Mid-Day Exclusive | ‘It will be difficult to watch Argentina without Messi’: Sunil Chhetri

popcorn number88 per cent descPercentage of goals Lionel Messi scored for Argentina with his trusted left foot 111 he scored 12 with his right foot and two with his head classDefaultpopcorn number185 descNo of goal contributions 125 goals 60 assist for Lionel Messi in 207 games for Argentina classDefaultpopcorn number35 descNo of goals scored by Lionel Messi across all major competitions World Cup Copa America no menrsquos footballer has scored more in major competitions World Cup continental tournaments classDefaultWhen it comes to Lionel Messi former India captain and mercurial striker Sunil Chhetri is quite like the millions worldover a fan And Messirsquos decision to retire his Argentine jersey on Monday has left Chhetri just as sadIn an exclusive interview with midday Chhetri talks about how Messi makes the Beautiful Game even more prettyEdited excerptsIn the past yoursquove spoken about your adoration for Lionel Messi Today not as a player or former India captain but as a fan how do you react to Messirsquos international retirementAs a fan itrsquos obviously very sad Itrsquos going to be difficult to watch Argentina without Lionel Messi The magic he brought to the pitch was unlike anything most of us have seen in our time For so many years whenever Argentina played you knew there was always the possibility that Messi would do something special something you hadnrsquot seen before Thatrsquos what made watching him such a privilegeAs a player and leader yourself what are the traits in Messi the player and Messi the leader that yoursquove always looked up toThere are far too many traits to look up to when yoursquore talking about one of the greatest footballers ever But if I had to pick one it would be his neversaydie attitude and the love he has for the teams he representsYou can see how passionate he is about every club he has played for and of course about Argentina Wersquove seen what losing meant to him and wersquove also seen what winning meant to him He never hid from either emotion That connection and commitment to the badge is something that really stands outAnd as a leader I think he has shown that there are different ways to lead You donrsquot always have to be the loudest person in the room Sometimes the way you perform the responsibility you take and the way you show up for your teammates can say much morePeople always compare Messi to Maradona Whatrsquos your take on this comparisonI think football is a team sport and comparing individuals especially players from completely different generations is something we probably do a little too often Every generation has had its own hero Diego Maradona was that player for the 80s and 90s Messi has been that player for the last two decades Both gave football something incredibly special in their own wayHopefully the next generation will also have someone they can watch and feel mesmerised by But instead of constantly comparing great players maybe we should just appreciate how fortunate wersquove been to watch themWhich is your favourite Messi goalFor Argentina Irsquod probably pick his hattrick against Brazil in 2012 especially the winning goal That was Messi at the peak of his powers It was a highscoring game and then late on he produced that moment dribbling past players and finishing it himself That was vintage MessiThey say football is a physical game but Messi with his notsobig frame was also menacing Your thoughts on Messirsquos small but powerful frameI think thatrsquos one of his most amazing traits Despite his diminutive frame he has always found a way to wriggle through players who are bigger and stronger and are using every bit of their physicality to stop himHis balance his low centre of gravity and his strength on the ball are extraordinary People often talk about his dribbling and his speed but his ability to absorb contact and still come away with the ball is just as remarkable The fact that he has been doing that consistently for close to 20 years is probably the most incredible partWould you also like an ordinary fan fear for Messirsquos safety whenever defenders tend to hack him down to stop himAs a footballer especially someone who is tasked with dribbling creating chances and scoring goals you know yoursquore going to come up against a few rash challenges and tough tackles Thatrsquos part of the gameAs a fan of course it can be difficult to watch someone like Messi being constantly targeted You want to see him playing football and producing those moments of magic But at the same time defending against players like him is incredibly difficult and defenders will do whatever they can within the game to stop him Managing that attention and those challenges has also been a huge part of Messirsquos brilliance over the years