梅西，非同尋常的領袖

文/克魯伊夫之道 譯/河之洲

Lionel Andrés Messi is a footballer whose career brings envy to whosoever hears his name.Who wouldn’t want to have his ability to put defenders down, week in, week out, with just a drop of the shoulder? What striker wouldn’t want to be so prolific that a season with less than fifty goals seems like a disappointing one? Who wouldn’t want to compete with the elite midfielders for assists year after year and beat them every single time? Who wouldn’t want to have a career as glittering as Messi’s?

利昂內爾·安德烈斯·梅西是一個足球運動員，聽到他名字的人都對他的球員生涯羨慕不已。有誰不想擁有他那樣的球技，一周接一周的比賽，他只要探探肩，就能把防守人耍得團團轉？進球數不足50 個的賽季會讓他感覺失落，有哪個前鋒不想像他一樣多多進球呢？誰不想與精英中場球員比拼助攻，年年過招，又年年贏呢？誰不想擁有梅西那樣輝煌的職業生涯呢？

2他贏得全球最佳球員的榮譽當之無愧，他收獲的那些獎杯以及實現的個人成就進一步證明了這一點。即便他在綠茵場上傾盡所有，那些進球，那些助攻，還有接踵不斷的榮譽，都未能免卻這位阿根廷籍球星被人質疑。人們對梅西主要抱怨什么？抱怨其能力，或者說是他缺乏擔任隊長的能力。踢球的利昂內爾·梅西無疑是全世界最好的那個，但在球隊里最會踢球并不能代表就有足夠的資格來做隊長。會不會踢球甚至不是考慮隊長人選的標準之一。

2He has deservedly earned the accolade of the best player on the planet and his individual trophy cabinet, as well as personal feats, emphasizes this even further.Even with all that he’s done on the pitch, with all the goals, all the assists and ever-growing list of honours,the Argentine2指梅西，他是阿根廷人。still has his doubters.A major complaint they have against Messi? His ability, or lack thereof, to be a captain.Lionel Messi, with the ball at his feet, is undoubtedly the best in the world but being the best on the team isn’t enough of a qualification to be a captain.It shouldn’t even be part of the criteria.

3To be the leader of a team as grandiose as Barcelona isn’t something that happens overnight.It takes years to prove that you deserve to wear the Senyera armband3巴塞羅那足球隊的隊長袖標，以加泰羅尼亞令旗為底，上面是球隊隊徽。Senyera加泰羅尼亞令旗，金色為底，上覆四道紅色條紋，源自阿拉貢王國的紋章。加泰羅尼亞是西班牙的一個自治區，巴塞羅那是其首府。and lead the team through triumph and downfall.In Spain’s top flight, captains are often picked on the basis of seniority, but at Bar?a, things are done differently, with the Culés4加泰羅尼亞語Culé，來自于culer，意為屁股（西班牙語trasero）。據說過去巴薩球場只有兩層看臺，容納不下眾多的加泰羅尼亞球迷，很多人不得不坐在球場的圍墻上，從外面看映入眼簾的是一溜的屁股，因此Culés 后來就演變成了巴塞羅那隊的綽號。putting it to a vote.As per the 2018 elections, Messi emerged as the clear winner with Busquets as vicecaptain, Piqué in third and Sergi Roberto fourth in line for the captaincy.

3成為巴塞羅那這樣的豪門球隊的一隊之長，不是一朝一夕的事兒。需要經年累月，證明你有資格佩戴加泰羅尼亞令旗顏色的隊長袖標，并帶領球隊享受勝利和承受失敗。在西班牙甲級聯賽中，挑選隊長一般是基于資歷，但巴薩有所不同，是由投票決定。拿2018年的隊長選舉來說，梅西得票遙遙領先，之后是布斯克茨被選為副隊長，皮克和塞爾吉·羅伯托分別位列第三和第四位。

What qualities does Messi have that would make them pick him as their leader?

球員們選梅西做隊長，看重的是他的哪些素質呢？

4應該說沒有兩個隊長是一模一樣的，有些人喧鬧，有些人安靜，無論是哪種特點，他們都應是球隊的取勝之匙。們都應是球隊的取勝之匙。

4It has to be said that no two captains are the same.Some are loud, others are calm but wherever they lie on the spectrum5spectrum 范圍，幅度。這里指無論屬于各色人等中的哪一種，或屬于哪種特點。, their role is pivotal to the success of the team.

5Well, to begin with, it’s his personality.

5好了，先說說梅西的性格吧。

6“I am more worried about being a good person than the best player in the world,” said Leo6梅西名字Lionel 的昵稱。back in October 2012, “when all this is over7all this is over 字面意思是“這一切都結束了”，可理解為退役不踢球了或一場比賽結束的時候。, what are you left with?” Before commanding respect, you need to earn it and no one will waste their time trying to listen to someone who they don’t respect.No one wants to have an arrogant, pompous personality leading them into games, or anything for that matter.Managing to get the entire locker room on your side is essential to building harmony and coherence among the players of the team.It makes the whole environment more conducive to work.

6“我更在乎的是做個好人，其次才是做世界上最好的球員。” 2012 年10 月的時候，利奧說，“當離開球場的時候，你還剩下什么呢？”被人尊重前，你要去贏得這種尊重，沒有人會浪費時間聽一個他們不尊重的人指揮。沒有人想跟著一個目中無人的家伙去打比賽，同樣也不會做其他什么事。努力獲得更衣室全體球員的支持，對構建隊員間的融洽關系和增強凝聚力至關重要。這讓整體氛圍更利于工作。

7有件事梅西常做，要我說，他做得相當不錯，就是幫助狀態低迷的球員找回自信。回顧一下2015 年，梅西正與克里斯蒂亞諾·羅納爾多角逐金靴獎，巴塞羅那隊獲得一個罰點球的機會，梅西因此有機會上演帽子戲法。盡管比分來到7-0，梅西看到內馬爾還沒有斬獲進球，就把點球機會讓給了他，巴西人一蹴而就把球送入球門。他屢次三番這樣做，像對陣塞維利亞時他讓點給了信心低落的庫蒂尼奧，對陣皇家馬德里、阿拉維斯、韋斯卡的時候他都讓點給了蘇亞雷斯。隊長不僅要自己球技精湛，還要能把隊友的全部潛力激發出來：激勵他們更加強大，信心不足時幫他們找回信心。這個小個子的男人對干這種事兒爛熟于心。

7Another thing that Messi does quite often, and quite well if I may add, is building the confidence back up for those players enduring a rough patch8patch 艱難的時期，痛苦的日子。.Taking a look back at 2015, in the race for the Golden Boot against Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona were awarded a penalty with Messi on a hat-trick9hattrick 足球比賽中的帽子戲法，即一個球員一場比賽打入三個進球。.Having seen that Neymar hadn’t yet gotten on the scoresheet despite it reading 7-0, he gave him the spot-kick which the Brazilian slotted home.This is something he repeated against Sevilla when Coutinho was low on confidence, as well as for Suárez against Real Madrid, Alavés and Huesca.Not only must captains be adept at playing, but they must also be able to bring out the best in their teammates: to inspire them to be greater, to instill confidence where it’s lacking.For the little man, this is something he’s mastered.

8As far as restoring confidence and defending his teammates is concerned,Messi is more than ready to quiet the cursing mouths of even his own fans when he needs to.In one instance, once again with Coutinho at the Camp Nou10諾坎普球場，巴塞羅那隊的主場。nou 新，加泰羅尼亞語指新場地或新球場。,the fans were jeering him for his belowpar performance against Liverpool.After scoring his first goal and the team’s second of the night, Messi faced the fans at the “Gol Nord11這里指諾坎普球場北球門后的坐席。西班牙語中，gol 進球、球門，nord 北。” gesturing at them to stop whistling at the Brazilian.In the post-match interview, Messi spoke about the team being in a definitive moment,but also rubbished the manner in which the fans conducted themselves, calling their actions “ugly”.He then insisted on togetherness and support whether the player had a good game or not.This was his hundredth game as Barcelona captain and he made sure to set an example for those watching.

8就重樹信心和維護隊友而言，梅西時刻準備平息非議，需要時他甚至會讓自己的球迷閉上嘴巴。有一次，庫蒂尼奧在諾坎普再次被球迷奚落，說他在對陣利物浦的時候表現拉胯。當晚在打進個人首粒進球也是球隊的第二個進球后，梅西直面北球門后看臺上的球迷，舉手示意他們不要再噓巴西人（庫蒂尼奧）。賽后接受采訪時，梅西說球隊狀態正佳，他狠狠批評了球迷的表現，說他們的行為“令人討厭”。他然后呼吁大家團結和支持球隊，無論球員是踢了一場好球，還是一場孬球。這是他作為巴薩隊長踢的第100 場球，他已決心為球迷們做好表率。

9His defense of his teammates was

9就在不久前，梅西維護隊友的舉動再次受到媒體和公眾的關注。他的公開發言很像伊涅斯塔的進球——雖然少之又少，但總出現在最需要的時候。數周前埃里克·阿比達爾公開說道，球員們太自鳴得意，也不滿意埃內斯托·巴爾韋德的執教。法國人（阿比達爾）聲稱，這些問題，加上更衣室內的溝通問題和比賽技戰打法本身，最終導致“螞蟻”巴爾韋德下課。梅西對此給予反擊，他說：“人要為自己的決定負責……運動部門的領導也要承擔自己的責任。最后，當提到球員時，應該具體到人，否則我們所有人都被潑了臟水，這也給各種杜撰出來的不實評論留下口實。”無論是外部還是內部狂風暴雨襲來，隊長都應該去維護自己的隊友，梅西那天就是這么做的。任何諸如此類的討論都應該關起門來進行，但阿比達爾才不在乎。他讓球員成為眾矢之的，背負各種評判和譴責。梅西及時向他表明，應該先把事情搞清楚，而不是公開發言矛頭直指球員。once again in the spotlight not too long ago.Messi’s public addresses are like Iniesta’s goals—they are few and far in between, but come when they are most needed.Eric Abidal12法國人，原為巴塞羅那隊的功勛球員，退役后成為該隊的官員。called out the players a few weeks ago for having been too complacent and dissatisfied with Ernesto Valverde.The Frenchman claimed that it was this, alongside communication problems in the changing room and the playing style itself that eventually led to El Txingurri13el 為西班牙語，相當于the。txinggurri 為巴斯克語，意為螞蟻，是巴爾韋德的綽號，據說是其球員時期的教練法國人哈維爾·克萊蒙特起的，可能是因為巴爾韋德個子較矮。’s sacking.Messi hit back, saying, “People have to be responsible for their own decisions […] The heads of the sports department have to take their responsibilities too.Finally, I think that when players are talked about, names should be given because, if not, we are all being dirtied and it feeds comments that are made and are not true.” A captain should be able to defend his teammates from any storms, whether from outside or within.Messi, that day, did just that.Any such discussion should’ve happened in-house but Abidal didn’t care.He put a target on the players’ backs,opening them up to all sorts of judgment and criticism.Messi duly showed him that he should know better than to come out at the players.

1 0我列出的梅西各種特質的最后一項是，他永無止境地為球隊做出貢獻。于他而言，目標是通過各種可能的方式幫助球隊。無論是進球、助攻，還是僅僅是參與了比賽，這個小個子的阿根廷人要確保的是表現出色。隊長必須確立標準，率先垂范，讓隊友追隨仿效。看到一個每場比賽付出1 1 0%努力的人，即便有時候傷痛纏身，還有什么能比這更鼓舞人心的呢。

10Lastly on my list of qualities is Messi’s never-ending contributions for his team.For him, it’s a personal objective to aid the team in whichever way possible.Whether it be by a goal, assist or just general involvement in the game,the little Argentinian makes sure to give a good account of himself.A captain must serve as a role model for his teammates to follow, setting the standards.Seeing someone give 110% in every game even when in pain is more than encouraging for everyone concerned.

11The whole squad knows that they have to put in the same sort of effort on every matchday because the person leading them through battle is doing the same.It enforces teamwork as everyone is fighting for each other.Even during the recently concluded ‘drought’ Messi was enduring under Setién, he remained influential as ever with 6 assists.You can take away his goals but Messi is determined as always to produce something for his sides.He always finds a way to pull something out of his hat.

11整個球隊都知道他們必須在每個比賽日付出同等的努力，因為帶領他們打比賽的那個人就是這么做的。每個人都在為隊友而戰，這增強了團隊協作。施迪安執教球隊后，梅西經歷了一段時間的進球荒——最近剛有新的進球，即便如此他還是保持了一直以來的影響力，有六次助攻入賬。你可以不讓梅西進球，但是他會一如既往決心為自己的球隊做出貢獻。他總會想方設法表現，讓人眼前一亮。

12As per what we’ve just highlighted,Messi has demonstrated multiple times that he does possess qualities that make him a good leader.He is a paragon for the rest to follow, ready to defend his teammates and there to offer a helping hand when they need to be lifted.He is still human and like everyone else, has areas in his leadership that need finetuning.

12像我們剛剛重點提到的，梅西多次展現出一個好領袖的素質。他是大家學習的楷模，隨時準備維護隊友，別人需要他拉一把的時候，他就會伸出手來。當然，他還是一個人，和大家一樣的人，在領導力方面需要一些細微調整。

What can he improve on?

13Messi shows emotion and though it isn’t a bad thing, I’m confident both Bar?a and Argentina supporters get disappointed whenever Messi has his head bowed, hands in the face and seemingly on the brink of tears.Not only does this discourage his teammates, but it also enforces the strength of the opposition.Captains serve as the cornerstones of their respective clubs and when they’re down, everything around them comes crashing down like a house of cards14house of cards 紙牌搭成的房子；不可靠的計劃、制度等。.They’re supposed to be the ones who,even when seemingly down and out15down and out 必輸無疑；面臨失敗。,believe their team has enough quality to pull through and win.So many aspects of his game are enviable but not this.It’s something that he, of course, knows about himself and will try to improve.

他哪些方面能有所提升呢？

13梅西表情外露，盡管這沒有什么不好。每次他垂下頭、雙手捂臉，似乎難以抑制淚水的時候，我確信巴薩和阿根廷隊的球迷都會感到失望。這不僅讓隊友泄氣，還助長了對手的威風。隊長是俱樂部的基石，他們感到沮喪的時候，周遭的一切就像紙牌壘成的房子，容易坍塌下來。人們希望他們即便隱約察覺到敗局難逃，也能信任球隊足夠優秀來攻堅克難，反敗為勝。除卻這點，梅西比賽的很多方面都讓人百看不厭。當然，他清楚自己的這個缺點，在努力改善。

14像我們已經看到的那樣，球隊唯隊長馬首是瞻。當裁判做出不利于巴薩的判罰時，讓人尤其失望的是梅西的反應。他沖撞裁判，有時候大喊大叫，或用手指著裁判，結果總是自討無趣，惹人厭煩。如果他這樣表現，還有副隊長皮克和布斯克茨也這樣，那只好讓其他人見樣學樣了。這么多年巴塞羅那隊也聲名狼藉，有巴薩參加的球賽，裁判最不愿意去吹哨執法。裁判們發現在諾坎普球場，但有不如其意之處，自己就會被身著紅藍球衣的人包圍，遭到威脅。裁判不僅受到球員的不停指責，還有來自四面八方、數萬名觀眾不絕于耳的取笑。當然，特定的時候每個人都會遭遇挫折，但作為球隊的表率，大家希望你如何表現，作為梅西這樣的球員應該更加心里有數。

14As we’ve seen already, captains are the ones that the team looks up to.When Bar?a have a refereeing decision going against them, it’s incredibly disappointing the way Messi reacts.He barges at the referee, sometimes shouts, points fingers and generally makes a nuisance of himself.If he is acting this way—alongside fellow captains Piqué and Busquets—then expect the others to follow suit.Over the years, Barcelona have developed a reputation of being the side that referees hate to officiate most.They find themselves surrounded by the Blaugranas16blaugrana，加泰羅尼亞語，指藍色和深紅色（blau + grana，blue and deep red）。’ players if something doesn’t go their way and woe unto them if they’re in the Camp Nou.Not only will the players be on their case, but they’ll also find themselves encompassed by jeers from some tens of thousands of people.Sure, frustrations can get to anyone at any given time but as the model of what your team is supposed to act like, players like Messi should know better.

15In summary, Lionel Messi is a different kind of captain.He isn’t one of the noisy ones, he certainly isn’t one you’ll see jumping around with his hands sky high trying to motivate his peers but he gets the job done by motivating the other ten in different ways to most captains.He, of course, has areas in his leadership that need fixing but that will be left to time to take care of.He needs to have a bit more faith in himself and his peers and needs to be a better example to his teammates when things don’t go his way.I believe that if Messi improves those two aspects of his game, he might end up as one of the best captains in his teams’ history.■

15總之，利昂內爾·梅西是個與眾不同的足球隊長，他不會喋喋不休，當然也不是那種高舉雙手、上躥下跳給隊友鼓勁的人。他用與多數隊長不同的方式來給場上的十個隊友打氣。當然，在領導球隊上他有一些需要彌補的缺陷，但這將留給時間來解決。他需要給自己及隊友更多一點信心，如果形勢不順，他應率先垂范，做個好的榜樣。我確信，如果梅西在比賽中改善以上兩個方面，他很可能最終成為其所在球隊歷史上最好的隊長之一。 □