They say that soccer star Lionel Andres Messi is so quick and nimble of foot, especially the left one, that he can dribble in circles in a phone booth.
But for him the most meaningful change of direction, one that he is on the verge of with a victory in the World Cup finale Sunday, has been 13 often-arduous years in the making.
Once derided as an outsider in his native Argentina, Messi is poised to be embraced as a national hero if he can lead "La Albiceleste" — as the national team is known for its distinctive white and sky blue uniforms — past powerful Germany.
His penalty kick started Argentina on its way to a 4-2 shootout win over the Netherlands Wednesday, setting up the country’s first finals appearance in nearly a quarter century.
Not since 1986 has Argentina won a World Cup, the memorable saga that established Diego Maradona as the nation’s soccer icon. Maradona, for all his substance problems and mercurial nature, has cast a wide shadow over all who have come after him in the soccer-crazed land. But none more than the 5-foot, 7-inch Messi.
Messi’s talents have never been in doubt since he first kicked a ball in the river port of Rosario, where he was known for his diminutive size as "La Pulga" — The Flea — brought on by a growth deficiency.
But there has been something of an estrangement since Messi departed at age 13 for Spain, where he earned his fame and fortune ($21.8 million annual salary) an ocean away with FC Barcelona.
So much so that critics have pointedly questioned whether he even knows the words to the national anthem or has the heart to lead Argentina on soccer’s biggest stage.
When Argentina was beaten by next-door neighbor Uruguay in the 2011 Copa America, Messi was the object of derision, heightening the suspicion.
Despite a string of FIFA player of the year awards, there has remained something of an arm’s-length relationship between the Messi and the folks back home. Which is why this World Cup, just up the coast in Brazil, has loomed so large as an opportunity to go well beyond overdue reconciliation.
Destiny for Messi is in delivering the goods. So far he’s done all that and more as the team’s sparkplug. His four goals, an assist and that statement-making penalty kick have put Argentina where it is today.
To produce a World Cup title over Germany and in, of all places, bitter rival Brazil’s fabled Maracana Stadium, would be the stuff of legend.
The only thing that could make it more delicious to the Argentine palate was if it was at the expense of Brazil. Alas, thanks to German precision, that is no longer possible, so the Argentines amused themselves by singing "Brasil, Decime Que Se Siente" ("Brazil, Tell Me How It Feels") to the tune of Creedence Clearwater’s "Bad Moon Rising."
Even before that serenade, the team Brazilian faithful most wanted to see lose, according to a pre-World Cup survey, was Argentina.
Come Sunday’s finale, Argentina will find itself the underdog. But who knows that role better than Messi?
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
