Messi persuasive essay PDF

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Is Lionel Messi Really the Best Player in the World?...

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1 Student Mrs. Kraegel ENG 1101 22 September 2016 Is Lionel Messi Really the Best Player in the World? If you could make the perfect athlete, what would they be like? Standing tall at 6 feet, 8 inches, 250 pounds, with the body of a superhero? How about the perfect soccer player? Standing at 6 foot even, 180 pounds with a lean body made of pure muscle? What if I told you that the best soccer player this planet has ever seen stood at a measly 5 feet 7 inches and weighted only 140 pounds? Would you believe that someone that tiny could take the soccer world by storm? Well this 5’7” 140-pound man goes by the name of Lionel Messi and he holds a special place in all soccer player’s hearts, including mine. I have been a fan of FC Barcelona for all 18 years of my life, and a Messi fan for 12 of them. When I saw Messi play for the first time at 6 or 7 years old, my family used to tease him for his size because he was always the smallest player on the field. Nevertheless, Messi never let his size get in the way of dominating the game and defeating his opponent by all means necessary. Being the smallest person in my family at the time, I wanted to play soccer more than anything but I felt like I was not good enough. Being Brazilian, soccer has always been a big deal in my family. My father, his parents and all of his siblings played soccer and exceled at it throughout their lives. All of my cousins, younger and older, were taller than me and stronger than me and they were all good at soccer. In my eyes, those were the qualifications to be a soccer player–– tall and strong–– characteristics that I lacked at the young age of nine.

2 After watching Messi for years, at the age of 10 I asked my father to let me join a Brazilian soccer league with my friends. My father was genuinely surprised and proud that I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone. I can truthfully say that Messi is singlehandedly the reason why I play soccer and continue to enjoy watching FC Barcelona after all these years. He made me realize that I should never let anything, especially something as trivial as size, stop me from doing what I love. Lionel Messi showed people around the globe that it is not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. He never used any of his disadvantages and hardships as excuses for anything, which is why I am such a huge fan of his. Lionel Messi is the best soccer player on this planet because despite all the obstacles he has faced and continues to face, he excels above everyone else in the game. Besides the fact that Messi does not let his shorter height and smaller build hinder him in the game of soccer, there are many other reasons why Messi is the best of the best. One of the most obvious reasons is that his skills are unmatched by anyone else to ever step on the field. He was blessed with a natural talent of balance and control over any soccer ball he touches. This is why it is so hard for other players to compete with him in any aspect of soccer. This is due to the fact that the skills people took years to acquire, Messi was born with. The skills that people train for years to develop still do not compare to Messi because although he works hard to perfect his skills, most of what Messi does comes naturally to him. His strongest skills, however, include: shooting–– short and long range, passing, dribbling, his control of the ball, speed and “first touch”, which is how one initially receives the ball when it is passed to them. This skill is arguably the most important one in soccer and one of the skills Messi possesses that people applaud the most. This is because if a player cannot receive a ball correctly, they will never be able to shoot, pass, dribble or control it. Even though most soccer

3 players have great “first touch” as well, they are not nearly as consistent with this skill like Messi. Another skill of Messi’s that so many spectators applaud is his composure during the game. He is undoubtedly one of the calmest players to ever step onto the field. His vision is also what makes him so unique. Messi can receive the ball and make a goal scoring opportunity out of nothing. Regardless of the situation, he always sees the bigger picture of the game when nobody else on the field does. For those who do not appreciate or care about the fundamentals of soccer, here are some facts that are easier to understand and digest. Messi has scored more than 500 goals in his career. He has also made more than 200 assists, which is when players with the ball help other players score a goal. Messi also won 28 awards by the time he was 28, which is a great accomplishment because he won his first two awards in 2005 at the Fifa World Youth Championship. The Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe were given to him for being the top goal scorer of the year. Since Messi has been playing with FC Barcelona, he has won the Ballon D’Or five times. Each year, a combination of journalists, coaches and players come together and cast the vote for this award. The Ballon D’or is usually given to the most popular and talented player in the league for that year. Receiving this award shows that the recipient is not only the best player in the league, but the most loved player as well. Think of it as the “Grammy” for soccer players and fans alike. Many people do not know this about Messi, but he has the best attitude out of any soccer player in the game. He is always kind and respectful to fans, even pitch invaders. Pitch invaders are fans who somehow manage to get onto the field during a game and interrupt it for the purpose of being face-to-face with a certain player. Messi has been ambushed by countless pitch

4 invaders and instead of reacting in a crude way, he has been known to hug them, converse with them and other things. On one occasion, Messi actually took off his jersey and handed it to the invader before security escorted them off the field. Messi is also respectful to his opponents and teammates. Out of all the years I have watched Messi play, I have never seen him in an altercation with another player, which I cannot say for too many other players I have watched. Even when people try to start drama between him and other players, he never feeds into it and remains focused on the game. He also has undeniable chemistry with his teammates. If you have never seen Messi play with FC Barcelona, I strongly suggest watching a full match one day. It is almost unreal how well they all work together and how Messi is the powerhouse of their coordination. If I do not seem to be a credible enough source to call him the best soccer player in the world, let’s ask the real experts on soccer. Many players and coaches such as Luis Enrique, Ronaldinho, and Carles Puyol adore Messi, for his skills and personality. Retired Barcelona midfielder, Ronaldinho even bragged about Messi to Kobe Bryant, saying that he is the best player that soccer has ever seen. His former teammate, Carles Puyol thought so highly of his skills that he referred to him as an “alien”. Recently, Luis Enrique stated that “Messi is soccer. He is the greatest of all time.” For every great man, there are always a lot of negative spectators who want to tear them down. Many people try to argue that players such as Cristiano Ronaldo are better than Messi. To those who want to argue about this rivalry, my response is “check the facts.” It is just the cold, hard truth that Messi is better at the sport than anyone that has ever touched a soccer ball. Whether you want to believe it or not, Lionel Messi will go down in the history of soccer as the best player, dead and alive. Mark my words....