Messi Vs C. Ronaldo -By Rev. Father John Oluoma

Messi and Ronaldo, who is the G.O.A.T?( Greatest Of All Time). This question has refused to go away. Only a handful of the numerous football fans and pundits have remained neutral or objective on this issue. Majority take sides.

I decided to approach this issue spiritual. In Jn 8: 32 the master himself said: “you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”. So, what’s the truth in this case? I’m tired of opinions and sentiments, no matter how aromatic and romantic they sound.

So, I went to Jesus Christ himself to settle this issue once and for all. Here goes our conversations:

ME: ‘Hi Lord, how are you doing, can you spare just a minute, I got just one question: who is the G.O.A.T between Messi and Ronaldo?’

JESUS CHRIST: ‘Dude, have you heard of Doug Wren?’

ME: ‘Nope’. What has that name got to do with my question

JESUS: ‘What about Lebron James and Michael Jordan?’

ME: ‘yeah, they are successful basketball stars who amassed both wealth and fame’

JESUS: ‘Good. The reason you know about them but don’t know Doug Wren is because they succeeded. Doug Was as tall, as strong and as skilful as the duo. In fact, he was expected and proposed to be the next big name of NBA in his time. Unfortunately, he ended in jail. What was his problem?’

ME:(swerving my head sideways)

JESUS: Attitude. He was recalcitrant, rebellious and even got involved in embarrassing petty thefts. Long story short, he never made it to NBA because no coach could contain him. Eventually he ended in jail.

ME: ‘oops.’

JESUS: ‘Now pay attention. Lebron James had same attitude problem like Doug. His saving grace was family. His dad paid close attention, took him along to work, when he was in the basketball academy or camp, family members visited him and gave him advices. So, instead of blowing the opportunity to go pro in NBA and possibly end in jail, Lebron made it because of family.

ME: ‘Wow, that’s awesome’

JESUS: You get the point now. Until recently, people believed that all it takes to be a successful basketball star are heights and other physical prowess, people also assumed that most NBA stars are from poor families.

ME: ‘That’s what I still think.’

JESUS: ‘That’s not true. Majority of NBA stars are from stable, middle and upper class homes. Doug Wren was from a broken home, he lived with just his mum. Lebron James and Michael Jordan came from a stable home. So, if you see a star from a broken home, it’s an exception. NBA has more kids from homes with stable marriages and financial earnings. More kids from unbroken marriages are represented in NBA than kids from broken marriages. More kids from Middle class and rich homes are represented in NBA than kids from poor homes.’

ME: ‘hmmmm, na wao’

JESUS: ‘Calm down. The rate of divorce in the society is frightening. Stability in marriages and families are neccesary for success. Marriage is beyond the convenience and pleasure of the husband and wife, there will always be a reason why each would love to go their separate ways, but the good of children and the society in general must precede individual preferences.
Do you know how many Doug Wrens are out there languishing because there is no stable family? So, let married people focus on raising their kids properly.

Oh, by the way I forgot to tell you that nutrition plays a vital role in height. So most NBA stars are tall because they come from homes that gave them good food.

Diet fundamentally contributes to the physical built of kids. Let poor people learn to give birth to fewer children and space them. Children must be fed good diet in their early years. I advice poor families to invest on feeding their children. Alright buddy, have you understood all the stuff I’ve said?

ME: ‘Yes my Lord.’

JESUS: ‘Good. Any more question?’

ME: ‘Yes. So Messi and Ronaldo who is the G.O.A.T?

JESUS: ‘Truth sets free only when you swallow it like a tablet. Are you for real? Are you still stuck at that question?’

ME: ‘ok, I get the point. I have been asking the wrong question. It doesn’t make sense quibbling about who the G.O.A.T is, it adds no value to my life, it can only give a puff of entertainment.’

JESUS: ‘That’s what I’m talking about. People should focus on learning how Messi and Ronaldo succeed despite their challenges. Messi’s family played vital role in his football career, he had a medical condition and faced other challenges, yet he made it.

Ronaldo’s history is equally interesting. He came from a poor home, in fact his mum almost aborted him because of financial difficulty. He also had a medical condition that threatened his footballing career. Despite all odds, he made it. Both of them are from stable homes and devoted Catholics.

ME: ‘I get it. My question henceforth will be: what made L Messi and C Ronaldo succeed? “What can I learn from them?”

JESUS: my man.