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Argentina’s huge supporters gathered in the thousands at Qatar’s Energy City, next to the massive Lusail Stadium, with only one man on their mind as they faced the threat of a World Cup.
Lionel Messi has carried the hopes of this football-loving nation for most of his career, but there was added excitement as Argentina faced old rivals Mexico in a deafening atmosphere on the stage where the final will be played.
Argentina knew that defeat would effectively end their World Cup after two games following their embarrassing defeat by Saudi Arabia in their opening game. Messi knew it would mean the great honor that eluded him in a glittering career would be forever out of reach.
Messi once again shouldered the burden of Argentina’s expectations – and once again he delivered, unleashing a piece of branding magic when they needed it most to change the course of a game of attrition and maybe even the course of his team’s world cup in the process.
The clock showed 64 minutes. Every second that passed turned the pressure valve on Argentina and thus on Messi. He knows that any Argentina failure at this stage, justified or not, can be seen as Messi’s failure.
He’d been on the sidelines but took center stage to devastating effect as Mexico fell to the magical left foot that has broken the heart of so many opponents.
A gentle touch killed Angel di Maria’s pass. The second touch of the ball shot deep into the bottom corner, past the outstretched left arm of Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Amid a blast of noise from the Argentine fans, Messi ran towards them with his arms outstretched in that familiar celebratory pose. He looked very emotional at the relief and release surrounded by teammates who knew the man they depended on most had delivered again.
As the crowd of players dispersed, Messi stood in front of the fans dressed in light blue and white and shook his arms in celebration. He knew what it meant to them. You knew what it meant to him. Mutual ecstasy.
The greatest players deliver when it counts so it should come as no surprise that Messi has re-emerged.
Up to that point, it had not been an easy night for Messi against Mexico, who visibly reveled in the idea of planting the runners on a heavily tilted Argentina side that won the World Cup at Lusail’s stadium on December 18.
Messi had been marginalized by Mexico. In a quagmire of first-half stoppages and transgressions, unable to make any impact, the 35-year-old often searched at walking pace for a place to escape the close Mexican attention.
When a football match finally broke out in the second half, Messi thrived with the signature dart runs, the quick passes and of course the stroke of genius that broke the deadlock.
Argentina relaxed thanks to Messi, that team’s security blanket, and Enzo Fernandez added a glorious second with a right-foot flick after 87 minutes.
She sent her fans home happy with 88,966 spectators, the highest attendance at the World Cup since the 1994 final in Pasadena – at least those who went home, as many stayed in a stand for almost an hour after the final whistle to watch pay homage to their heroes, and one hero in particular.
Messi had brought the World Cup to life in Argentina. They still need a win against Poland, with their own national icon in striker Robert Lewandowski, to be sure they go through, but true faith has emerged in their ranks thanks to a punch from Messi’s left foot.
He knew exactly what was important in this game.
“We must not give up now,” said Messi. “We have to play all the finals – we can’t make any mistakes. We knew we had to win, that another World Cup was about to begin for us and we knew how to do it.”
Messi certainly knew how to do it.
He knows this will be his last World Championship, the only elite stage where he has yet to collect the prize. Messi suffered a painful defeat against Germany in the 2014 final in the Rio Maracana. He has never come as close as possible to the world championship.
Messi’s career brought four Champions League wins, seven Ballon d’Or and ten La Liga titles at Barcelona. His time at Paris St-Germain is still seen as something of a footnote, but even there he has won a Ligue 1 crown.
The World Cup is the missing link and this is Messi’s last chance to claim it.
Argentina have not fully convinced, are yet to show the form that has propelled them to world number three and the prospect of a painful elimination remains when faced with dangerous opponents in Poland.
For now, however, Argentina’s World Cup show is back on the road because where Lionel Messi is, there is hope.
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