Soccer Lessons from Lionel Messi

I am not talking about his exceptional ability on the ball, his winning mentality, his ability to take a game over, or the adversity of his growth abnormality. When Messi was identified by Barcelona at 12 or 13 years old, nobody at the time thought that he would become the best player in the world. He certainly was very talented, so Barcelona FC took a chance on him to see how he would develop.

What the coaches noticed about him was the consistency of his performance and effort regardless of playing environment. Messi played with the same level of enthusiasm with the third team as he did with the first team. It made no difference to him. He gave his all 100% of the time.

How many players today moan and gripe about not making a first team? They do not give the same level of effort. Forget about the players, the parents will not stand for it. They prefer to shop around until their son/daughter make a first team somewhere. Usually at the expense of the player’s development. This is a massive mistake, as all the life lessons to be gained from facing some adversity is lost.

I think this is the one thing young players should know about Messi…He was not always selected for a first team. He did not leave for greener pastures. He did what all great players do. He took responsibility and got better.