*FAN SUBMISSION by The Football Vault (http://www.thefootballvault.co/is-the-reign-of-lionel-messi-over/). Follow them on Twitter @FootballVault1.*
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
The flame that burns twice as bright, burns out the fastest. Lionel Messi has been the brightest flame that the football world has seen since Diego Maradona last laced up a pair of boots. The breath taking skills that this little Argentine is capable of has captured the imagination of the entire world and has placed him at the forefront of the modern game. He is the icon of our era, the once in life time talent that everyone will pass stories of how great he was down to later generations.
Now that the World Cup is over and Messi, yet again, unable to cease the opportunity to join greats such as Ronaldo, Maradona, Pele, and Zidane on the podium of World Cup Winners, we were left with the underwhelming feeling that Messi wasn’t himself at the tournament. Messi seemed lethargic and heavier on his feet than most fans are accustomed to seeing. Watching the Argentine star walk around the pitch was an all too familiar sight at this World Cup, a stark contrast to the Messi of previous years who seemed to run about the field looking for every instance to get on the ball.
The spark just seemed to be gone. He appeared on the periphery of most matches, opting to pick his moments to burst into life. Messi is so damn good though that even while on the cusp of the game, he can still decide it in incredible fashion as seen in his match winning goals against Bosnia, Iran, and Switzerland.
There was just something off about his game. His work rate has significantly dropped, it seemed as though he lost a yard of pace, he didn’t fight for the ball as much he used to, he was going to ground much easier, and it seemed that little spark that made him so exceptional is gone.
THE REIGN OF MESSI 2007-2013:
The Messi we seen from 2007-2013 had something more than just natural football talent. He was a glitch in the matrix. A player blessed by external forces which gave him out of this world ability to play football. We will never see another run better than what we saw from Messi during those years in which he led Barcelona to every trophy possible, picking up numerous individual awards, and becoming the most dominant player the football world has ever seen in the process. The Messi we seen from this period is gone though.
As it is said, the brightest flame burns out the quickest. Messi arrived at Barcelona as a 13 year old with a spark, a hunger and a desire that made him stand out from all the other kids. Barcelona took that spark and made it a bright flame. Pep Guardiola, the man responsible for moving Messi into a striker position, came into the picture, fed that flame and turned it into the roaring inferno that was Lionel Messi. The diminutive Argentine would go on to conquer all of Europe with his Barcelona cohorts and establish himself as the most lethal player of all time.
At the young age of 27 though, it appears that we’ve all but seen the best of Messi. The signs of burnout are becoming apparent with every passing month. He has lost a yard of pace, injuries have been accumulating over the past season, and most of all that spark is gone.
This is an all too familiar theme with great players who reach a level where they are alone in their talents at a very young age. One needs to look no further than Messi’s idol growing up, his former Barcelona team mate Ronaldinho to see another example of this. In a strange twist of fate, this decline on the part of Ronaldinho was crucial in letting Messi become the player we all grew to love from 2007 onwards.
The Brazilian magician was on course to becoming one of the best players of all time during his reign as the World’s best(between 2003-2006), where he seemed alone on top of Mount Olympus. Then the hunger seemed to have left, he became less disciplined in his lifestyle, and he gradually fell into a decline.
Or we can look at the cases of Fernando Torres, Brazilian Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and many other young stars who burst onto the scene in their teenage years, play out of the world football, then slowly begin to fade in their mid to late twenties.
The same appears to be happening to Messi now. The Roaring Inferno that was, is simply just the brightest flame of the lot now. Most likely still the best in the world, the little spark of talent he had is what separated him from the likes of Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Robben, and the rest of the pack. Now he is simply World Class, whereas before he was out of this World. A player touched by divinity.
WHERE TO NOW?
It will be interesting to see how he will adapt his game now. Messi can no longer expect the red carpet treatment at Barcelona that he has received in the past. He is not the same player he was and that is evidenced in his relationship with the Barcelona fans. Already last season fans were beginning to show their dissatisfaction at the Argentine for his lethargic displays at times. A few years ago, it would have been unimaginable that Lionel Messi would be at odds with the Barcelona faithful, such was the love they had for him.
Now though, the groans grow louder as fans slowly come to the realization that Messi is no longer as he was, just as they slowly did the same with Ronaldinho back in 2007.
Once you hit the top of the mountain, the only place to go is down and at the young age of 27, Messi has begun his descent to normalcy. That flame that stole the hearts of football fans around the world grows dimmer with every passing year and in all likelihood we wont see a flame burn as bright as Messi’s for a very long time.
