Lionel Messi and the Art of Living by Andy West

Author:Andy West
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Actively seeking opportunities

The personal responsibilities accepted by Messi whenever he plays football can be seen as a synthesis of everything we have seen in the previous three chapters: his commitment to improving his abilities through hard work, his determination to recover from setbacks and his creative decision-making skills allowed him to become the player that he is: a seamless fusion of mental and physical skills combining to form an awesome all-round package.

But that leads to another essential ingredient: Messi’s willingness to be ‘the man’ – the player tasked with breaking open opposition defences and uncomplainingly shouldering the blame whenever things go wrong. His willingness to accept responsibility.

He does not, to use Roosevelt’s phrase, take the option of ‘easy peace’ by settling for simple short passes just to keep possession ticking over. Instead, he opts for the ‘strenuous life’ of being the creator, the destabiliser, the destroyer, the penetrator, forever hunting down potential killer passes, chances to dribble one-on-one against a defender or opportunities to shoot, not allowing himself to be put off by the fact that they will be difficult to execute.

These factors are tightly bounded together. Firstly, he needs the mental powers required to make good decisions and solve problems, whether in a predictable or more creative manner. Then he needs the technical skills to make his visions a reality. But he also needs to have that unwavering sense of responsibility – a conscientious acceptance of what he is expected to do; a fully committed readiness to fulfil his duties rather than take the lazy option or pass the buck.

Danny Kerry believes this ambitious attitude – this determination to channel his talents in the most proactive and productive possible manner – is one of the main factors that allow elite players of Messi’s calibre to stand out from the crowd.

‘With truly world-class players in any sport,’ says Kerry, ‘I think there are small decisive moments within games that they actively find and seek.

‘It’s an attitude that expresses a desire for success rather than a fear of failure: “I need to use my abilities here, there is an expectation that I will use my abilities here. Somebody will give me the ball or I will go and find the space, create the space, and that will lead us to a winning opportunity. And I embrace that, I want to do those things.”

‘There are some players who you know will not go missing,’ Kerry continues. ‘It’s almost the opposite – as soon as it becomes incredibly tough and competitive, that’s precisely when they actively seek those opportunities. Not necessarily chasing the ball but always making themselves available.

‘Essentially, they are taking that responsibility: “I know I can deliver here, and I relish that environment.” Others might think: “If I don’t succeed here, I have failed,” or worry that if it doesn’t work they might look stupid. The real world-class players are the ones who truly believe: “I am going to succeed. I have the skills and abilities needed here in this scenario. I am ready for this.

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