By Iain Rogers
BARCELONA (Reuters) – With a Barcelona shirt on, pretty much
everything has gone right for Lionel Messi in the past four seasons, a run of form that has helped the Catalan club to 13
trophies and the Argentine to three World Player of the Year awards.
Messi, who is yet to
convince many of his compatriots he is the true heir to Diego Maradona, had scored an astonishing 63 goals in all
competitions this season before he took to the field in London last week for the Champions League semi-final first leg
against Chelsea.
However, unlike in recent times, when Barca’s season reached the crucial moment, his scoring touch –
and luck – deserted him.
He failed to find the net in either leg of the semi-final, meaning he has now been unable to
score against Chelsea in eight outings, by far his worst record against any club, and suffered the ignominy of seeing his
second-half penalty crash off the bar on Tuesday at the Nou Camp.
He also drew a blank on Saturday when Barca slipped
to a 2-1 La Liga defeat at home to arch rivals Real Madrid which all-but ended their bid for a fourth straight
title.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the only man who has come close to matching Messi’s scoring feats, rubbed salt in the
wounds by netting the winner, helping him shed the tag of a player who does not produce in big games.
If Real, who
trail Bayern Munich 2-1 ahead of the second leg in Madrid on Wednesday, can win the Champions League and the Portuguese
performs well at Euro 2012 he is likely to claim back the World Player award he won in 2008 before Messi’s three-straight
successes.
FEW BAD HOURS
Messi’s coach Pep Guardiola has repeatedly pointed out that Barca’s recent success
has in large part been down to the brilliance of the softly-spoken, shy little lad from Rosario known as ‘the
flea’.
He rallied behind his charge after Tuesday’s bitter setback.
“We have got this far thanks to this
kid,” the former midfielder told a news conference.
“More than ever I want to thank him for what he’s done,” added
the 41-year-old.
“My admiration for him knows no limits. He is an example for all of us, his competitiveness inspires
us.
“He’s daring, he’s brave and he plays fantastically well in all kinds of different conditions.
“I don’t
doubt he will have a few bad hours now but football is like this.
“Sometimes you smile and sometimes you are sad and
it’s our turn to be sad and someone else is going to the final in Munich and we have to come back next year.”
Messi
still has a chance to help Barca to another trophy when they take on Athletic Bilbao in next month’s King’s Cup final in
Madrid.
For now, the 24-year-old, already the club’s all-time top scorer and the only man to have scored five goals
in a Champions League game, will have to deal with the feelings of disappointment that he and his team mates have rarely
tasted since Guardiola took over in 2008.
