DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
Some people become so bored with football that they engage in its 'tabloidization'. They are more concerned with footballers celebrity wives or the latest training ground bust up. Controversy sells newspapers and creates interest. Only those very close to Messi know the truth about his 'ego' or how humble he really is, yet somehow a couple of vague stories/quotes/videos and suddenly people conclude that he's an egotistical maniac who runs the dressing room.
This may be arguing semantics, but there is no way that Messi has a tiny ego. He practices self control and humility, but doesn't have true "humbleness". Don't get me wrong, those things are equal in terms of being morally admirable qualities but they are far different in actual meaning as far as I'm concerned. Being humble would be an internal modesty, whereas humility is how he behaves and acts as a person making sure that he keeps the right image and interacts well with people.
Having an ego is what makes him confident, it's the reason why he is assured in his abilities and can constantly perform the way he does to an extraordinary level. Egos aren't just about boasting or gloating ones own qualities but having self-admiration and confidence. Being truly humble would mean that he doesn't have faith in his ability to lead a team and be a dominant player, and that he can't impose his personal influence on our play. Being egotistical is often viewed in a way too cynical perspective, Messi has all the great qualities of being self assured with his ego while having true human control over the negative sides of it such as arrogance, boasting, or too much pride. The fact that he can control his ego in a way most other footballers can't earns a lot of respect because it's simply good character.
Does he have outbursts? Sure, he's human, everyone does. They aren't as wild and inventive as portrayed by the media, but he isn't 100% perfect, nor should anyone expect him to be. I'd have Messi just the way he is for our team, wanting him to be more "humble" and "self sacrificing" would be reducing his role and importance which is far from ideal. His ego benefits himself, but also for the good of the team and other players in the process which makes it a win-win.