Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates victory. Photo / AP
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates victory. Photo / AP
OPINION:
So Lionel Messi may get his coronation after all.
There has seemed a certain destiny about his time in Doha and it is fitting the Argentinean will bow out in a World Cup final, after an international career with many more sour moments than sweet.
Messi has been superbin Qatar, a 35-year-old living on borrowed time who has captured the imagination.
And it’s not his longevity, though he made his first-team debut for Barcelona in 2004 and has been representing Argentina for 17 years.
The greatest thing about Messi is his mentality.
If the Argentina shirt is “heavier than others” – as coach Lionel Scaloni remarked earlier in this tournament – than the Albiceleste No 10 weighs the most, with the incomparable Diego Maradona as a reference.
Messi knows that.
He’s been hearing that since he was a teenager.
Even El Diego anointed the 19-year-old in 2006, telling media “I’ve seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentinian football and his name is Messi”.
In contrast to his incredible deeds at club level, international success has been harder to come by for Messi.
He’s been unlucky, barely used at the 2006 World Cup when Argentina had the makings of a special team, then foisted with Maradona as a coach in 2010 before running into a once in a generation German side in the 2014 final.
There were a series of high-profile failures in the Copa America and a disjointed campaign in Russia four years ago, where Argentina barely fired a shot.
Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, and Argentina's Julian Alvarez celebrate after scoring during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Argentina and Croatia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
All of that has only increased the pressure on Messi, but he keeps going, keeps turning up.
It has felt – unfairly – that his legacy has been at stake in Doha, which has added another layer.
But how he has responded.
Argentina were on their knees after the Saudi Arabia defeat, and then 30 minutes from probably going home, before his dramatic goal against Mexico that lit the fire.
He was superb against Poland – despite missing a penalty – before another inspired goal and performance against Australia.
But the last two matches have illustrated his true mettle.
Sporting genius isn’t always associated with mental mastery, but Messi keeps digging deep.
The second-half penalty against the Netherlands, then the first in the shootout, knowing a miss could permanently tarnish his reputation, if Argentina were eliminated, after leading 2-0 in the 82nd minute.
Perhaps the greatest display of cojones came in Wednesday’s semifinal.
Croatia had dominated the first 30 minutes, before Argentina’s penalty was awarded, against the run of play.
It was a pivotal moment, as a miss could have been terminal.
It’s the kind of pressure that can break people, as we saw with Harry Kane, one of the best exponents in the world, against France.
So what does Messi do?
Not only step up, but overcome any fears spectacularly, with an unsavable shot, near the top right corner.
It was high risk – he had only successfully attempted that kind of penalty once before in his international career – but also high reward.
Messi’s ability to keep summoning his best when it matters most, under the weight of expectations and with an apparently dodgy hamstring, is mind boggling.
He now has six assists in World Cup knockout games, two more than Pele’s previous record.
He has made the most tournament appearances (25), with 11 goals.
And he has dragged Argentina, against considerable odds, into another World Cup final.
Whatever unfolds on Monday (4am), it’s time to forget the comparisons with Maradona.
