Witnessing Genius
Below is a video showing Lionel Messi a few weeks after his 21st birthday playing vs Dundee United in Scotland. Messi came off the bench to score a hat trick and run the show whilst wearing the captains armband for FC Barcelona. There is a couple of things that always stuck with me from watching that game over twelve years ago.
Memorable
The first thing that stuck in my mind is how many times the camera would turn to the bench with World Class footballers and coaches just smiling or laughing at how good Lionel Messi was. The second and more note worthy memory came from the post match press conference where FC Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola was asked about Messi and his potential to become a future captain of the club.
“There are many ways to lead, the example Leo gives of leadership is in the decisions he makes. Always they are decisions best for the team, and best for his team mates. This is a good example to follow” - Pep Guardiola
Decision making will always be the best way to gauge the value of a player in a collective environment. Football is not about the ability to dribble, beat players or about flicks and tricks. It's about the discipline and understanding of when or where to do them. There is fewer things more frustrating at any level of the game than a player who simply won't release the ball! Why some coaches are encouraging no focus on decision making at younger age groups and trying to justify it by saying encouraging players not to pass is developing skill or technique is just baffling!
“Football is a game of decision making”