Controversial

From war zone areas in Afghanistan to the streets of the Catalonian capital itself,Messi is a hot favourite – a football god,an icon. Ask a toddler and he’ll tell you Leo Messi is his favourite player. Ask a street vendor who’s he supporting in the upcoming FIFA World Cup – ‘Argentina’. Why? ‘Messi.’ To have such a fan following and especially in countries where football barely makes the top 5 list of most popular sports,it’s something truly amazing to say the least.

Leo Messi has come a long way since joining FC Barcelona as a 14 year old suffering from growrh hormone deficiency. Having made over 400 appearances for club and country,Messi now stands second to none. His passion for the game and appetite for glory is what has made him the player he is today. 5 Ballon d’Ors,3 European Golden boots,7 time Argentine player of the year,4 UEFA Champions League titles and 7 La Liga titles are just few of the accolades he has accumulated over the past decade.

However,despite an impressive list of records to his name,Leo is not short of any critics either. There still are people who doubt his footballing abilitiee,who firmly believe Ronaldo is far superior than Leo,who attribute his glories to his ‘brilliant’ teammates,and who proudly boast that unlike Messi,Ronaldo has been a success in not just the Spanish La Liga but also in the supposedly ‘more competitive’ English Premier League. Though why would an a 5 time player of the year need to prove himself In the Premier League completely baffles my mind.

Clearly envious of what Messi has achieved at a tender age of 28,his critics never spare a chance to ridicule him. The recent tax fraud accusations against him sparked yet another flurry of controversies. What was surprising to see,however,was how not just the critics but his own admirers too,turned against him. People quite easily tend to forget what Leo has done for the game. His dribbling on the ball,unreal reflexes,majestic