Messi: More Than Just A Superstar — Book Review
A book review of Luca Caioli’s magnificent autobiography of a modern football legend.
True genius, the kind that seems to be gifted by the gods, inspires awe, not envy. We watch it with a kind of joy that is hard to describe, and we don’t blame ourselves for it because the gift is beyond understanding, and it is beyond comprehension. There is no self-consciousness in it; it is enjoyment.
In his book Messi, Luca Caioli gets as close as possible to Lionel Messi’s genius. Originally published in Spain in 2008, Argentina in 2009, and an English language edition in 2010 from Icon Books, the book has been updated to include the action and moments of the 2019–2020 season, and is available wherever good books are sold.
“Memory is a fundamental aspect of football,” writes Mr. Caioli regarding the comparisons that have followed Lionel Messi around his entire career just like the ball that has been glued to his foot since he played in Rosario, Argentina when he was just a boy. This book is excellent at bringing new memories to the reader. His vivid writing, descriptions of Messi’s games for both his club Barcelona and Argentina’s national team, puts the reader there in the moment.
He begins the chapter ‘The Devil’ with a piece he wrote for Corriere Della Sera about the Spanish Derby of 2007. The story that he writes for that publication is exceptional. You get a taste of his journalism in a book that will detail Lionel Messi’s career with a reporter’s eye for detail and a storyteller’s eye for drama. As he wrote of another match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, this time in 2009, he described Messi’s behavior as his book’s theme. He says, ‘…because Messi is like a spirit who appears anywhere on the pitch, when you least expect it.’
Luca Caioli traces the career of one of the world’s finest players by interviewing his first coach, up until the final interview with the player himself. Through these interviews, he describes the challenges he faced as a child who needed injections to stimulate growth due to a hormone deficiency, to the boy who travelled from Argentina to Spain and became a living legend. His story is inspiring. Whenever you read, you know that no one will be able to truly pinpoint who he is or what he does, or why the ball loves him so much. It is as though we are moths drawn to the flame of his genius. This book allows us to get as close as possible without burning our wings. Unlike most journalists, he doesn’t muckrake or gossip about this great player.
Although this is the 2021 edition, this book does not cover Messi’s departure from Barça after 21 years and his move to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. However, given how often this book has been updated since its initial publication, my guess is that Luca Caioli will cover it all in a future 2022 edition..
In spite of this, I highly recommend this book to any Football fan, Sport fan, or just about anyone who enjoys a good autobiography story.
