A Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona have just dismantled Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Champions League semi-final.
The notoriously hard-to-impress RTÉ panel are awestruck.
The word “genius” is used.
Eamon Dunphy’s comments from that night have aged well.
“He’s a great player – the greatest without doubt of this period,” the former Ireland international said.
“People make the comparison with Ronaldo – there is no comparison really because of Messi’s courage, which he displayed tonight.
“His spirit, his courage and his fortitude, because they were going nowhere, Barca, they were gone. They had run out of ideas. Suarez wasn’t doing it. Neymar spectacularly wasn’t doing it, and Iniesta wasn’t really there, and they brought Xavi on.
“It was going nowhere, and he grabbed the moment, looked for the ball. He beat the best goalkeeper in the world, he took on defenders, and there was a ruthlessness about the way he did it.
“It was really characteristic of all the greats in sport. They execute beautifully, and they take your breath away. The [first goal] was a breathtaking moment and the second goal was equally so.
“But the first goal was so badly needed, and this is what the greats do. The Brian O’Driscoll’s, Ruby Walsh’s, Tony McCoy’s, Henry Shefflin’s, they do it when everyone else just can’t find it, and he found that opportunity. He wasn’t looking for someone else to do it; he knew that it was him, the last man with the guts and the magic and the talent to do it. It was awesome to watch.”
Over 11 years on, and not that much has changed.
A 39-year-old Messi is on his way to the World Cup final having been the driving force behind Argentina’s side whose resilience outweighs their collective talent.
Diego Maradona, the player Messi is often compared to, was effectively finished at 33, when he was suspended from the 1994 World Cup after failing a drugs test.
Some critics had speculated Pelé may be over the hill at 29 before he defied the odds by guiding Brazil to a 1970 World Cup triumph in the great final act of his astonishing career.
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Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s perpetual rival, is also among the game’s true greats but has been coasting on his reputation and has been looking more of a hindrance than a help to Portugal for several years now.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are exceptional footballers. But they were barely noticeable in the final half hour of Wednesday’s electric World Cup semi-final, as Messi moved centre stage and showed why he is a level above anyone else who has graced the sport in this era.
Messi didn’t have it all his own way in his first-ever game against England, of course.
There were moments in the first half that reminded us he is human after all.
But the flaws in the performance and the doubts they created made the climax all the more special.
In the 69th minute, Messi whipped in an exceptional cross, the type that’s almost impossible to defend against.
The Inter Miami star put it on a plate for Argentina substitute Nicolás González. It was a gilt-edged opportunity that should have resulted in a goal, but the Atletico Madrid player headed it straight down the middle, and Jordan Pickford was alert to make the save.
🏴 1-0 🇦🇷
Lionel Messi whips a delightful ball into Nico Gonzalez who connects well with his header but Jordan Pickford gets down well to deny him
It felt like a neat encapsulation of why Messi has not won more trophies with Argentina – because the players around him often have not been good enough to capitalise on his consistent excellence.
There were a couple of instances like this in the second half, as a wilting England team kept the Argentines at bay through a mixture of luck and committed defending.
Many players would lose faith and feel sorry for themselves in this scenario, as Argentina wasted chance after chance.
Messi, though, redoubled his efforts. Every miss, every setback, every unfortunate twist of fate only seemed to make him more determined.
A characteristic of the superstar’s game for a long time is his ability to invariably make the right decision.
Even world-class footballers, when their team is a goal down in a game with the highest of stakes, are inclined to lose their composure and try countless Hollywood passes or shots from distance that are not on.
🏴 1-1 🇦🇷
Absolute World Cup cinema
Messi finds Enzo Fernandez from a short corner and he unleashes a ferocious strike which this time Pickford can't keep out
Consider Messi’s part in Argentina’s equaliser. When he receives the ball on the edge of the box in the 85th minute, many players in this situation would attempt a wild, wayward shot owing to the sheer desperation of the moment.
Not Messi. The former Barcelona star was the epitome of composure. He coolly dribbled with the ball and attracted two defenders. He did not try to do it all himself, but instead laid a perfectly weighted pass for Enzo Fernandez, who finished spectacularly.
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With Argentina having drawn level, many players and particularly footballers as old as Messi, with an intense match mostly behind them, would have been content to see the remainder of the 90 minutes out and settle for extra time.
But the Rosario native smelled blood. While many around him were losing their heads, Messi remained eerily calm.
After another Argentina near miss, as Alexis Mac Allister’s low shot came back off the post in the 92nd minute, the veteran superstar gathered the ball on the right-hand side.
It was an ominous moment. You could almost hear the entire stadium collectively holding their breath in anticipation of a game-defining moment from the peerless genius.
And with Messi, it is seldom overly complicated. There is no pretension or extra, unnecessary flourishes.
After an exhausted Djed Spence had half-cleared, Messi recovered possession. He briefly carried the ball, emphasising his renewed sharpness, successfully creating space despite two English defenders trying to stop him, and delivering an exquisite pinpoint cross for Lautaro Martinez to head Argentina into the World Cup final.
🏴 1-2 🇦🇷
This is what he does
Lionel Messi bursts down the right and fires an exquisite cross to Lautaro Martinez who duly delivers what could be the potential winner here in Atlanta
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Messi's last dance confirms he is the greatest footballer of our lifetimes
THE DATE IS 5 May, 2015.
A Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona have just dismantled Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Champions League semi-final.
The notoriously hard-to-impress RTÉ panel are awestruck.
The word “genius” is used.
Eamon Dunphy’s comments from that night have aged well.
“He’s a great player – the greatest without doubt of this period,” the former Ireland international said.
“People make the comparison with Ronaldo – there is no comparison really because of Messi’s courage, which he displayed tonight.
“His spirit, his courage and his fortitude, because they were going nowhere, Barca, they were gone. They had run out of ideas. Suarez wasn’t doing it. Neymar spectacularly wasn’t doing it, and Iniesta wasn’t really there, and they brought Xavi on.
“It was going nowhere, and he grabbed the moment, looked for the ball. He beat the best goalkeeper in the world, he took on defenders, and there was a ruthlessness about the way he did it.
“It was really characteristic of all the greats in sport. They execute beautifully, and they take your breath away. The [first goal] was a breathtaking moment and the second goal was equally so.
“But the first goal was so badly needed, and this is what the greats do. The Brian O’Driscoll’s, Ruby Walsh’s, Tony McCoy’s, Henry Shefflin’s, they do it when everyone else just can’t find it, and he found that opportunity. He wasn’t looking for someone else to do it; he knew that it was him, the last man with the guts and the magic and the talent to do it. It was awesome to watch.”
Over 11 years on, and not that much has changed.
A 39-year-old Messi is on his way to the World Cup final having been the driving force behind Argentina’s side whose resilience outweighs their collective talent.
Diego Maradona, the player Messi is often compared to, was effectively finished at 33, when he was suspended from the 1994 World Cup after failing a drugs test.
Some critics had speculated Pelé may be over the hill at 29 before he defied the odds by guiding Brazil to a 1970 World Cup triumph in the great final act of his astonishing career.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s perpetual rival, is also among the game’s true greats but has been coasting on his reputation and has been looking more of a hindrance than a help to Portugal for several years now.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are exceptional footballers. But they were barely noticeable in the final half hour of Wednesday’s electric World Cup semi-final, as Messi moved centre stage and showed why he is a level above anyone else who has graced the sport in this era.
Messi didn’t have it all his own way in his first-ever game against England, of course.
There were moments in the first half that reminded us he is human after all.
But the flaws in the performance and the doubts they created made the climax all the more special.
In the 69th minute, Messi whipped in an exceptional cross, the type that’s almost impossible to defend against.
The Inter Miami star put it on a plate for Argentina substitute Nicolás González. It was a gilt-edged opportunity that should have resulted in a goal, but the Atletico Madrid player headed it straight down the middle, and Jordan Pickford was alert to make the save.
It felt like a neat encapsulation of why Messi has not won more trophies with Argentina – because the players around him often have not been good enough to capitalise on his consistent excellence.
There were a couple of instances like this in the second half, as a wilting England team kept the Argentines at bay through a mixture of luck and committed defending.
Many players would lose faith and feel sorry for themselves in this scenario, as Argentina wasted chance after chance.
Messi, though, redoubled his efforts. Every miss, every setback, every unfortunate twist of fate only seemed to make him more determined.
A characteristic of the superstar’s game for a long time is his ability to invariably make the right decision.
Even world-class footballers, when their team is a goal down in a game with the highest of stakes, are inclined to lose their composure and try countless Hollywood passes or shots from distance that are not on.
Consider Messi’s part in Argentina’s equaliser. When he receives the ball on the edge of the box in the 85th minute, many players in this situation would attempt a wild, wayward shot owing to the sheer desperation of the moment.
Not Messi. The former Barcelona star was the epitome of composure. He coolly dribbled with the ball and attracted two defenders. He did not try to do it all himself, but instead laid a perfectly weighted pass for Enzo Fernandez, who finished spectacularly.
With Argentina having drawn level, many players and particularly footballers as old as Messi, with an intense match mostly behind them, would have been content to see the remainder of the 90 minutes out and settle for extra time.
But the Rosario native smelled blood. While many around him were losing their heads, Messi remained eerily calm.
After another Argentina near miss, as Alexis Mac Allister’s low shot came back off the post in the 92nd minute, the veteran superstar gathered the ball on the right-hand side.
It was an ominous moment. You could almost hear the entire stadium collectively holding their breath in anticipation of a game-defining moment from the peerless genius.
And with Messi, it is seldom overly complicated. There is no pretension or extra, unnecessary flourishes.
After an exhausted Djed Spence had half-cleared, Messi recovered possession. He briefly carried the ball, emphasising his renewed sharpness, successfully creating space despite two English defenders trying to stop him, and delivering an exquisite pinpoint cross for Lautaro Martinez to head Argentina into the World Cup final.
Just like he did against Egypt and on countless other occasions, Messi came good when Argentina were on their knees and needed him most.
The reigning champions were heading for the exit door, but their number 10 does not know when he is beaten.
It seems almost insulting to list off stats rather than the revel in the sheer magic of Messi, but consider the following figures.
Messi has eight goals at this World Cup. No player has more.
He has four assists. Only one player, France’s Michael Olise, has more.
He will now play in a second successive World Cup final.
No 39-year-old has done anything like this ever before.
Messi is redefining all realistic expectations for a footballer.
This is what greatness looks like.
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