Lionel Messi was inches away from one of the most ridiculous goals of his career
There is arguably no footballer – anywhere, ever – with a highlight reel of goals that matches the great Lionel Messi.
Of the 865 goals he’s scored for club and country in his glittering career, we can’t even begin to speculate what proportion of those are an absolute work of genius.
But it’s safe to say at least a hundred are outrageously good; the kinds most mere mortal footballers can only ever dream of scoring.
In a recent charity campaign with Inter Miami, Messi recently picked out his one favourite goal of his career – a rare header against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final, a wonderful looping effort that all but sealed Barcelona’s historic treble that year.
“I’ve scored many goals that might have been even more beautiful and valuable — also because of their importance — but the header in the Champions League final against Manchester United has always been my favourite,” Messi said.
That goal will now be turned into a piece of artwork by Refik Anadol and auctioned off for charity.
Nothing Messi can do in this final furlong of his career will ever be able to compete with those early years, when he was winning trophies for the first time and mounting his serious claim as the greatest ever.
And much as Gianni Infantino would love to think otherwise, the opening match of FIFA’s greatly expanded Club World Cup won’t have anything on Messi’s first Champions League final.
Forget the importance for a second. Forget the debate over what this tournament even is and whether Inter Miami even really earned the right to be there.
Purely on aesthetics, this insane, long-range curling effort that Messi struck in the dying seconds of their goalless draw against Egyptian giants Al Ahly would’ve gone into the very top 1% of all his goals. That good.
You could practically feel Infantino’s eyes lighting up as the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner played the corner short and received it straight back in the final action of the goalless game.
Not even on the edge of the box, Messi unleashed a perfectly-guided strike from a ridiculous angle that was sailing straight into the top corner. Only a finger tip save from Mohamed El Shenawy tipped it onto the bar and denied him.
Messi will be 38 years old before this tournament is over. But his class still shines through in moments like that. It’s exactly why Infantino cynically found a way to get him into the tournament, announcing that last year’s Supporters Shield trophy got them in before that was known as a qualifying factor.
“It’s admirable how much love Messi has for the game,” said head coach Javier Mascherano after the final whistle.
“After all the matches he’s played, he’s still here, giving his all. Of course, we wanted to win, but I’m happy with the team’s performance today.
“Clearly, when we find Leo in positions and get the ball to him in the best way, that’s where we have the most options.”
The point leaves Inter Miami in a precarious position. Upcoming matches against Porto and Palmeiras look considerably more difficult on paper.
We still have no idea what to make of this grubby cash-grab of a tournament, but a chance to watch Messi should never be passed up.
Not as long as he’s getting fans off their seats with moments like that, which he’ll surely continue to do until the day he decides to hang up his boots.
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