[The Epoch Times, December 23, 2022]To say that the most exciting event in the depressing 2022 is the World Cup football match held in Qatar from November to December. Not to mention others, even I, a “football blind”, suddenly watched the highlights of many games without knowing it. In the end, the Argentine team’s championship and runner-up final against the French team was even more crowded. The air ticket from Argentina to Qatar was sold for 10,000 US dollars! Many heads of state, billionaires and celebrities went to watch the finals, and left messages on Twitter, saying that this championship and runner-up final was the best match in so many years, it was so enjoyable and definitely worth the trip.
The most exciting character in this most exciting World Cup is Messi, the captain of the Argentine football team. I’ve also vaguely heard of Messi’s name before, but I saw him for the first time in Argentina’s game against Saudi Arabia. I was surprised that this football star who looked like a miner was so small. But in the game against the Saudi team, he kicked the ball into the opponent’s goal with lightning speed and cleanliness from the midfielder, which made me immediately feel that this little man is really very predictable. And someone told me that although he is only 169 centimeters tall, he is a small man in the eyes of ordinary people, but for Messi, who suffered from dwarfism (also called growth hormone deficiency) in childhood, it is already a big achievement to be able to grow so tall. It was a miracle.
Looking back on the road that Messi has traveled, it is really very bumpy, beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Messi’s childhood was very poor. He was born in an ordinary working family in Rosario, Santa Fe province, Argentina in 1987. He was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency at the age of 10, and the monthly treatment cost was as high as $1,000. At that time, Messi’s father’s health insurance could only cover growth hormone treatment for two years, and he could not afford this huge sum of money for many years. Messi at a young age, when other children are ignorant and playing around, what he has to worry about is his own health, because not only may he never grow taller, but he may also be permanently disabled.
Fortunately, Messi has been very close to football since he was a child. He has played in an amateur football team coached by his father since he was 4 years old. “One time, 15 minutes went by and he still hadn’t lost control of the ball. I once thought he had touched the ball 1,200 times. He was nine years old,” recalls one coach. “Bole” Barcelona Football Club fancy, they signed the stunted child, and are willing to bear his treatment costs.
Facts have proved that FC Barcelona has a unique eye for discovering and treating a football genius. For more than 20 years, Messi has scored countless goals on the football field, created many firsts, and became a football legend. However, his football journey was far from smooth, with a serious foot injury and his game falling apart at times. He was sometimes discouraged, and even announced his retirement from football. But in the end, with his love for football and the courage to realize his dreams, he put on his military uniform again, and got up to fight again after falling down. Finally, in this World Cup, with his excellent skills and flexible command, he led the The Argentine team defeated the last World Cup champion France, took back the long-dreamed Dali Gold Cup, put on the noble “Bisht” (Bisht) black gold burqa in the Arab world, and became a well-deserved generation of football champions.
When others envied Messi’s success, he simply said: “It took me 17 years and 114 days to become famous overnight from morning to night training.” It has given a lot of inspiration to the world, don’t give up, you will succeed in the end!
Editor in charge: Wen Fang