The average South Florida sports fan could see Lionel Messi walking down Ocean Drive in beachwear and flip-flops this weekend, and not give him a second glance.
He hardly looks like one of the most gifted and highest-paid athletes on the planet. He doesn?t have LeBron James? superhero build or David Beckham?s GQ style. Messi is 5-7 (in cleats), sports boyish floppy hair, and is remarkably unassuming for a man with a $43.5?million annual income, an estimated $110?million net worth, and an endorsement portfolio that includes adidas, Pepsi, Herbalife, EA Sports and Dolce & Gabbana.
But put that diminutive guy they call La Pulga (?the flea?) on a soccer field, drop a ball in front of him, and he becomes larger than life.
South Floridians have a rare chance to see Messi up close at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday night, on the eve of his 25th birthday, when he and 31 other international soccer stars play an exhibition match as part of the World Masters Tour. The Argentine forward, who plays for Spanish giant FC Barcelona, dribbles as if the ball was a yo-yo attached to his feet. He has an uncanny ability to find the back of the net no matter who is standing in his way or what angle he shoots from.
?The people of Miami should crawl on broken glass just to inhale the exhaust fumes from the bus Messi is traveling on,? said TV analyst Ray Hudson, the former Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Miami Fusion coach. ?He is that good. He is one of the gods of the game, right up there with Pel? and Diego Maradona. There is something about this player that transcends the game in that magical way.
?He?s the equivalent of the Miami Heat?s great three all rolled into one. He has the borderline genius of LeBron [James], the magical exuberance of Dwyane Wade, and the coolness and effectiveness of [Chris] Bosh. This guy is spellbinding and so astonishingly special. He is Shakespeare?s greatest sonnet in motion.?
This year, Messi scored 73 goals for Barcelona, breaking Gerd Muller?s 39-year-old record for most goals scored in a European season. Muller scored 67 goals for Bayern Munich in 1972-73. Messi, a three-time FIFA Player of the Year, had an unprecedented eight hat tricks, and also became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match.
He is considered the best player of his time. Warren Barton, a Fox TV analyst, continues to be dazzled by the beguiling superstar.
?First and foremost, Messi is the best player of his generation, like Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan were in their sports,? Barton said. ?He makes the art of dribbling and scoring goals look easy. And he does all this under intense pressure. People talk about the pressure on LeBron. Messi?s pressure is global. He is scrutinized and judged by the whole world.?
In fact, Messi received more media coverage than any soccer player in the world for the fourth consecutive year, according to a study conducted by the University of Navarra in Northern Spain. His score of 28.8 points means he appeared in the news nearly 29 times more than the average player.
Messi scored more goals on his own than 13 of the other 19 clubs in La Liga scored as a team this season. With 50 goals in 36 La Liga matches, Messi also outscored 12 English Premier League teams, 13 German Bundesliga teams, and 10 Italian Serie A clubs.
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