Argentinian footballers born almost 27 years apart define the transition in global footballing culture: Diego Maradona and Lionel “Leo” Messi, who recently announced his retirement from international football. The former, undoubtedly the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), was forced to end his international career at age 34, following a suspension during the 1994 World Cup for a positive drug test. Three years later, he retired from professional football, ending a career marked by brilliance, drugs, alcohol and ignominy. Now his compatriot Leo Messi, a GOAT no less, steps down at the ripe age of 39 after serving with distinction for 21 years. This is his second exit from La Albiceleste in a career that has been marred by only one controversy — a tax-evasion case in 2016, for which he blamed his father. As winner of the highest number of prestigious Ballon d’Or awards (eight), the highest goal scorer in the history of Argentinian national football (125), winner of the most official football trophies for his country (six, including a World Cup and an Olympic Gold), and many more firsts, Mr Messi exits in a blaze of glory, notwithstanding the loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.

 

By the uber-demanding standards of the modern game, Mr Messi represents the combination of rigid personal discipline, talent and wealth (he was brand ambassador for several Indian companies) that mark top footballers these days. In 2016, heart-sore from three consecutive losses in major tournaments, he announced his retirement from international football. Those losses rankled: To Chile in the centenary edition of the Copa America in 2016, missing in the penalty shootout; a 0-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup, when his late attempt soared over the bar in extra time; and again to Chile in the 2015 Copa America. But with the same Argentinian fans who excoriated him and demanded his return — and some persuasion from Maradona — Mr Messi revoked the decision in weeks. Vindication followed: That memorable World Cup win against France in 2022 and Copa America trophies in 2021 and 2024. By then he had become the world’s most famous exponent of the “false nine” position, honed by his mentor, the exceptional Pep Guardiola, in Barcelona. Yet, at the height of his achievements, Barcelona, bound for the first time by financial fair play rules, had to release its club record goal scorer and trophy winner. In the 2021-22 season, he joined the galaxy at Paris Saint-Germain, performing decently but less optimally by his own standards for two seasons. Now in Inter-Miami and close to his family home base in Rosario, he has eschewed hard yards on the pitch for the riches and comforts of retired superstardom.

 

Inevitably, Mr Messi is compared with Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7 to his fans), the Portuguese who lit up Europe with his superb talent, now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, and is still on the national roster. It is hard to say who is better; their stats track closely but their styles are different. But in “old age” the contrast in footballing nous was clear at the World Cup. Mr Ronaldo, splendidly fit but wanting for pace at age 41, hung around the 18-yard box, waiting in vain for passes; Mr Messi spent more than 60 per cent of match time walking before spotting opportunities to score or assist. One exited in the Round of 16; the other was a runner-up.