ogeewittyupdated
DRIBBLING? SHOWBOATING? WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?
The footballing legend, late Diego Maradona,Ronaldinho,Cristiano,Neymar Jnr,Paqueta,Okocha,Robinho,Vinicius Jnr are names that come to mind when you think of players with fanciful dribbling skills. All these players/past players above would usually tell you that what they are doing is normal for them, a means to help their team out of trouble. But some other players will accuse them of showboating. Where do you draw the line? If we may stick with some three players currently playing– Neymar jnr,Javier Pastore and Lucas Paqueta. All three share same ancestral roots– they all hail from the continent of South America(a continent profusely naturally blessed with footballing talents[Africa too is same],especially the flair kind of players). Also they all happen to play or have played in the French Ligue 1, a league that incidentally is akin to the South American physicality and dribbling. By the way,Africans mostly share same footballing philosophy too,so little wonder, Africans generally enjoy themselves in the French league–Austin Jay Jay Okocha named above played for PSG of France. If we use the "rainbow flick" as an example in showboating; the above three players in focus all wear the No. 10 shirt and they are also the last ones to have done a "rainbow flick,"(this is when a player happens to flick the ball from behind him over his head and over the head of the opponent,the ball landing behind the opponent) in the French league. Neymar did it against Toulouse, Pastore vs Metz and Paqueta, most recently pulled the skill off against Troyes in September 2021. Interestingly in this match, the Lyon playmaker was given a yellow card from referee Stephanie Frappart, a yellow card that didn't clear reveal if he was carded for "showboating" or for enthusiastically asking for a foul after an opponent handled the ball,according to his view. It was thesame kind of atmosphere when Neymar did that skill too, that it provoked memories in him and he took to social media in defence of Paqueta– he in no uncertain terms expressed how sad it was for him to see the Paqueta incident, which a termed as a player being booked for a dribble. He went on to insist that the rainbow flick is an "asset" a skill that should not be frowned at no matter where the player does it on the pitch or at what minute in the game the player does it. He noted that he experienced it last season and this season it is Paqueta's turn. He concluded by expressing how puzzling the whole thing looks to him and saying,"it is the end of Joga Bonito." We shall examine two or three very important words in the above statement. Asset: Neymar considers a skill like that as an asset and part and parcel of the dribbling skill-set for a creatively minded player; much like pace or height are assets for other types of players. He is saying dribbling[in his own definition]should never be despised, that it is a huge quality for that matter. Joga Bonito: These two words are famous Brazilian words which in principle describes Brazilian football. It is the spirit of football for any Brazilian. "Joga Bonito" translated to English means, "play beautifully". It doesn't take long to see this principle at work in any Brazilian player, it is playing with enjoyment, with a smile on your face, with skills and thrills,it'sije music. Maybe sometimes, for players from some other continents, this style can seem appalling, as if just dribbling for it's own sake. Remember Okocha,his rainbow flicks dummies and dances which sometimes seem to produce no real instant forward ball movement? Remember Adel Taarabt and his flair skills? Remember Nani too? A particularly situation happened in 2008 when he was a Manchester United player. It was a match against Arsenal and the Portuguese winger started running with the ball on his head,doing keepy-uppies his team being 4-0 up, by then. This upset some Arsenal players and Gilberto rose to confirm these saying "some... guys were upset". He went on to say he personally confronted Nani after the game, telling him how unnecessary it was for him to do that plus he could infuriate an opposing player so much doing that that he is kicked badly. I remember with fondness, the true life story of Makalele softly but firmly warning Ronaldinho during an El Classico match,that he should mellow down on the unnecessary extras if not he can send him to a lengthy injury spell.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-funny-legends-the-story-of-claude-makelele-threatening-ronaldinho-is-incredible-20210218.amp.html&ved=2ahUKEwj_vJn8ptD1AhWdAWMBHUNVAjAQFnoECAQQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1MkLZI0jYyyAm34IrxLjwD The "Paqueta incident" poured fuel into an already intense debate down the years over where the line should be drawn between dribbling and showboating. Are there any boundaries? Is there a point in which dribbling can progress up to, beyond which you can now term it as excessive? When is dribbling purely a skill to outwit an an opponent, and when does it get to the point that it is aimed at attempt humiliating them? This is an ancient argument that is not likely to go away anytime soon, it's like a "recurring decimal" as the Mathematicians will say. For a Javier Pastore, dribbling with flair is only natural. The former PSG playmaker was one of the most gifted artists on the ball Ligue 1 has ever seen, with him,for example, having the most nutmegs in his time in Paris. That was him and just one of his usual arsenal of tricks. Interestingly football seems to be recognising these "extras" as most foitba data analysts have now begun detailing "successful nutmegs" in an entire season. Funny enough he was often benched in PSG with reasons bordering about his artistic style, his coaches often seem to want more graft than style. The bundle of flair, French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, speaks— On the other hand some other players and fans believe that showboating does exist and is targeted at infuriating or winding-up the opposition, which they say is not necessary. They do agree that dribbling is okay, so long as it doesn't include showboating. One former French International speaks for the opposition ideology— Well, in football people tend to use whatever they have to gain advantage. We know of teams who have a reputation of conning referees,players who take to time wasting to salvage a match,or players who do trash talking to opponents all to gain one advantage or the other. So perhaps showboating falls into this category. For others, a rainbow flick,keepy-uppy,fanciful leg-overs and all those kinds of flair play called "showboating ",is a part and parcel of dribbling, but others won't have that. Ultimately, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Cheers
ogeewittyupdated
DRIBBLING? SHOWBOATING? WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?
The footballing legend, late Diego Maradona,Ronaldinho,Cristiano,Neymar Jnr,Paqueta,Okocha,Robinho,Vinicius Jnr are names that come to mind when you think of players with fanciful dribbling skills. All these players/past players above would usually tell you that what they are doing is normal for them, a means to help their team out of trouble. But some other players will accuse them of showboating. Where do you draw the line? If we may stick with some three players currently playing– Neymar jnr,Javier Pastore and Lucas Paqueta. All three share same ancestral roots– they all hail from the continent of South America(a continent profusely naturally blessed with footballing talents[Africa too is same],especially the flair kind of players). Also they all happen to play or have played in the French Ligue 1, a league that incidentally is akin to the South American physicality and dribbling. By the way,Africans mostly share same footballing philosophy too,so little wonder, Africans generally enjoy themselves in the French league–Austin Jay Jay Okocha named above played for PSG of France. If we use the "rainbow flick" as an example in showboating; the above three players in focus all wear the No. 10 shirt and they are also the last ones to have done a "rainbow flick,"(this is when a player happens to flick the ball from behind him over his head and over the head of the opponent,the ball landing behind the opponent) in the French league. Neymar did it against Toulouse, Pastore vs Metz and Paqueta, most recently pulled the skill off against Troyes in September 2021. Interestingly in this match, the Lyon playmaker was given a yellow card from referee Stephanie Frappart, a yellow card that didn't clear reveal if he was carded for "showboating" or for enthusiastically asking for a foul after an opponent handled the ball,according to his view. It was thesame kind of atmosphere when Neymar did that skill too, that it provoked memories in him and he took to social media in defence of Paqueta– he in no uncertain terms expressed how sad it was for him to see the Paqueta incident, which a termed as a player being booked for a dribble. He went on to insist that the rainbow flick is an "asset" a skill that should not be frowned at no matter where the player does it on the pitch or at what minute in the game the player does it. He noted that he experienced it last season and this season it is Paqueta's turn. He concluded by expressing how puzzling the whole thing looks to him and saying,"it is the end of Joga Bonito." We shall examine two or three very important words in the above statement. Asset: Neymar considers a skill like that as an asset and part and parcel of the dribbling skill-set for a creatively minded player; much like pace or height are assets for other types of players. He is saying dribbling[in his own definition]should never be despised, that it is a huge quality for that matter. Joga Bonito: These two words are famous Brazilian words which in principle describes Brazilian football. It is the spirit of football for any Brazilian. "Joga Bonito" translated to English means, "play beautifully". It doesn't take long to see this principle at work in any Brazilian player, it is playing with enjoyment, with a smile on your face, with skills and thrills,it'sije music. Maybe sometimes, for players from some other continents, this style can seem appalling, as if just dribbling for it's own sake. Remember Okocha,his rainbow flicks dummies and dances which sometimes seem to produce no real instant forward ball movement? Remember Adel Taarabt and his flair skills? Remember Nani too? A particularly situation happened in 2008 when he was a Manchester United player. It was a match against Arsenal and the Portuguese winger started running with the ball on his head,doing keepy-uppies his team being 4-0 up, by then. This upset some Arsenal players and Gilberto rose to confirm these saying "some... guys were upset". He went on to say he personally confronted Nani after the game, telling him how unnecessary it was for him to do that plus he could infuriate an opposing player so much doing that that he is kicked badly. I remember with fondness, the true life story of Makalele softly but firmly warning Ronaldinho during an El Classico match,that he should mellow down on the unnecessary extras if not he can send him to a lengthy injury spell.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-funny-legends-the-story-of-claude-makelele-threatening-ronaldinho-is-incredible-20210218.amp.html&ved=2ahUKEwj_vJn8ptD1AhWdAWMBHUNVAjAQFnoECAQQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1MkLZI0jYyyAm34IrxLjwD The "Paqueta incident" poured fuel into an already intense debate down the years over where the line should be drawn between dribbling and showboating. Are there any boundaries? Is there a point in which dribbling can progress up to, beyond which you can now term it as excessive? When is dribbling purely a skill to outwit an an opponent, and when does it get to the point that it is aimed at attempt humiliating them? This is an ancient argument that is not likely to go away anytime soon, it's like a "recurring decimal" as the Mathematicians will say. For a Javier Pastore, dribbling with flair is only natural. The former PSG playmaker was one of the most gifted artists on the ball Ligue 1 has ever seen, with him,for example, having the most nutmegs in his time in Paris. That was him and just one of his usual arsenal of tricks. Interestingly football seems to be recognising these "extras" as most foitba data analysts have now begun detailing "successful nutmegs" in an entire season. Funny enough he was often benched in PSG with reasons bordering about his artistic style, his coaches often seem to want more graft than style. The bundle of flair, French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, speaks— On the other hand some other players and fans believe that showboating does exist and is targeted at infuriating or winding-up the opposition, which they say is not necessary. They do agree that dribbling is okay, so long as it doesn't include showboating. One former French International speaks for the opposition ideology— Well, in football people tend to use whatever they have to gain advantage. We know of teams who have a reputation of conning referees,players who take to time wasting to salvage a match,or players who do trash talking to opponents all to gain one advantage or the other. So perhaps showboating falls into this category. For others, a rainbow flick,keepy-uppy,fanciful leg-overs and all those kinds of flair play called "showboating ",is a part and parcel of dribbling, but others won't have that. Ultimately, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Cheers
ogeewittyupdated
DRIBBLING? SHOWBOATING? WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE?
The footballing legend, late Diego Maradona,Ronaldinho,Cristiano,Neymar Jnr,Paqueta,Okocha,Robinho,Vinicius Jnr are names that come to mind when you think of players with fanciful dribbling skills. All these players/past players above would usually tell you that what they are doing is normal for them, a means to help their team out of trouble. But some other players will accuse them of showboating. Where do you draw the line? If we may stick with some three players currently playing– Neymar jnr,Javier Pastore and Lucas Paqueta. All three share same ancestral roots– they all hail from the continent of South America(a continent profusely naturally blessed with footballing talents[Africa too is same],especially the flair kind of players). Also they all happen to play or have played in the French Ligue 1, a league that incidentally is akin to the South American physicality and dribbling. By the way,Africans mostly share same footballing philosophy too,so little wonder, Africans generally enjoy themselves in the French league–Austin Jay Jay Okocha named above played for PSG of France. If we use the "rainbow flick" as an example in showboating; the above three players in focus all wear the No. 10 shirt and they are also the last ones to have done a "rainbow flick,"(this is when a player happens to flick the ball from behind him over his head and over the head of the opponent,the ball landing behind the opponent) in the French league. Neymar did it against Toulouse, Pastore vs Metz and Paqueta, most recently pulled the skill off against Troyes in September 2021. Interestingly in this match, the Lyon playmaker was given a yellow card from referee Stephanie Frappart, a yellow card that didn't clear reveal if he was carded for "showboating" or for enthusiastically asking for a foul after an opponent handled the ball,according to his view. It was thesame kind of atmosphere when Neymar did that skill too, that it provoked memories in him and he took to social media in defence of Paqueta– he in no uncertain terms expressed how sad it was for him to see the Paqueta incident, which a termed as a player being booked for a dribble. He went on to insist that the rainbow flick is an "asset" a skill that should not be frowned at no matter where the player does it on the pitch or at what minute in the game the player does it. He noted that he experienced it last season and this season it is Paqueta's turn. He concluded by expressing how puzzling the whole thing looks to him and saying,"it is the end of Joga Bonito." We shall examine two or three very important words in the above statement. Asset: Neymar considers a skill like that as an asset and part and parcel of the dribbling skill-set for a creatively minded player; much like pace or height are assets for other types of players. He is saying dribbling[in his own definition]should never be despised, that it is a huge quality for that matter. Joga Bonito: These two words are famous Brazilian words which in principle describes Brazilian football. It is the spirit of football for any Brazilian. "Joga Bonito" translated to English means, "play beautifully". It doesn't take long to see this principle at work in any Brazilian player, it is playing with enjoyment, with a smile on your face, with skills and thrills,it'sije music. Maybe sometimes, for players from some other continents, this style can seem appalling, as if just dribbling for it's own sake. Remember Okocha,his rainbow flicks dummies and dances which sometimes seem to produce no real instant forward ball movement? Remember Adel Taarabt and his flair skills? Remember Nani too? A particularly situation happened in 2008 when he was a Manchester United player. It was a match against Arsenal and the Portuguese winger started running with the ball on his head,doing keepy-uppies his team being 4-0 up, by then. This upset some Arsenal players and Gilberto rose to confirm these saying "some... guys were upset". He went on to say he personally confronted Nani after the game, telling him how unnecessary it was for him to do that plus he could infuriate an opposing player so much doing that that he is kicked badly. I remember with fondness, the true life story of Makalele softly but firmly warning Ronaldinho during an El Classico match,that he should mellow down on the unnecessary extras if not he can send him to a lengthy injury spell.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-funny-legends-the-story-of-claude-makelele-threatening-ronaldinho-is-incredible-20210218.amp.html&ved=2ahUKEwj_vJn8ptD1AhWdAWMBHUNVAjAQFnoECAQQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1MkLZI0jYyyAm34IrxLjwD The "Paqueta incident" poured fuel into an already intense debate down the years over where the line should be drawn between dribbling and showboating. Are there any boundaries? Is there a point in which dribbling can progress up to, beyond which you can now term it as excessive? When is dribbling purely a skill to outwit an an opponent, and when does it get to the point that it is aimed at attempt humiliating them? This is an ancient argument that is not likely to go away anytime soon, it's like a "recurring decimal" as the Mathematicians will say. For a Javier Pastore, dribbling with flair is only natural. The former PSG playmaker was one of the most gifted artists on the ball Ligue 1 has ever seen, with him,for example, having the most nutmegs in his time in Paris. That was him and just one of his usual arsenal of tricks. Interestingly football seems to be recognising these "extras" as most foitba data analysts have now begun detailing "successful nutmegs" in an entire season. Funny enough he was often benched in PSG with reasons bordering about his artistic style, his coaches often seem to want more graft than style. The bundle of flair, French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, speaks— On the other hand some other players and fans believe that showboating does exist and is targeted at infuriating or winding-up the opposition, which they say is not necessary. They do agree that dribbling is okay, so long as it doesn't include showboating. One former French International speaks for the opposition ideology— Well, in football people tend to use whatever they have to gain advantage. We know of teams who have a reputation of conning referees,players who take to time wasting to salvage a match,or players who do trash talking to opponents all to gain one advantage or the other. So perhaps showboating falls into this category. For others, a rainbow flick,keepy-uppy,fanciful leg-overs and all those kinds of flair play called "showboating ",is a part and parcel of dribbling, but others won't have that. Ultimately, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Cheers
ogeewittyupdated
I'M 'TIRED' OF MESSI, WHO IS HE EVEN?
https://media.tenor.com/images/15849c8f487fb64563ddac1d59b6a4c3/tenor.gif Well, I got to know him in 2005, at the U-20 World Cup,called the FIFA World Youth Championship. He starred brightly for his country Argentina. He wasn't the stand out star in the whole competition though, that belonged to the elegant midfield maestro of Nigeria, Mikel Obi. It so happened that Argentina and Nigeria got to the final and he won a penalty- a dubious one- and that gave Argentina the victory and unfairly Mikel was chosen as the 2nd best player in the tournament and he took top honours. His name is Lionel Andrés Messi, popularly called Leo Messi, born June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. Messi started playing football as a young boy as is normal in his homeland and by the age of 8 he joined the youth team of a big top division club in his place of birth– Newell's Old Boys. Here he began to showcase his unique God-given talent that began to attract big clubs in Europe. It was Barcelona who succeeded in wooing him and the age of 13, Messi and his family moved to Barcelona, and he began his meteoric rise to stardom playing for FC Barcelona’s under-14 team. He didn't fail and duly scored 21 goals in 14 games for this team. Quickly he kept being promoted through the ranks at Barca that at a tender age of 16 he was given an unofficial appearance for Barcelona in a friendly. Things got more official now with his quality irresistible at his young age. Thus, in the 2004/05 season, became the youngest official player and goal scorer in the Spanish highest league(the La Liga). He was 17years then. He was(and still is) naturally left-footed,known for his balance,quick and intelligent movement with our without the ball,cute ball control and his versatility across the attack. He has never looked back since then becoming increasingly important for Barca and his country,winning several League titles,Champions leagues,Club world cups,age-grade laurels and so on. He has won the Copa America(South American continental competition) as captain of Argentina too. Only this year he was awarded the Balon D'or trophy for 2021,his eight,a record no other player has. https://media.tenor.com/images/2ab3c06c282dcd1d30e2eda797cfcb8e/tenor.gif These days he is 34 years old and adjusting to a whole new environment in France with PSG,he joined from Barca only this summer. Standing at just 5 feet 7 inches it is amazing what he does with ball and that happens to be the focus of this post. How does he do his thing? What's so special about him? Or is he over-hyped? Let me clear the last question, he is not over-hyped please. The question isn't meant to be there even, with all due respect to Messi. Now looking at him on the pitch surficially, he seems ordinary to lots of people. That's the beauty and that's why a lot of folks find it hard to place a finger on his difference– it is not so obvious and the average person wants to stay with what is obvious, what is fancy or catchy. Messi is not the flashy type with fancy footwork on the field– give that to the Okochas, the Robinhos,the Ronaldinho or the Neymars– yet he's more effective than them all in beating players,waltzing through intending tackles. He absolutely does it better than them all. His most lethal weapon is his brain, (not even his sweet left foot) —I call it "brain power". He is able to process situations and execute his intentions, with precision, "spontaneously". You see, the human eye can blink before the brain thinks it, that's an instinctive reaction. Messi is so fast in his thought process, that one wrongly thinks he's being spontaneous or instinctive. Oh no,he thought everything through with speeds that are not normal. It is the speed of thought that sets Messi apart from the rest. A friend, boss of mine submits concerning this trait of Messi: "Unfortunately, more [than] 80% footballers we watch have little of this trait" Furthermore, let me explain using videoing terminologies. What most players view as fast motion or even normal motion, is slow or very slow motion in Messi's brain. So he can easily edit,crop,adjust,re-size,etc because, it's all slow in his mind. The result becomes a wonder to fellow players and onlookers because they think it's impossible to come up with something new at such a high speed on in a tight space. That is why Lewandowski of Bayern Munich rightly said about Messi after he won this year's Balon D'or, that Messi makes everything look easy. The secret remains the speed of thought,the speed of processing information, he thinks ahead of the opposition. No footballing school can teach you this exceptionally quality of his. It's a unique gifting of God on him. Brain power to outrageous awe-inspiring levels. https://media.tenor.com/images/493ebcc007e8b0f1b7b335653c1d8baa/tenor.gif Cheers
ogeewittyupdated
I'M 'TIRED' OF MESSI, WHO IS HE EVEN?
https://media.tenor.com/images/15849c8f487fb64563ddac1d59b6a4c3/tenor.gif Well, I got to know him in 2005, at the U-20 World Cup,called the FIFA World Youth Championship. He starred brightly for his country Argentina. He wasn't the stand out star in the whole competition though, that belonged to the elegant midfield maestro of Nigeria, Mikel Obi. It so happened that Argentina and Nigeria got to the final and he won a penalty- a dubious one- and that gave Argentina the victory and unfairly Mikel was chosen as the 2nd best player in the tournament and he took top honours. His name is Lionel Andrés Messi, popularly called Leo Messi, born June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. Messi started playing football as a young boy as is normal in his homeland and by the age of 8 he joined the youth team of a big top division club in his place of birth– Newell's Old Boys. Here he began to showcase his unique God-given talent that began to attract big clubs in Europe. It was Barcelona who succeeded in wooing him and the age of 13, Messi and his family moved to Barcelona, and he began his meteoric rise to stardom playing for FC Barcelona’s under-14 team. He didn't fail and duly scored 21 goals in 14 games for this team. Quickly he kept being promoted through the ranks at Barca that at a tender age of 16 he was given an unofficial appearance for Barcelona in a friendly. Things got more official now with his quality irresistible at his young age. Thus, in the 2004/05 season, became the youngest official player and goal scorer in the Spanish highest league(the La Liga). He was 17years then. He was(and still is) naturally left-footed,known for his balance,quick and intelligent movement with our without the ball,cute ball control and his versatility across the attack. He has never looked back since then becoming increasingly important for Barca and his country,winning several League titles,Champions leagues,Club world cups,age-grade laurels and so on. He has won the Copa America(South American continental competition) as captain of Argentina too. Only this year he was awarded the Balon D'or trophy for 2021,his eight,a record no other player has. https://media.tenor.com/images/2ab3c06c282dcd1d30e2eda797cfcb8e/tenor.gif These days he is 34 years old and adjusting to a whole new environment in France with PSG,he joined from Barca only this summer. Standing at just 5 feet 7 inches it is amazing what he does with ball and that happens to be the focus of this post. How does he do his thing? What's so special about him? Or is he over-hyped? Let me clear the last question, he is not over-hyped please. The question isn't meant to be there even, with all due respect to Messi. Now looking at him on the pitch surficially, he seems ordinary to lots of people. That's the beauty and that's why a lot of folks find it hard to place a finger on his difference– it is not so obvious and the average person wants to stay with what is obvious, what is fancy or catchy. Messi is not the flashy type with fancy footwork on the field– give that to the Okochas, the Robinhos,the Ronaldinho or the Neymars– yet he's more effective than them all in beating players,waltzing through intending tackles. He absolutely does it better than them all. His most lethal weapon is his brain, (not even his sweet left foot) —I call it "brain power". He is able to process situations and execute his intentions, with precision, "spontaneously". You see, the human eye can blink before the brain thinks it, that's an instinctive reaction. Messi is so fast in his thought process, that one wrongly thinks he's being spontaneous or instinctive. Oh no,he thought everything through with speeds that are not normal. It is the speed of thought that sets Messi apart from the rest. A friend, boss of mine submits concerning this trait of Messi: "Unfortunately, more [than] 80% footballers we watch have little of this trait" Furthermore, let me explain using videoing terminologies. What most players view as fast motion or even normal motion, is slow or very slow motion in Messi's brain. So he can easily edit,crop,adjust,re-size,etc because, it's all slow in his mind. The result becomes a wonder to fellow players and onlookers because they think it's impossible to come up with something new at such a high speed on in a tight space. That is why Lewandowski of Bayern Munich rightly said about Messi after he won this year's Balon D'or, that Messi makes everything look easy. The secret remains the speed of thought,the speed of processing information, he thinks ahead of the opposition. No footballing school can teach you this exceptionally quality of his. It's a unique gifting of God on him. Brain power to outrageous awe-inspiring levels. https://media.tenor.com/images/493ebcc007e8b0f1b7b335653c1d8baa/tenor.gif Cheers
ogeewittyupdated
I'M 'TIRED' OF MESSI, WHO IS HE EVEN?
https://media.tenor.com/images/15849c8f487fb64563ddac1d59b6a4c3/tenor.gif Well, I got to know him in 2005, at the U-20 World Cup,called the FIFA World Youth Championship. He starred brightly for his country Argentina. He wasn't the stand out star in the whole competition though, that belonged to the elegant midfield maestro of Nigeria, Mikel Obi. It so happened that Argentina and Nigeria got to the final and he won a penalty- a dubious one- and that gave Argentina the victory and unfairly Mikel was chosen as the 2nd best player in the tournament and he took top honours. His name is Lionel Andrés Messi, popularly called Leo Messi, born June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. Messi started playing football as a young boy as is normal in his homeland and by the age of 8 he joined the youth team of a big top division club in his place of birth– Newell's Old Boys. Here he began to showcase his unique God-given talent that began to attract big clubs in Europe. It was Barcelona who succeeded in wooing him and the age of 13, Messi and his family moved to Barcelona, and he began his meteoric rise to stardom playing for FC Barcelona’s under-14 team. He didn't fail and duly scored 21 goals in 14 games for this team. Quickly he kept being promoted through the ranks at Barca that at a tender age of 16 he was given an unofficial appearance for Barcelona in a friendly. Things got more official now with his quality irresistible at his young age. Thus, in the 2004/05 season, became the youngest official player and goal scorer in the Spanish highest league(the La Liga). He was 17years then. He was(and still is) naturally left-footed,known for his balance,quick and intelligent movement with our without the ball,cute ball control and his versatility across the attack. He has never looked back since then becoming increasingly important for Barca and his country,winning several League titles,Champions leagues,Club world cups,age-grade laurels and so on. He has won the Copa America(South American continental competition) as captain of Argentina too. Only this year he was awarded the Balon D'or trophy for 2021,his eight,a record no other player has. https://media.tenor.com/images/2ab3c06c282dcd1d30e2eda797cfcb8e/tenor.gif These days he is 34 years old and adjusting to a whole new environment in France with PSG,he joined from Barca only this summer. Standing at just 5 feet 7 inches it is amazing what he does with ball and that happens to be the focus of this post. How does he do his thing? What's so special about him? Or is he over-hyped? Let me clear the last question, he is not over-hyped please. The question isn't meant to be there even, with all due respect to Messi. Now looking at him on the pitch surficially, he seems ordinary to lots of people. That's the beauty and that's why a lot of folks find it hard to place a finger on his difference– it is not so obvious and the average person wants to stay with what is obvious, what is fancy or catchy. Messi is not the flashy type with fancy footwork on the field– give that to the Okochas, the Robinhos,the Ronaldinho or the Neymars– yet he's more effective than them all in beating players,waltzing through intending tackles. He absolutely does it better than them all. His most lethal weapon is his brain, (not even his sweet left foot) —I call it "brain power". He is able to process situations and execute his intentions, with precision, "spontaneously". You see, the human eye can blink before the brain thinks it, that's an instinctive reaction. Messi is so fast in his thought process, that one wrongly thinks he's being spontaneous or instinctive. Oh no,he thought everything through with speeds that are not normal. It is the speed of thought that sets Messi apart from the rest. A friend, boss of mine submits concerning this trait of Messi: "Unfortunately, more [than] 80% footballers we watch have little of this trait" Furthermore, let me explain using videoing terminologies. What most players view as fast motion or even normal motion, is slow or very slow motion in Messi's brain. So he can easily edit,crop,adjust,re-size,etc because, it's all slow in his mind. The result becomes a wonder to fellow players and onlookers because they think it's impossible to come up with something new at such a high speed on in a tight space. That is why Lewandowski of Bayern Munich rightly said about Messi after he won this year's Balon D'or, that Messi makes everything look easy. The secret remains the speed of thought,the speed of processing information, he thinks ahead of the opposition. No footballing school can teach you this exceptionally quality of his. It's a unique gifting of God on him. Brain power to outrageous awe-inspiring levels. https://media.tenor.com/images/493ebcc007e8b0f1b7b335653c1d8baa/tenor.gif Cheers
skills to have as a soccer player
A. controlling the ball Ball control refers to the ability to collect the ball and gain control of it using all parts of the body. A player with good ball control is able to receive passes both on the ground and out of the air with clean first touches keeping the ball close to their body. Ball control also refers to a player’s ability to maintain possession of the ball, successfully protecting it from opponents. B. The Dribbling Dribbling skills refers to a player’s ability move up and down the pitch with full control of the ball. A player with good dribbling skills can move the ball in different directions at different speeds with both feet. C. Passing accuracy Passing accuracy refers to a player’s ability to use both feet to send the ball to the player’s desired destination. That could mean sending the ball straight to a teammate’s feet with power and precision, sending a through pass into space with proper weight, crossing the ball accurately in front of the net, or, for strikers shooting the ball accurately and powerful into the back of the net. Players cannot achieve success in football without that skill.
skills to have as a soccer player
A. controlling the ball Ball control refers to the ability to collect the ball and gain control of it using all parts of the body. A player with good ball control is able to receive passes both on the ground and out of the air with clean first touches keeping the ball close to their body. Ball control also refers to a player’s ability to maintain possession of the ball, successfully protecting it from opponents. B. The Dribbling Dribbling skills refers to a player’s ability move up and down the pitch with full control of the ball. A player with good dribbling skills can move the ball in different directions at different speeds with both feet. C. Passing accuracy Passing accuracy refers to a player’s ability to use both feet to send the ball to the player’s desired destination. That could mean sending the ball straight to a teammate’s feet with power and precision, sending a through pass into space with proper weight, crossing the ball accurately in front of the net, or, for strikers shooting the ball accurately and powerful into the back of the net. Players cannot achieve success in football without that skill.
skills to have as a soccer player
A. controlling the ball Ball control refers to the ability to collect the ball and gain control of it using all parts of the body. A player with good ball control is able to receive passes both on the ground and out of the air with clean first touches keeping the ball close to their body. Ball control also refers to a player’s ability to maintain possession of the ball, successfully protecting it from opponents. B. The Dribbling Dribbling skills refers to a player’s ability move up and down the pitch with full control of the ball. A player with good dribbling skills can move the ball in different directions at different speeds with both feet. C. Passing accuracy Passing accuracy refers to a player’s ability to use both feet to send the ball to the player’s desired destination. That could mean sending the ball straight to a teammate’s feet with power and precision, sending a through pass into space with proper weight, crossing the ball accurately in front of the net, or, for strikers shooting the ball accurately and powerful into the back of the net. Players cannot achieve success in football without that skill.