The inspiration called Messi

It was Thanksgiving Sunday in church on the first Sunday of December. The leadership of the church where I worship thought every congregant should have something to be grateful for and liberalised the opportunity for self-expression of gratitude to God.

So, as members stepped into the church that beautiful morning, they got a ‘Thanksgiving card’ handed to them. You write a list of some things you are grateful for, and take the card with you while dancing to the altar at a point during the service.

Thanksgiving is something I relish as a Christian. And it is more so this year when I testify I have seen the hands of God like never. So, I had loads of things to write. I imagine it would be so for every member of my family.

Shortly after my son got his card, he handed it over to me to have a look at what he filled in. As I expected, the first items were about thanking God for life, family, good health, and provision. But as I looked on, I got a shock amid those delightful personal choices. What did he write? “Thank God for giving Messi to the world!”

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Stunned does not describe the emotion I felt. I turned to the young man, surprise written all over my face; he smiled and turned his face away. I showed my wife what our boy had written, and when she shook her head, it was my turn to smile.

For someone whose interest in football does not go beyond a few outstanding international matches by Nigeria’s national team, this made little sense to me. Of course, I know there’s a footballer called Messi. I have also heard about the endless debate over who the greatest between him and Ronaldo is. I’m not remotely interested in those debates, nor the magic they bring on the pitch. This was the noise of the market, from which I always look the other way.

 However, on this day, I took a cue from what my teenage son—whose interest in football has affected his younger brother such that the latter is now taking to punditry. I started observing the man, Lionel Messi. As a layperson without deep passion for, or grasp of the intricacies that hold millions of football lovers spellbound, (I cannot even tell you what the offside rule is all about, especially now that administrators of the game are doing everything to ensure fairness), this young man is a wonder! Football is not just about talent or skills. It is also about discipline and character, all of which I saw Messi display in abundance.

From the three matches I watched deliberately after December 4, 2022, it was easy to see why Messi has become such a global icon, worshipped by people of all age groups and genders across the world.

He displayed raw talent and a clear commitment to personal development. Despite his small body, Messi is a lion on the pitch. His capacity to hold the ball, wangle his way out of the opposition’s reach, and pass the leather on to a teammate now and then, did not stop to astound.

Watching Messi, it is easy to decipher that behind this parade of skill and capacity is a selfless, happy heart that thrives on cooperation and teamwork. As you see the 35-year-old move on the pitch, you sense a determination to see others to excel and a commitment to honour country.

After the match with the Netherlands, a video of the footballer’s decision to go celebrate his team’s goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, rather than join the exuberance of his teammates, went viral.

By nature, moments of victory are the most slippery for humankind. They are the moments when human beings are most self-focused, forgetting the most valuable contributors to their successes. Only genuine leaders remember to give credit to others in their sunny moments. This is what Messi gestured.

Some may argue that this is what the captain of a team should do. But it was in this same championship that another captain attempted to claim a goal that he didn’t score! Leadership is about compassion, selflessness, humility, and magnanimity, all of which the Argentine showed in abundance at this World Cup.

Concerning love for country, this man, alongside his teammates, delivered the World Cup to Argentina after 36 years! They brought enormous glory to their country, and the celebrations across their South American homeland reflect how much of a feat this is.

 But off the football pitch, Messi, a man whose bond with family also appears enviable, is also available for his country. Reports suggest that in 2016, Messi paid the salaries of staffers of the Argentina National Team Security Staff when the Argentina Football Association had no money. He was also said to have sponsored the trip of his national team to a particular continental championship in the same year! A viral video with this information described him as a man “who saves his country on and off the pitch.”

Messi, always mindful of his poor and deficient background, is also heavy on the welfare of the children of the poor. Apart from working with the United Nations Children’s Fund, of which he is an ambassador, he also established the Leo Messi Foundation. According to the footballer who aims to put smiles on the faces of as many children as possible, “every child has the right to grow up healthy.” His foundation’s partnership with his former club’s Barca Foundation reached children in 53 countries. Leo Messi’s entire story envelopes you in the warmth of the possibilities that life brings.

But then, as you ruminate over how much this young man has affected his world, your country comes to mind and dampens your spirit. You remember the things that could be in Nigeria and how selfish leadership rains down on the shining talent and ambitions of its children and citizens.

You recall with certainty that this country has a multitude of people with talent and character, yet it provides no enabling environment for them. That is when it does not kill their dreams.

Although many compatriots thrive in sports and entertainment, they show no loyalty to Nigeria. In most cases, they attained this height on their own steam, sometimes without a jot of consideration or help from the country.

Messi, for instance, started experimenting with football at four. This started in his local community in Argentina before his family moved to Spain. But Nigeria still struggles with developmental sports.

At 15, Messi was on his way to becoming an international football phenomenon. Many of Nigeria’s 15-year-olds are now only interested in internet fraud and luring their friends and family members to herbalists for money rituals. And for that, you have a country where children are born without blames for their future to blame. Nigeria has become a society at war with itself.

Growing up, football was a big deal in Nigeria. The league was full of activities, and lovers of the game looked forward to the exciting moment. But years of maladministration and corruption have ruined it for the country. Like politics, the qualification for sports administration in Nigeria is not so much about vision and competence as it is about the highest bidder. So, it was no surprise when allegations of bribery emerged during the last elections of the Nigerian Football Association.

With 40 per cent of Nigerian youths unemployed, and angry, the state governments should find inspiration in the exploits of Messi and other young Nigerian players in whose talents their families invested in. Former Governor Bukola Saraki set a precedent in 2005 when he founded the Kwara Football Academy. But has any other state taken a cue from this to engage their talented yet unengaged youths? Hopefully, Nigeria’s leaders would, apart from enjoying the thrill of the 2022 World Cup, plan to develop Nigeria’s children and youth in order to secure the country’s future.

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