In a sea of number 10 shirts one man stood out, one is the greatest 10 of them all
Messi is kings of the shirts and Egyptian comeback showed just why
It was the first thing that stood out as the Uber pulled away from the crowds awaiting entry to the Miami Stadium and these Irish feet hit the sidewalk for a stroll in the soaring heat.
A good three hours before kick-off in the World Cup round of 32 game between Argentina and Cape Verde, the blue and white striped shirts were everywhere. And all were bearing the same number as far as these eyes could see.
The fact that about 90% of the Argentinean fans had that number 10 on their backs wasn’t a surprise. In South American football folklore, the number 10 is the greatest number of them all, a legend for my generation that began with the one and only Pele.
He made that number his own for one simple reason. At the 1958 World Cup, the Brazilian federation neglected to assign squad numbers in Sweden so FIFA gave the then 17-year-old the number 10.
What a move that was by FIFA, who can sometimes make inspiring decisions although that’s hard to fathom right now as Infantino’s ego runs riot. That’s a story for another day.
As is the fact that the blue number 10 shirt worn by Pele as Sweden were beaten 5-2 in Stockholm in that World Cup final, is currently awaiting auction at Sotheby’s in New York with a staggering $6million price tag on its reserve.
But back to Miami last Friday. Spotting the mass of number 10 shirts in the distance, a question popped into my head - Messi or Maradona. The answer was soon evident - Messi.
Over the course of the next four hours, I spotted a handful of Maradona shirts. And thousands upon thousands upon thousands of number 10s with Messi on the back. Everywhere you looked, it was Messi, Messi, Messi.
Before the game we asked the Argentinean supporters why Messi and not Maradona on their back? Do they not love Maradona?
Their answer was a simple one. Yes, they love Maradona. But, for this generation, they live in the here and now and their hero right now is Messi. Yes, is on the same pedestal as Maradona - one fan told me Maradona will always be his hero for beating England on his own in Mexico, literally what he said - but Messi is the current number one.
That was on Friday last so God knows where he rates now, above Maradona and probably closer to God himself after that comeback against Egypt in Houston.
Messi scored the second of the three goals that finally beat Egypt but he did more than that. He inspired those around him, he restored the faith of the players on the field when they needed an injection of hope, he rallied the troops with his genius.
Egypt can be rightly riled about the refereeing decisions and their belief that this World Cup is set up for the big names to prosper, that FIFA are weighed heavily in favour of Messi and his ilk.
But the fact remains that many of the big names are now gone and through no fault of FIFA’s. Ronaldo will never play on a World Cup stage again. Neymar doesn’t deserve to play on a World Cup stage again.
The World Cup has been left in the hands of Messi, Mbappe, Kane and Haaland. And it will be a better World Cup for it.
As for those shirts - you can buy an authentic Adidas Messi shirt with his name and number on it for anything from €80 to €150 online judging by my research this morning. He’s worth it.