True friends

True friends

Iconic footballers Messi and Neymar have become the latest example of sportsmanship amid rivalry.

The Copa America final saw Argentina beating Brazil 1-0. While the goal difference may not be huge, it was enough to end Argentina’s 28-year drought and get Messi his first title with the national team. Dexterity, artistry, skill and efficiency are hallmarks of both these teams but Argentina should count itself lucky not to have been caught offside, while Brazil did not turn out to be so fortunate. The most active person on the field was the match referee who incessantly kept blowing the whistle; and the main targets of the rough tackles were Neymar and Messi. Undoubtedly, football is a tough, competitive and difficult sport, especially between two such teams. Perhaps the same spirit of rivalry was on display at the 1982 World Cup, when Maradona kicked Zico in the stomach and saw the red card. Also, who can forget German keeper Toni Schumacher’s dangerous tackle in the semi-final match against French player Patrick Battiston? But with the passage of time, the nature of football is also changing: No matter the intensity of conflict on the field, friendship is becoming evident outside the playing arena. Even in the 1986 World Cup, Argentina played a negative game, but still beat a better team like Brazil.

Realising that they had managed to defeat a superior team, the Argentine players chose to forgo their celebration and, instead, joined the Brazilian team members in their misery; which was a superb example of empathy. Such show of sportsmanship is understandable in games like cricket, badminton or tennis because you have physical distance from other players: Gavaskar and Malcolm Marshall may be friends because they stand several feet apart; same with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi or Prakash Padukone and Martin Frost. But football is a different ball game altogether, where players have to score goals while exerting physical supremacy over the rival defenders. It’s brutal, like life. As American football player and coach Duffy Daugherty famously said: “Football isn’t a contact sport; it’s a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.” But such emotions get uplifted when the world sees Neymar and Messi hugging and congratulating each other; both for different reasons. Messi was sad for Neymar and therefore consoling him, and Neymar was happy for Messi despite his own team’s loss. But the beautiful scene showcased the core, the spirit, the purity of the world’s most beautiful game. Two perfect 10s.