Sayantan

Curious

[Appie Culé @appiecule]

I’m going to take my time with this one. If you’re busy, save this post and read it later. Don’t miss this trust me.

I just want to put one final point on Messi’s story: football has never truly been an individual sport—except when it came to him.

Football is a team game. No matter how great you are, you still need the players around you to compete, even if the entire system is built to maximize your strengths.

Yet even with Messi, people kept repeating the same old narrative about Xavi, Iniesta, and Guardiola. The reality is that Messi only spent about four years playing with that historic generation, and even that team looked lost before Guardiola arrived. Messi contributed just as much to their greatness as they did to his.

When that generation left, Barcelona became almost entirely dependent on Messi for two years. Then Luis Enrique arrived, along with Suárez and Neymar, not to carry Messi, but to help share the burden.

After Neymar left, and with Suárez well past his best, Messi was once again carrying Barcelona almost entirely by himself, surrounded by average players. He was one game away from another historic treble, and once again, he was the team’s standout player.

Many people forget that in 2014, after Messi became La Liga’s all-time leading scorer with a hat-trick against Sevilla, Barcelona fans were handed flyers asking: “What if you woke up tomorrow and Messi was no longer at Barcelona?” Even then, some people still couldn’t bring themselves to give him the credit he deserved.

Messi even wanted to leave in 2020, and the situation nearly ended up in court. But he stayed because he didn’t want to fight the club he loved. In the end, he was still forced out in one of the saddest exits in football history.

Argentina was no different.

For years, Messi carried one of the worst-run national teams in modern football. In 2010, Maradona played Germany with four attackers because he believed more forwards meant more goals. Argentina lost 4–0.

Yet Messi was the one blamed.

He was called a failure, a choker, and a coward by people who ignored the reality that, without him, Argentina might not even have qualified for the 2014 World Cup. Every Copa América final they reached was because Messi got them there in the first place.

The difference was enormous: with Messi, Argentina reached finals; without him, they struggled even against much weaker opponents.

The 2022 World Cup wasn’t just about a great team—it was also about Messi bringing confidence, leadership, and belief to a group of players who followed him. He carried the responsibility while everyone else played their role.

Even in the latest World Cup, at 39 years old, Messi was covering huge areas of the pitch, playing 120 minutes repeatedly, and constantly finding new ways to win games almost by himself.

Most people will never care about these details or this context. Future generations will only look at trophies and short tournaments.

In the end, every argument people used against Messi eventually disappeared. They said he had no World Cup—he won it. They said he had no Copa América—he won it too.

To me, Messi is the most unfairly judged player in football history. No player has been blamed for more things beyond his control or had more false narratives attached to his name.

That’s Messi’s story—through logic, reality, and everything he had to endure.

[Chidi Okereke @Chydee]

a lesson on how propaganda becomes ‘reality’, and what it portends, beyond football.

[Sudhir Srinivasan @sudhirsrinivasn]

Can’t wait for the world cup to be over, so we can go back to football being discussed by those who actually watch and know it.

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital Yes it’s done now, but this experience was really bad, especially your Kolkata customer service…they were absolutely unhelpful and too many follow-ups were needed, they were extremely unresponsive, really disappointing for a company of reliance’s reputation

[Sayantan @_arko]

Experience with @RelianceResQ has been extremely bad, we have a Samsung Neo QLed and have taken extended warranty by paying 30k INR which is valid till 2027. Now there is a problem with the TV and no one is responding to the help and the ticket is open since nearly 2 months.

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital This is unbelievably fraudulent for a company like @reliancegroup and @RelianceDigital , you have taken away the TV under warranty and you are not giving an update for weeks

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital How many new complaints will you raise? This is an existing issue from September, the resolution is the TV will be collected and money refunded, the tv has already been collected 10 days back, with nothing on the refund

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital @reliancegroup And what is the need to contact, we have provided all details needed, just transfer the amount promised. What is there to contact? This is fraudulent, so many promises, nothing ever gets resolved

@reliancegroup @RelianceDigital

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital @reliancegroup I have provided numbers in private message . It always on . Pls call asap

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital @RelianceDigital @reliancegroup pls respond , it very frustrating as a customer, it seems I have made a mistake choosing @RelianceDigital

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital Hello Team - we are still waiting for the money, the TV was collected more than 7 days back ( last Wednesday) . Pls help expedite, this issue is running since months. Pls help.

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital Yes they have collected the television , I am yet to receive the amount promised although I understand it’s in process.

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital @RelianceDigital @reliancegroup @RelianceResQ this is absolutely pathetic, Trijit from the store called and said first that the panel will be available by 20th and in 5 mins changed and said that the part is not available and will get update by 15th. Absolutely pathetic.

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital Thanks , pls update quickly

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital Yes pls and kindly help asap, I have been hearing the same update everywhere without any resolution

[Sayantan @_arko]

@RelianceDigital My order ID (service request ID) is 3845335 and complaint number is 701668476 and my registered phone number is 9434049982 @RelianceDigital @RelianceResQ

[valking ♔ @_VALKlNG]

Ronaldo said he’s the greatest, Messi said he’s not the greatest, both of them lied.

[Tackle From Behind @tacklefromb]

POV: GAVI

[Sky Sports Football @SkyFootball]

Barcelona are running riot against Bayern 🔥