{"id":11573,"date":"2025-09-05T16:53:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=11573"},"modified":"2025-09-05T17:13:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T17:13:56","slug":"no-one-like-lionel-messi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/no-one-like-lionel-messi","title":{"rendered":"There is no one like Lionel Messi"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><em>Nicky Helfgott from Buenos Aires<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/lionel-messi-874\">Lionel Messi<\/a> in Argentina is the closest thing to a living deity that I have ever seen. I was too young to witness the effects Michael Jackson had on touring cities, or perhaps what Michael Jordan was to Chicago, but Messi unquestionably surpasses them both.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>After 20 years of national service, on Thursday night, Messi surely played his final game in Argentina. The atmosphere was cathartic in the Estadio Mas Monumental. Usually a cauldron of River Plate boisterousness, the stadium became a shrine to Messi. Whether Boca or River, working class or wealthy, Porte\u00f1o or <em>provincial<\/em>, everyone was united, a true rarity in Argentina. Only one man has the power to do that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Messi stood in tears as 80,000 disciples rapturously belted out his name. Coach Lionel Scaloni looked emotional as he embraced Leo&#8217;s young children on the sideline. Emiliano Martinez, known for his shithousery and cold-bloodedness, stood bawling next to <em>El Mago<\/em>. The very presence of Messi can make grown men cry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">No player in football history has a better moment like this. Leo Messi \ud83d\udc10<br \/><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9GM2E1X0jG\">pic.twitter.com\/9GM2E1X0jG<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 Kwesi (@KwesiFCB) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KwesiFCB\/status\/1963755928995385818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 5, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Buenos Aires is the most well-read city in the world, with more psychoanalysts per capita than any other city in the world. But animal instincts take over when Argentina play, and I mean that in the best of ways.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Not only the fans though, the players too. Although, in a way, they&#8217;re superfans just like anyone else. Watch how Rodrigo de Paul acts as an on-pitch bodyguard for Messi, as if anyone would dare to breathe in the presence of Argentina&#8217;s prodigal son. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/julian-alvarez-61973\">Julian Alvarez<\/a> was presented with an easy chance in the 39th minute against Venezuela. Instead of shooting, he sought out Messi to get him a goal on his special night. Messi delivered with an impudent chip to set off the rampant fans.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udc10 The legendary Lionel Messi reaches 114 international goals, surpassing the combined total of Ronaldo Naz\u00e1rio and Thierry Henry \ud83e\udd2f\ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Qo2jJi4sJZ\">pic.twitter.com\/Qo2jJi4sJZ<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/1963971224729489449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 5, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>After the 3-0 dispatching of Venezuela, with two inevitable Messi goals, love poured out in all forms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Alexis Mac Allister: &#8220;With the hope that it won\u2019t be your last game at home! Thank you for so much football, for teaching us to never give up and to always want more&#8221;<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Rodrigo De Paul: &#8220;I don&#8217;t know until when, but I&#8217;ll enjoy you like its&#8217;s the first one until the end, maestro.&#8221;<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Nicolas Otamendi: &#8220;The show must go on, dwarf&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The only person slightly spoiling the party was, well, Messi himself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11596\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2233749847-1-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - SEPTEMBER 04: Lionel Messi of Argentina warms up prior to the South American FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Argentina and Venezuela at Estadio M\u00e1s Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti on September 04, 2025 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. \" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Emotional Messi (Photo by Marcelo Endelli\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cSame as I said before about the World Cup that I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll play another,\u201d Messi to TyC Sports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cBecause of my age, the most logical thing is that I won\u2019t make it. But well, we\u2019re almost there so I\u2019m excited and motivated to play it. Like I always say, I go day by day, match by match, trying to feel good and above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don\u2019t, honestly, I don\u2019t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don\u2019t feel good. So we\u2019ll see. I haven\u2019t made a decision about the World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Messi not playing in USA would break hearts. Of everyone. Obviously Argentinians wants Messi there, but the World Cup organisers need Messi to play to get bums on seats. In America, not many football players carry any weight at all. Underlapping full-backs, xGOT, and false nines would bore the average American fans. They need glitz and glamour. They need superstars. Simply, they need Messi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Football in Argentina has an almost mythical reputation worldwide. It spawned the world\u2019s greatest player (<em>this is coming from a United and Ronaldo fan). <\/em>It hosts the world\u2019s most impassioned and fiery derby. It lives, breathes and dreams about football. Its people seem to love Messi more than their own families. Fair enough, their <em>abuelitas <\/em>couldn\u2019t turn Jerome Boateng inside-out like the little wizard, let alone chip Manuel Neuer afterwards.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf7 The Last Dance on Home Soil \ud83d\udc10 <br \/><br \/>From heartbreak to glory, Lionel Messi\u2019s journey with Argentina has been nothing short of legendary. This match against Venezuela wasn\u2019t just another World Cup qualifier\u2014it was a farewell to the fans, the stadiums, and the streets that shaped\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LK9b44eMZb\">pic.twitter.com\/LK9b44eMZb<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/1963699569079783763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 4, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>I had an unscratchable itch to discover whether all this were true. I live and breathe football, but if I talk to the waiter in my local Indian about a Ruben Loftus-Cheek, he&#8217;d tell me that they don&#8217;t serve that dish. Surely not everyone in Argentina could analyse how Lisandro Martinez&#8217;s linebreaking passes open up space for Alexis MacAllister to receive the ball further up the pitch?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Upon finding out I was from the UK, Argentinians predominantly engaged me in two matters. The Falkland Islands (<em>las Islas Malvinas) <\/em>and football. Naturally, I was far more excited to talk about the latter. I\u2019m far better at conversing in my broken Spanish when the subject is Carrington rather than Foreign Secretary Peter Carington, or Marcus Thuram instead of Margaret Thatcher.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Unlike anywhere else I\u2019ve ever been though, EVERYONE wanted to talk about football. It is the country with the most football players, according to FIFA It wasn\u2019t just small-talk. Every taxi driver engaged me with in-depth analysis of the Premier League. Jorge, a former player of San Lorenzo, broke down how Garnacho&#8217;s problems at Manchester United correspond with what they say about him here in Argentina. Alejandro (not Garnacho), gave a deep explanation of the 18 professional teams in Buenos Aires. Luis was watching football TikToks as he cruised down Avenida Santa Fe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>On Wednesday evening, I dined barside at an Asian-Argentinian fusion restaurant (<em>sidenote but Ni\u00f1o Gordo if you&#8217;re ever in Buenos Aires is very tasty)<\/em>. Conversation with my neighbour ensued. We spoke about football, obviously. He&#8217;d come cross-country to see Messi on Thursday night. The chefs chimed in, eager to praise their hero. I asked about the infamous celebrations at the <em>Obelis<\/em>co in December 2022.\u00a0Eyes widened and whitened. &#8216;<em>Fiesta de tres d\u00edas.<\/em> <em>No se habl\u00f3 de nada m\u00e1s<\/em>&#8216; (a three day party, we didn&#8217;t talk about anything else).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>As I cruised the streets of the beautiful capital, I crossed both Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi streets. I&#8217;m still waiting for &#8216;David Beckham Road&#8217; or &#8216;Bobby Charlton Close&#8217; in London. I passed the restaurant Don Julio at which Messi was mobbed two years ago. Locals caught wind that Messi was enjoying some asado at the renowned steakhouse, and although the parilla joint has no shortage of bookings, it&#8217;s never been quite as buzzy as that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BSwdBfT_IuM<\/div>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-image-11580\" style=\"width: 394px; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Messi-Street-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Lionel Messi is too popular in Argentina\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lionel Messi Street<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Murals of Maradona and Messi were everywhere. It was more strange to see a street without them. Even the wall above my hostel bed was adorned with Diego and Leo, side by side. I&#8217;ve never slept so peacefully.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"11585\" class=\"wp-image-11585\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Maradona-mural-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"11587\" class=\"wp-image-11587\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Messi-Mural-2-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"11586\" class=\"wp-image-11586\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Messi-mural-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>On my first night, I became a newly minted River Plate fan, watching them ease past San Martin. Fireworks erupted pre-match. The lightshow illiuminated the ground, and the stadium bounced with anticipation and excitement throughout. It was boisterous, but familial. Three generations of sons, huddling together, was common. River, founded by English immigrants to Argentina in 1901, is ingrained in the lives of their fans. Other fans downed fernet and Coca-Cola pre-match, ready to create a buzz. I stood in awe of the football cathedral, geographically on the opposite side of the world but in the heart of my football-centric one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-image-11588\" style=\"width: 456px; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/River-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Messi effect in Argentina\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In the newly opened <em>Museo del F\u00fatbol, <\/em>Lorenzo and Jony showed me round their vast collection of shirts. Passion poured out of each word as we sipped coffee and sat around and named old football players. We did indeed have the best time. Jony was particularly excited to tell me about Daniel Cordone, a fellow local. He pulled up with pride a picture of Newcastle&#8217;s Cordone nutmegging David Beckham in the early 2000s. &#8216;Ca\u00f1o&#8217; (nutmeg) he grinned. @EMHudsonlives didn&#8217;t tell one word of a lie.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Dudes can literally just sit around and name old sports players and just have the best time.<\/p>\r\n\u2014 E.M. Hudson (@EMHudsonlives) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EMHudsonlives\/status\/1415513767337762817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 15, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-image-11582\" style=\"width: 594px; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Jony-y-Lorenzo-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">If in Buenos Aires, visit Lorenzo&#8217;s Museo del F\u00fatbol on Sarmiento. He has an enormous collection of shirts, knowledge and memorabilia.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Football is a <em>lingua franca <\/em>in Argentina. Everybody speaks the language of football.\u00a0Partially, this comes down to the escapism that the national team can provide. Argentinians have not had it easy. Ever. Their football teams success offers a relief that nothing else can. And it doesn&#8217;t discriminate. Argentina winning is a win for the people of Argentina. All the people. Societal fractures are bandaged up when Messi takes to the pitch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<p>Argentina thrives when the country needs it to most. It unites the people at critical junctures of its history. In 1978, Argentina was under military dictatorship and carrying out its <em>guerra sucia <\/em>against dissidents of the regime. The country was falling apart They won the World Cup. In 1986, the <em>junta <\/em>had ended, but Argentina was reeling from the loss of the war over the Falkland Islands in 1982. Diego Maradona\u2019s \u2018hand of God\u2019 and &#8216;goal of the century&#8217; both against England eased some of that pain on the way to a second World Cup in three tournaments.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Most recently, in 2022, the backdrop of Maradona&#8217;s death, economic instability and inflation were, and for the most part still are, ravaging the people of Argentina.\u00a0Thousands of people regularly took to the streets of the capital to protest the unbridled inflation that stifled any economic progress. Yet, issues of hunger, unemployment, and corruption paused for celebrations of <em>La Albiceleste<\/em>. The enormous weight of the 46 million expectant Argentines hung on Messi&#8217;s sylphlike shoulders. He delivered. Argentina rejoiced.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"wp-image-2719\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1245715672-1-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 18:   Lionel Messi of Argentina kisses the World Cup trophy as he holds the adidas Golden Ball at the end of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. \" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Chris Brunskill\/Fantasista\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>They&#8217;re expecting their magician to give them one last dance. But would it change his reputation if he can&#8217;t allow lightning to strike twice? He&#8217;ll turn 39 during the next World Cup. But his eternal archrival, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/cristiano-ronaldo-817\">Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> (41 in February), the Homelander to Sister Sage, will naturally be there. The world is desperate a final showdown, surely Messi delivers it. He wrote on Instagram that &#8216;whatever happens and whatever the future holds, only God knows&#8217;. In Argentina, that can be translated as &#8216;the future is in Messi&#8217;s hands&#8217;.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<p>If he doesn&#8217;t, there can be no complaints, however. There can only be gratitude for what Messi has done for football, and what he has done for Argentina. Thanks, Leo.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>By Nicky Helfgott &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NickyHelfgott1\"><em>NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Keep up with all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\">latest football news<\/a> on 365Scores!<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicky Helfgott from Buenos Aires Lionel Messi in Argentina is the closest thing to a living deity that I have ever seen. I was too young to witness the effects Michael Jackson had on touring cities, or perhaps what Michael Jordan was to Chicago, but Messi unquestionably surpasses them both. After 20 years of national &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":1550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[266,26,303,146,1345,38,188,160,159,27,96,812,1952,856,60,59],"class_list":["post-11573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","tag-argentina","tag-cristiano-ronaldo","tag-diego-maradona","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-inter-miami","tag-juventus","tag-kylian-mbappe","tag-la-liga","tag-lionel-messi","tag-manchester-united","tag-mls","tag-neymar","tag-paris-saint-germain","tag-pele","tag-psg","tag-real-madrid","article_type-discover","article_type-exclusive-interview","article_type-news","entity_type-athlete","entity_type-competition","entity_type-competitor","entity_type-match","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-relevancy-trending"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11573"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11598,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11573\/revisions\/11598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}