Lionel Messi

I'm ignorant on Italian soccer.

Would he be the Messi of Italian soccer?

Well, I, I have to correct you on this.

First of all, it's Totti.

Okay.

Yeah.

Uh, it, it's mo- it's mo- for Rome it's, he's much more important than Messi.

Okay.

You've just scored.

Team B, you're losing 1-0, but you're starting with a corner, so you're starting in the attacking part of the pitch to hopefully create a chance to score." So all of a sudden, and you might even attach actual team names to those groups, the kids can then start to think, "Right, I'm gonna be Messi.

I'm gonna be Ronaldo." So they're starting to think about being individual sort of pro players in that moment and thinking like the, the, the pros.

But you're setting up a storyline and an arc and a situation that really resonates with them.

No, 100%.

And, uh, you actually just made me think of, of ways you can actually apply what we're just talking about, giving them little missions.

You know, say they're, um, Messi, and you say, "Okay, your goal is to have three touches before they score, and you get an extra point." Or, um, you can, yeah.

There's all ways you can, um, sort of the brain's going crazy of ways you can integrate-

Mm.

But I think really it's, it's funny because when he was at Spurs, I remember, like, saying he's almost inhabits that same sort of area as Messi and Ronaldo because this is a guy who scores goals relentlessly, who never misses games.

Mm.

And how, how they manage him as he gets older, I mean, just as it was with Messi and Ronaldo, I think is really interesting and something that's gonna be a, a chat for, for years to come.

But I, I think when we're talking about why people who think Kane should get it, and I'm not saying I, I don't feel that, but the main argument for him at the moment appears to be a statistical one.

Of course, he got another goal last night.

We're feeling a lot of, "Well, it has to be Kane.

It's inevitable that it is Kane." Of course, he's the, the, he's favorite o- over, over here.

Why? You don't think Pirlo should be in that team?

Messi didn't win the, win the Champions League in 2009?

Yeah, I could've picked Messi.

I could've

Is that, is that what's-

You know what you're gonna pick, innit?

Okay, okay, okay.

So 2009, take me to Messi, goal in the final, header against United.

There's four names on the list in particular which I've picked out.

Lionel Messi is still there as well, he's not in the four names.

Right.

The four names that I have picked out, Ferenc Torres is there.

It's remarkable.

Now Messi has 121. so maybe maybe in like 30 years he'll catch that but uh either way what a game what a 60s incredible um yeah what what a start i mean it's like who's next uh this is just the greatest show on turf that we're witnessing right now you'll yeah i mean you

guys you know it's like water on rocks there's just it's overwhelming the the press and the amongst the players.

I'm just going to say it again.

And I think that that's the frustrating thing here.

Yeah, look, it's a quirk of the Greg Berhalter system that you can shut down Lionel Messi and nobody else.

I shouldn't say nobody else.

I didn't think the defense was terrible by any stretch.

Casemiro, you want to score on a header on a corner kick? Go ahead, man.

Like, might as well.

Now, Lionel Messi, don't you dare.

Don't you dare put the ball in the

And I think it opened a lot of people's eyes beyond just Kearney, which is Soccer Town USA.

Or, you know, obviously, like down by you, you know, you've got what Medford, Messi, Brendan Aronson and like... you know, all those guys.

So, you know, I think there's definitely like raised consciousness of soccer and its impact and what it can do.

And, you know, I'm fascinated to see like what residual impact is that going to have? You know, the biggest thing for me last year is, and again, it's something that rears its head every year, you know, is the whole MLS next thing.

McClatchy when it comes to Michelle Kaufman.

But, you know, if they were selling papers on the back of Messi's presence, you would expect them to treat this differently.

I mean, I just think you look at what they're they're getting at, you know, Lexington Herald, too, right? They're just getting everywhere.

Like it's just it's part of the reality that we've been living in for decades.