Angel Di Maria in the shadows of greatness

Among other things, Jurgen Klopp’s conclusion was clear and simple. “You can’t mark Di Maria,” was what he said after Borussia Dortmund had played Real Madrid during the 2012-2013 Champions League group stages.

Klopp would find a way as his Dortmund later on defeated Madrid in that season’s Champions League semis. But after meeting them again in the knockout rounds of the 2013-2014 Champions League, Klopp had to watch once more as Angel Di Maria ran rings around his defence.

It does help that Di Maria is at Real Madrid — the most expensively assembled team in football history. It also helps that alongside him is Cristiano Ronaldo — one of the greatest footballers of his generation and definitely among the pantheon of the greats. The other player of that calibre is Lionel Messi. He is Di Maria’s teammate at international level.

A rare prestige thus falls upon Di Maria. For club and country, he plays with two of the game’s immortals. As such though, that privilege is in itself

Messi magic could take Argentina all the way

If Brazil’s number 10 jersey is the most revered jersey number in the world, then Argentina’s number 10 comes a very close second.

It is more than just a jersey number — it is a tradition, a culture, a realisation of an ideology steeped in football romanticism. The enganche, a sly silky skilled, languid playmaker, with art and grace, beauty and poise epitomises the beauty of that albiceleste shirt number.

In Lionel Messi though, it bears a wearer cut from a slightly different cloth. If Juan Roman Riquelme was the epitome of enigmatic genius, Messi is the image of short, quick and Maradona-esqueness.

He is also the picture of frustrated greatness.

For all that he has achieved,