ARGENTINA produced two of football’s greatest superstars whose personalities present very interesting case-studies of the protagonism and antagonism of the process of self-renewal. One of them, most naturally, was Diego Maradona, and the other -- most naturally -- Lionel Messi. Their stories need to be studied in detail and with dedication -- so that right lessons can be learned and right decisions can be made. The greatness of both these men is beyond normal definitions. When he was around on the scene, Diego Maradona was the greatest virtuoso of football. There was no one like him. Even today, despite the fact that football also had other greats, there are fans who insist that Maradona has been the greatest footballer the world has seen. Yet, there also is a flip side of the story that nobody forgets -- Maradona’s surrender to the addiction to drugs in later years. That does not take away his virtuosity of football, all right. Yet, when the people see the devastating effects of drugs on a great personage such as Maradona, then they grimace in grief. True, Maradona also tried to shake off the addiction -- and succeeded only to an extent. Yet, his story has two parts -- one bright and the other dark. In other words, Diego Maradona’s story is of his failure to keep renewing himself with passage of time.

 

The story of Lionel Messi, now 39 years of age, however, is one of continued renewal. Every 3-4 years, Lionel Messi is known to reinvent himself in a successful age-defying effort. Of course, until this World Cup, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was doing very well for himself and his team even at 41 years of age. In Messi’s case, however, things were different, are different, and will be different. Of course, everybody is conscious of the personal issues on health front Messi has had to face. Threatened with a growth-stunting affliction before he entered his teen years, Messi had to undergo a very expensive hormone treatment so that his body becomes strong enough in time. Today, Messi’s overall frame and structure do not actually match the standard physical parameters of other football players. Yet, he has never allowed those limitations to affect his game, his skills, his strategic capabilities, and his on-field execution of ideas as leader. Messi’s story, thus, is one of a huge and continued effort on his part to keep renewing himself -- through practice of fitness and precision and perfection and perception of the game of football, of deep understanding of the human component of the team-mates.

 

During his illustrious career, Messi has faced many a bad patch or very tough challenge. But he has been able to overcome all those only because he has renewed himself in time. So, we have one player who could not control his urge to go off the handle and get buried in addiction. And we have from the same country another player who has refused to be lull and dull for whatever reason -- and has rebuilt himself in body, mind and soul. Nobody questions Maradona’s footballing greatness. But nobody hesitates to point to his affliction that destroyed him later on. In Messi’s case, everybody has only one cogent picture -- of his continued effort to renew himself with passage of time. At 39 years of age, Messi appears ready for newer challenges. All three sons of his also are getting inspired by their father to display their virtuosity. This story needs to be told -- again and again. Both the stories need to be told -- one as a reminder against dark influences, the other as a reminder of glorious effort of self-renewal.