Martin Palermo Is Not Messi’s Biggest Fan

August 17th, 2010 | by: chris |

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Little Lionel Messi received something of a mixed bag this summer over his performance. He was undeniably brilliant throughout much of it, overshadowed by no one heading into the quarterfinals, but then was taken out of the game against Germany, largely attributed to Jogi Loew’s tactical abilities and Diego Maradona’s lack of the very same.

The critics were there, and one has emerged from inside the Argentinean camp.

“Messi isn’t Maradona,” Palermo said Monday on America TV. “To me, Messi does not have Maradona’s mentality. He’s not prepared to carry the team.

“He (Messi) is not one to take the role of leader. He won’t do it because he’s not used to this position. He grew up in another way, he’s lived differently. He’s been with Barcelona since he was 12.”

Messi is not God – not yet, anyway – but there’s something very important to remember here which Martin has seemingly forgot:

The boy is 23 years old. If one’s leadership skills at 23 are the be-all and end-all to his legacy – even someone of Lionel’s ilk – then we might as well pack it up and go home. The absurdity has finally won.

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krizman

It seems to me that when you have players like Tevez, Higuain, DiMaria, Milito, etc. then it isn't your responsibility to carry the team. Some defenders with athleticism might help too.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZAAHBSZLO2ZIXYMJXPHSKKCJO4 holytoledo3

Well said krizman. It's not Lionel's job to carry the team. Maybe Maradona thought so but with so many players with which to play with, there's no need. Even Maradona had great players around him. The difference? IMO, the coach. Bilardo knew how to take great players and give them roles on the pitch with which they excelled. Maradona was just a great cheerleader, nothing more.
http://www.mcalcio.com Marco P.

It always comes down to this: the most talented player in the team is expected to be the team leader. Reality, as we know, is very different.

Not every one has the minerals to be a leader, and Messi's young age is only part of the problem I think. It also stems from an individual's charater: some are meant to be leaders, and some followers. I don't pretend to know Messi personally, but based on his interviews and his demeanor on a football field he looks like a guy who just enjoys being there. But not a guy who will motivate and carry a team to victory by words. He'll let his actions do the talking.

Ironically, the two players who are team leaders both in the action and WORD sense, Maradona left at home during the world cup.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1213714469 Adam Marshall

Seeing how it was a direct comparison to Maradona, he's right. Maradona carried teams from very early on in his career. Messi isn't that player still. Reading more into it than that is pointless hero worship of one player or the other.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/PQOHKZLOK2GMKBPFXJJXCW5WJ4 Nima

Giving too much attention to a finished line like Palermo by taking him to the world cup was enough for him. Argentina played their worst possible match against Germany in the quarter-final. The team looked devasted and so the coach. Messi was just another piece in this mess. I agree he could has done better than that but still it doesn't make sense that someone like Palermo come to such dumb conclusions about him who is just yet reached his 23. Argentina always had this Teamwork chemistery problem at the high stages. Only in Maradona's era this problem was gone. How a team containing of players like Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Aguero, Milito, Di Maria, Pastore, Samuel and Mascherano fail to win the title and get ravaged by a young and medicore team like Germany?!
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/PQOHKZLOK2GMKBPFXJJXCW5WJ4 Nima

Palermo's comment is a perfect example of one of the problems in Argentina. As Pekerman said that before in Argentina people don't appreciate their own talents like Brazil. Just look how a medicore finished line like Palermo whom playing in the the world cup was alone a dream for him and Villareal was the bigggest club he could play for in Europe criticise the best player in the world instead of being thankful for having sucha player in Argentina the after Maradona's era. Do you hear for example Juan comes and say the same thing about Kaka, Robinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo or Ronaldinho?! The argentinian team lacks support for one another. It's been the same story since 1994. 1998 and 2006 teams were the best TEAMS I saw from Argentina after the Maradona's era, which got eliminated bitterly (1998 in the inury times and 2006 in penalties). Till Argentinian players don't find that chemistery between one another while playing for the nation team we probably never see the world cup in our hands again.