Six months since shaking hands with paradise

"The craziness you show for Lionel Messi is futile. Messi doesn't know you, and in all probability, he never will. So, there's no point in giving so much of your life to him," someone told me the other day. 

And for a moment, I also thought, "This person may actually have a point." But then again I gave it some more thought, and it became as clear as day that he doesn't really.

I don't need someone to know me personally to have an intense impact on my life, and that's very much applicable to my love towards Messi.

Messi has not only shaken hands with paradise, and completed the game of football, with his crowning moment at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, but he has also helped millions of people land in seventh heaven and made their dream come true in the process.

I am one of those people.

18 December 2022 was surely the greatest day of my life. It was the day I lived to the fullest, finally witnessing my hero conquer the world that belongs to his left foot.

Also, the 25 years of life that I had lived before Messi became the champion of the world, and the six months I have lived ever since then, have a stark difference between them.

This life is calmer. This life is more serene. And this life is a little less unliveable. 

In spite of all the trials and tribulations life has been presenting before me, I now have a sense of tranquillity buried deep within, shielding me from the unpleasant. 

This is the kind of treasure I have long cherished, and chased after, throughout my life, and finally, I have got my hands on it. 

And it's not courtesy of any of my personal accomplishments. It's all because of what Messi has ended up achieving. 

This may surely seem outrageous to many, but I said what I said. 

Even after 26 weeks or 183 days, I still get a panic attack every now and then, visualising the sight of Randal Kolo Muani approaching fast towards the Argentine goalpost and going one-on-one with Emiliano Martinez. 

It's like one of those nightmares that don't let you sleep at night, that put you in life-long insomnia. 

But also, this is the kind of nightmare that is followed by a sudden awakening, and the sense of assurance that everything is, after all, alright, and perfectly in place.

Exactly half a year ago on this day in Lusail, that "alright" happened. 

Emi Martinez did what he had to do. He stretched his leg leftwards in just about time, made the wonder save in the last minute of open play to take the game against France to penalty shootouts, and then made himself immortal with a career-defining performance to steer Messi to conquer the final peak that had earlier appeared destined to elude him. 

But Messi also had his fair share of contributions leading up to the colourful coronation. And that's not confined to his two goals in the final, or a successful conversion in the tiebreaker only. 

After a disastrous start to the 2022 Qatar World Cup with a shocking defeat to Saudi Arabia, Messi carried his team on his shoulders to overcome the group hurdles, and then one by one the Round of 16s, quarterfinals and semifinals. 

He was quite rightfully the Golden Ball winner, as in the best player of the tournament, and closely missing out on the Golden Boot prize to Kylian Mbappe, an award given to the highest scorer of the tournament. 

But individual awards hardly matter to Messi anymore, after winning seven Ballons d'Or and the World Cup Golden Ball also once previously. 

What truly matters is that Messi is a world champion now. Perhaps I am still the same old person without any big success to brag about, but at least both sides of my pillow are cold, knowing that Messi is a world champion. 

Every time I feel low and tired and like giving up, I remember this, and my heart gets filled with enormous joy and fulfilment. All of a sudden I get the energy to move forward. 

It is said that nothing lasts forever. So, this lunacy around Messi's World Cup glory too will die down, and may even be forgotten someday. 

But not yet, not today. It's one for the ages. One for the generations. One for a lifetime. 

And clearly, it's not just me. It's the football heritage.