The Mesmerising Lionel Messi

I had not heard of soccer player Lionel Messi until a couple of weeks ago.

Messi is considered the natural successor to Diego Maradona, and if you have ever seen him play, you will know why.

Take a look at this YouTube comparison of both Maradona and Messi to show why he is so highly regarded (if you like soccer of course).

Messi wears the coveted Number 10 in Argentina’s World Cup team currently competing in South Africa.

I caught about 20 minutes of Argentina’s game against Korea on Thursday night.

In that short time I was captivated by the creativity, deft touch, and at times, the sheer audacity of Messi as he teased his opponents with his free flowing skills.

The soccer field is Messi’s natural habitat.

He is utterly at ease executing one piece of inspiring play after another.

Maradona is now national coach of Argentina. While this guy  has had as many scandals as Michael Jackson no one can doubt his God-given skills on the soccer field.

It is interesting that Maradona has given Messi almost free reign on the soccer field this World Cup. Messi has been freed from playing the conventional positions and is thus has the liberty to create opportunities for his team to score.

Of course you have to be a Messi to enjoy that kind of liberty. Only a handful of players have that kind of freedom. Their brilliance demands some extra space to express itself.

I was also impressed that Messi, despite his brilliance, was a team player.

Messi used his unusual abilities to further his team’s interests rather than simply trying to go for goal himself every time.

Let me glean a few good lessons from the mesmerising Messi:-

1. Exceptional individuals (whether in society or in the church) need to be allowed to thrive rather than constantly trying to be equalised with everyone else;
2. The body of Christ is made up of exceptional members (how could they not be since they are gifted by the Holy Spirit?) and each should be able to thrive doing what they do best for the benefit of the whole body;
3. The importance of the ‘team’. No matter how good the Messi’s and Maradona’s of this world are, they still need 10 other players on the field otherwise they have no hope of winning. Behind every Spurgeon, Wesley or Whitfield is a thousand unknown faithful believers serving behind the scenes. God uses and has a place for all of us.
4. Innovation (and dare I say change) always involves some risk. It is unavoidable so make sure you are really want to innovate or change before taking the plunge.

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