Messi (51 page)

A tribute evening with two benefit matches was held, organised by Amez de Paz, together with friends, his own children and even the Maradonian Church. The cost of entrance was the equivalent of just one euro. ‘We were utterly astounded. A host of great footballers turned up to participate in those games,’ recalls the veteran journalist.

That day, Tomás Felipe,
el Trinche
, Carlovich wept. As he did years later when they asked him what he would have changed about his professional career. ‘Noo, don’t ask me that …’

The only thing that interested Carlovich was the ball, and he never felt comfortable with commitment. He had all the attributes to build a great career, but lacked the character needed to maintain the discipline. ‘It was as if the ball took Carlovich, an intelligent ball, that enjoyed doing artistic things, and meanwhile dragging behind it a footballer,’ says Menotti. An amateur one.

It’s said that
Trinche
arrived on the scene around the same time as coaches obsessed with physical prowess, who sought to convert football from an art form into something entirely different. It was, they say, an ugly period for the game in Argentina, though that has a slightly hollow ring. ‘Perhaps what he lacked was the professionalism needed to compete in football at this level,’ confirms former footballer and coach Carlos Aimar.

Menotti adds: ‘He never found physical reserves that supported his technical abilities. What’s more, he never had anyone who accompanied or understood him. It was a shame because Carlovich should have been one of the most important players in the history of Argentinian football. I don’t know what happened to him. Maybe he became bored with professional football. He just enjoyed having a good time.’

Being number one, being the one everybody looks up to, is not for everyone. ‘Messi confronts each situation as it’s presented to him.
But prior to that he has gone through a great deal, he’s suffered, and yet he’s come through it,’ says Pancho Ferraro. ‘He doesn’t throw in the towel. There are some for whom life becomes foggy and they can’t see the way forward. There are others who find themselves in the middle of hailstorms, and still come through it. Why do so many youngsters fail to make it? Carlovich, a great player. Rodas is a great player, but for some reason neither of them made it. And for me, it annoys me when people say “he didn’t have any luck”. The fact is they didn’t look hard enough for it. They didn’t go out and fight for it. That’s why the player who gets to the top and stays there should be applauded. Players like the Zanettis, Batistutas, Samuels, Crespos … these I applaud. Those who come and go … no!’

Here’s another perspective. In an interview on the Argentinian TV channel
TyC
, given from the comfort of his sofa in his Barcelona home, Leo opened up:

Josep María Minguella says, with a degree of certainty, that Leo ‘comes from a marvellous planet, the one from which only the most exceptional come, where architects, doctors, violinists are created. The chosen ones.’ Interestingly Jorge Messi never called his son a ‘genius’. Many others have, but, in truth, to place him in such a category is to somehow diminish the sacrifice and hard work that have taken him to where he is. The very word ‘genius’ suggests that his rise was inevitable. But
is
he a genius? He’s certainly unique, but, in a way, aren’t we all? Our fingerprints alone bear testimony to that fact. What separates Leo from the herd? Or, rather, why do we choose to remain with the herd while those with a supreme talent drift away? And where does the talent come from? Is it genetics, passion, environment? How many hours do you have to devote to football to become a Lionel Messi?

His talent is undoubtedly unique. It differs dramatically from the talents of Maradona or Ronaldo. But over and above his skill with the ball, what drives him to want to be better every day? And is it this drive, constant and relentless, that has raised him to the pinnacle of his profession? And can such drive be taught? Is it inherent or something that can be acquired?

In
Outliers: The Story of Success
, his brilliant study of talent and success, Malcolm Gladwell says that biologists frequently talk about the ‘ecology’ of an organism: ‘the tallest oak in the forest is so because there aren’t any other trees that block the sun, because the ground in which it is planted is deep and rich, because there haven’t been rabbits eating at its bark and because a woodcutter hasn’t cut it down before it has grown’. Successful people have resistant seeds but still need the help of a fertile soil, distracted rabbits, and woodcutters with eyes on other trees.

Pedro Gómez, coach, blogger, physical instructor and sports psychologist, has prepared for this book a list of ten skills that those who excel in a particular field have in common; in this case ten characteristics that help to make Leo unique. The necessary sacrifices have been discussed. It serves as a point of reference for those
who wish to get to the very top of their profession, in football, or any field, as much as for those who are contemplating with hope (or otherwise) the development of a child. Is my offspring suitable for this? Could he go far? Should I lead him along this road?

The late actor Christopher Reeve, who knew more than most about the highs and lows, the triumphs and the pain, said that ‘many dreams appear impossible at first, later improbable, and finally, when we set our minds to it, they become inevitable’.

Leo had set his mind on becoming one of the greats. Irredeemably. This is how I think he did it.

SKILLS NEEDED TO ‘BE ABLE TO LEARN’

1. Family and footballing context

From the start, the family closed ranks and set out to build a wall of protection around Leo. He was still growing and it soon became
apparent that he needed a shield from various interested parties who would seek to exploit and profit from him. Some had been trusted associates who later proved to be motivated by greed and self-interest. Contracts had been hastily signed and surprise clauses emerged that were not in Leo’s best interest. The Messis still have various court actions in process with individuals who they thought were friends.

‘The family have had some very bad experiences with agents and the result is that they now function as a family firm whose sole aim is to guarantee Leo’s future as a footballer,’ explains Carles Folguera, director of La Masía. ‘Their aim is to guarantee that no one takes the Messi money that quite rightly belongs to Leo. Messi has become a brand, and a significant brand at that. They all work together as a close-knit clan, but in the best sense of the word.’

As already discussed, having your father as your manager creates a dynamic that is very different from the normal father/son relationship. In the last few years, Leo’s father has decided to charge Leo a commission, as any other agent would, drawing a definitive line between his money and that of his son, and trying to overcome the potential difficulties of their bond. They think having a wage is better than not having any money at all, or waiting for your son to pay you something, and prevents money from becoming a divisive issue.

So essentially Leo lives in a world of his own creation, and he does it precisely because it is in his interest to do so. It is a sign of practical intelligence. ‘He knows that he is very good at football, and that in this world the fewer entanglements he is involved with, the better,’ insists Folguera. ‘Some say that as a person he has limitations, but in fact he is conscious that doing anything out of the ordinary can create problems. So he doesn’t. He is advised by his family, [in his day] by Guardiola, and by very few people who are close to them. At the end of the day Messi is very much a family man.’

‘Away from football he is a sentimental man’, says the physiotherapist Juanjo Brau, one of the people who understands Messi best of all. He knew him when he went up to the first team with Frank Rijkaard and for six years has accompanied him everywhere, be it with the Catalan club or the national side, even on his holidays. He instructs him on his body, helps him recover from his injuries, teaches him how to prevent them. They spend hundreds of hours
every year together, and he has seen his evolution from close up. ‘I feel part of “his people”, a very small group of people, but he might never ask me if I am okay or not. If he sees that I am fucked, if there is something troubling me, he will try to find a solution. He would just say, “and why are you like that?” He has that perception, that way of looking after his people.’

Having a familiar, demanding and understanding entourage is the necessary foundation of a great sportsman. But, perhaps more importantly, it was the family approach to his playing (particularly the positive reaction during a
rondo
at the Estado de Israel when he was four) that motivated him and compelled him to work hard to achieve success. If the person watching you, your father, or grandmother or any family member, treats you like a god, then you want to make sure you come up to scratch to please them. His play was brilliant and spontaneous, but in order to rise above the others of his generation who played with equal zeal and fervour, Leo realised he needed to acquire skill and, through skill, recognition.

Football was a prize of great value in the Messi household, and, naturally, children are conditioned by the likes and dislikes of their parents. If you hear at home ‘so and so is a great writer’ or you visit a friend’s house and see the family reading, you will, in a moment of reflection, think to yourself, ‘I’d like to do that too.’ And if you enjoy it, you end up making it part of your life. The desire to emulate and achieve recognition is part of the drive that makes us human. Leo’s desires were formed by the fantasies of his father and wider family. All the men wanted to become professional footballers. Hand in hand they travelled that road of dreams together.

Nothing is accidental. Two of Rafa Nadal’s uncles played tennis while he was growing up. In fact, one of them, Miguel Ángel Nadal, the former Barcelona and Spain central defender, had to choose between football and tennis. Aged just three, Rafa was already playing on a tennis court. His grandmother remembered later that she had heard he was quite good and went to watch him on a number of occasions to confirm that the boy had talent – once again evidence of the family eye. Manel Estiarte, considered to be the greatest water polo player in history, had an older brother who practised the sport and even though Manel started off wanting to become a swimmer, he changed direction when he reached adolescence.

What’s more, Leo was very thin, almost a dwarf, and the recognition within his small world of his demonstrable footballing talent was compensation for his physical limitations.

How a footballer’s ability is viewed and critiqued by those closest to him, his parents, his coach, other players and employees of the club, will ultimately determine how he defines his success. To be constantly told ‘you’re the best’ suggests a particular description of success that is linked to victory and superiority over others. If, on the other hand, he is encouraged to concentrate on the ‘struggle’ and the desire to get better all the time (the philosophy of Jorge Messi), then the person is inspired to be the best they can be, irrespective of defeat or victory. How many times have we heard Leo say, ‘I still have a lot of room for improvement’?

Before the financial crisis hit Argentina, his family were relatively comfortable. This enabled them to become part of the Football Academy world with all the necessary expenses that that entailed. In truth, in the last four decades there have been very few Argentinian footballers from poor backgrounds. Such relative financial stability has formed part of the network of protection that surrounds Leo.