Why This Is Messi's World Cup...

I’m a full-blooded Gunner. Hence, with three Arsenal players gunning with the Germans for the ultimate diadem tomorrow, I should be routing for my club players. But this is the World Cup. Not club football. My sentiments only rested with Nigeria but dear Super Eagles left early enough for me to truly concentrate.

Football analysis bothers on two fronts…pre- and post- match analyses. The very easy path is post-analysis…all one needs is being smart enough to tinker words, talk with so much authority based on hindsight and blah, blah. I never considered analysts based on their post-match mumbo jumbo. I regard analyst based on their pre-match exercises.

Pre-match involves assuming both coaches’ positions, anticipating their line-ups, guessing each player’s output based on current form and opposition…then onto the most difficult of predicting which team would be victorious based on tactics and other anticipated indices. This is where any analyst earns his keep.

However, because football is a very emotional game, most analysts commit the unforgivable blunder of forcing the head towards where the heart lies. In such instances, one always faltered. Football, as beautiful as the game is, has a lot of factors guiding each competition. That’s why FA Cup matches in any country of the world always throw surprises every now and then. In England, for instance, one can bet anything he has that west Ham United cannot win next season’s EPL title, but same person will not put down his dime when it comes to betting against same team in FA Cup.

For the World Cup, such tradition is even more pronounced. The World Cup started exactly 84 years ago…and out of over 200 FIFA–affiliated countries, only eight has rotated winning it amongst themselves. Tried as countries like Holland, Mexico, Portugal, etc, they’d always be pushed aside when the chips come down.

Germany and Argentina are both members of this G8…they have won five trophies between them…so, each team has every credential to win tomorrow. On the other hand, football has produced players of exceptional qualities and no player of such quality has failed to win a world Cup at his peak, provided such player in question came from one of the chosen G8…Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Original Ronaldo, Lothar Matheus, Romario, Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Xavi, Iniesta, etc.

Today, the best player playing football is Lionel Messi…he is at his peak at 27…he has led Argentina to the final…is there any exceptional player in Germany that can deny this gem his moment? NO> Unless the god of soccer decides to start punishing these greats with Messi, then the scenario is very set for Messi’s coronation.

Besides this very important factor, has the German side any advantage over Argentina? NO>As good as Germany is, they’re not better than Argentina by any margin. Position by position, both teams may not blink on equal measure but taking pros and cons, whatever advantage one has in one particular department, the other covers up in another. Germany may be more fluid in the middle, retaining the ball and running intricately…but Argentina are more potent in attack when personnel manning both sides positions’ get to the dissection table.

No team in the world, even in real Madrid or Barcelona, has a team with the confident strike force of Aguero, Higuian, Di Maria, with Messi shepherding from behind. No defense will blink once in 90 mins, or 120 mins for that matter, with this foursome prowling.

It’s a battle of wits and ingenuity…whichever team that blinks first may never have the opportunity to recover. It may go the tactical exertion witnessed in the semi-final between Argentina and Holland, unless a goal comes early.

I’m a lover of football and will wish the better side wins but the little I know about this game tells me Argentina will nick it tomorrow. It may get to extra time or even penalties but this Cup is not leaving South America.

Enjoy every moment tomorrow – this is Messi’s World Cup!