One of the most exciting and greatest players to ever grace the field will bring his side to Qatar in which is sure to be his final World Cup and the most recent World Cup odds suggest he has the ability to lead his team deep into the competition.
Lionel Messi has proven over and over again his quality and unstoppable skill while at Barcelona and has since moved to French giants Paris St-Germain. He has a slightly lower reliance upon him in the French capital but continues to show the incredible ability he possesses.
The Argentine forward is now 35 years old and has 164 caps for his country, scoring 90 goals. As the record holder for most Ballon d’Or awards, seven, and six European Golden Shoe awards, he maintains his profile as the captain and leader of Argentina as well as one of the Greatest of All Time players to play the sport.
Lifting the Jules Rimet trophy as a World Cup winner is the only title Messi is yet to accomplish. In 2014 he was named the player of the tournament though his side fell at the final hurdle to Germany in extra time.
This time round, Argentina are coming into the tournament as contenders, though not a favorite. They qualified comfortably as was expected, finishing second in their group to Brazil winning 11 and drawing six of their 17 games.
By playing each game and advancing from the group, Lionel Messi would overtake Diego Maradona with the most World Cup appearances of an Argentine player. This is also his fifth World Cup which he has played in, another record he has set putting himself above Maradona and Javier Mascherano who both played in four.
No stranger to being the focal point of a team, Messi has been exactly that for Barcelona and Argentina during his career, even when surrounded by some of the world’s best players in his team.
He has helped La Albiceleste to a 35-game unbeaten run which is second only to Italy’s 37, which is now over, an unbeaten run in the group stage would give Argentina the record. He has scored 22 times in that period and even added nine in the last three games.
After a slow start to his PSG career, he is in scintillating from this year leading into the World Cup. In his first 13 games he has 10 goals and eight assists, he is almost ageless in the way he plays and how he can control a game.
His Argentine side are in great form and the moral and camaraderie amongst the group looks as good as it has ever been.
To have players like Angel Di Maria, Nicolas Otamendi and Franco Armani providing experience to the squad, there is a strong balance in the usual group which has been called up. Having experienced players across the field can help in motivating the team and managing the game throughout, while each having the quality to push Argentina towards a possible final.
Along with experience they have an enviable list of players in the prime of their careers playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez, who play for Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the Premier League respectively, are two quality central defenders who protect the back line so well.
Looking to the midfield, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo de Paul and Giovanni Lo Celso have been consistently strong performers and once again players playing for some of the biggest teams in Europe and regular Champions League and Europa League players.
Alongside Messi in the forward line, Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan is one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe,
Young players like Julián Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez have made recent moves to Europe with Manchester City and Benfica. They have already shown their qualities and their form going into this world cup adds to the depth Lionel Scaloni has to call on.
One player who could provide a spark almost coming in under the radar is Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has shown moments of exquisite quality in MLS this season and his inclusion in the national team in recent camps has shown the faith Scaloni has on him being a future regular in the team, while having the quality to create something out of nothing if called upon this year.
While Argentina have been on such a good run of form, they have only faced two European sides in their 35-game unbeaten run, Italy, and Estonia.
As they go into the group stages of Qatar 2022, they will play Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland. It is a group they will be favorites to advance from in top spot. Once they advance to the knockout rounds is where the real challenges will come at them.
For many who have followed Messi’s career, whether Argentine or not, it is hard not to support him and enjoy him while we still can. A World Cup win to make his trophy collection complete is very much achievable but there are some strong teams with plenty to prove as well aiming for the same outcome.
