1. The Goal

La última copa/The Last Cup

NPR

Society & Culture, Sports, Documentary

4.6 • 763 Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2022

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As Lionel Messi rose up the ranks of the storied Barça football club in Spain, he dreamed of winning a World Cup for his home country. But up until recently, playing with Argentina's national team has proven to be this soccer superman's kryptonite. For most of his career, Messi has wrestled with the disappointment of the home crowd after each devastating World Cup loss. Over time, his connection to his own country has been questioned after spending time abroad.

What can Messi's story tell us about the cost of leaving home, and the struggle to return?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm going to tell you the story of one of the best soccer players that has ever lived.
0:05.9	The Superman of soccer.
0:07.6	To Coutinho, Cotino, this is out.
0:10.0	It's Bershey!
0:11.1	He's Messy!
0:11.3	You are watching,
0:15.2	Potterbury the greatest footballer ever at the absolute peak of his powers.
0:19.6	Oh, I don't kidding me!
0:22.2	I don't think we've ever seen or ever won't see anything like Lionel Bessie again.
0:31.7	Maybe you've watched La Pulga Tomica play on his former team in Barcelona.
0:37.4	It's like he's from another planet.
0:39.3	The way that he can just keep that ball stuck to his foot and then do what he does,
0:43.3	I don't know. I feel like there's nothing this player couldn't do.
0:47.3	You see Leonel Messi on a team and you expect that team to win every single time.
0:51.3	And he's won a lot.
0:53.3	He's won 36 major titles for his teams while playing in Europe.
0:57.9	He has a record number of goals in the Spanish League and the most ballandors of any soccer player.
1:04.8	A near supernatural goal from Liedel Messi.
1:10.3	Now, I'm not here to tell you about this Superman's record-breaking hits in Europe.
1:16.8	No, I'm here to tell you the story of the one thing Superman was never able to do.
1:24.4	I'm here to tell you about Superman's greatest heartbreak.
1:31.0	Neil Messi, no, no, no, no, no, it's got away, it's got away.
	...

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