As Mario Götze was preparing the enter the pitch in the 2014 World Cup final, Joachim Low leaned onto him and said the last thing you should be telling a twenty-two years old player. Joachim Low said, "you're better than God"

Joachim Low didn't exactly say to Götze that he was better than God. But, what he said was just as bad as he said, "You're better than Messi". Götze went on to score the only goal in that match, winning Germany their fourth World Cup, and creating an amazing finale.

The Perfect Story

Uli Hesse, the author of Building the Yellow Wall: The Incredible Rise and Cult Appeal of Borussia Dortmund, said that Götze being likened to Messi didn't come out of anywhere. Ever since his rise, around the time Barcelona won the sextuple, Germans believed that they found the answer to Messi in Götze. Götze was easily one of the best talents that came out during that time. This made the perfect story.

Ever since his first appearance in 2006 and even until now, Messi saw a train of "next Messi" players. Bojan, the Spanish Messi, Gai Assulin, the Israeli Messi, Alen Halilović, the Croatian Messi, Iker Muniain, the new Spanish Messi, Humam Tariq, the Iraqi Messi but he's more of a local story, Ryan Gauld, Ryo Miyaichi, I could really go on. The "next Messi", the "Japanese Messi", "Portuguese Messi", the "player after the next Messi", a whole list of Messis to pick from. The only difference between them and the German Messi is that Götze actually faced Messi, and not only that but won against him.

The question is, why is that a thing? Why does Germany, or any country for that matter, need the "perfect answer" to Messi? Is there a football rule that requires countries to have a Messi? Is it a matter of envy? Obviously not, but Messi is a great player that needs improvement like any other player. He can assist, he can score, and he can save a team. So, it comes out of good intentions, however, as Dante Alighieri said:

The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions

Not every good intention leads to good results. Here is where we take a detour into something not very related to football, courtesy of the psychologist, Eileen Kennedy-Moore in her article on Psychology Today Lifting the Burden of Potentia.

Imagine yourself as a father of a five-year-old who was playing lego when a family friend came by and noticed him before saying, "You have a smart kid, he definitely has potential". We hear that word a lot in football, "he has the potential to be a great footballer". Where would your mind wander after hearing that damned sentence?

A series of well-intentioned interactions and thoughts would start. But, let's first set the definition of that word.

Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.

This definition means that someone with potential still has a long way to go. Someone running fast has the "potential" to be the next Usain Bolt, but this means very little as "potential" means that it is merely possible. It is a very meaningless concept because all the kid showed was very small signs of what could be, which is an open field area as it doesn't include what even is the right approach and things that could happen or could not happen to reach that "potential" or possibility of being great.

We can't even know if that kid could reach that potential or not. It's like saying that Liverpool could defeat Manchester City, it also means that Manchester City could defeat Liverpool or the match would end in a tie. It could be a tough or an easy match for either side. This leads us to the second problem.

Treating Potential Not As A Possibility, But An Expectation

There's a big difference between both. Saying that it is possible for Arsenal to win the Premier League this season doesn't really attach any emotional value, but expecting Arsenal to do so means heartbreak, but more dangerously, it means they failed.

But, what are those expectations based on?

What comes to your mind during those moments when someone says, "your kid has potential"? What exactly do you expect? What is that expectation based on? Now, let's say your kid is fifteen years old and someone you know saw him playing and said he has the potential to be a great player. How many images come to mind when someone says that? What even is the definition of a great player?

This statement is also terrifying as you might be letting your kid play football as a hobby but want him to become a doctor or a businessman to take on the family firm but suddenly find yourself depriving him of his "potential". The context of that statement also matters, was it said after your kid was playing in the street, during a 5v5 match with friends, or at the local football academy? All of these things are variables that matter enormously.

Whatever the situation and context are, a target has been set. Now, you have set for that kid what is a great process, what is good, what is bad, what is not enough, and what is disappointing. And while you're doing all of that in your head, your kid might not be that interested in football as a whole or has set lower targets. There are many players who are perfectly happy playing in the third level of the Lithuanian league. Yet, you decided that he is going to be a great player.

I know I focused on that bit too much, but it is important to understand all of those variables before realizing that Mario Götze wasn't getting that from a parent, but rather an entire nation. And not just any nation, but a nation hoping to overcome Brazil as the most successful nation in football history, Germany. That's what Mario Götze has been going through.

We'll get into more detail about how Mario Götze's career was ruined by that comparison and what it did to him in the next post.

In Conclusion

Some players live their entire lives looked at as failures, lazy, lacking motivation, and called many more worst names not because of something they did, but because of something they didn't which is meeting our baseless expectations of their potential. Think to yourself how many players have you labelled losers just because they reminded you of another player who played in completely different circumstances, under a completely different coach, playing a completely different football style, just because they haven't won the same titles. That's the cage of potential.