CFP
Whichever team is about to face Spanish club Barcelona probably has first to answer this question: “How are we going to stop Lionel Messi?”
无论是哪支球队，在面对西班牙巴塞罗那足球俱乐部时，或许都得先回答这个问题：“我们如何才能阻挡梅西？”
The Barcelona striker from Argentina seems always to get the ball in the net. And the match between Barcelona and UK’s Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League semi-final on May 1 perfectly illustrated the danger Messi creates for Barcelona’s opponents. Messi scored twice that night, securing a 3-0 win for Barcelona. His second goal was especially impressive: Messi managed to score with a free kick some 22 meters out.
这位来自阿根廷的巴塞罗那前锋似乎总能将球送入球门。而在5月1日举行的欧洲冠军联赛半决赛中，巴塞罗那对阵英国利物浦，这场比赛完美地展现了梅西给巴塞罗那的对手所带来的威胁。当晚梅西两度破门，为巴塞罗那锁定了3-0的胜局。他的第二枚进球尤为惊艳：从球门22米开外攻入一记任意球。
CNN reporter James Masters called that shot “Messi magic”. And BT Sport commentator Rio Ferdinand described it as “unbelievable”.
CNN记者詹姆斯·马斯特斯称这一球为“梅西魔法”。而英国电信体育评论员里奥·费迪南德以“难以置信”一词来形容这一球。
But the “magic” hasn’t always worked. And Messi might well say that the disappointments of 2018 were “unbelievable”.
但这样的“魔法”并非总是奏效。而梅西或许会认为充满挫折的2018年“难以置信”。
In April, 2018, Messi saw Barcelona disqualified in the Champions League’s quarterfinal.
去年4月，梅西经历了巴塞罗那在欧冠四分之一决赛就惨遭淘汰的时刻。
In June, France sent Argentina home in the World Cup. And, despite the fact that he is a five-time winner of Ballon d’Or, in 2018 Messi wasn’t even among the top choices for the award.
6月的世界杯上，法国队淘汰了阿根廷队。而尽管梅西是5座金球奖得主，但他甚至并未入选2018年金球奖的候选名单。
Many said that Messi was looking past his prime. But Messi’s magnificent playing – has proved them all wrong: “Messi magic” is back. With that free kick on May 1, Messi scored his 600th goal for Barcelona, and who can say there won’t be many more to come?
不少人认为梅西的巅峰时刻已经过去。但梅西杰出的球技 —— 证明了他们的想法都是错的：“梅西魔法”回来了。5月1日的那粒任意球是梅西为巴塞罗那打入的第600记进球，而谁又能说这样的进球将来不会有更多呢。
So perhaps The New York Times reporter Rory Smith has the best response to the question at the beginning – if not an answer: “No matter how hard you work or how much you run, there is no way to plan for Barcelona. There is no plan that contains Messi,” he wrote.
因此，对于开头的那个问题，或许《纽约时报》记者罗里·史密斯的回应是最佳的。“不论你多么努力，做了多少跑动，都无法应对巴塞罗那。没有一种策略能够克制梅西，”他写道。
“There is no plan that stops him.”
“没有一种策略能够阻止他。”
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