Argentina won its first major title in 28 years and Messi's first (!) at the national level when they defeated Brazil in Rio. A superb Di Maria goal in the 22nd minute was enough to lift the Copa. Argentina now has 15 Copa America titles, tying Uruguay, to Brazil's 9. It was also the first Copa America final loss for Brazil...lot's of records.
We wrote about the how agony of loss (in football matches) is twice as great as the ecstasy of wins. Brazil has 5x the population of Argentina (211 million vs 44 million), so will South American markets have a bad Monday and week? Opportunity to short? Maybe not...some Brazilians voiced support for Messi, in a sentimental turn, before the final which (understandably) ticked off Neymar!
So, yes...Messi finally, deservedly, got a major title with the national team and he did play well throughout the tournament. Does that make him better than Maradona...umm, no! Look we love Messi, he's our favorite player! Messi may even be better technically, but Maradona had a presence and leadership on the field that Messi can't match. Whether at the club level or national level Maradona was able to inspire and elevate his team's general performance in otherwise middling teams. And the Copa America is not the World Cup...not even close. Maradona almost single-handedly won football's biggest prize for his nation in 1986 in still one of the most exciting World Cups (add to that the drama of Argentina's victory over England just a few years after the Falklands War).
No comments:
Post a Comment