Saturday, January 28th 2012 - 09:51 UTC

‘King Leo’makes the cover of this week’s TIME magazine but not in the US

Argentine born Lionel Messi, three-time FIFA player of the year, is on the cover of this week's Time, but only if you buy it in Europe, Asia or the South Pacific. The United States cover is actually devoted to “The Power of Shyness”.

Soccer’s greatest football player ever?

‘King Leo’ Messi, 24, whose FC Barcelona team played to a 2-2 tie against Real Madrid last Wednesday, was interviewed by Time's Bobby Ghosh in Barcelona. He described Messi as the “shining star of my favourite team”.

Messi who has spent half his life in Spain says he loves Argentina but yet has to see his dream of leading his country to lift the World Cup.

In the interview Messi also speaks of the sacrifices made to reach where he stands undisputedly.

“I never thought about sacrifice. I always thought I wanted to play professionally, and I always knew that to do that I'd have to make a lot of sacrifices. I made sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream. That's why I didn't go out partying, or a lot of other things.”

Soccer pros and fans alike love nothing more than to rank players, past and present. It's generally perceived that the top two players in history hail from South America: the brilliant Brazilian Pelé and the more tragic figure of Messi's fellow Argentine Diego Maradona, who single-handedly (at times literally if you recall his “hand of God” goal) won the World Cup in 1986.

Maradona's international team mate, Ossie Ardiles, believes that Messi has already eclipsed these two legends of the game.

“I think he's certainly the best player of his generation. And I definitely believe not only that but he's the best player in the history of football.” Ardiles adds, “To be perfectly honest, I thought I would never encounter anybody in the same league because Diego was a genius.”

But his justification for Messi being the more accomplished player is practical. “One of the reasons I think Messi is better than Maradona and Pelé is evolution. People before say Pelé was running 5,000, 6,000 meters. Now they are running 9,000 meters. Now players eat better, train better, the pitches are better. So this is why I believe Messi is the very best ever.”

Funny that Messi is arguably one of the most popular and influential athletes on the planet, but is largely ignored in the US except for those who embrace the beautiful game.

Bloomberg/BusinessWeek released its list of most powerful athletes earlier this week. The only soccer players to make the list: No. 55 Landon Donovan; 58, David Beckham; 79, Abby Wambach and 88, Hope Solo.
 

Published in: Argentina, International, Entertainment.
Tags: Leonel Messi.

8 comments Feed

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1 Sir Rodderick Bodkin (#) Jan 28th, 2012 - 12:10 pm Report abuse
Stay Classy Leo!
2 tobias (#) Jan 28th, 2012 - 02:09 pm Report abuse
And all that adventitious trumpery regarding soccer and the US is relevant to the topic because?... I really don't grasp Mercopress's intentions sometimes.

If anything it proves the United States is irrelevant in soccer, even in today's globalized information society. Messi (or any other), can become the best remunerated and achieve the cachet of most acclaimed player in the world, without any say from the world's superpower.

A far more central theme the magazine raised, completely ignored here, was why does the world love and appreciate Messi, but not so the case in Argentina...
3 O gara (#) Jan 28th, 2012 - 11:46 pm Report abuse
Of course Argentina appreciates Messi but if you have had Moreno,Pedernera,Sivori,Onega,Alonso,Maradona,Ortega its not the same as in Europe to go on bended knee.
4 you are not first (#) Jan 29th, 2012 - 03:44 am Report abuse
Time needs a controversial statement to reach a “selling point” by saying that Argentinian do not like Messi. I am sure everyone wants to have a Messi in his team. Even more, any country would like him to change his citizenship. The only true is that his heart is in Argentina. Just confirm where he spends every single vacation and you will see. Also, NOTHING can be compared to the emotional support and unconditional love that his neighborhood and his city of Rosario gives to Messi and his family every time he stops by.
Messi still is a simple men, who is not distracted by the fame. For that he is a rich man. It is hard to understand this if you do not live and enjoy the Argentina culture
5 tobias (#) Jan 29th, 2012 - 05:00 am Report abuse
Hold on... I'm not suggesting Messi the man (even though his countenance is still that of a man-child), is disliked. In my opinion, Messi is the most wholesome, and positive athlete Argentina has had in modern times (Ginobili would be a close 2nd if only because his sport is less popular in the world, but his conduct has also been impeccable). Humble, drug-free, family-oriented, munificent, polite, equable of character... he's still loyal to his childhood sweetheart for goodness sakes (he could have any woman we can assume). In other words, immaculate—thus far. All this despite the fact he became so successful so young, and a multi-millionaire, a circumstance whose milieu has proven destructive for so many.

BUT... in terms of cold sport results, it has not happened yet. And in Argentina, what Messi does in Europe is irrelevant. All that matters is the
achievement sheet, and there is only one acceptable achievement for the Argentine national football team. Anything else is dismissed.
6 O gara (#) Jan 29th, 2012 - 07:02 am Report abuse
Tobias you are correct.For Messi to have the love a huge number of Argentines have for Maradona he needs two things 1 to win the Mundial and 2 he must play for River or.Boca for a number of years
7 Kiwisarg (#) Jan 30th, 2012 - 06:27 am Report abuse
3 O gara
you forgot to include in your list the Luifer, 9 Belgrano club, from Codoba, he was Pirata!!! he was a great player!! mate
8 O gara (#) Jan 30th, 2012 - 08:47 pm Report abuse
Che Kiwi I thought I had a little idea of futbol but here I have to bow to superior knowledge

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