The Argentina football team and Lionel Messi have picked up right where they left off. They have won both their group-stage matches by a combined score of 5-0 and now have won nine straight World Cup matches. Here’s the case for them to repeat.
The first case is simple: Messi. He continues to defy Father Time with his brilliant performance. In his latest outing, he scored two goals against a solid Austrian team.
In the tournament as a whole, Messi has all five goals for the team. The notable part is that it doesn’t feel like he’s dominating the ball. The superstar just happens to be at the right place at the right time.
The days of dribbling past five defenders are well behind Messi. Messi’s IQ, though, has allowed him to evolve his game to still be effective at the age of 38. It’s something that his rival Christian Ronaldo has failed to do at his age: adapt.
The first goal against Austria put Messi at 17 World Cup goals all-time, breaking the tie with Miroslav Klose for most ever in World Cup history. Messi widened the gap by adding his second goal in the 95th minute to reach 18.
For Argentina, June 22 holds good fortune. On June 22, 1986, Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” lifted Argentina over England in the quarter-finals. Forty years later, Messi is the all-time leader in World Cup goals.
This Argentine club is playing with so much freedom. This squad has won it all. The 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America.
There’s no immense pressure for this team to win the entire tournament. Regardless of what happens, Messi’s legacy is cemented, and this specific group will be looked back at fondly regardless of how they finish.
The lack of pressure has been apparent in Messi’s play, especially. Before winning the Copa America in 2021, he played in four World Cups from 2006 to 2018. In that span, he scored just six goals, and none of them came in the knockout stages.
Once Messi won in 2021 for the first time internationally, it seemed like a weight was taken off his shoulders. In the two World Cups since, he has 12 combined goals, and five of them were in the knockout stages. Messi has also scored in six straight WC matches, which is tied for the most ever.
There is a clear line of demarcation: The 2021 victory.
The case is simple. This team has an all-time great that doesn’t feel the weight of winning. That’s when the greats are at their most dangerous.
The first breakthrough is always the hardest. After that, it becomes routine. With how Messi has played in this WC, it’s hard to deny that he’s just out there having fun.
Even though Messi has all of the goals, it doesn’t feel like a one-man army. The rest of his teammates are willing to set him up for success, the best they can. He’s been able to capitalize at the highest level.
Who has the best chance to stop the defending champs?
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