LUSAIL, Qatar — Lionel Messi cried when he left Argentina. He was 13 years old and zooming down Ruta Nacional 9, from Rosario to a Buenos Aires airport, with endless pastures whizzing by, when tears welled and fears of a faraway land set in.
. He kissed a gleaming trophy and lifted it, with 25 of his closest friends surrounding him and unbridled happiness beaming from his face.and grace throughout his last World Cup, he won something else that once seemed just as elusive: his country's undying love.Leo was born with extraordinary talent into an ordinary family, which grew from two to six at a modest home on a one-way street in south Rosario. His dad worked at a steel factory.
Barcelona, in a way, rescued the prodigious talent in Leo’s stunted body. Executives and agents hashed out an agreement that became the foundation for one of the most fruitful club-player relationships in soccer history. Messi would, over two decades, lead his adoptive club to 34 trophies and claim just about every individual accolade.
Even in Argentine soccer, he became something of an enigma. Hugo Tocalli, a youth national team coach, learned of Messi via a now-fabled video tape. There, on a fuzzy screen, was little Leo in an oversized Barca kit, tying Spanish teens twice his size into knots. The tape was mind-boggling. But Messi almost seemed mythical. He was an outsider, almost a foreigner to a U-17 team comprising kids from exclusively Argentine clubs.
They acquainted with him solely through TV screens as he burst into the Barca spotlight. They marveled at a still-diminutive kid who played, in the words of teammates, like"an alien." But when they heard the comparisons to Diego Maradona, their World Cup-winning God, they demurred. Maradona was excruciatingly Argentine and human, awho'd risen from poverty to greatness, with flaws and brash charm. Messi, on the other hand, seemed unknowable.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
2022 World Cup final live updates: Lionel Messi, Argentina face defending champion FranceThe 2022 World Cup final is here. Get live updates of Lionel Messi and Argentina against Kylian Mbappé and defending champion France at 10 a.m. ET. FIFAWorldCup Qatar2022
Read more »
2022 World Cup final live updates: Lionel Messi, Argentina face defending champion FranceFour weeks of soccer have been leading up to Sunday, the 2022 World Cup final at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, pitting Lionel Messi and Argentina against defending champion France at 10 a.m. ET.
Read more »
World Cup Final: Argentina And Lionel Messi Face Defending Champion FranceSunday’s final is likely 35-year-old Messi’s last chance at World Cup glory.
Read more »
Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina wins World Cup after beating France in sensational final | CNNBREAKING: Soccer superstar Lionel Messi just won his first-ever World Cup after scoring two goals in regular time to lead Argentina over France in a sensational shootout final
Read more »
Argentina, Lionel Messi win wild World Cup final on penalty kicks against FranceThe Argentines claim their third world championship in a wild final against France. It's the first World Cup of Lionel Messi's storied career.
Read more »