Without willing to generalise too much, the reason most sportswriters are in this gig is because we weren't good enough to play the sport at the requisite level. The great paradox of our job is being able to apprehend and describe greatness, despite the fact that we don't have a hope in hell of ever getting near it.
Lionel Messi has forced most sportswriter through every synonym for 'good' in their thesaurus, so with superlatives running out, the next best option is to try and bring him back down to earth a little, to try and recast Messi as some kind of human being, rather than the dainty and deadly deity of which us hacks are not worthy.
This is happening today, following Barcelona's 6-0 win against Getafe in La Liga. Messi was, once again, outstanding, having a hand in all six of Barcelona's goals, scoring one himself. The game, however, also featured a Messi penalty miss, something he is doing with uncharacteristic frequency. As supposed proof that Messi is human, the following stat has been dowing the rounds:
Leo Messi has broken another record at Barça. He's officially missed the most penalties in the history of the club (8). Via @pedritonumeros
— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) March 12, 2016
#ALLTIME - Messi (8) gets over Eto'o (7) as the player who missed more penalties for Barça in La Liga.
— MisterChip (English) (@MisterChiping) March 12, 2016
VIDEO: Barca are 1-0 up, but it should have been 2 through a Messi penalty. pic.twitter.com/KFDg1HqoK9
— Warriors of Uruguay (@UruguayanHeroes) March 12, 2016
Congratulations to Barcelona & Messi.
Messi: Most Penalty Misses By A La Liga Player.
Barcelona: Most Penalty Misses By A La Liga Club— Sphamandla Ngwenya (@Cpha_Croc) March 12, 2016
Lionel Messi misses ANOTHER penalty!#Barca: 15 penalties in La Liga this season; 8 missed.#Messi: 4 out of 8 😱 pic.twitter.com/Osjk1Y6dVC
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 12, 2016
But it is a very harsh stat, because we are pretty sure one of those misses was on purpose:
Kudos must go to Infostrada Sport for acknowledging this also:
Lionel Messi has now missed 4 of his last 8 penalty attempts, although one was a 'designed miss' that allowed Luis Suárez to score. #laliga
— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) March 12, 2016
