AFTER MISSING the target, Messi grabbed the hem of his white-and-blue shirt, stretched it out in frustration, then embraced his face with the palms of his hands. While the other players took their penalty kicks, Messi paced around the field refusing to witness an eventual third finals loss for the Selección.
In a matter of minutes, after Chile’s Francisco Silva hammered in the match winner, Messi went on his knees, stooped on the grass, and curled like a newborn.
Indeed, there is always the fetal position.
When critics question people who feel bad for Messi, they fail to see the guy as human. After dragging Argentina to three final matches, his countrymen still hate him for reasons he has no control over. He wasn’t born in the slums, he’s middle class, and he trained in Spain—all of which, by the way, do not make him any less Argentinian.
“Messi doesn’t play the finals to win, he plays the finals to be forgiven,” says former Argentinian football player Jorge Valdano.
And now Messi has announced his retirement from the national team. It could be temporary, an impulsive decision borne out of bursting, pulsing emotions. It could be a protest against an ineffective institution. He could always pull a Zidane and come back for another World Cup final.
Selfishness begs me to hope that his decision is indeed temporary. That one day, hopefully in Russia, I could still witness him carry an international trophy. One day, I hope he gets the forgiveness he longs for.
And when that happens, I hope the people of Argentina would joyously rally behind him, exclaiming what Jon Snow said to Lord Galbart of House Glover:
The featured image is from BBC.
sure. wait. what? 
geee…he is so dramatic! lol
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Because they lost! 😦
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i know, but such drama. lol
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Uy, you’re a football fan! That’s awesome. How come you did not have any post on the 2018 World Cup though? Hehe. Sorry, feeling close.
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Oh no, not feeling close at all! 🙂
You watch football din? I’m a football fan, big time! I follow La Liga, specifically FC Barcelona. I watch most of the UCL matches, too. And when time permits, I also watch Prem fixtures, mainly those with Man City or Liverpool.
I was very busy last summer so I didn’t have the time to sit and write shit like this, haha. I was rooting for Argentina (Messi fangirl here, obviously) and in the finals I wanted Croatia to win (also a Rakitic fangirl, and he plays for Barça). But France won, and that’s okay. They have cute players (haha) and they also have Umtiti and Dembele, two of the top players for Barça.
Or maybe you’re not into football at all, haha. Sorry I spazzed a bit. I loooooove football. ❤
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Yes, yes. That’s about the only spectator sport I follow. I can see you’re a Barca fan. I follow La Liga too but I’ve been more partial to Madrid in the past few years, that is, until Iker and Xabi Alonso left. I like Arsenal in EPL but not the league very much. I’m a huge AC Milan fan so I focus more on Serie A although I can’t as much as I want to these days.
Aw, that’s why. It would be nice to read your thoughts on it. I’ve always wanted to write about the past two World Cups but there’s not enough time and dedication. Haha. Messi is a football god. And I so wanted Croatia to win that cup. I like seeing Modric and Rakitic battling it out for their country. And then there’s Lovren, Mandzukic and Perisic. Argh. But yeah, France was pretty great.
Don’t worry, I love it too. It’s great to know someone who can talk about football this way. Haha. Most of my friends are more into basketball. ❤️
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It’s been a while since Iker and Xabi left RM. Madrid has not been doing well in the league in the past years but hey, a three-peat for the CL isn’t bad. I’m sorta kinda salty as a Barça fan, haha.
I only ever hear about Serie A teams in the CL. I have this impression that Serie A is pretty much like Ligue 1, essentially a one-team league. Is Juventus currently on top? How is AC Milan doing? I felt really bad when Roma pulled a #ROMAntada against Barça last season. Ah well, we gotta move on. 😀
Most of my friends are into basketball as well. Now that I know you exist (haha), I will try to write more shit on football again. Conversations like this are always nice. 🙂
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Haha! Ah, don’t be salty. You guys have been winning trebles and doubles on and off this decade. I think Madrid puts a lot of importance to the UCL more than the domestic league, which is a shame. They seem obsessed.
The past few years, yes. Juventus is dominating the league for so long now. I guess the league haven’t recovered from the match-fixing scandal more than 10 years ago yet. AC Milan has been getting more horrible each year. Haha. I’m always heartbroken. There are problems with club funding and ownership. We are owned by the Chinese and an American hedge fund now. Ugh. It was shocking. I can’t believe Roma pulled it off! 😀
Yehey! That’s awesome. I’m really looking forward to your football posts! 🙂
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