Here in America, we are constantly debating about our greatest athletes: Lebron or Michael in basketball, as Victor Wembanyama quickly builds his case; Brady or Montana or Jim Thorpe in football; Babe Ruth or Barry Bonds in baseball. 

In a country that prides itself so much on athletic victory, it is a hard pill to swallow that the best athlete in all of history is a 5-foot-7 Argentinian who — despite living in the United States for the last few years — has not even deigned to learn English. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, because Lionel Messi is greater than all of them. The proof is in the thousands of iterations of his jersey emblazoned with the iconic number 10 that mill around World Cup stadiums, and not only the ones that host Argentina’s matches. 

Ana Sofia Meyer is a sports reporter for The Wetumpka Herald and The Tallassee Tribune. 

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