Ever since Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar, I’ve been pondering a particular idea. It relates to the last two World Cup-winning teams: the 1986 team with Maradona and the 2022 team with Messi. This idea is, of course, purely speculative, without tangible evidence—just an interpretation based on what we saw during the matches. Here’s the hypothesis: in Mexico, players would say, “Let’s go, Diego is going to lead us to victory,” while in Qatar, they said, “Let’s go, we need to win this for Leo.”
The reverence this young generation of players has for Messi explains everything. It’s one thing to have the best player in the world as a teammate; it’s another when that player is your idol. This is where Scaloni’s role comes in: he managed to turn that admiration into a unified goal. When a team achieves that, they become invincible.
This realization, which surfaced during the Qatar World Cup, was confirmed for me during the Copa America final. The dedication shown by the team, especially when Leo came off injured, is part of an unspoken pact: we have to make him a champion.
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Rodrigo de Paul, one of Messi’s closest teammates, recently shared a touching confession: “When Leo was subbed off, the cameras focused on him crying, and we saw those images on the screen. Usually, the screen shows the time; it’s unusual for them to display that. It caused an uproar, and we saw it. At that moment, we said, ‘This is for him.’ There was little time left, and everyone was exhausted. The game plan took a back seat. I felt that at that moment, we played for him.”
This team’s essence isn’t just about Messi’s presence. It’s not only about the incredible things he does with the ball at his feet. This team also draws its strength from what Messi inspires in his teammates, pushing them to give everything on the field.
The concern this theory raises for me is about what will happen once Messi is no longer there. How will these players adapt to the absence of their idol? But that’s still in the future. Before that, there will be World Cup qualifiers and the Finalissima with Spain. And for now, Leo will still be there, surrounded by his loyal comrades.
