May Lionel Messi Soar

Messi - these days he’s about as close to God as one can get on this earth. A highly skilled, modest, and hardworking family man who thinks and cares about the world and his sport - but he wears pink? I’ve brought this up before. Most of Macho Americans would think “woman’s color.” And yet, it’s a combination of men, women and probably dogs who loves soccer. Every fixture of it - pink being so strong in the world of flowers, have now become masculine on the jerseys of the toughest sports played by men and women worldwide. Those who play soccer, dedicate their lives to it - it is loved worldwide. In fact, the United States is probably the most behind in soccer than any other nation on this planet. You can’t help but love it - sweating in jerseys of purple and pink - colors of his team. He is not ashamed to be who he is and what he wears and what people think of him. It’s a game. I hope that Uruguay’s superstar Luis Suarez will join him as the season settles into a form.

And Sr. Messi is the best soccer player in the world - leaving in his wake several young soccer players who have learned so much from him, but without bragging about it because learning is giving back and working hard to open new doors in different steps of playing soccer or rugby or football American, or basketball. These leaders can turn around so many kids - from the youth trying to get high on the pole in some dead parking lot to the one who just got creamed when he failed to toss the ball the wrong way. We are all weary at times. We can’t be superstars, until a youngster has found out about himself, and his qualities, and his skill, and his strength. He must have the kind of heart and soul and strength to be able to throw his life around on some field, be it soccer, football (USA), or basketball or even cricket (in England.)

Funds and dollar marks are so way beyond one’s consumption or knowledge that, well, just leave it up to the bankers and those billionaires who got a tail or a tale or a whiff of the income of this or any fascinating soccer player. What is ironic, when he won the world cup this year, and everyone went ga-ga and crazy on the streets of Argentina - suddenly Messi was on my Twitter, or I was on his. Now I rarely look at, in fact, ignore or pay little attention to Facebook or Twitter or whatever the crazy things that are packed with photos, knowledge of what’s happening, and sport and marriage and babies and egotists who want to show off their skills.

I am not drawn in. But when the world cup rolled into Messi’s team, and thanks to his passes and kicks and strength, gave Argentina the victory, suddenly I was on his Facetime, which was kind of scary, but I felt privilege to be having been on whatever list my name had appeared. Maybe it was because of Uruguay which is just across the Rio de La Plata to Buenos Aires.

But anyway, not only does he have more funds that probably anyone who arrived on these shores of Miami - as superstar beyond superstars - carrying a humble appearance and spirit that, well, to be honest almost God-like. He smiles. He accepts his position. He embraces children and of course all the millions who follow him and are drawn into his jerseys, caps, shoes whatever gear he wants to throw out to the public - I would surmise he gives donations to charities that he earns in these massive products - he doesn’t need any for his own.

What really impressed me the most, is when the decision came down to shift or shove, Messi paid attention to the respect of his wife, the competition was Miami or the Arab nations, and his wife, who must be an amazing woman, said she did not want to raise her daughters with Muslim restrictions. And so, Miami - here they came. Thank You God.

Now, to me, because the way our sports stars swing, too many Americans prefer American football and basketball to anything else, even horse races and bicycle races (in France).  It will be fascinating to see how the soccer world can try to bump aside maybe basketball or football or cannot outcast American’s basketball world and/or the Super Bowl addiction and professional or college/universal competition each fall in some cases into spring.  I must admit, I’d much rather sit through a basketball game, especially watching Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steve Curry (who has so much class and dignity), and, so many new guys making debuts – like Victor Wembanyama (truly the tallest college level basketball player from France) Yasutaka Okayama, 7 foot 8 inches of Japanese, Golden State Warriors but never played, and my favorite Kareem Abdul Jabbar (a favorite who I met decades ago when he visited Memphis; I was a young journalist.) But I’m fascinated by the oversized players - like Manute Bol, the tallest player in NBA History, and Muresan in the 1996s and many others. Of course, Yao Ming was a friendly soul, and was in the shoe business with Grizzlies early superstar, Shane Battier who put a lot of love into constructing our team’s spirit and going into the shoe business with kind and super Chinese Yao Ming. Then there are the retirees, but also the new scenes in town, often another tall player dunking in our basketball net. We have had the delight to follow Pau Gasol and his brother Marc, both of whom ended up in the Lakers roster, but first they pulled Memphis up into a good level of respect and victories while they were around. In Olympic times, of course, they fought against our US team with tough Spanish skills.

Most of us need to hit the books and try to learn the superstars of European and South American be they soccer or basketball or even camels or racehorses (the best really in England). America often had one or two horses each year that shone like royalty. But so do young bicyclers who Jonas Vingegaard are remembered for their yellow shirts as signs of victory. Vingegaard and his team became celebrities after the tough group from Denmark led the victory cry this year, it’s the 120th year this paraded down main street with a Victory trophy flung in the air, has excited the average person so that they no longer sit on their sofas and eat.

But I must repeat, unless you have lived in a South American or European nation, you will never know the intensity, enthusiasm, and the talent that occupies these citizens through soccer (futbol). Kids are bumping balls off the walls in poverty areas of cities and towns, giving up schools but hoping to be the next Diego Maradona or Pele or Messi and for at least a break into that world of soccer or on the best teams in the world. The United States is slowly building its own challenges with their youth. My son learned soccer when he was about 10 years old, but who was never very interested in his school sports, (though he did play polo and that skill plus his high-level grades got him in to University of Virginia!). However, now, with the importation of so many from foreign countries in all our sports, if you really are bored on a summer Sunday and don’t like golf, watch dog races. That’ll charm you when your favorite breed hits the white paper the pronounces the dogs time and victory.

~ Rev

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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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