Inside Track: Lionel Messi among soccer’s greatest-ever
Inside Track with Joe Carroll
Two names that have featured in quite a few headlines over the past number of years can now be consigned to the memory bank. One is related to soccer, the other to horse racing.
Whenever there’s a debate on who was the greatest to wear a pair of Adidas, or any other brand, on the soccer field, the candidates who get most mentions are Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo, Best, Cruyff and Messi.
Followers who watched the game before any of those came along would make a case for Puskas, his colleague on the Spanish and Real Madrid teams, Di Stefano, Lev Yashin, the Russian goalkeeper, and Stanley Matthews, Blackpool, Stoke City and England, who played until he was in his ‘40s, and was named the first European footballer of the year in the mid-1960s.
What has to be said of this latter group, they played on pitches that wouldn’t have been as well groomed as today’s.
It keeps coming back to me the picture of Derby County’s Baseball Grounds at the height of winter – nothing more than a quagmire. And it wasn’t the only one.
Best would have played there, but was still able to mesmerise defenders with his deft footwork, often finishing with a goal.
Lionel Messi had better conditions on which to demonstrate his silken skills. Of all the players mentioned above, he, Maradona and Pele are the only ones to have won the World Cup. Pele did it three times, Messi and Maradona once.
Messi’s attempt to add to his laurels ended with Argentina’s defeat by Spain in this summer. Victory would have given the 39-year-old, who stood at 5f-7ins in his stocking feet, the perfect send-off, but in a game that is very easily forgotten, there was nothing in it for him.
However, it doesn’t deny the little Argentine a place in any argument as to who was the best ever.
If there’s ever a debate on who was the greatest steeplechaser, Arkle is unlikely to be knocked of the top spot he has held for many years. Galopen Des Champs, however, would have his supporters.
Handled by Willie Mullins, whose place among the all-time great National Hunt trainers is beyond dispute, Galopen won two Cheltenham Gold Cups and three Irish Gold Cups. In all, he had 12 Grade One wins in his career record of 15 from 26 outings.
It was only a fortnight ago that the gelding was retired from racing. But having taken up residence at former jockey, Ruby Walsh’s place with the intention of going eventing, Galopen sustained a life-ending injury while out exercising.
A sad end to another great career.