Argentina will be real contenders at the World Cup later this year because they have stopped treating Lionel Messi like Jesus Christ, according to Gabriel Batistuta.
Messi is undeniably Argentina’s talisman and will carry the expectation of a nation when they go to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup in November. The 35-year-old forward has 86 goals in 162 appearances for his country since making his debut in 2005 and is revered in Argentina for his contributions to the side.
He was the hero last year as La Albiceleste won the Copa America, but that success was far from the norm for Messi in an Argentina shirt. The Paris Saint-Germain star has suffered a lot of heartbreak, having been a part of the team which finished runners-up three times in the Copa America and lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany.
Messi has felt the burden of the nation in the past, even briefly retiring in the aftermath of their 2016 Copa America final defeat by Chile on penalties, but Batistuta feels that things are now different. Under manager Lionel Scaloni, the team is more balanced and therefore less reliant on Messi to produce magic.
“We gave it to Messi for a long time. First we condemn ourselves for thinking that we had Jesus Christ, and it is Messi, yes, but it is not Jesus Christ, and then we condemn him too,” Batistuta told La Nacion. “We did damage for a long time. Now that's changed, see? Because he also felt freer with these guys.”
Having a player of Messi’s star quality can be both a blessing and a curse, with the other 10 players on the team perhaps trying too hard to get him the ball. Batistuta, who is Argentina’s second-highest goalscorer behind Messi with 56 goals in 78 matches, draws a parallel with how Messi played under Pep Guardiola’s management at Barcelona.
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“Do you know what it must be like to feel that others expect you to do everything?” he said. “What if we all do it together? It sounds different. And it feels different. Messi is not stupid, if you play at that level, you are not an idiot. Go and ask Messi if he prefers to play in Guardiola's Barcelona, in which he shared everything with great players, or play alone and score all the goals.”
Argentina are unbeaten in 33 international matches, stretching back over three years, and Messi, who scored five times against Estonia in a friendly in June, feels settled in Scaloni’s team. “There is a wonderful group here. People love me a lot and every day they show me more. I am very grateful,” he said in March when asked about his future.
"It does me good every time I come to Argentina. After the Copa America win, much more. Everything flows naturally and it is easier on the field. Winning helps make everything nicer and easier.” Argentina will be in Group C at the World Cup, with Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland.
