Unpredictable Soccer - its a beautiful thing.

They got it wrong. Yet again. 

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Ten years ago, a massive marketing campaign kicked into high gear, selling the soccer product Messi to the soccer loving world. Messi hadn't really debuted yet but we all were told early on that he was next big thing: "heads up, you wait and see, Messi is the one to watch for!!" was basically the message spewing out all outlets back in 2007-2008. "He is gonna be big, huge, nothing else will live under his shadow", said the peer reviews. But they were wrong. For sure, the fabrication worked perfectly for a few years. Yes, Messi had several fantastic years. Yes, Messi deserved 3 of the Ballon d'Or he won. Yes, Messi is definitely one of the all time greats, on par with Pele, and Maradona, ... and Cristiano Ronaldo. But the fabrication came at a cost. It sacrificed Iniesta, ignored Xavi, and tried its very very best to destroy CR7. And against all odds, it failed!! Utterly. For CR7 turned out to be better, and more successful, than Messi, and much much stronger than the fabrication. And over the years, even Messi, on occasion, showed discomfort with all the non-sense. And now, even France Football admits to the error and says Iniesta was worthy too. When will they come out and admit the same about Xavi? On its last legs, the final squeeze on the dividends of this campaign lets soccer fans know that "Messi is a natural, CR7 is just an incredible athlete". Again, peer reviewed, to be credible. But the deception is clear for all to see. 

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In recent years, a new campaign started. Slowly. Preparing the ground. For Neymar. The next big thing in soccer, we are told. But, as we can all see, this new fabrication is also not working very well.  Despite their endless coffers, PSG continues to fail at reaching the heights of legend. And Neymar, despite the push, doesn't deliver the results that makes legends. Sure, Neymar is extremely skilled but certainly not an all time great. Not yet, at least. And to add to the misery, not only are the old-timers CR7 and Messi outpacing Neymar like he is nothing, you now have incredible players like Kevin de Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, and Mbappe, that have stunned the soccer world with their art and enthusiasm. And we love them, not Neymar.

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And that is a beautiful thing ... that no one can tell us who fans will love next.