The Dangers of Untamed (Unhealthy) Rivalry.

Last night, Messi once again engraved his football legendary in the monolith of time.

I came into the just concluded 2022 World Cup rooting for France to be crowned the back-to-back champion, even though I'm a Ronaldo fan.
Maybe it has something to do with me not believing so much in the Portuguese team or it was conceived out of my admiration for Kylian Mbappe.

Unlike me, several other fans of Cristiano Ronaldo threw their weights behind him.
They wanted the man whom they reverence as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) to lift the much-coveted international silverware; just like several other Messi fans aspired.

In the long run, the Portuguese team was eclipsed by a more brilliant Moroccan side, all thanks to the 42nd-minute chance that was rightly converted by Moroccan leadman Y. En-Nesyri.

The Argentine team made its way to the final after an apparently sloppy start saw the team lose to the proudly sponsored Saudi players.

Let me cut to the chase already.

Yesterday's Argentine victory showed the sealing of an eventful resilience and ushered gladness into the heart of the person of Leo Messi, the Argentine squad and its citizenry, including the entire Messi Supporters all across God's Green Earth.

All that said, amid the gyration and celebration were another set of people on the opposing end of the spectrum, feeling dejected, extremely melancholic, and (maybe) hatefu!.

Yes, I get that you're a CR7 fan, but should you necessarily seek Messi's downfall just to elevate Ronaldo's relevance?!
I know someone who couldn't eat last night out of sheer dissatisfaction with Messi lifting the World Cup.

I doubt that things really have to unfold this way.

I call it the dangers of untamed rivalry.

I get that healthy rivalry is good for constant self-evaluation, motivation and drive, but when it gets a little too much, it may begin to reveal a latently heinous side, that is bad for humanity.

As a CR7 fan, I congratulate Messi and everyone who loves and cherishes his impact so far in the football world.
You guys rocked big time last night.

In my own mind, we as football lovers can love and respect these duo while showing our affection for any of them, without generating ill feelings amongst ourselves.

Sign-off: SugarRay (A filter with a brain).