Lionel Messi says this is his final World Cup, and Argentina is among the favorites to win it all
There are few times in sport in which perceived fate plays out the way we expect. Most often, the underdog falters, the hero fades, the storybook ending goes up in flames. But if there’s a team of destiny in Qatar, it’s this one.
Messi hastily retired from the Argentinian national team in 2016 after a defeat to Chile in the Copa América Centenario final. He then returned, evidently with more to prove. Messi has long battled the pressure that comes with succeeding Diego Maradona as Argentinian football’s global superstar. The latter captained his country to a win in the 1986 World Cup. The former didn’t have any international trophies to his name—until the triumph in 2021.
To some, Messi has already cemented his legacy as the greatest soccer player of all time. To others, he has one World Cup trophy-sized hole in his career résumé. If there’s any Argentina squad during Messi’s tenure that could win a title, it may just be this one. Alongside Lautaro Martínez and Juventus’s Ángel Di María, few teams possess a more potent starting front three. The midfield is heavily attack-minded, but Rodrigo De Paul should slot in well alongside Leandro Paredes. And in goal, Emi Martínez has been excellent in an Argentina shirt.
that have hung around a proud footballing nation for more than two decades. Fair or otherwise, Messi has caught flak for each of Argentina’s failed World Cup campaigns with him on the pitch—even in 2014, when he won the tournament’s Golden Ball award and led his side to the final. Now with a trophy in hand, he enters Qatar knowing that his legacy can only be further solidified with a title.
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