Lionel Messi, Player Focus

Lionel Messi, Player Focus Another off the assembly line for Argentina? New Maradona "Lionel Messi may be the first to rise to this unfair comparison. If Javier Saviola, Juan Roman Riquelme and Pablo Aimar is not no surprise to its highest level, despite the initial promise, Messi has shown that even at a young age to bear the weight of the equipment and a waiting nation on his shoulders.     Credit must also be given to his Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard for not running him as a point of departure to Barcelona has more than ready to celebrate.     "Obviously, Messi is a talent, a future player, but I ask that everyone continues supporting him when he is out, because the team is still very young." Rijkaard said in a recent interview. He continued:     "I have confidence in him, because I know that is not paying attention to all the media speculation." He prefers to do his talking on the field.     In fact his three goals and one assist in nine league starts for Barcelona this season to add to his goal and to contribute to the UEFA Champions League to back up his coaches claim, and at 18 years young, who are just beginning to see flashes of his enormous potential. Messi said:     "I want to keep leaing and hope that things are going well for me. The thing is to help the team as much as possible. "     These are the words of a young man with a focused head on his shoulders and, above all, a good advisers around him. How many times have we seen the vultures once the young prodigies sweet talking to them and their parents to commit career suicide by sulking and demanding more playing time not only to become more than a trivial matter of five years.     With the World Cup in Germany approached Lionel Messi is certainly one to see if it's selected for national duty.     Don Enrique? Nguez, Messi, the former coach, said: 'It is possible to do things with the ball that defied the laws of physics. The only other person I have ever seen that was not Diego Maradona. "     Let us recall that Maradona himself did not come into its own until the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, despite the tip to be great things in Spain, four years before. World Cup which was a disappointment for Maradona and Argentina. Messi is three years younger than Maradona was in his first World Cup appearance, and it is important that we all allow Lionel to continue to develop its current pace, without too much pressure on him for a teenager to handle. Messi for his part, must maintain his enthusiasm and work ethic that has impressed his coaches and peers. If he can do the sky is the limit.   Career highlights     24 June 1987   Bo in Rosario, Argentina     2000   Lionel and his family move to Spain to treat his growth hormone deficiency     Signs for Barcelona at the age of 13 years     16 October 2004   Barcelona made its debut in the first against RCD Espanyol     1st May 2005   He becomes the youngest championship marker in Barcelona? S history against Albacete when scored his first goal for 17 years, seven months and ten days     June 2005   Aid for Argentina win the Under 20 FIFA World Youth Championship scoring two goals against Nigeria in final     27 June 2005   Renew his contract with Barcelona until 2010 with a? Clause 150 million buy-out     4 August 2005   He received his first call to the Argentine national team     25 September 2005   Get the Spanish nationality, which allows you to play more games for Barcelona and is not limited by the player outside the EU quota   About the Author   Okeke Echeto is a football enthusiast whose articles can be read here: