Stop time…!

A three-year-old boy watches the Argentina match on a giant TV in his living room, the camera focusing on Lionel Messi in the foreground. Pedro, that’s his name, shocked by the emotion, stands next to the TV and talks to him, touches him on the screen, but Messi just turns around, and he in his innocence shouts, calls to him, demands: “Look at me, Messi, look at me …” His love for 10 is absolute, says the father, who posted the video on Tik Tok and it became a rage.

Estupiñán and ten others

In the regatta, in China, the coxswain and 27 oarsmen, 24 girls and three boys compete in Messi’s shirt, the blue and white number 10. Last Thursday, the 15th, Argentina faced Australia in Beijing, with 60,000 fans in attendance at the Estadio De los Trabajadores with Leo’s jacket. And the genius fulfilled them: he scored a great goal after a minute and 19 seconds of the game. The Instagram account of Inter Miami, which will be his new team, had 1,700,000 followers by noon on June 7, today it has 8,500,000. And his signature has not yet been officially announced…!

The best medicine in the world wins

Yesterday was almost a national holiday in Bangladesh: the national idol turned 36, and Messi, as they say, is loved by the whole country. “We have 170 million inhabitants, we all support Messi”, they say. Because of this, many people are already putting pressure on the AFA to go to an Asian country to play a friendly match. Abel Völkner, a great Peruvian friend who has lived in Germany for decades, says: “My son is German, he loves football, although he is basically a Messi fan. He is 24 years old and already lives alone, but during the World Cup he promised to come home to every Argentina game so that we could see Leo together. After the defeat in the first game against Saudi Arabia, I was afraid that he would be eliminated, but luckily he reached the final and the ritual took place, he came to all seven games, it was played on the day it was played and at whatever time it was”.

Messi: Final destination Miami

In all sports, wherever they are played, in volleyball or tennis, there are people with the number 10 in light blue and white stripes. These events take place all over the world. Its bearers can be Arabs, Finns or Congolese, there are no obstacles for this phenomenon that surpasses all understanding. That never happened, neither with Pelé nor with Maradona. They admired them, they were universal, but very far from this passion. This did not happen in other sports either.

Research by Euromericas Sport Marketing in cooperation with Google in 65 countries shows that 86% of respondents are satisfied with Messi and that 72% have him as an idol, while 83% would like to see him in a game they will watch on television. . The United States of America, England, Brazil, China, Bangladesh, Asia and Africa in general and, of course, Argentina, are the countries where the number 10 is most followed. The survey was published on December 4, when Messi had not yet lifted the World Cup. After that, his popularity skyrocketed to almost incomprehensible limits. Most people answer that they love him for his game, of course, but above all for his personality. “I love his simplicity and humility”… “Because they hit him and he doesn’t protest, he gets up and continues”… “Because he loves children”… “because he is not profiled”.. .. “Because he cares about everyone”… “because he plays barbarically, he gives his teammate a goal that was served, misses it and doesn’t protest, doesn’t say anything, the ball will score the second goal”…

Obviously, football fans admire him for his sensational qualities on the pitch, but more than that, Messi has an incredible bond with women and children. They see him as a superhero, as a paradigm of goodness, nobility. They, perhaps, because of Messi’s loyalty to Antonella, love since the age of 13, and because of his attachment to children and the whole family.

“My children love Messi more than me,” says David Beckham and laughs. Finally, David had the pleasure of convincing him and taking him to Miami. “Messi is like a god to children,” notes former famous Dutch midfielder Frank Rijkaard. “I had to take my eight-year-old son to Barcelona because his dream was to see a Leo game live.” Frank has the honor of making his debut for Rosario in the First League at the age of 17. Without a doubt, Lionel is the footballer most loved by his colleagues, who always vote for him in the majority in the Ballon d’Or poll: “At Barcelona, ​​Leo let me shoot penalties to win the Golden Boot.” and Neymar had to define and they watched out of the corner of their eye to see where I was, to give it to me and win the Golden Boot. I really appreciate that,” recalls Uruguayan Luis Suárez.

“Messi is not a modest fake. Simplicity cannot be faked. This, in fact, plus his inhuman technical conditions, make Messi admirable”, defines Ricardo Vasconcellos Figueroa, sports editor of EL UNIVERSO. “All contrary to CR7’s public arrogance that seeps through his pores; or the dryness of a distant totem like LeBron James, to name just two. Or the aggressiveness and bad manners of a guy like Maradona, who could have a good gesture and an hour later commit horrible rudeness. Messi is truly kind, careful in what he says and does. He doesn’t insult, he doesn’t bully, he doesn’t spare. On the day when he was at his most furious, he said a childish insult to the Dutchman: stupid. He is an outstanding footballer, but he is also an outstanding athlete, from the implications of behavior, respect and respect for the values ​​that the word represents.”

Luis Sánchez, the magnificent Peruvian journalist for Diario Las Américas, in Miami, says that the United States, and especially the Florida peninsula, was revolutionized by the arrival of crack. “There is a very, very high expectation here, I didn’t even imagine that I would experience this, I’m enjoying it and I’m very excited,” he admits as another fan. Like him, hundreds of millions of people will now watch North American League games on TV. “The time has come and Messi is the perfect boost to put MLS among the best in the world, this is a huge step,” said Juan Pablo Reynal, president of Onside Entertainment and The Women’s Cup.

Paris Saint Germain ultras decided to boo Messi at matches one day. Leo took it seriously, never making an angry gesture. He cried when he was fired at Barcelona, ​​an unimaginable blow to the face. But he didn’t stop showing his eternal love for Barça. In 2016, he resigned from the Argentine national team when they couldn’t win the title and many pointed to him: “If I’m the problem, I’m leaving,” he claimed. These are the things that elevate the human dimension above the football player and give him the idolatry he fans. His fans don’t know how to explain if they love a player more than a person. Possibly another.

Before the final in Qatar, people in Brazil were wondering if they should support France, because of their rivalry with Argentina. The answer was given by Mauro Cezar Pereira, Brazilian columnist for uol.com.br: “To argue against Messi is to argue against football, because he is football itself. Talent, leadership, generosity, genius on the field in the service of not only your team, but our sport as well. At the age of 35, he continues to give us dance recitals. How to be against this guy? How to support his failure? As? How is this possible…?”

Lionel blew out 36 candles yesterday (Saturday) and we got nostalgic. How will we feel about football when it’s gone…? We don’t want to imagine that. The only thing we can ask is that they stop time. (OR)