adminBUENOS AIRES. — Like neurotic parents, Argentines swung from criticism to unconditional love for their star footballer Lionel Messi this week, providing the soccer-mad nation’s many therapists with rich material for psychoanalysis.
Fans’ frustration at the superstar’s missed penalty in Sunday’s defeat to Chile in the Copa America Centenario soon gave way to panic as he vowed to quit the national team ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
As fans online pleaded “Leo, don’t go,” psychologists, neurologists and philosophers appeared on chat shows and published newspaper columns to analyse the hero’s motivations and help the nation cope.
To judge by the past criticism Messi has received, having a player widely rated as the best in the world is not enough for Argentines. — AFP.
Online Reporter