Lionel Messi\u2019s relationship with his own country has long been a difficult one. Argentina has never embraced the 35-year-old like they did Diego Maradona, the icon of La Albiceleste\u2019s 1986 World Cup triumph. Something, however, is changing in Qatar. The 2022 World Cup could be the scene of Messi\u2019s crowning achievement.<\/p>\n
In the past, Messi has struggled to find a role for his national team. Argentina looked to him to produce something out of nothing because they had nothing else. The neglect at the level of the country\u2019s football association caused a disconnect between Messi and Argentina with the attacker even retiring from international duty for a spell in 2016.<\/p>\n
Now, though, Messi is a leader for Argentina. He appears more comfortable in the shirt of his national team than at any other point of his career, and that has been evident in his performances at the 2022 World Cup so far. Messi is still Argentina\u2019s primary difference-maker, but not everything is down to him.<\/p>\n
World Cup glory is the one thing that has evaded Messi over the course of his career. He has won the Champions League three times and countless domestic titles with Barcelona. Messi also added a Ligue 1 title to his trophy collection as a Paris Saint-Germain player last season. One very notable accolade is missing, though.<\/p>\n
Messi has played in a World Cup final before, but Argentina were a deeply flawed team in 2014. They were somewhat fortunate to make it as far as the 2014 World Cup final and were beaten by a better team in the form of Joachim Low\u2019s Germany. This time, the dynamic is difference for Lionel Scaloni\u2019s team.<\/p>\n
La Albiceleste were on a 36-game uneaten run before they suffered a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening group fixture of the 2022 World Cup. That result was something of a fluke considering the way Argentina were the dominant team, and their response – wins over Mexico, Poland and Australia – highlighted their quality.<\/p>\n
Scaloni was initially appointed as Argentina manager as a short-term solution back in 2018, but the former wing back has created a healthy environment in the dressing room. That hasn\u2019t always been the case for Argentina. That in itself has been enough to turn La Albiceleste into a strong unit because talent has never been the problem.<\/p>\n
It might only be now that Argentina\u2019s true strength as a team is tested with a challenging quarter-final against the Netherlands on the horizon. \u201cThey have great players and a great coach, it’s going to be hard-fought,\u201d said Messi. \u201cIt’s the quarter-finals of a World Cup and if a World Cup has been tough from the start, it gets even tougher at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Messi is playing like someone who has been unburdened by the heavy weight of expectation even if this might be his final opportunity to win a World Cup. It\u2019s almost as if the 35-year-old has made peace with his situation. If his career doesn\u2019t end with World Cup glory, Messi will still have written his name into legend as the best ever.<\/p>\n