Early last month, Time magazine unveiled its athlete of the 21st century.
The periodical, which has been around since 1923 and is recognised as one of the world’s best, made the selection in an edition devoted to the most influential people in sport. Its choice – explained in a beautifully written feature – was basketball legend LeBron James.
James has transformed his sport, winning championships with three different franchises, and has unmatched longevity. He also became an iconic figure off the court, with his business ventures and social conscience.
Time’s argument was a strong one, but also flawed. Right now, there is only one contender for the greatest athlete since 2000. Lionel Andres Messi.
There are others in the mix, including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Rafa Nadal, Tom Brady, Lewis Hamilton, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. Even Tiger Woods, before his myriad issues, or Shohei Ohtani, though he has a lot more to come.
But no one has done it quite like Messi, whose performances over the past five weeks in North America have added layers to the legend.
He burst onto the scene in 2005 as a teenager at Barcelona, and was already turning heads at the World Cup a year later in Germany. He won it all with the Catalan giants, including eight Ballon d’Or trophies, but the ultimate measurement was always going to be with Argentina.
He has carried his country’s burden since the 2010 World Cup, as a 22-year-old, under the unstable guidance of then coach Diego Maradona. Messi inspired his team to the 2014 final, but Germany were too powerful, prevailing in extra time. Then followed painful defeats in the Copa America final over consecutive years, both to bitter rivals Chile, which prompted his international retirement in 2016.
He came back, before Argentina were beaten 4-3 in the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup by eventual champions France. Messi was 31 and may have been tempted to pack it in. He remained a polarising figure in Argentina, seen as someone who performed for Barcelona but couldn’t elevate his country.
It’s hard to think of another sportsperson who has faced such pressure and expectation; following an icon like Maradona, in a country that measures itself on football, in the most global sport, and in an era of near-complete dominance by European nations. But he kept going.
The Covid Copa America title (2021) was a huge weight off his shoulders, bringing his first international trophy. Then came his masterclass in Qatar in 2022, as he lifted Argentina to their greatest heights since 1986, with crucial goals and vital assists. At 35, that was his coronation – and surely his international farewell.
But he adapted, reinvented himself and played on, opting for the MLS. However, there were no guarantees ahead of this tournament. Could a 39-year-old Messi continue to be such an influence? A hat-trick in the first group match allayed those fears, and Messi has improved with every outing.
He remains the man for big moments, best shown in the edgy Round of 16 victory over Egypt, when Argentina became the first team in World Cup history to win a knockout match when trailing by two goals after 75 minutes. Messi made amends for missing a first-half penalty with an exquisite finish for their equaliser, a shot of controlled perfection that most others would have blazed over the bar.
His performance against England in Thursday’s semi-final was the best yet. After a tight first half, Messi adapted. He shifted deeper and then onto the right wing. He drew defenders to him, opening up the space for Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser, though his pass still had to be precise.
And then came the ultimate Messi moment for the winner: scampering like a reborn teenager to regain the ball, then driving to the byline when the entire stadium expected him to cut inside. On his weaker foot, he found striker Lautaro Martinez at the far post – in a packed penalty area – with an inch-perfect cross. That was greatness personified.
England set up their team to stop him. They would have talked all week about limiting his influence, shifting him to the margins of the game. And they couldn’t. It’s been the same for 20 years, as every opposition manager and team has spent hours of analysis on Messi.
But he kept performing, kept producing, despite the focus, the pressure, the hype and the expectation. His 778 Barcelona appearances yielded 672 goals and 303 assists; his 75 matches for Paris Saint-Germain brought 32 goals and 35 assists. The numbers are even crazier at Inter Miami, with 90 goals and 51 assists from 104 games.
But it’s the international deeds that most defy belief, especially in the World Cup cauldron. A record 21 goals. A record 12 assists. Man of the match in each of Argentina’s four knockout matches in North America, at 39. And on Monday he will become just the second man, after Brazil’s Cafu, to take the field in three World Cup finals.
James is a unique sportsman, with an unprecedented record in the biggest basketball league in the world. But Messi is Messi.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.
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Source: New Zealand Herald
