All you need: Messi-mania, Maradona-madness
Johannesburg: One has captured the imagination on the field and the other off it. Higuain's hat-trick pales in comparison to the charisma of this duo. Each statement from coach Diego Maradona at the press conference has been given a new dimension even though Lionel Messi himself is absent from it.
Messi though is a man of few words, and when he does talk, the whole world is eager to catch on to every word he says. And why will it not be so? Maradona has already declared him his 'golden boy' and his 'worthy successor'. And it was this Messi magic that was on display right from the opening game against Nigeria. This time South Korea's coach used every tactic possible to stop Messi. But sheer numbers cannot stop a player of his calibre. It was when three or four defenders were trying to tackle Messi that Higuain
capitalised on the chances to score a hat-trick. However, even Higuain knows
this would not have happened if not for Messi. And so he accepted straightaway it was Messi who paved the way for all the goals. After the third goal, the way Messi ran towards the fans - if one saw only a picture he would believe that the Barcelona striker had himself scored the goal. Although the scoreline will reflect Higuain, but the real architect of the goal is Messi. And so the fascination with Messi continues to grow.
As the team walked back from the field, Maradona embraced Messi and spoke into his ear. What he said, no one will know. But some of it can be guessed. Maybe Maradona said, 'I wish this World Cup is yours'.
But later at a free-wheeling chat with reporters that was not held in the confines of an official press conference, Messi - speaking in Spanish right
through - said it did not matter to him that he was playing so well and yet there were no goals against his name. "It doesn't matter, the goals are coming, the team is winning," he said.
Messi said the coach had told him that don't worry about not getting the goals. "You should continue to play your own game, the others know who to give the credit for the win."
Despite two straight wins in the group stage that is certain to put them in the round of 16, Messi says there is no place for complacency and he will begin to think of the next round only when he gets there.
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