Lionel Messi is not a natural goalscorer, former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood says
- Lionel Messi has been praised for his hard work by former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood
- The 51-year-old believes Messi’s abilities were all down to his work rate
- More outrageously, Sherwood claimed Messi was not a natural goalscorer after recording 627 goals in 718 career appearances
Lionel Messi's rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo is one that will not go away easily even after both stars have retired from the game.
The superstars have been on top of their games in over 15 years - winning individual as well as collective accolades with their respective clubs.
One thing which fans always seem to agree on in the debate is the clear distinction in the players' success stories.
Many argue that the two are virtually impossible to compare and contrast because of the simple fact that they have quite different styles of play.
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
In fact, fans argue that Messi is more of a natural talent while Ronaldo is a work machine who toiled to become the powerhouse fans know and love today.
However, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood does not buy that narrative, saying: “there is no such thing as natural talent.”
Sherwood told Daily Mail that Messi’s success was all down to hard work, as is the case with many successful people around the world.
More outrageously, the former Aston Villa boss went on to suggest Messi’s goal-scoring prowess was also not natural and he had to learn majority of his skills like everybody else.
“I don’t but that there are natural goalscorers. Lionel Messi is what he is because he’s dribbed stone round an alleyway and his brothers have been taunting him for years,” Sherwood analysed.
“It’s nurture. You aren’t just born like that.
According to the former England international, having an elite mentality was far more important than the so-called natural talent and he insisted Messi and Ronaldo had plenty of that.
“I would take attitude over ability all day. If you can marry the two up, then you have a serious footballer,” he went on.
PAY ATTENTION: Become a member of the leading sports Facebook group 'Naija Football Fan' Read'
As far as Lionel Messi is concerned, his numbers are quite mystical as he currently boasts 627 career goals from 718 appearances.
In La Liga, he has an impossible goal-per-game ratio where averages nearly a goal in every game as he has scored 438 times in 474 appearances in the league.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Lionel Messi's value in the transfer market has tumbled owing to the economic crisis caused by the outbreak of deadly coronavirus.
The 32-year-old's current price tag stands below £101 million and this also affects several other top players in the industry.
SunSport reports that the Barcelona legend is the only player above the age of 30 in the list of most expensive stars in the world at the moment.
Should Ighalo be offered a permanent deal at Man United? Should he be persuaded back to the | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
Oluwatomiwa Babalola Oluwatomiwa Babalola is a former sports editor at Legit.ng. He has over eight years of field and office experience in the media industry. He graduated from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 2014 with HND in Mass Communication.
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
