At last, Lionel Messi broke through with Argentina on the international stage. But one prize still remains unclaimed.
More than a decade of anguish on the international level was extinguished with a win over Brazil in the 2021 Copa América final. For the first time with his country’s first team, Messi lifted a major trophy—and a massive weight off his shoulders.
Five Copa Ámerica tournaments and four World Cups had yielded little but heartbreak for Argentina fans watching Messi. But now, with an international trophy added to his already massive haul at the club level, Messi is looking for the ultimate trophy. If he’s to be believed, this will be his last attempt to win it, and he may just have the team around him to get it done.
Along with fellow South American giant Brazil, La Albiceleste went unbeaten in 17 World Cup qualifying matches, conceding just eight goals. In all, Argentina is unbeaten in 35 games, two shy of Italy’s world record (2018-2021). Finally, after years of instability, quarreling and disjointed teams, a steady squad has been constructed around the grand centerpiece of Messi, and it heads to Qatar as one of the favorites.
Group C Schedule (all times Eastern)
- Saudi Arabia, Nov. 22, 5 a.m.
- Mexico, Nov. 26, 2 p.m.
- Poland, Nov. 30, 2 p.m.
Coach
Lionel Scaloni, hired in November 2018
Lev Radin/Pacific Press Agency/Imago Images
Players to Watch
Lionel Messi, forward
Even at his advanced age, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is still the ultimate game-breaker. Messi is magical with the ball at his feet. Whether it’s skating past defenders with ease or placing pinpoint line-breaking passes, he terrorizes opposition defenses with his otherworldly game knowledge and skill.
When he is at his best, as he was for much of Copa América and as he has appeared to be with PSG this season, there is no tactical counter for Messi. You can only sit back and hope that he doesn’t add to his Argentina record of 90 national team goals.
Emi Martínez, goalkeeper
The Aston Villa keeper elevated his game to another level in the Copa América run. Martínez saved three penalty kicks in Argentina’s thrilling semifinal victory over Colombia, then made four key saves to keep a clean sheet in the final against Brazil. He also showed he wasn’t shying away from any trash talk, and he leads an Argentina defense with a bit of an edge to it. He suffered a head injury less than a month out from Argentina’s opener but should be recovered to feature in Qatar.
Lautaro Martínez, striker
The lead man in Argentina’s attack is still getting better. Martínez scored a career-high 21 goals for Inter in Serie A last season as his side’s primary striker and is among the league leaders yet again. He’ll spearhead the Argentina attack in this World Cup.
Martínez is a very good goalscorer who has put up solid numbers in his recent work with the national team (seven goals and three assists in 14 qualifiers). The goals will be there for him to score with Argentina really clicking going forward.
Breakout Candidate
Cristian Romero, center back
The Tottenham man adds even more teeth to the Argentinian defense. Known for his aggressive runs off the back line (and the even more aggressive tackles that follow), his rapid success after a move last year to the Premier League is an indicator that he can shine at any level.
The 24-year-old got his first run with the national team at the Copa América, where he rotated with Real Betis center back Germán Pezzella. After his performance in that tournament (and an excellent season at Spurs), Romero started nearly every World Cup qualifier for which he was available. While he’s battled injuries in the run-up to Qatar, he should slot in nicely to anchor the Argentina defense next to Nicolás Otamendi.
World Cup History
- 18th appearance
- Last appearance: 2018
- Best finish: Champion in 1978 and 1986
Outlook and Expectations
There are few times in sport in which perceived fate plays out the way we expect. Most often, the underdog falters, the hero fades, the storybook ending goes up in flames. But if there’s a team of destiny in Qatar, it’s this one.
Messi hastily retired from the Argentinian national team in 2016 after a defeat to Chile in the Copa América Centenario final. He then returned, evidently with more to prove. Messi has long battled the pressure that comes with succeeding Diego Maradona as Argentinian football’s global superstar. The latter captained his country to a win in the 1986 World Cup. The former didn’t have any international trophies to his name—until the triumph in 2021.
To some, Messi has already cemented his legacy as the greatest soccer player of all time. To others, he has one World Cup trophy-sized hole in his career résumé. If there’s any Argentina squad during Messi’s tenure that could win a title, it may just be this one.
Alongside Lautaro Martínez and Juventus’s Ángel Di María, few teams possess a more potent starting front three. The midfield is heavily attack-minded, but Rodrigo De Paul should slot in well alongside Leandro Paredes. And in goal, Emi Martínez has been (mostly) excellent in an Argentina shirt.
Group C is also there for the taking. Argentina should have little trouble with Saudi Arabia, and while Poland and Mexico both have some interesting pieces—Messi and Robert Lewandowski sharing a World Cup stage should be special—neither should truly threaten this side for top in the group.
Perhaps more importantly, this team knows it’s capable of winning at the highest level. The Copa América success exorcized demons that have hung around a proud footballing nation for more than two decades. Fair or otherwise, Messi has caught flak for each of Argentina’s failed World Cup campaigns with him on the pitch—even in 2014, when he won the tournament’s Golden Ball award and led his side to the final. Now with a trophy in hand, he enters Qatar knowing that his legacy can only be further solidified with a title.
World Cup Squad
GOALKEEPERS: Franco Armani (River Plate), Emi Martínez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Villarreal)
DEFENDERS: Marcos Acuña (Sevilla), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Germán Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon)
MIDFIELDERS: Rodrigo De Paul (Atlético Madrid), Enzo Fernández (Benfica), Alejandro Gómez (Sevilla), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis)
