A different team, with a chameleon charm: Clever, clumsy, stooped, serious, rocky, protagonist, complaining, awkward, often clueless. As Paredes/Bessella gave him a free kick, the Netherlands had a nation tied and paralyzed. All together. Strict and practical, also deviates from ambition. He imposes rhythm, takes plays to his most suitable places on the field and then loses the course of the match. An innocent team in some passages, wild in others. He hides, retreats, and suddenly pounces like a pack of hungry wolves. This is unbearable. And that’s a compliment.
But really It is not a style, a tactical plan, or a proposition that sustains it. is the character. He disappeared on the afternoon of his introduction to Saudi Arabia at his disadvantage. But against the ropes, after an hour of panic against Mexico, he found his spirit again. Lionel Messi got his soul back that day and since then he has been guided by the captain’s persona.
Messi inspires and spreads. Forces, do. And others respond. With many errors. The test is unreliable And not going to be in the remaining matches of the World Cup. But he knows how to react. It’s like the 32nd round with Mexico; Then, with Poland, it was round 16; Australia arrived to animate the actual round of 16, now the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Always on edge, always with a sense of direct elimination. And it is his heart that, with better or worse qualities, with more hardihood or with some degree of luck, fails him more. The team is unrestrained, strict and attracts group agreement. Its capital is commitment, willingness to try. With warring winds, very reprehensible. Like ‘little’ Romero’s needless celebration in the Dutch rival’s face after Molina’s goal; Like the audacity of ‘Tipu’ Martinez taking a cross in front of Luc de Jong, and Paredes’ pitch against Van Gaal’s bench. And Van Dijk was sent off for his subsequent reaction.
The competitive nerve, the emotional pulse, can sometimes be the fuel that redeems the unfortunate. But there is no justification for yesterday’s surge. A few weeks ago, when Roberto Ayala was consulted about these abuses, which are not new in the cycle, Scaloni’s assistant replied to LA NACION: “We have players with that character; character, by the way, that has brought them to where they are. They bring in ‘that We cannot suppress the Indian’ because it is very positive, but be careful, be careful, up to a place, up to a limit”. No limit, they lost the line. A very rude bunch.
Knowing how to win is the true measure of behavior and values. After the last penalty, Lautaro Martínez decided to provoke the Dutch and there were not a few: Otamenti, Paredes, Monteil, Di María… ‘Tibu’ Martínez insulted some rivals by crossing the lanes directly. Messi dedicates gestures and words to mocking Van Gaal. He planted himself in front and Topo Zigio replaced him meters away. Did you feel indifferent because DD said “He doesn’t play much when the opponent has the ball”? His revenge was his amazing performance. But he was still saved from rudeness. After heaping all sorts of criticism on Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz, he continued: ‘What’s wrong with you, idiot? Come…, go there, you fool…’ he sneered at Wekhorst in the mixed zone. The Maradona profile that has been requested of him for so many years…speaks so badly of the request.
Messi has always looked good, whether he sings the anthem or not, in short, is ridiculous to us. He was never rude or disrespectful, traits that often seem necessary to ascend to idolatry in Argentina. Messi resisted for a long time, but only for a few seasons Intoxicated The most extraordinary footballer in history, brave enough to lead his team back to the World Semi-Finals, 10 for LA NACION in another unforgettable page, can also be a bad guy.
