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... the greatest futbolier evah, 39-year-old Lionel Messi, will play in what will most likely be his last World Cup match.
But this post is not about that. Rather, it's about an extraordinary chain of events that began 19 years ago.
In December 2007, Barcelona's futbol club, colloquially known as Barça, held a charity raffle in partnership with UNICEF, the winner of which would have their baby do a photoshoot with one of the club's players for the organization's fundraising calendar that year.
The player chosen for the photoshoot was ... Lionel Messi. The family who won the raffle brought their 5-month-old boy.
One of the photos:
In April 2023, that boy made his debut playing for ... Barça, and has proven to be a spectacular talent since.
Exactly one year ago, he inherited the club's Number 10 shirt, which Messi wore from 2008 until 2021. And this Sunday, less than a week after his 19th birthday, Lamine Yamal will be wearing Spain's colors, facing up against one of his idols.
Only in the movies, as they say.
PS: Go, Argentina! But most of all: Go, Messi! I hope he bags a goal, which would make him the highest scorer of this World Cup—icing on the cake.
Discussion (10)
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Messi is the GOAT of all athletes. No-one in any sport compares. We are privileged to live in his era.
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Well, he's at least in second place:
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I'm not exactly a soccer fan, but I have watched a few of these games (parts of them, TBH). Whenever he has the ball, no one can stop him or take it away. He is pretty darn good.
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Well, I hope someone "bags a goal."
I'm sort of rooting for Argentina, but only out of a very temperate affection for South America. It would be nice for that oddly gloomy country at the bottom of it to win consecutive World Cups. Otherwise, I just don't got a perro in this pelea. As nobody says in Spanish, I am sure.
Late note: a few days ago I was reminded that the German for "goal," the structure itself, is das Tor, literally "gate." For a moment, I softened on the sport. I liked the idea of the ball not simply ending up somewhere but transitioning to a better place. But, I soon got over it!
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