Why England's Euro 2016 exit was a travesty and no one messes with Lionel Messi

Like with the way Watergate created a series of ‘gates’ and made that suffix synonymous with scandal the new word will be XXExit and we will have a slew of headlines ending with those four letters. Fits so perfectly for the shambles that was English soccer Monday night.

It stands to ‘reason’ that England should have lost to Iceland and rolled out of the UEFA Euro 2016. They aren’t Europeans any more. The timing had an exquisite texture for the ‘Remains’. It was almost Hollywood scripted the way the defeat fitted the moment. England looked despondent, in disarray and without direction, pretty much like the country itself these days, unsure what it has done to itself.

Whether Brexit is a self inflicted wound will be known over the next few weeks but the loss to Iceland in football whose supporters were equally shocked and didn’t know how to celebrate their historic victory is like an omen. Sport has that power and it must make EU leaders grin with evil delight.

And English fans must be wondering if there is a link of their desertion of the neighbours and being dumped by a nation not exactly famous for its soccer prowess.

What next, one might ask.

To paraphrase the Portuguese, not only were you in the club but on the committee now you are just a member of the general public.

But let’s talk about another man and another club against the backdrop of this ‘Brexit by a brace’ end to the English football campaign.

The desire to play on his name must have been immense but it is one of those incredible moments in sport when genuine respect wins over the hardsell. Lionel Messi has a name that just lends itself to cruel headlines. A lesser champion would have faced rhymes, double entendres, plays on the name till kingdom come. The global media, by and large, stayed away from the tawdry and there was hardly any punning permitted.

No one said ‘What a Messi end.’ ‘Messi messes up.’ “Messy business.’ ‘Messi’s mess.’

Isn’t that something? Instead there was sadness, an ache that began when the ball ballooned over the crossbar in the penalty shot against Chile in the Copa finals. Lionel did the lionhearted thing by calling it quits but in the defeat is the glory of sport, intact and so violently an opposite of the shabby display by England. Yes, Argentina lost on penalties and yet, all the soccer world could do was mourn the death of a career.

Once in every lifetime do the tabloids and the LCD media back off a sportsman. Pele. Mohammed Ali, as we saw recently at his funeral. Tendulkar. Don Bradman. John McEnroe, sanitised by sheer presence and personality. Babe Ruth. Wilt Chamberlain. Michael Jordan. Even Tiger Woods. Martina Navratilova.

In the case of these gentlemen and ladies what they have brought to the table gives them a free pass. Even when they are down and out they get a helping hand.

Are you listening ‘Wane’ Rue-ney. That is what legends are made of… sterner stuff.