Lionel Messi shines brightest to conquer final frontier and Qatar is surely delighted

Football unites — very few sentences ring as true as this quality of the world’s most popular sport. It’s the simplicity and the beauty of it that strikes a chord like nothing else. But a congregation of teams to compete for its biggest prize is anything but simple. A football World Cup has so many complexities and narratives that it’s never far from being a reflection of life. If anything, the complexities this time around were even more severe.

This was anticipated 12 years ago when Qatar won the rights for the 2022 World Cup.

A country with an abysmal human rights record, Qatar feared the off-field issues would take away the shine from its well-crafted glitzy PR exercise which had cost them billions of dollars. But to their respite, another narrative of a footballing love story has overshadowed Qatar’s tyranny and has etched the World Cup in our memories forever.

The story of Lionel Messi conquering his final frontier and his coronation.

🏆 𝑳𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍 𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 is finally a #FIFAWorldCup champion 💙#Argentina #Messi #Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCupFinal pic.twitter.com/sBcTIVQF6Q

— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) December 19, 2022

Even before Lionel Messi confirmed that this will be his last World Cup, it was well known that the 35-year-old Argentine had no more finals left in him. If it was to happen, it had to be in Qatar in 2022. But was it really that important?

No one doubts that Messi is one of the greatest of all time. With a record seven Ballon d’Or titles and 36 major honours at the club level with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, in which he always had the starring role, what else was left to prove?

While Messi is the best person to answer this, it’s also not difficult to guess. It’s this elite mentality that separates the best from the rest. He may not admit but if the mercurial Diego Maradona could single-handedly inspire Argentina to a World Cup title in 1986, there’s no reason Messi could not.

All-round Argentina

But every attempt he made was failing. They came within an inch of the trophy in 2014 but Germany provided the heartbreak. Even in Copa America, Messi and Argentina failed in the final on three occasions in 2007, 2015, and 2016.

The turnaround happened in 2021. The Copa America triumph gave Argentina the belief that they could win the biggest trophies. After having Messi at the centre of everything Argentina did for years, coach Lionel Scaloni democratised the philosophy. Messi remained Argentina’s most important player but the team was greater than the sum of its parts.

It had to be this way to stop teams from isolating Messi and taking the wind out of Argentina’s sails. And credit should go to the troops that were ready to stretch for their kings’ coronation.

Emiliano Martinez won the Golden Glove award and it was a testament to the impact he had on the trophy-winning campaign. He is vocal, enigmatic and more importantly comes up with crucial saves, some of which came in penalty shootouts against France (final) and Netherlands (quarters).

From a fan in 2018 to @Argentina's ⭐ in #Qatar2022, it has been a fairytale journey for @emimartinezz1 🧤

Meet the Golden Glove & #FIFAWorldCup 🏆 champion 🙌#FIFAWorldCupFinal #Argentina #FIFAWConJioCinema #FIFAWConSports18 pic.twitter.com/fkeNgDy3Q2

— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) December 18, 2022

Argentina’s defence held up well as they entered the final with three clean sheets and midfielders put in an authoritative shift game after game. The 23-year-old Alexis Mac Allister and 21-year-old Enzo Fernandez produced game-defining performances unaffected by the pressure that a World Cup brings. Rodrigo De Paul contributed with his determination and steely work. Up front, Julian Alvarez scored four goals.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 🌟

21-year-old #EnzoFernandez is the Best Young Player in #Qatar2022 🏅#FIFAWorldCupFinal #Argentina #FIFAWorldCup #WorldsGreatestShow #FIFAWConJioCinema #FIFAWConSports18 pic.twitter.com/EIC1PoSNKQ

— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) December 18, 2022

If Messi is the engine of the team, his teammates proved to be the perfect fit as every other component of an automobile. More importantly, together they had the mental belief. After losing the opener to Saudi Arabia, Argentina went on to become the second team to win a FIFA World Cup after losing the first game; Spain in 2010 being the first.

Messi’s special intervention

The Argentine great may have better teammates than before but previous heartbreaks had taught him well that winning a World Cup takes a special effort. That special intervention was provided by Messi. He was the creator and the scorer. And often when his team was under the pump, he was the one who conjured some magic to release the pressure.

Messi scored seven goals in the tournament, just one behind Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe. He also co-leads the assists table with three to his name.

In the crucial final game, he scored two and added one more in the penalty shootout and remained the biggest attacking threat on the night. Try to cast your mind back to the previous games, and the story was not so dissimilar.

In his final #FIFAWorldCup game. Who else? pic.twitter.com/I12Qbq9UMO

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 18, 2022

It’s ironic that a World Cup that was stained with blots had the brightest endings. That again is probably just a reflection of the time in which we live.

That may be is also the legacy of this Argentina team. One of the most controversial sporting events of all time, Qatar World Cup was transformed into a football love story with a happy ending by Lionel Messi’s brilliance and the willingness of his troops to rally for their king.

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