[The Fountain] Good job, Messi!

As Argentina suffers from economic challenges such as its 100 percent inflation rate and 40 percent poverty rate, I hope Messi brought them “unwavering heart,” as the Korean national team did for Korea.

HAN YOUNG-IKThe author is the political news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo. The coronation of Lionel Messi, 35, as the king of soccer after Argentina won the World Cup was a huge moment. Messi is talented and he has overcome some grave adversity.

At age 11, Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency. If he didn’t get proper treatment, he would not grow any more. But his parents, a steel worker and a part-time cleaner, could not afford the treatment cost of $100 a month. The youth team he played for also could not cover the cost.

Then, FC Barcelona came to the rescue. The football club would pay for the medical costs and signed Messi in 2000. After the club’s scout was captured by Messi’s talent, he wrote out the contract on a napkin. The gamble turned out to be a great success. Thanks to the consistent treatment, Messi grew to be 170 centimeters (5 feet, 7 inches) tall, debuted in the first division in 2004 and became a legend, playing for 17 years.

His national team career has been full of hardships. As Argentina stopped short of winning four World Cups and Copa America, some fans accused Messi of loving Barcelona more than Argentina. Even his grandparents said on air right after the 2014 World Cup that they were not sure why Messi didn’t play like he did in Spain.

Messi missed the penalty shot in the 2016 Copa America final and announced his retirement from the national team. After his fans, and even the president, begged him to stay, he eventually retracted his retirement two months later. But the burden to win only grew.

For Messi, this World Cup was his last chance. Many of his teammates were “Messi kids,” inspired by him when they were younger, as he was already in his mid-30s. The shocking 1-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 marked a bad start. But Messi brought the team together and led Argentina to the final.

This year’s World Cup final was more intense than ever. The Argentinians raved over the small boy who became a soccer god. As Argentina suffers from economic challenges such as its 100 percent inflation rate and 40 percent poverty rate, I hope Messi brought them “unwavering heart,” as the Korean national team did for Korea.