After Brisbane lost to FC Sydney 2-0, Roar coach Ange Postecoglou said “It doesn’t matter if we have Thomas or Lionel Messi out there…sometimes the opposition is better than you.”
Really?
That made me think if there had been any players who had really made such a difference to a team, just by himself.
And indeed, there were.
The first one that comes to mind is Diego Maradona. When he was in Napoli, they were a championship quality team. After Maradona had left, they got relegated.
The second would be Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira. I still recall every detail when Barcelona played against Valencia for the last spot to qualify for the Champions League. It was him – only him – who scored all three goals that led Barcelona to qualify.
So what about Messi? Is he the kind of player who makes such a big difference to a team? I personally think, yes, he can.
Of course I know that the quality of every Barcelona player is in top notch. But I also know that many scoring situations were created by Messi himself. Usually dribbling from the right flank, cut into the edge, then shoot. And that’s it. Goal.
And considering the standard of Australian Division 1 football, why wouldn’t Messi change a result?
Comments