Oh Football Twitter, can’t you go five seconds without humiliating yourself?
The answer to that question, if you’ve ever spent more than a couple of minutes wading through the swamp that is Football Twitter, is categorically ‘no’.
Football Twitter is a strange place, but even by its own bizarre standards, the latest trend – “He’s 33” – is astoundingly stupid.
The origin of the trend is believed to be Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol, who tweeted what on the surface would appear to be a measured opinion on why, perhaps, Lionel Messi might not be worth signing after he confirmed to Barcelona his desire to leave the club.
The tweet said: “Lionel Messi is on about £100m a year according to Football Leaks. Even on a free transfer anyone who wants him would have to spend £300m to give him a three-year contract. In the middle of a pandemic when grounds are empty. Unless he’s up for a big pay cut. And he’s 33.”
Lionel Messi is on about £100m a year according to Football Leaks. Even on a free transfer anyone who wants him would have to spend £300m to give him a three-year contract. In the middle of a pandemic when grounds are empty. Unless he’s up for a big pay cut. And he’s 33.
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) August 25, 2020
It’s that last part, “And he’s 33”, that got people into a flurry. Some people agreed with the sentiment, stating that yes, signing the greatest footballer to ever play the game would in fact be a bad decision because he is 33.
The player who was the top scorer in LaLiga last season and who has scored more than 80 goals in all competitions over the past two seasons.
https://twitter.com/RashfordQuality/status/1298457159253008384?s=20
Lionel Messi is just a brand and too old a brand at that. He's 33 and past his sell-by date.
— Tracey Morait (Author) 😷🇺🇦📚⚽ (@tmoraitauthor) August 26, 2020
So on Messi
He’s 33, not in the position we need, would break the wage structure and set back somebody else’s progression.
So naturally Ed Woodward is sprinting to Barcelona as we speak.#mufc pic.twitter.com/dUtPeK9wPj— United 4Fans (@United4fans) August 25, 2020
Most people, thankfully, could see the truth in this situation. And that truth is that, yes Messi is 33 years old and yes, he is beyond his peak. But his peak was so high beyond what anyone else has ever done that even now, at 33 years old, he remains the best player in the world.
Yes, he’d be ludicrously expensive, but he’s Messi.
when people say they wouldn't want messi 'because he's 33-years-old…' pic.twitter.com/Bx0RbFOlnW
— horrowfide (@horrowfide) August 26, 2020
"He's 33! His pace will only go down! We don't want him on our team!" pic.twitter.com/wJ2m9I0BjA
— Certified SH4: The Room Enjoyer (@Ciaran__OConnor) August 25, 2020
To anyone saying they wouldn’t take Messi at their club because he’s 33 😒🥴 pic.twitter.com/F1z3n7isTM
— LitsoLini (@mada_lema) August 26, 2020
If there’s one positive out of all of this, it’s that Football Twitter will learn from its mistake and we will never see a bad take about Lionel Messi ever again. Never.
