Sa Lionel Messi da England suka tara a ƙarshe a wasan ƙarshe na biyu na Kofin Duniya ranar Laraba, za su warware wata asirin ƙwallon ƙafa da ta daɗe sama da shekaru ashirin. Babban ɗan wasan zamaninsa — kuma a ra'ayin da yawa, na kowane lokaci — ba ya taɓa fuskantar ƙasar da ta haifi ƙwallon ƙafa, kuma masoya wasanni sun gaji da jiran wannan faɗa.

Sa'a ta yi aiki a kansu tun farko. An kore Messi bayan mintuna 2 kawai na farkon wasansa na ƙasa da ƙasa, yana samun hukuncin dakatarwa wanda ya hana shi shiga wasan abokantaka na yanayin zafi tsakanin Argentina da England a shekara ta 2005. Tun daga wannan lokaci, wasan ya zama kamar an jinnata shi — har sai yanzu.

Mutum da ke ƙalubalantar lokaci

Yana ɗan shekara 39, Messi yana wucewa gaban shekarun da yawancin ƙwararrun masu wasa suka riga sun yi ritaya, amma lambobin sa a wannan gasar na ban mamaki. Ƙwallaye takwas da tallafin ƙwallaye biyu sun sa ya wuce Kylian Mbappe a matsayin jagoran mafi yawan ƙwallaye a tarihin Kofin Duniya — kuma wannan tarihin an karye kafin shugaban France ya fita daga gasar.

Ya daidaita rikodin Diego Maradona na damar ƙwallaye 54 da aka ƙirƙira a Kofin Duniya ɗaya, wani nasara da ke haɗa wannan gasar da bugu na tarihi na 1986 a Mexico — inda Albiceleste suka kawar da England cikin jarumtaka a Estadio Azteca kafin su ɗauki kofin.

Abin da ke sa juriyar Messi ta fi ban mamaki shi ne yana tafiya da ƙafa acikin 47 bisa dari na jimillar tazara da ya rufe yayin wasanni. Ƙarancin motsi, babban tasiri — sabo-da-ikon da ke bayyana hazakarsa ta ƙarshen aiki. Tun Kofin Duniya na 2014, shigarsa cikin ɗakin maƙiyi ta ƙara ƙaruwa, har zuwa taɓawa 6.28 a kowane mintuna 90 a gasar yanzu.

Matsalar da ta saba wa England

Ƙungiyar Thomas Tuchel dole ta nemi hanyar dakatar da ɗan wasan da ya tara ƙwallaye 16 da tallafin ƙwallaye bakwai a wasanninsa 15 na ƙarshe na Kofin Duniya. Wannan tarihin shi kaɗai ya kamata ya maida hankali a sansanin England, ko da yake ƙwarewar Premier League na iya ba da wani shiri ga abin da ke zuwa.

Messi ya bar ƙungiyoyi shida na gargajiya na Premier League sun saba da hazakarsa — ƙwallaye 27 da tallafin ƙwallaye shida a cikin wasanni 36, jimlar shigarwa 33 a ƙwallaye. Ƴan ƙungiyoyi kaɗai suka yi nasarar yanke layin wadata ta hanyar murkushe sararin da yake nema, musamman Liverpool a guguwar mashhura ta Barcelona a wasan ƙarshe na biyu na Champions League a 2019.

Duk da haka, duk da binciken dabaru, Messi yana riƙe da ikon yaudara. Zai iya wucewa tsawon lokaci kamar bai haɗu ba, sa'an nan ya danna maɓallin kuma ya yanke wasa a lokaci ɗaya — kamar yadda Egypt ta gano a wannan gasar.

Alƙawari da makoma

Shugaban Inter Miami yana matakin ɗaya kawai daga zama shugaban ƙasa na farko da ya ci Kofin Duniya iri biyu masu jere tun shekarar 1962. Harry Kane da Jude Bellingham suna wakiltar cikas na gaske, kuma England suna cikin kyakkyawar hali. Amma wasan ƙarshe na biyu a Atlanta yana ba Messi wani waje da ya dace da shi koyaushe a gaban abokin hamayya da aka hana shi tsawon lokaci — kuma ƙwallon ƙafa ba kasafai ke ba da bayan gida mai ban sha'awa fiye da wannan ba.