Behind every great player is at least one coach. Not necessarily a great one, nor even a good one, but a coach nonetheless. After all, someone has to throw the young talent in at the deep end. Someone has to stand and nod and say to themselves, the boy is ready. Someone has to dish out the pats on the back, the hairdryer treatment, the ignominious substitution. Someone has to choose.
In Diego Maradona's case, it was Cesar Luis Menotti, the 1978 World Cup coach, who gave the Argentinos Juniors ace his big break by offering him his international debut in 1977, and although he did not take part in the World Cup the following year, this show of faith was enough to inspire Diego to greater successes.
Unlike Maradona, though, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi needs no such *lo**ing for the Albiceleste. That was already taken care of, with Leo already a part of the furniture at the AFA following his debut under Jose Pekerman in 2005. Thirty-two further appearances have followed, with the vast majority of them being impressive, to say the least.
But something is missing. The best player in the world-elect requires more. With Argentina having suffered something of a dry spell in 2006 and 2007 - and the 2008 Olympic Gold medal failing to silence the clamour for the World Cup - the stage is set for someone to pull the Albiceleste back to what is regarded as their rightful level. For the AFA, Maradona is the man to do so from the bench. And for Maradona, Messi is the one who will make it happen.
Man With The Plan
From one master to another come words of advice, encouragement - and high expectations. Maradona has made it abundantly clear that he regards Messi as the true attacking engine of his Argentina side ahead of the midweek friendly with France.
"I want him as a goalscorer, a passer, everything. his best position is the one he has at Barcelona, on the right, looking for the ball and then pushing along the flank. That's where he feels most comfortable," he told the AFP.
This is no case of lip service. Maradona has gone to significant lengths to field Messi on Wednesday night, meeting with Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to (successfully) look into abandoning the accord between the AFA and the Blaugrana that prevented Lionel from taking part in friendlies. It would have been all too easy for Maradona to point to the earlier agreement, shrug his shoulders, and pick someone else. Yet this was not an option for him.
Indeed, any international manager will tell you that, friendly or no, one must have one's full squad available whenever possible, and Messi not only comprises a part of this group, but almost embodies it whole. And while Maradona grumbles about the absence of Juan Roman Riquelme and Sebastian Veron, he eventually allowed these two to remain on domestic duty. For Leo, there was no such respite.
The Leader
That's because Maradona needs Leo to lead by example if he is to fulfill his appointed mission as guarantor of the Argentine success story. As Maradona said today, "I want to be Argentina coach. I live, dream and wake up asking myself how I can improve this team. I want to improve the Argentinian players."
Nowhere is this more true than in the coach of Leo, for whom Maradona already has a plan. The youngster is already - by February! - said to be a stick-on for the Ballon d'Or if he continues his current run of form at club level, and to bring it to the international table even in a year without a major international tournament is the cherry on top.
For while Maradona will forever be remembered as a legendary number 10 at club level, it is on the international stage that he well and truly shone. Even non-football fans can tell you about his goal - and his "goal" - against England at Mexico '86. No single person has defined an international tournament to such a great extent since, and it could be decades before they do so again... or it could be next year if Messi hits stride.
To see the two on the training pitch today, both clad in Argentine tracksuits, gives an odd impression. Having such similar heights and tendencies, they stand next to each other almost as equals, and an easy smile on each face complicates the mentor-pupil arrangement that would probably be considered appropriate. But in fact it makes sense: in this case there is something more. Say what you will about Maradona but, unlike that other giant of the global game, Pele, he does tend to know a player when he sees one. To find one so close to home is not exactly serendipitous when one considers Argentina's legacy. But nonetheless, the grins and the shared jokes... well, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the truly great make others feel that they, too, can become great. And if there's one thing the shy, unassuming Messi needs, it is that level of inspiration.
Rough Redemption
Not only will this give Messi the elevation that his talent deserves, but it'll also dispel any remaining doubt - and there's plenty of it - that Maradona is a man cut out for coaching. Let's not forget, his only managerial experience prior to last year came with two brief and frankly embarra**ing spells with minor clubs back home. Perhaps rightly, he was then thought of as too eccentric for the bench. Sure, he may be the (un)disputed greatest player of all time, but when the old adage 'good players aren't always good coaches' was wheeled out, Maradona's name was seldom far from the mind.
Indeed, the mid-to-late 90s formed the nadir of his career, and probably his life. Public figures queued up to denounce this fat, smirking layabout, who couldn't control his cocaine addiction long enough to give his career the dignified ending it deserved. Ephedrine at USA '94? Well, what else would you expect from Maradona? It's hardly unprecedented in any field of human endeavour, but nonetheless to see someone so built up and then almost immediately shot down again is quite a stunning thing to reflect on, and in Maradona's case it remains a source of division between himself and the press that will probably never quite be overcome.
Still, as coach he is - contrary to some expectations - at least making a fist of keeping things calm. Sure, he'll complain about the organisational abilities of the Argentine FA. He'll strut around the most foreign of foreign stadia as if he owns them. But it would take the most cynical man of all to say that the Albiceleste are not at the front of his mind - and Messi further ahead than them all.
But it's not just about Maradona the coach. It's about Maradona the man. No matter what happens, he will leave behind one of the greatest on-pitch legacies in the history of the game, and if Argentina succeed under him he will become one of the pantheon of global figures to make it both as a player and a coach - years after it was said that he was, in fact, finished. But if he does this and has a decisive role in moulding his successor, he will be player, coach, mentor, father - legend. He will have done it all, and put Messi on the road to doing the same.
In Diego Maradona's case, it was Cesar Luis Menotti, the 1978 World Cup coach, who gave the Argentinos Juniors ace his big break by offering him his international debut in 1977, and although he did not take part in the World Cup the following year, this show of faith was enough to inspire Diego to greater successes.
Unlike Maradona, though, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi needs no such *lo**ing for the Albiceleste. That was already taken care of, with Leo already a part of the furniture at the AFA following his debut under Jose Pekerman in 2005. Thirty-two further appearances have followed, with the vast majority of them being impressive, to say the least.
But something is missing. The best player in the world-elect requires more. With Argentina having suffered something of a dry spell in 2006 and 2007 - and the 2008 Olympic Gold medal failing to silence the clamour for the World Cup - the stage is set for someone to pull the Albiceleste back to what is regarded as their rightful level. For the AFA, Maradona is the man to do so from the bench. And for Maradona, Messi is the one who will make it happen.
Man With The Plan
From one master to another come words of advice, encouragement - and high expectations. Maradona has made it abundantly clear that he regards Messi as the true attacking engine of his Argentina side ahead of the midweek friendly with France.
"I want him as a goalscorer, a passer, everything. his best position is the one he has at Barcelona, on the right, looking for the ball and then pushing along the flank. That's where he feels most comfortable," he told the AFP.
This is no case of lip service. Maradona has gone to significant lengths to field Messi on Wednesday night, meeting with Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to (successfully) look into abandoning the accord between the AFA and the Blaugrana that prevented Lionel from taking part in friendlies. It would have been all too easy for Maradona to point to the earlier agreement, shrug his shoulders, and pick someone else. Yet this was not an option for him.
Indeed, any international manager will tell you that, friendly or no, one must have one's full squad available whenever possible, and Messi not only comprises a part of this group, but almost embodies it whole. And while Maradona grumbles about the absence of Juan Roman Riquelme and Sebastian Veron, he eventually allowed these two to remain on domestic duty. For Leo, there was no such respite.
The Leader
That's because Maradona needs Leo to lead by example if he is to fulfill his appointed mission as guarantor of the Argentine success story. As Maradona said today, "I want to be Argentina coach. I live, dream and wake up asking myself how I can improve this team. I want to improve the Argentinian players."
Nowhere is this more true than in the coach of Leo, for whom Maradona already has a plan. The youngster is already - by February! - said to be a stick-on for the Ballon d'Or if he continues his current run of form at club level, and to bring it to the international table even in a year without a major international tournament is the cherry on top.
For while Maradona will forever be remembered as a legendary number 10 at club level, it is on the international stage that he well and truly shone. Even non-football fans can tell you about his goal - and his "goal" - against England at Mexico '86. No single person has defined an international tournament to such a great extent since, and it could be decades before they do so again... or it could be next year if Messi hits stride.
To see the two on the training pitch today, both clad in Argentine tracksuits, gives an odd impression. Having such similar heights and tendencies, they stand next to each other almost as equals, and an easy smile on each face complicates the mentor-pupil arrangement that would probably be considered appropriate. But in fact it makes sense: in this case there is something more. Say what you will about Maradona but, unlike that other giant of the global game, Pele, he does tend to know a player when he sees one. To find one so close to home is not exactly serendipitous when one considers Argentina's legacy. But nonetheless, the grins and the shared jokes... well, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the truly great make others feel that they, too, can become great. And if there's one thing the shy, unassuming Messi needs, it is that level of inspiration.
Rough Redemption
Not only will this give Messi the elevation that his talent deserves, but it'll also dispel any remaining doubt - and there's plenty of it - that Maradona is a man cut out for coaching. Let's not forget, his only managerial experience prior to last year came with two brief and frankly embarra**ing spells with minor clubs back home. Perhaps rightly, he was then thought of as too eccentric for the bench. Sure, he may be the (un)disputed greatest player of all time, but when the old adage 'good players aren't always good coaches' was wheeled out, Maradona's name was seldom far from the mind.
Indeed, the mid-to-late 90s formed the nadir of his career, and probably his life. Public figures queued up to denounce this fat, smirking layabout, who couldn't control his cocaine addiction long enough to give his career the dignified ending it deserved. Ephedrine at USA '94? Well, what else would you expect from Maradona? It's hardly unprecedented in any field of human endeavour, but nonetheless to see someone so built up and then almost immediately shot down again is quite a stunning thing to reflect on, and in Maradona's case it remains a source of division between himself and the press that will probably never quite be overcome.
Still, as coach he is - contrary to some expectations - at least making a fist of keeping things calm. Sure, he'll complain about the organisational abilities of the Argentine FA. He'll strut around the most foreign of foreign stadia as if he owns them. But it would take the most cynical man of all to say that the Albiceleste are not at the front of his mind - and Messi further ahead than them all.
But it's not just about Maradona the coach. It's about Maradona the man. No matter what happens, he will leave behind one of the greatest on-pitch legacies in the history of the game, and if Argentina succeed under him he will become one of the pantheon of global figures to make it both as a player and a coach - years after it was said that he was, in fact, finished. But if he does this and has a decisive role in moulding his successor, he will be player, coach, mentor, father - legend. He will have done it all, and put Messi on the road to doing the same.
Who else can say the same?