Lionel "The Greatest of All Time" Messi V2

Andresito

Andresito

Senior Member
Staff member
Otamendi is gone too no? Say what you want about the player but he, like Messi and ADM, has been a presence in that locker room for more than a decade. Add to that Scaloni leaving, there's a lot of experience leaving but it also gives the opportunity to likes of Garnacho to grow into the squad.
 
G

Gnidrologist

Senior Member
bismp said:
Players like Messi, just aren‘t meant to be subs. It sounds great in theory, but almost all great players (most of which are 2-3 tiers below Leo) retired from their NTs as starters.
Click to expand...
That's just drama talk. It doesn't matter what he's "meant" to be, it's what he can do in circumstances. I've seen many veterans nearing their 40s being subs and making impact, when subbed on. Examples like Totti or Joaquin. They also were protagonists in their youth, but accepted the role of impact subs and daddy-in- the-locker room role fine. Think Messi could do this too. His ego isn't as inflated as Crynaldos
 
bismp

bismp

Well-known member
Gnidrologist said:
That's just drama talk. It doesn't matter what he's "meant" to be, it's what he can do in circumstances. I've seen many veterans nearing their 40s being subs and making impact, when subbed on. Examples like Totti or Joaquin. They also were protagonists in their youth, but accepted the role of impact subs and daddy-in- the-locker room role fine. Think Messi could do this too. His ego isn't as inflated as Crynaldos
Click to expand...
Totti literally retired from his NT aged 30, after the WC win :lol: And Joaquin is just a bad example, he is nowhere near that level of fame and impact on the team.

Almost all legends of the game retired as starters, either really at their peak or because they overstayed their welcome.

Zidane retired after the 2006 WC

Pele retired one year after the 1970 WC (he was old (31) for the time, but surely he could still contribute if he wanted)

Maradona stayed too long, but was still a starter (until he was banned :lol:)

Cruyff did not even play in the 1978 WC

CR prefers to fire coaches and drag his team down instead of coming in as a sub

Beckenbauer retired after the 1976 Euros while being selected in the team of the tournament

Xavi retired from the NT the moment he saw he was not a starter anymore

Iniesta also left the team after being a starter in the 2018 WC

And the list goes on and on. There are also cases like R9, Ronaldinho etc, who were dropped from the NT because they declined massively. Who knows, maybe they said that they would not accept being subs behind closed doors.

So, this is no „drama talk“, this is a pattern that repeats itself again and again. Who knows, maybe Messi decides to take a smaller role, but so far it seems that he would like to retire from the NT while still being their best player (though inarguably years past his prime).
 
bismp

bismp

Well-known member
companyofcules said:
Actually Messi said he prefers to be a sub than subbed
Click to expand...
That quote is taken out of context. He liked to come on as a sub to impact the final minutes of the game, in cases of injury or suboptimal fitness. He never said that he would like to permanently play as a sub.

And though his ego is nowhere big as Ronaldo‘s, history has shown that he never liked to miss matches or being subbed off. That was actually a common complaint as he grew older and could use some rest, but still played almost every game when fit.
 
Loki

Loki

Well-known member
Messi himself doesn't know it yet if he'll participate or not probably. Gonna depend on the season now, if he gets injured again, if he plays with pain or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Home of Barca Fans

Top