Among the heart-broken and drained faces that gazed sympathetically at him close to the change room, Messi discovered Alfredo Pernas, his closest buddy among the many group of strategists. He tossed the trophy to Pernas and advised him to do no matter he desires with it. Messi would slink right into a nook of the change room and weep like a toddler.

“He just flung the Golden Ball at me and told me to do whatever I want with it. It was not what he wanted,” Pernas would later inform Canal 24. Pernas took it residence and preserved it. “He has never asked me about it again, but who knows he might ask me some day. You cannot shove it into the dustbin,” he would add.

Messi would later say, “I do not care about the Golden Ball. That was the worst night of my life.” That night time when he reached the closest to holding the World Cup, fulfilling his dream and future. But like being woken up out of your sweetest dream and thrust into your worst nightmare, that night time when Germany beat Argentina within the ultimate, eight years in the past, stays an unhealed wound.

The airplane carrying the Argentina nationwide soccer workforce is painted with footage of Lionel Messi, heart, Angel Di Maria, left, and Rodrigo De Paul arrives at Hamad International airport in Doha, Qatar. (AP)

He has by no means rewatched the match, even when an interviewer of FIFA.com as soon as confirmed him the footage. He turned his eyes away from the tv, stared hollowly into the space and advised him, “I don’t know what to say, it’s a pity. I think we had the better chances in the game. For the rest of our lives we’ll regret having those chances, and not being able to put them in.”

Last yr, after Argentina received the COPA Cup, the image of South American soccer supremacy, on the identical venue, beating Brazil no much less, he was requested a selected query: Were the ghosts of 2014 exterminated? “No,” he paused, and firmed up his tone: “Never”.
The 2014 loss will dwell on whether or not he wins this World Cup or the following. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni would later clarify, “A champion footballer like him, who never likes to lose a single game, would never forget the losses. He remembers every single game he has lost, for club and country. I don’t know whether he remembers the wins!”

A win can’t undo a defeat, simply as the current can’t change the previous. But there dwells hope for the longer term. There is renewed hope in Argentina that Messi’s final World Cup might maybe be his destiny-fulfilling one, too. Under Scaloni, Messi has been a liberated pressure, Argentina has strung collectively 35 undefeated video games, performed lovely, free-flowing soccer as their followers had yearned for, and constructed an acceptable stage for his or her most interesting participant to bury the ache of Maracana and leap into absolute footballing immortality.

***

For Messi, successful the World Cup isn’t just about successful the World Cup. It has deeper meanings and relevance. It’s not merely about fetching the final piece of silverware into his cabin, or incomes the ultimate stamp of greatness, or being an equal to Diego Maradona, however about proving that he’s as Argentinian as any Argentinian. Or, maybe, extra Argentinian.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi arrives in Doha with Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul , Angel di Maria and Leandro Paredes for the FIFA World Cup Qatar. (Reuters)

It’s merciless that he’s made to show his Argentinian-ism each time he pulls on the blue-and-white stripes of the nation. But that’s the way it has been. He was not Pibe, the boy from the streets. He was not from the 2 huge Argentina golf equipment, River Plate or Boca Juniors. He has not performed for any membership in his nation.

His sport was moulded in La Masia Academy and never within the alleys of Buenos Aires. He was unemotional on the sphere, not anarchic. His rendition of the nationwide anthem is tender; he has received every thing for Barcelona, however none for Argentina, earlier than the COPA triumph final yr.

For a deeply emotional nation, there was an irrepressible disconnect and mistrust with Messi, regardless that they beloved him and he beloved them again. He is aloof, distant, and never them. Maradona was, for his vices and virtues, a real illustration of his nation.

Messi is conscious of the complexities. He has been requested quite a few occasions of his actual affiliations: Spain or Argentina? Messi has defended his roots, his loyalty, his coronary heart. Once he recounted an incident: “I was offered to play for Spain when I was 15, I refused. After Spain won the World Cup, a friend in Barcelona joked, ‘If you had accepted the offer, you would have been a World Cup winner.’ I told him, ‘Winning with Spain is not the same as winning with Argentina.’”

There are shades and shadows of Argentina between his phrases, tones and accent, too. He left his hometown Rosario when he was 13 and spent most of his teenage and grownup life in Barcelona, but his Spanish is sparklingly Argentinian. To defend his dedication, his coronary heart and soul, for the nation, he even needed to write a column within the newspaper, The Patriot. He launches a teary self-defence: “People ask me why I have not picked up the Spanish accent and it is simple: I do not want to pick it up, or to lose any identification with my country. These are the only colours I want to wear.”

His former coach Jorge Sampaoli would sympathise: “The World Cup is like a revolver to his head.”

****

But by no means maybe has the revolver been the farthest from his head than it’s now. For he’s now not Barcelona’s. Just Argentina’s. Though he performs for the French membership Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the affiliations aren’t as robust. There is not any envy, no undesirable comparability, no doubts or debates of his dedication. There is not any distraction — if Messi appeared disenchanted final yr in Paris, he has been reinvigorated this season, netting 12 targets and 14 assists in 18 video games for PSG.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi listens to the United Arab Emirates nationwide anthem, throughout a pleasant soccer match between Argentina and United Arab Emirates, at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, in Abu Dhabi. (AP)

Perhaps, it’s an phantasm, maybe it’s actual, maybe it’s neither actual nor illusory, however Messi has seldom worn his ardour as wildly as he has when taking part in for his nation than within the final two years. Usually shy and delicate, he has been animated and confrontational, choosing fights with opponents, arguing with the referees and celebrating moments maniacally. He has by no means mocked his opponents.

He did when Colombia’s Yerry Mina missed a penalty throughout the quarterfinals shootout in COPA. He charged down the midway line and yelled on the goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to bop, within the precise manner Mina had danced throughout victory within the earlier spherical. Messi, undeniably, was all the time captivated with taking part in for his nation.

But seldom has that keenness manifested this passionately. It could possibly be a trick of the eyes, as a result of when he wears the blue-and-white stripes of Argentina, you don’t see an invisible purple and crimson beneath, because it all the time had appeared to exist. It’s pure blue and white.

The jersey now not appears to burden him, neither does the nationwide workforce seem like a gilded jail. Since Scaloni took over the reins of the workforce in 2018, each Messi and his nation have lastly discovered a technique to harness the most effective out of one another. In the final 4 years. Argentina ended their lengthy COPA America drought, hammered European champions Italy within the Cup of Champions and are unbeaten within the final 35 video games. He has scored 25 occasions and assisted 9 occasions in 36 video games. That is sort of one-third of his targets for the nation (90 from 164) has been scored in these video games.

Scaloni, who was elevated from part-time to full-time supervisor as a result of he was unglamorous and his charges not exorbitant, has managed what a lot of his extra well-known predecessors, from Jose Pekerman to Jose Sampaoli, couldn’t. To get the most effective out of Messi, Scaloni realised that it was vital to get the most effective out of his teammates, too. Rather than tuning their ways to swimsuit Messi, he was extra keen on formulating a technique that labored for all the group. “It would be difficult for many to adapt to Messi’s style of play, but Messi could adjust to anything (plan).”

Argentina’s Lionel Messi in motion throughout a pleasant match between Argentina and United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. (AP)

In his staggering profession, Messi has donned a number of roles with aplomb, and excelled in every. From proper winger to false 9, to centre ahead to deep-lying playmaker, there have been few roles he has left untried. His Argentina and Barcelona colleague Javier Mascherano would joke: “Make him a central defender, he would be the best in the world.”

Scaloni, although, was initially inclined to a direct and vertical sport, however quickly modified to a possession-based sport attributable to a dearth of high quality wingers. His midfield is usually slim, however the midfielders, particularly the versatile Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo de Paul, are blessed with elegant passing vary.

Messi has starred in quite a lot of roles, however normally he begins as second striker in a 4-2-3-1 or a centre ahead in 4-3-3. But no matter his place is, he normally drifts to the fitting to obtain and create from outdoors of their opponent’s defensive block. The progressive passing capacity of Scaloni’s males, or Scaloneta as they’re referred to as, is luxurious.
Even the central defensive pair of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez are blessed with the attention for a defence-splitting, attack-initiating cross and ball participant. It has helped Scaloni that a number of the un-droppables who made Argentina top-heavy are retired, like Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero.

Scaloni picks his males rigorously, too. Among a raft of standard strikers taking part in in Europe, Scaloni selected Lautaro Martinez, whose chief job is to attract defenders out of their place, dishevel the defensive form with intelligent runs past the defence-line and create house for Messi and Co. to manoeuvre.

Though Argentina is just not a lot of a urgent facet, they storm the ultimate third. In a standard sport sequence, Messi has no less than 4 colleagues together with the full-backs beside him. So, he has the liberty to maneuver into empty areas or drift huge, or drop deep with fast passing exchanges. Maybe, it’s this freedom, the elevation of high quality round him, that has made the presents of Messi shine brighter than ever earlier than within the robes of his nation and made his solely unfulfilled dream on a soccer subject look nearer to achievement than ever earlier than.

But Messi warns: “The World Cup is very difficult, many things have to happen (to win it), and there are many teams that want the same as us and that are doing well.” He then allays the fears: “We are eager, we are going to fight, we are not afraid of anyone because we are ready to play against anyone, but with peace of mind.”

There was an uncommon rage in his voice when he uttered these phrases in a press convention final month. Not desperation however a burning want to consummate his final shot at fulfilling his future, the final try at successful the one trophy that has eluded him, and, predominantly, the final leap in the direction of proving that he’s extra Argentinian than any Argentinian.

The ache of Maracana would possibly dwell on eternally, however the pleasure of Doha might make the recollections of that night time slightly bit extra bearable.

MESSI TRIVIA

27 Messi has netted 27 targets in 43 video games this calendar yr

25 Under supervisor Lionel Scaloni, Messi has scored 25 occasions in 36 video games

3 If Messi manages to help three extra targets, he would break Maradona’s report of most assists in World Cups (8)