Messi Saving His Best For The Last
Argentina's tiny genius Lionel Messi has kept the most magical scene for his final World Cup performance, and he still has one line to write it. As if he hadn't already created enough fairy tales. Messi has shone at the Qatar competition while other superstars like Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo have disappointed and left the tournament early. There is a lot of expectation on him to emulate the late great Diego Maradona and return the title to Buenos Aires. Messi, who is 35 years old, is towards the conclusion of his career and has played in his sixth World Cup, yet he has been the tournament's standout player from Argentina's first game until their victory over Croatia in the semi-final.
His performance numbers speak for themselves: six starts, five goals, and three assists on the way to the final against France on Sunday. Messi has broken so many records it is difficult to keep up with them all. He has surpassed Maradona's total of World Cup goals and appearances for Argentina, and on Sunday he will surpass Lothar Matthaeus' joint record of 25 tournament appearances. Messi's hypnotic movement and exuberant celebrations have thrilled football fans across the world more than the brilliant data, though.
Messi has patiently waited for his opportunity to strike, using his low center of gravity, surprising change of pace, and shimmying runs with the ball glued to feet to lethal effect. At times, he has scarcely bothered to defend. In the words of British sports writer Jonathan Wilson, he is "a sprite floating on the periphery of the game until the moment is right." "You can mark a guy, but ghosts are more tougher to mark." Messi inspired the team after a shocking opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia; five victories followed. His most impressive goal came against Mexico and was a lavish low strike from outside the box.
And commentators are still scratching their heads over his impudent assist to Nahuel Molina, who scored Argentina's opening goal in the quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. The fact that Messi did not glance up and still connected with Molina with absurd precision made it noteworthy and a contender for one of the greatest assists of all time. Messi solidified his relationship with Argentine supporters in that match, who had previously criticized him harshly for lacking Maradona's outgoing personality, love for his country, and 1986 World Cup victory.
Messi, who is always well-behaved, raced towards the Dutch bench while cupping his ears in a provocative gesture after converting a penalty to throw Argentine fans into a frenzy. Then, following the match, he taunted a Dutch striker with the following insult: "What are you staring at, fool?" Although some commentators condemned him for showing contempt, most Argentine fans cheered when the introverted Messi displayed moments of rebellion akin to those of Maradona. The sentence is inked on certain people's bodies. "He finally let his "inner Maradona" emerge during the game against Holland. They are one. They never die. Argentina, they are! "Jorge Castellanos, an excited supporter who was at the game with a flag showing both guys arm in arm, said this.
Despite all the praise, everyone is aware that defeating France is still necessary to achieve true immortal equivalence with Maradona, at least in the world's largest athletic event. Many non-Argentines have Argentina as their second team for a long time in the hopes that Messi will win the World Cup if their own country does not, capping off what would be a wonderful tale. At age 13, Messi left Argentina to join the Barcelona youth program. Despite concerns that he was too little, the newcomer excelled in the youth ranks before head coach Frank Rijkaard granted him his senior debut in a 2003 friendly against Porto at the age of 16.
With 672 goals in 778 games, Messi went on to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer and appearance maker. He broke the scoring record for La Liga in one season, 2011–12, with 50 goals. Before transferring to Paris St. Germain last year, he won 35 trophies in total with Barcelona, including 10 La Liga championships and four Champions League wins. Along the way, he garnered six FIFA Player of the Year awards and a record seven Ballon d'Or awards. He is the all-time leading scorer for Argentina and last year helped his country win the Copa America title, ending a 28-year trophy drought that included several devastating finals losses.
A World Cup is the only thing that the Messi story is lacking. But even if the unexpected occurs and Argentina loses, it appears that he has won over a nation that now understands that Messi loved the shirt just as much as Maradona, provided them wonderful moments throughout the years, and simply could not have tried better or gone closer to winning the World Cup. When she concluded this week's interview with Messi with a speech on behalf of the country rather than with a question, Argentine journalist Sofia Martinez Mateos captured the atmosphere well. The final is approaching, and while we all naturally want to win, I want to assure you that you have something that will always remain yours, regardless of the outcome.
"You have reached every Argentine's heart. Sincerely, not a single child is missing your shirt. Our entire lives have been marked by you. Keep it close to your heart because it is more significant than winning the World Cup, which you have already accomplished."
