I rode in a cab with a Tunisian driver yesterday. Mr Walid. He was angry about Tunisia. Corruption, he said. Player selection had nothing to do with merit. I told him I could relate without saying much. I didnโt want to talk about the Super Eagles.
Then he said he hated Messi. Now I was interested. I asked if he was a Madridista. No. A Cristiano Ronaldo fan then? He looked at me like I had cursed him. He said he was offended by the question.
His favourite player ever is Ronaldinho. The greatest ever, he insisted. I admitted the greatness of Mr Gaรบcho, but I reminded him that even Ronaldinho called Messi the better player before Messi had done much of anything.
Mr Walid was unmoved. โMessi makes everything look perfect. He doesnโt make mistakes. Football is about mistakes. Messi does too much. He is too perfect, my brother. I donโt like that. Ronaldinho is my GOAT. He makes mistakes too. I can relate to him. I played football. We all played football.โ
He hated Messi for his perfection. That was a first. The world is full of the undiscovered.
Dude made me laugh so much. I tipped him for the cost of the ride. I had never heard anyone hate Messi like that before. And he sounded rational about it. I enjoyed his position a lot.
PS: He is rooting for Canada against Morocco. I didnโt go there. I know how North African rivalries work. lol. Much like South Americans.