Leo Messi continues to emulate the great Diego Maradona.
However, unlike his wonder-goal in the cup against Getafe, Messi’s effort in scoring his first goal against Espanyol was not so praiseworthy. Messi clearly handled the ball into the net just as Maradona did against England in that memorable World Cup Quarter-Final in Mexico.
No doubt many will now label him a cheat, but in today’s money-spinning world of football this is a little unfair.
At the end of the day, he was only giving his all for his team. Of course he broke the rules, but the same could be said for every case of time wasting, over-acting or every cynical foul which happens in modern football.
If Messi is singled out it will be because he is such a fantastic player and also because in 99% of goals scored in this manner the referee will spot it, give a yellow card and the matter will be forgotten in a week.
Fortunately for Barça, Messi seems the type of player who responds positively to criticism, so if opposing fans decide to boo him, they will end up spurring him on to greater things.
Here’s the video:
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