Argentina fans can now say they have a new football ‘God.’ It was poetic justice for Lionel Messi at Qatar’s Lusail Stadium on December 18 night. The Argentine genius finally exorcised the ghost of Diego Maradona, and pushed his case to be considered football's greatest player of all time.
Qatar 2022 was supposed to be Messi’s World Cup, and it ended that way as the left-footed genius led the South Americans in style to score two goals in an electrifying final where France came back from the dead to force a shootout — but could not deny Argentina a third World Cup.
For a man whose football career has largely shone in the club colours of Barcelona, the Qatar FIFA World Cup was Messi’s last chance to win something special, wearing blue and white stripes of Argentina. The 35-year-old quite clearly saved his best for the last, and usher in a new generation of Argentine footballers who displayed tradition Latin American flair that somewhat left the sturdy and no-nonsense European approach in its wake.
Argentina won the World Cup after a gap of 36 years, and for Messi, playing his record 26th World Cup game, it was the ultimate reward after four World Cups that ended in heart-breaks. More importantly, the average age of the Argentine team is 27.9 years, just perfect for a world-class team to peak.
For the global sports fandom, 2022 will not be ending on an austere note, after all. Messi had announced that Qatar would be his last World Cup. The seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or had joined Roger Federer and Serena Williams in a list of superstars to retire this year. While a dodgy knee cut short King Federer’s career, Serena, at 41, “evolved away from tennis” after staying competitive in the fast-changing women’s tennis circuit.
But the joy of winning is like tonic, and Messi’s decision to “experience a few more matches as world champion,” shortly after winning football’s biggest prize does not come as a surprise. Why should Messi retire when he is perfectly capable of playing play 120 minutes of up-and-down football with the same energy as 21-year-old teammate Enzo Fernandez, the World Cup’s best young player? As a differentiator, Messi’s tops his lung power with moments of genius like no other.
More than Messi’s goals, his assists have been a treat to watch in Qatar. That he is the world’s leading playmaker was time and again on display as Messi’s sense of off-the-ball play, positioning, and final release of the ball invariably put strikers in advantageous scoring positions. The smallest of margins separate players of brilliance and it is here that Messi excels in amazing regularity. Messi may never surpass Pele who has won three World Cups with Brazil, but given his club and nation record, the Argentine magician will not be far behind.
In the last 15 years, Messi has fiercely competed with Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo to established himself as the finest player of his generation. If the Qatar World Cup is an instant yardstick, Messi deserved to win the Player of the Tournament for the second time in his career for his vision and contribution for his team’s cause. Unfortunately, it was a bitter ending for Ronaldo, whose commitment for Team Portugal was questioned by manager Fernando Santos.
Messi’s impactful nature of play has been a topic of much discussion and research. Scientists use the concept of motor skills to judge the level of excellence in high-performing athletes. Simply put, motor skills measure how the body’s nervous system, muscles, and brain all work together to perform a certain skill.
In Qatar, Messi stood out among the most notable stars across the world’s best teams. His composure in scoring spot kicks was noticeably at a higher level. The ability to create a no-pressure condition in scoring goals resulted in higher success in conversion. On December 18 at Lusail, Messi was a classic case study as he opened Argentina’s account by coolly converting a penalty, and repeated the act in a tense, make-or-break shootout that decided the final.
Given Messi’s physical and mental agility, he will remain manager Lionel Scaloni’s automatic choice for Team Argentina. But four years to the next World Cup in the Americas is a long time, and Messi has often shown his emotional side when defeats, like the 2016 Copa America loss against Chile, left him devastated, and he announced retirement.
But for now, it’s celebration time for Messi and Team Argentina. How splendidly did La Albiceleste recover from a sensational defeat in their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia! Messi’s failure to win a World Cup always counted against him when measuring his stupendous achievements against Maradona, and Pele. That debate has now been put to rest.
Soumitra Bose is a senior sports journalist, and a research scholar. Twitter: @Soumitra65. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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