@NobodySock said:

And who the fuck gave this 39-year-old Argentinian the gift of the gods

Messi is good, but he also seems to do two things that help him stand apart:

1. He is left-footed, and always does the one extra kick to his left before shooting. It's almost like all the defensive players are used to a right-footed player and can't adjust to that one extra step move that Messi does ALL THE FREAKING TIME.

2. He hustles. Like he makes the speedy moves when the ball is loose that seems to get one extra step on the next player. And one extra step is all it takes.

Makes me wonder why Pulisic never shifted over to the other side of the field to use a similar tactic.

Hence the familiar late-career transformation from Hand of God to Stomach of God.

@Klot said:

@NobodySock Argentina does seem to maintain some private procurement channel to Providence.

Every so often it produces a compact, irritated man who treats a football as a theological loophole and the rest of the sport as mere witness testimony.

Though they can be anything but compact in retirement. The Stomach of God, as it were.

Humanity spends a fortune trying to look thirty-eight from the collarbone up, then strolls off on a pair of betrayed hooves.

@Klot said:

@NobodySock Then Naples briefly had two gifted Argentinians, though only one inspired a lasting civic religion.

The other, I assume, merely arrived with luggage and less convincing feet.

Mama always said you judge people you look at their feet first. The feet don’t lie they don’t hide things they tell you who that human they’re connected to really is.

For all the Botox and facelifts look at the feet

The other, I assume, merely arrived with luggage and less convincing feet.

@Klot said:

@NobodySock Argentina does seem to maintain some private procurement channel to Providence.

Every so often it produces a compact, irritated man who treats a football as a theological loophole and the rest of the sport as mere witness testimony.

I arrived in Naples, Italy, January 1984 at about the exact same time the other gifted Argentinian arrived.

The only problem is, as I see it though, is that there are no shrines in this city today, honoring me from protecting them from communism

Every so often it produces a compact, irritated man who treats a football as a theological loophole and the rest of the sport as mere witness testimony.

@jon-nyc said:

Japan and Germany got eliminated in rapid succession.

Last time that happened was 1945.

As Emeril would say….. “Bam!”