He remembers as if it were yesterday his first meeting with Lionel Messi. Consultant for Eurosport Germany during this World Cup, Holger Badstuber crossed paths with the brilliant Argentinian in a friendly match. Privilege of the post, he was even marking the star that evening. “I immediately thought there was something magical in what he was doing.“, he smiles at the evocation of this memory.
But, ten years later, he hardly recognizes Messi: “I closely analyzed the quarter-finals and therefore noticed some things regarding him. His ecstatic emotions and strong reactions following winning the penalty shootout spoke volumes. You can feel he’s done a job on himself, he wants that World Cup trophy and he’s putting absolutely everything he has into this last try“.
world Cup
Neymar: ‘I’m psychologically destroyed’
YESTERDAY AT 4:28 PM
The construction around Messi is perfect
Transformed in selection since winning the Copa America 2021, Messi is no longer quite the nice Leo, the genius Messi. On this World, he looks like the general in chief of a team of lieutenants totally subordinate to his genius. And, for Badstuber, that changes everything. “To me, the odds of him succeeding this year are greater than they have been in a long time.he explains. He carries the nation, the nation carries him. Messi is ready for the title“.
“Messi himself adapted and changed his game as he got oldercontinue Badstuber. He knows that the team also needs him defensively, as the first link in the defensive network. And he does the right thing: His effort in the replacement once morest the Netherlands was clearly more important than before“.
“What differs from the last Worlds is that Messi completely assumes the pressure”
The rest is a full expression of his creativity. “With the ball at his feet he’s nearly invincible anywaysmiles the former international. I myself noticed at the time that you can’t catch Messi. He has the ball glued to his foot so you have to take small, quick steps. But even doing that, we can’t catch the ball. Messi, on the other hand, knows exactly when you’re going to take a bigger step. And when you do, it’s over: He chains up with his left paw and walks away. It’s fascinating“.
But it is above all this delicious pass that Badstuber has retained from Messi’s match. A sweetness that no one would have dared to even imagine: “His dream pass to Molina for the 1-0… It might only be played like that, not half a second earlier or later. Messi has improved even more in his last years in this area. Everything is often perfect with him: intuition, timing, feeling. Out of the corner of his eye, Messi finds a flaw that very few others see. It’s a gift and it makes the difference for this extraordinary player. And the worst part is that it looks incredibly natural“.
world Cup
The Argentinians who provoke the Dutch: the extreme tension in one image
10/12/2022 At 00:04
world Cup
Messi: ‘FIFA can’t put a referee like that’
09/12/2022 At 23:45
