"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof:
no">CAPE TOWN – Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood
has claimed that Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is not a natural goalscorer.
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof:
no">Messi has scored 627 goals in 718 appearances for Barcelona, and 70 in 138
games for Argentina and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to
play the game.
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof:
no">Despite those figures, Sherwood believes there’s no such thing as natural
talent, and that Messi became the player he is today due to his upbringing.
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof:
no">“I would take attitude over ability all day,” Sherwood said in an interview
with the Daily Mail.
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof:
no">“If you can marry the two up, then you’ve got a serious footballer. I hate
it when I hear pundits talking about ‘natural talent’. There’s no such thing.
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof:
no">“That’s physical. I don’t buy that there are natural goalscorers. Lionel
Messi is what is he because he’s dribbled a stone around an alleyway and his brothers
have been kicking the s*** out of him for five years.
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof:
no">“It’s nurture. You aren’t just born like that,” said the 1994/95 Premier
League winning captain.
"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-ZA;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA;mso-no-proof: