It’s a cute picture taken in the catacombs of Maracana. Mario Goetze – Germany’s chubby-cheeked champion – standing with hands behind his back in that iconic white jersey, grinning and showing off the man-of-the-match medal he won in 2014 final, posing alongside a pensive and visibly shattered Lionel Messi, showered, changed and ready to leave.
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The story behind that picture, as narrated by Goetze in a German talk show, Star Talk, is equally fascinating. It goes something like this: the then 22-year-old was inside Maracana’s conference room moments after he’d scored the World Cup-winning goal for Germany. Just then, he saw the heartbroken Argentine superstar, the player of the tournament, making a quiet exit. “And I went running after him…” Goetze blushes.
A few minutes later, Goetze’s Instagram feed had a new post, accompanied with the caption: ‘genius @leomessi’. In the biggest moment of his life, the star was star-struck.
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Nothing illustrates Messi’s magnetic pull, even amongst his peers, better than this moment, which was special also because of the nickname Goetze has. The assist-machine has been dubbed the ‘Lionel Messi of Germany’, a moniker that stuck after the legendary Franz Beckenbauer compared Goetze’s assets and instincts to Messi’s.
The former world champions aren’t the only ones to have their own Messi. From Japanese wunderkind Takefusa Kubo, who touched down in Doha on Monday, to the ‘Iranian Messi’ Sardar Azmoun; Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri, who is ‘the Alpine Messi’, to the Cameroonian who is actually named Lionel Messi, Lionel Messi Nyamsi, and a ‘Mexican Messi’, Luka Romero, who wants to represent Argentina – 15 out of the 32 countries (16, if you include Argentina as well) that will descend upon Qatar this week have a ‘Lionel Messi’ of their own.
Some will be in Qatar, a few won’t. But therein lies the story: What can be a bigger, better compliment for a player than most of his bitter rivals naming their best players and prodigious talents after him?
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In that sense, this World Cup is an ode to Messi, the greatest player of this generation whose status will most certainly be elevated as the greatest of all time if he holds the shiny golden trophy aloft on December 18.
It isn’t about Argentina becoming champions as much as it is about whether or not Messi will become one in his fifth and final attempt.
And just because it is Messi, there’s an added layer of expectations. As some columnists and former players have suggested, only a Messi triumph can ‘save’ this World Cup, which has been tainted by allegations of corruption, deaths of migrant workers and caused disruption to the football calendar.
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It might be a messiah act even beyond his superpowers. But it adds to the narrative of this being the World Cup of Messi, in more ways than one.
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The Messi syndrome
Jose Mourinho sits in front of a tactics board and, in his inimitable style, lets out a mischievous grin. “This is the guy,” the Portuguese coach says, “I forget the name…” Thus begins the 8-minute, 31-second guide on ‘How to play against Lionel Messi’. Mourinho, of course, hadn’t forgotten the name. No one does because they won’t let you even if you tried.
This is definitely the best Messi video I’ve ever seen
pic.twitter.com/63FsLtU3e0— J. (@Messilizer) November 8, 2022
Like Azmoun, the Iranian Messi who is a fan of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “Ibrahimovic is a great player, and as a fellow forward, he probably is the player I most want to play like,” Azmoun once said. If the thought behind this was to get his followers to drop the Messi tag, it didn’t work. Azmoun’s followers combined the best attributes of the two players to describe him – runs like Messi and heads like Zlatan, they went.
It can be called the Messi syndrome. Whenever a young player who is more cerebral and creative than his peers emerges, no matter what part of the world, he is instantly hyped as the ‘next Messi’. A study by the Polish website thesport.pl showed that between 2010 and 2019, 175 players from across the world were dubbed as either ‘new’ or ‘next’ Messi.
One of them was Japanese sensation Kubo, who was just 10 when he was first likened to Messi. ‘Take’ (pronounced taa-kay), as he likes to be called, is one of the biggest prospects to emerge from Asia in recent years and for him, the comparisons were inevitable. He joined La Masia around the same age as Messi and displayed similar attributes – he could tear through defences with his quick feet, showed immaculate upper-body strength despite his slight physique and could unleash incredible left-footed shots.
Now 21, the Real Sociedad player has been on the radar of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, was Japan’s key player at the Tokyo Olympics last year and looks primed to shoulder responsibility at the World Cup as well.
Handling pressure
Not all players, however, have been able to handle the pressure that comes along with the tag. The comparisons, if anything, have had a detrimental effect on players.
England’s Kai Fifield was just seven when, in 2011, on a holiday in Barcelona, he came across a game just after touring Camp Nou. He asked to join in blissfully unaware that it was Barcelona’s youngsters he’d lined up with. And the coaches at the game offered him a trial. Inevitably, the ‘English Messi’ comparisons followed. Today, no one knows where Fifield plays – or if he plays professional football at all.
Around the time Barcelona were testing the English prodigy, a relegation-threatened French second-division side were checking out Lionel Messi. Not the Messi, of course, but Lionel Messi Nyamsi from Cameroon. Nyamsi was 17 when Ligue 2 side Angers offered him a contract. He dreamt of playing against Messi and for his adopted nation, France. But the unreasonable expectations that followed took a toll. Now 26, Lionel Messi Nyamsi plays in France’s sixth division for a club named Toulouse Rodeo for 400 euros a month, according to L’equipe.
Even some of the top professionals haven’t managed to climb the heights that were once predicted for them in the face of constant scrutiny, which makes one appreciate Messi’s consistency and longevity even more.
Messi’s own national team colleague, Paolo Dybala (dubbed by his own countrymen as the ‘next Messi’) hasn’t been able to justify his potential and even as he struggles to manage the expectations that come along with the tag, Argentina have found a new candidate: Alejandro Garnacho, who scored Manchester United’s stoppage-time winner against Fulham on Sunday.
One of the most promising ‘next Messis’ who buckled under pressure is Bojan Krkic. Widely tipped to fill the void left at Barcelona after Messi’s exit, he now plays his club football in Japan and isn’t even on the fringes of the Spanish national team.
Goetze appeared to be meeting a similar fate as well. When he came off the bench during the 2014 World Cup final, then Germany coach Joachim Loew had some advice for him: “Show them you’re better than Messi,” he reportedly told Goetze. That evening, Goetze responded with a crisp volley. But in the months that followed, Loew regretted the Messi comparison, saying ‘it didn’t help Mario’. “If a player scores the decisive goal in the final at such a young age, it can be a burden later.”
Loew was right. Goetze endured a dramatic slump and was then dogged by injuries and metabolic illness. When he was dropped from the squad for the 2018 World Cup, it looked like the end of the road for Goetze but with Loew out and Hansi Flick in, the Lionel Messi of Germany is back as well, making the European giants a part of the dozen-plus countries who have their own Messi.
It is, after all, Messi’s world. Others just exist in it.
THE ‘MESSIS’ FROM 16 WORLD CUP COUNTRIES
Argentina
Paolo Dybala
Known for his ball control and long shots. Couldn’t justify his potential. Argentina now pinning hopes on young star Alejandro Garnacho to follow in Messi’s footsteps.
Paola Dybala is known for his ball control and long shots.
Cameroon
Lionel Messi Nyamsi
A central midfielder, Messi’s namesake plays in France’s sixth division for a club named Toulouse Rodeo for 400 euros a month.
Croatia
Alen Halilovic
Dubbed the ‘Balkan Messi’, the attacking midfielder has become a journeyman player of sorts, appearing for 9 clubs since leaving Barcelona nearly a decade ago.
England
Kai Fifield
Spotted by Barcelona coaches in 2011 and was offered a trial. The ‘English Messi’ comparisons followed. Today, no one knows where he plays – or if he plays professional football at all.
Ghana
Christian Atsu
His movement and dribbling skills earned him comparisons with Messi but his career never took off as expected. He now plays for Hatayspor in the Turkish league.
Germany
Mario Goetze
The ‘German Messi’ moniker stuck after the legendary Franz Beckenbauer compared Goetze’s assets and instincts to Messi’s. After missing out on the 2018 World Cup, the 2014 champion is back in the squad for Qatar.
Mario Goetze with 2014 FIFA World Cup. (FIFA Twitter)
Iran
Sardar Azmoun
The Iranian Messi, Azmoun is a fan of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His followers, though, haven’t stopped the Messi comparisons. ‘Runs like Messi and heads like Zlatan’, is how they describe the superstar attacker.
The Iranian Messi, Sardar Azmoun is a fan of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. (Twitter/Miguel Ruiz)
Japan
Takefusa Kubo
He joined La Masia around the same age as Messi and displayed similar attributes – he could tear through defences with his quick feet, showed immaculate upper-body strength despite his slight physique and could unleash incredible left-footed shots. He is one of the players to watch out for in Qatar.
Takefusa Kubo joined La Masia around the same age as Messi and displayed similar attributes. (UEFA Europa League)
Mexico
Luka Romero
Born in Mexico to Argentine parents, raised in Spain, Romero has played for Argentina’s age-group teams internationally. He holds passports of all three countries and is eligible to represent either of them, triggering a tug-of-war between them.
Morocco / Equatorial Guinea
Lamine Yamal
The ‘Mini Messi’ is only 15 and has attracted Barcelona’s attention after multiple training sessions with the first team under manager Xavi Hernandez in September. Known for his slick dribbling abilities and technical prowess, he was born in Spain but his father is from Morocco while mother is from Equatorial Guinea.
Poland
Mateusz Musialowski
The 19-year-old attacker has been described in the English media as a once-in-a-generation talent. The Liverpool player is known for his dribbling abilities and the ease with which he can get past two-three defenders.
Serbia
Andrija Zivkovic
His combination of skill and speed, along with his strengths from set-pieces, earned him the tag of being the Serbian Messi. He helped Serbia win the 2015 U-20 World Cup.
South Korea
Lee Seung-Woo
He was called the ‘Korean Messi’ for the time spent at La Masia and his early years at Barcelona. The then 18-year-old was destined for stardom both in Europe and back home in Asia but the left winger is now back in South Korea after spending a couple of years in Belgium and Portugal.
Spain
Bojan Krkic
One of the most hyped young players to be a part of the Barcelona squad, the pacy winger was seen as Messi’s successor at the Catalan side. However, he could not live up to the expectations and now plays club football in Japan.
Switzerland
Xherdan Shaqiri
Known as the Alpine Messi, Shaqiri is one of Switzerland’s most experienced players, with more than 100 appearances. He earned this nickname for being clinical in front of the goal, having excellent vision and being unpredictable on the ball.
Known as the Alpine Messi, Xherdan Shaqiri is one of Switzerland’s most experienced players, with more than 100 appearances.
Tunisia
Youssef Msakni
An injury kept him out of the 2018 World Cup but the veteran forward will be there in Qatar, hoping to justify the hype around him. Msakni has shown flashes of brilliance during his career but has only flattered to deceive.
