18 years old: “Come on, he’s just a kid. There’s no way he can compete with Ronaldinho, Kaká, Thierry Henry, Drogba, and Zidane.”
25 years old: “Fine, he’s great, but there’s no way he can be the best in a generation with Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta, Neymar, Suárez, and Robin van Persie.”
30 years old: “He’s getting older now. No chance he can dominate a generation with Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Salah, Modrić, De Bruyne, Lewandowski, and Griezmann.”
39 years old: “Now he’s really finished. He’s almost 40. There’s no way he can compete with Haaland, Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Vinícius Jr., Bellingham, Musiala, Pedri, and Wirtz.”
Unstoppable. 🐐👑🔥
“They say Argentina played for messi
They respect him so much
They could die for him”
But failed to realize messsi has also put himself on the line for them.
The truth is:
You cannot be this loved by your own teammates without being a great leader 💙
Thierry Henry on Argentina :
"Argentina are still unbeaten, yet every win comes with the same tired excuse: 'It's rigged.' Nobody wants to give them credit because that would mean accepting what has become obvious. Since Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't win the World Cup, some fans have turned every Argentina victory into a conspiracy instead of appreciating the football. That's not analysis, it's denial."
"Lionel Messi doesn't need anyone's validation anymore. If your first reaction to every Argentina win is 'rigged,' maybe it's because you've run out of football arguments. For me, the GOAT debate is over. It's Messi."
🚨🎙️ Julián Álvarez on how Argentina treats Lionel Messi:
“People think we take care of Messi because of everything he's won.
That's not the reason.
We take care of him because he has spent his entire career taking care of Argentina.
When you share a dressing room with him, you quickly understand that he never asks to be treated differently. In fact, he's usually the first one to joke around, the first one to congratulate a teammate, and the last person to make anything about himself.
That's exactly why everyone naturally wants to protect him.
If Messi loses the ball, the first thought isn't, 'Why did he lose it?'
It's, 'Let's win it back for Leo.'
That's the mentality of this team.
We know that one touch, one pass, or one moment from him can change everything. So if we have to run an extra five or ten metres to give him that chance, we'll do it every single time.
For us, Messi isn't just the captain.
He's the heartbeat of Argentina.
Wearing the same shirt as the greatest player in history isn't pressure.
It's a privilege that we'll be telling our children about for the rest of our lives.”