Enganché

Approaching 39 in just a week, Lionel Messi is about to show the whole world a brand-new version of himself in what is seemingly his final World Cup.

A version of Messi with no pressure left to prove himself, no greater accolade left to achieve. Across the five World Cups in which he mesmerized us and showed just how extraterrestrial he is, he carried a burden on his shoulders so heavy that even Vikram's Betaal would be ashamed of.

That has now flickered away.

In a world where seemingly everyone is either dissatisfied with their professional life or unable to reach the absolute pinnacle of professional success, Messi has done exactly that. Or, as Peter Drury would put it: ‘Lionel Messi has shaken hands with paradise.’

A stress-free Messi awaits. A Messi who bursts into laughter - awaits. That doesn't necessarily guarantee another glorious campaign though - it may very well fade into obscurity.

But the prospect of witnessing a brand-new version of Messi at this stage of life is quite fascinating in itself, isn't it?

The entire Arne Slot-Liverpool saga has taught us once again (probably for the umpteenth time) not to believe everything the media feeds us. Especially, don't blindly trust everything a certain news aggregator whose initials are FR - posts on social media. The guy isn't even a journalist. He simply caters to his agent buddies for a few bucks, and in return, they use him to shape public perception.

At present, very few clubs have truly mastered the art of controlling the media narrative, and Liverpool are one of them. The media only reports what these clubs want you to know, not what is actually happening behind the scenes.

It wasn't even a week ago that everyone lost their collective minds after that news aggregator claimed Slot was staying. Because that's the brief he was given to post.

Back then, whenever I received comments under my posts or DMs claiming that Slot was staying for another season, I simply requested that people wait and watch.

Now, the same guy has completely flipped and joined the bandwagon to bid Slot goodbye. Because that's what he's been told to share.

That's not journalism. That's social media traffic aggregation. Don't fall for that.