Can Lionel Messi claim true greatness? With his unexpected retirement from international football following Argentina's loss to Chile in the Copa America final, will his reputation as one of the greatest to have played the game be compromised, leaving him a rung lower than players sucs as Pelé and Maradona and alongside similarly thwarted footballers such as Johan Cruyff?
That would be a particularly harsh judgment. For all the adulation lavished on its stars, football is at heart a team game. As the saying goes, a champion team will always beat a team of champions and the tactical nature of the modern game means a single player’s brilliance might not fix the deficiencies of the team.
So should Messi languish with a metaphorical asterisk next to his name? We say his personal ability is best reflected in his record as the only footballer in history to win five Fifa Ballons d’Or, the top male footballing award, even if his unimpeachable individual skills did not lead his country to similar heights.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
World Cup League Two
Results
Oman beat Nepal by 18 runs
Oman beat United States by six wickets
Nepal beat United States by 35 runs
Oman beat Nepal by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Oman v United States
Wednesday, Nepal v United States