Messi – the name is enough. Against all the expectations, star Argentinian took part in the clash between Barcelona and PSG, though as a substitute, and helped his club end in a draw. Actually, the worth of Messi can easily be understood with the fact that he did not fire any goal nor hit any shot to the post yet only his presence was more than anything else on the field. His tons of fans were waiting for their star throughout the game, and in 61st minute, they could finally see him entering into the ground as substitute. Before match, there were no indications about his participation in this match hence everyone was a bit of skeptical whether they would be able to see him or not. Moreover, when he did not join the morning warm up, it was pretty sure that he would not be a member of the team for this match – at least, but he again surprised everyone by being a part of this game. PSG had an edge during the game; perhaps they took the initial lead as well and it was then feared that Barca could miss the semis for the first time since 2007, but very soon Barca equalized the lead in style and marked its entry into the semis.
His presence was praised by former English captain Beckham, who is now with PSG on a short a term deal, he said, “Messi is the best player in the world, simple as that. He came on when we were 1-0 up and they scored. A player like him, 100 per cent fit or not, will always make the difference.”
Similar reactions were also from David Villa, another striker of Barca, he also said, “Messi is the best player in the world and he changed the game just by being on the pitch. We have to congratulate him for his show of commitment to the team and to football. It is thanks to him, and everyone else, that we have qualified.”
Barcelona’s assistant manager, Jordi Roura, added more beauty to his admirations, he too said, “It was a pact that we had with him that if things weren’t going well, we would bring him on. He is so important and his presence on the field conditioned the game after we had conceded a goal and made an impact on the opponent. Once again he has shown his competitive spirit and desperation to always be there for the team and we have to take our hat off to him.”
Another good news is that Messi’s injury has not worsened during his exile period hence we can expect his complete recovery very soon now. So, cross your fingers and cherish the moment when he would play back in the first eleven.