What pushes Leo Messi to excel?

Everything and everyone around Messi — his teammates, his club, his national team, the competitors — push him to perform better. But the one big aspect that helps Leo Messi to excel, year after year, is himself. He had set such lofty standards for himself that he tries to exceed it every time. To put it in the most simple manner - He wants to better himself because he wants it and it makes him happy.

Lets look at which year was Messi’s best year since he started playing? If you have watched him play over the years, you will realize that every year had been the best year of Messi. (Don't go only by the statistics. it never gives the actual picture of the unbelievable things he does.). 

Its just astonishing how  Messi has managed to reinvent himself so many times in his career. His evolution is just incredible. As the team changes - A new Leo Messi emerges. 

Till today, I am baffled, trying to understand his exact role in a team. What is he? The striker, the false 9, the attacking midfielder, the holding midfielder, the right winger, the defender. I cannot actually place a finger on it. His mind-blowing versatility makes him similar to water. 

“Water, thou hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Messi has spoiled his audience to the core with his heavenly abilities. He makes the most extraordinary and awesome footballing skills look like a mundane act. It doesn't mean everything comes to him easily. In fact its the talented ones who tend to become wayward as time passes. But Messi strives harder and harder to take out the weaknesses in his game. If you have watched him closely, you would find that he would be adamantly trying the same shot several times in a game, to improve and make it more effective. For eg. Watch out for those preposterous free kicks that he takes during a match.

Surprisingly all the reinvention and evolution never affected his game. He continues to make our jaws drop with his sublime and wonderful skills. And as always, he keeps it very simple - Just take the ball and score, from anywhere in the field. (Its not as simple as he makes it appear.).

I don”t know how he does it but this little, genius is just too good to be true. May be he doesn't think much. Maybe its just his natural instincts. Maybe its his learning from the years of experience. Hopefully, someday, someone will successfully manage to make him talk and bring out, what goes on in that intuitive head of his because he manages to read and anticipate the moves in a game, so beautifully. 

I have not seen anyone else, more in love with football, than Leo Messi. It is as if he is born to play the beautiful game. His enthusiasm and determination to excel in his art is just awe inspiring. It’s a privilege to watch Messi play the game of football. Football is indebted to him forever. 

And I am sure we will keep seeing him in different avatars in the coming years, as per the demands of his team and every year he will work towards surpassing himself. 

Image Credits - Google Images