Messi tastes rare failure at key moment
Reuters - Wednesday 25 April 2012, 07:27
With a Barcelona shirt on,
pretty much everything has gone right for Lionel Messi in the
past four seasons, a run of form that has helped the Catalan
club to 13 trophies and the Argentine to three World Player of
the Year awards.
Messi, who is yet to convince many of his compatriots he is
the true heir to Diego Maradona, had scored an astonishing 63
goals in all competitions this season before he took to the
field in London last week for the Champions League semi-final
first leg against Chelsea.
However, unlike in recent times, when Barca's season reached
the crucial moment, his scoring touch - and luck - deserted him.
He failed to find the net in either leg of the semi-final,
meaning he has now been unable to score against Chelsea in eight
outings, by far his worst record against any club, and suffered
the ignominy of seeing his second-half penalty crash off the bar
on Tuesday at the Nou Camp.
He also drew a blank on Saturday when Barca slipped to a 2-1
La Liga defeat at home to arch rivals Real Madrid which all-but
ended their bid for a fourth straight title.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the only man who has come close to
matching Messi's scoring feats, rubbed salt in the wounds by
netting the winner, helping him shed the tag of a player who
does not produce in big games.
If Real, who trail Bayern Munich 2-1 ahead of the second leg
in Madrid on Wednesday, can win the Champions League and the
Portuguese performs well at Euro 2012 he is likely to claim back
the World Player award he won in 2008 before Messi's
three-straight successes.
FEW BAD HOURS
Messi's coach Pep Guardiola has repeatedly pointed out that
Barca's recent success has in large part been down to the
brilliance of the softly-spoken, shy little lad from Rosario
known as 'the flea'.
He rallied behind his charge after Tuesday's bitter setback.
"We have got this far thanks to this kid," the former
midfielder told a news conference.
"More than ever I want to thank him for what he's done,"
added the 41-year-old.
"My admiration for him knows no limits. He is an example for
all of us, his competitiveness inspires us.
"He's daring, he's brave and he plays fantastically well in
all kinds of different conditions.
"I don't doubt he will have a few bad hours now but football
is like this.
"Sometimes you smile and sometimes you are sad and it's our
turn to be sad and someone else is going to the final in Munich
and we have to come back next year."
Messi still has a chance to help Barca to another trophy
when they take on Athletic Bilbao in next month's King's Cup
final in Madrid.
For now, the 24-year-old, already the club's all-time top
scorer and the only man to have scored five goals in a Champions
League game, will have to deal with the feelings of
disappointment that he and his team mates have rarely tasted
since Guardiola took over in 2008.