Messi, I know Yom Kippur is still far off, but I would like to get your permission to ask for forgiveness now. I am sorry that for years, whenever my friends would tell me that you are the greatest, I would dismiss them outright and say, "No way!".
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I would like to apologize for the fact that whenever my colleagues at work told me that you are in the same league as Diego Maradona, I would say that there was only one god and that you were definitely not at that level.
I am sorry that for years I insisted that you never show up when the going gets tough; I kept telling people that for four World Cup tournaments you did not score a single goal in the knockout stage and that while you could easily cruise to victory against Serbia and Iran in the group stage you always disappeared when it's crunch time, looking lost on the pitch and usually with a weird gaze on the grass.
I am sorry that I kept saying time and again that you are not a real leader. I reminded people that Diego, may he rest in peace, took a tiny group like Naples all the way to a historic Italian championship and waged the war of the impoverished south against the rich north. And you, I insisted, became a star in cushy Barcelona alongside other superstars like Ronaldinho, Iniesta, and Xavi. I told them that winning against Getafe 6:0 is like shooting fish in a barrel.
But over the past month, Leo, you showed us โ all 47 million of your fellow Argentines and billions of admirers in Israel and around the world (I am not particularly happy with this trend, but anyone who feels jealous should eat his heart out, especially the Brazilians) โ that you are indeed number 1, that you are a real leader and truly in a league of your own. In short: You are everything I thought you weren't.
In this heavenly month in Qatar, you became what the most emotional fans in the world, those rooting for the Albiceleste, - wrote about you: You became the Messรญas (the Messiah). You showed up when the going got tough, your Mardona-like passes to Juliรกn รlvarez and Nahuel Molina and others culminated with goals. You scored Maradona-esque goals and even managed to get under the skin of your opponents (my best regards to the Dutch team).
In essence, you reached the top of the pyramid. You were born one year after Diego's last touching hurrah and let's hope we won't have to wait for another 36 for this ecstatic feeling of elation.
And finally, Leo, we don't know one another, but unlike my prized picture with Maradona, I have yet to have one taken with you (my nephews someone have). I would like to once again say that I am sorry and express my deep gratitude for making the first night of Hanukkah 2022 with Ortal and the girls so special. We will never forget it.
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