Tears of Messi: A missed penalty, a magical comeback, and another chapter in greatness

If Messi had never stirred your soul before, he probably did on Tuesday night. The end was nigh. But the horizon moved farther, or was pushed away, by a Messi refusing to fade away like a swan with a sad song.But Leo, whose unrequited love for the World Cup ended in fulfilment in Doha almost four years ago, was the Lion King who had tasted the feast of success. That hunger, a hurried chase, with eyes only focused on the goal, drove him to tear the improbable script apart and create a legend of his own, again.

Never mind that the Fates escorted him along the way. “It gives me goosebumps,” said coach Lionel Scaloni in wonder. For Messi, the uncontrollable tears said it all.

“We didn’t want today to be the end, we didn’t want to go home.”It seemed he had experienced the circle of life within 90 minutes, moving him in despair and hope. Despair, then desperation after missing a penalty that could have tied the match at 1-1 and let the match take its natural course. Human yet again from the penalty spot.Then, Egypt dealt the double hook. The 39-year-old Peter Pan and his band of Lost Boys were staggering, as the boat rocked back and forth in fast motion, and the match clock ticked towards 79 minutes.

The storybook figure took flight again. Slinging the ball into the box for Cristian Romero to power a header past Mostafa Shobeir, the hope surged back. Five minutes later, Messi was magically at the right place in a scramble, striking in a half-volley, whisking the Argentines away on a cloud of belief.Seven more minutes and the twisting kaleidoscope moved them all in turns. Mo Salah believed he had a penalty in Martinez’s box, and a quick counter resulted in Enzo Fernandez cushioning a header past a stunned Shobeir.Messi had ensured that the adventure continued.

Big boys don’t cry, but they do!

How many times have we seen Roger Federer shed those winning tears, experiencing that release of emotions welling up inside? On the court, on the pitch, you are immersed in the moment, trying to change history with sleight of hand or feet. You are not meant to waver. When it’s done, let it flow, let it flow...“I was very angry about the missed penalty, about how I kicked it.

I felt that at an important moment I had let the group down. God once again had something special in store for me at the end,” Messi said.The cameras had earlier panned on a bare-chested Messi, the tattoo of Jesus with a “crown of thorns” on his right upper arm, looking up at the sky, eyes closed after his deluge of tears. Throughout the East, tears are often associated with pearls. Their shimmering iridescence is believed to reflect the heavens.

Pearls symbolize repentance and hope. Messi’s dreams are still alive.In the opening group game, he was seen wiping his tears after scoring against Algeria, stemming from a deep, personal pain because of the ill-health of his father.Conflicting emotions rolled into one. It’s not that we haven’t seen Leo tear up before, but it was only in defeat.In the past, he had been vilified for not singing the Argentina anthem, of being the silent, lonely ranger, inscrutable.

Many have read through the pop-up book of Messi mishaps. It’s not like fortune had favoured him before.He had buried his freekick into the Maracana stands in the 2014 World Cup final, with time ticking the loudest. Remember his premature retirement after the 2016 Copa America Centenario final when Leo hadn’t accounted for voodoo Chile. Penalties again! He had struck one wildly over the bar during the shootout loss then.The scene moved to Maracana again in the 2021 Copa America final. This time, the hero found his salvation on a battleground of bloodied ankles. And it is this streetfighter, with his gang of jinx-busters, that conquered the State of Qatar. Not a tear in sight, only loud defiance.Federer country is next. If Argentina get through, it’s Haaland or Kane. One more victory tune, then it’s the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey — the place where he had broken down 10 years ago in the Centenario disaster. In this imagined scenario, he may announce his retirement again, but with the sun behind his shoulders. And yes, there will be tears.