Messi, Trump, Dylan: When Greatness Still Walks Among Us
From Trump’s relentless rallies to Dylan’s endless tour and Messi’s magic on U.S. soil, three giants who refuse to fade.
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A month and a half ago, I stood somewhere in New England, among thousands of fans, and watched Lionel Messi score a goal. It was the most I had ever paid for a soccer ticket, and still, it felt cheap. It wasn’t just a game. It was a moment. A personal checkbox. The third and final checkmark in my own list of living legends. Donald Trump. Bob Dylan. Lionel Messi.
Three names. Three forces. Three figures who transcend their fields, and perhaps time itself.
Work ethic, genius, and something else we can’t quite name
At 84, Bob Dylan is still on the road, touring relentlessly across continents like a man with nothing to prove and everything to say. Messi, in his 23rd season as a professional footballer, is still competing year-round with barely a pause, on the way to what could be his sixth World Cup. And Trump, love him or hate him, has now appeared at over 620 campaign-style events, more than all seven of his predecessors combined. That is not just ambition. That is obsession. That is purpose.
What ties them together is not just greatness. It’s the grind. The refusal to fade. The quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) belief that their presence matters. And they are right.
Three symbols of three Americas
Each of them represents something different, and uniquely powerful.
And is it any wonder he chose to end his career here, on American soil?
In a land where soccer is still spoken with an accent, he plants his flag quietly, joining the lineage of those who turned noise into history.
Are they of this era? Or just in it?
I wish I could say they define this era. I don’t think they do. Not because they are not great enough, but because our time is too distracted to fully notice them.
If anything, they are out of time, they belong to something older, deeper, and maybe better.
As Messi takes his final bows in Argentina and beyond, now is a good moment to stop and consider this strange and beautiful trio.
One in politics. One in music. One in sport. All bigger than their moment.
All of them reminders that greatness still walks among us. But only if we’re paying attention.