For any football fan who followed the game during the 2010s, only two players defined the decade and possibly a generation of football lovers. Of course, the two players are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. No matter where you land in the debate between the two players, they have set such high standards very few will follow. Messi’s relationship with his nation of Argentina has never been the same as the one he shared with FC Barcelona. In Barcelona, he was more than a footballer. He was close to a religious deity. He was one of their own despite Messi being from Rosario, Argentina, having had his football education in Barcelona’s academy- ‘La Masia’. Winning multiple league titles and five Champions Leagues, as well as being the club’s all-time leading scorer, Messi is indisputably Barcelona’s greatest-ever player. Given the names who have played in Camp Nou, that is an outstanding feat.
However, the elation when he and Argentina won the Copa America last year displayed emotions rarely seen from him, yet we could all comprehend his reaction. It was his first international trophy with Argentina and, more significantly, the nation’s first in almost three decades. Since winning the 1993 Copa America, La Albeceleste have endured countless disappointments over multiple tournaments. They reached seven finals from 1993 to 2016, including four Copa America finals, two FIFA Confederations Cup finals and a FIFA World Cup final (2014). All heart-breaking in one way or another. Argentina, prior to Messi’s emergence, had a host of incredible players from the likes of Gabriel Batistuta and Diego Simeone to Javier Zanetti, Juan Roman Riquelme and Hernan Crespo. It never translated well on the international stage for that generation of stars, often falling short of expectations and being susceptible to humiliating campaigns, with their group stage elimination in the 2002 World Cup marked as a disaster for the nation.
Since making his debut in 2005, Messi’s time with the Argentina national team has been one of sheer frustration, sadness and misfortune. Being one of his idols and also his compatriot, Messi is often compared with the late, great Diego Maradona and the former is undoubtedly the best player Argentina has produced since ‘El Pibe de Oro’. Whilst the two share similar styles of play, there are glaring differences between them. Maradona lived the dream, had a ‘man of the people’ personality, made his name in his native Argentina as a teenager and was renowned for his outlandish lifestyle. Messi, bar his tax fraud case, is squeaky clean and very corporate-friendly. He didn’t make his name in Argentina, with a significant portion of his adolescence and adult life spent in Catalonia and is very reclusive- rarely speaking/interacting with the public.
Messi, thus far, is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer with 90 goals and all-time appearance holder with 164 caps. He has played in ten tournaments, scoring 19 times. However, despite his efforts, Argentina have constantly failed to get over the line. First, the World Cup Final in 2014, losing to Germany in extra-time. Followed by back-to-back Copa America final defeats to Chile in 2015 & 2016. Crestfallen, Messi retired from international football in 2016 before returning for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Now at 35, with a taste of international glory at long last, Messi and Argentina have just one thing on their minds- the 18-carat gold trophy.
Argentina comes into the tournament as one of the favourites with a well-rounded squad that is not reliant on the little maestro. A strong keeper in Emiliano Martinez, a stingy defence, a combative midfield and a wealth of riches in attack. Under Lionel Scaloni, Argentina have only lost four times in forty-nine matches and are on a 35- game unbeaten run, two games short of the current record set by Italy in 2021. European nations have had a steely grip on the World Cup in recent history, with the winner of the last four tournaments deriving from the continent. Going into Qatar 2022, European teams, like Spain, England and Germany, have strong question marks, whilst both South American giants are heading into the tournament on better form with arguably stronger squads. Thus, it should come as little surprise that both Brazil and Argentina are amongst the bookies’ favourites, alongside reigning champions France, to win it all.
Having stated that this could be his final World Cup, Messi recognizes that he has one last shot at winning football’s biggest prize. Many greats boast stellar careers without a World Cup medal in their cabinets, thus not winning it will not dent Messi’s legacy. The Copa America win has given Argentina and Messi belief that they can achieve success in Qatar. This upcoming World Cup is not so now or never, but more of putting the cherry on a multi-layered cake. Can he finally achieve World Cup glory in his final tango?
