Lionel Scaloni called Messi right after the 2018 World Cup. Everyone was dissatisfied with the national team. The trips always had more than 200 guests on the plane, the environment was toxic, the relationship with Jorge Sampaoli had been difficult for the cast.
The campaign in Russia was traumatic. That and defeats in two Copa Americas finals to Chile made Messi think about not playing for his country anymore.
On the phone, Scaloni promised that the mess would end and the delegation would only have the players on the trips. “But I need you. We need you a lot,” asked Scaloni.
“If that’s the case, I’m in,” Messi replied.
Thus began a work that led to 36 unbeaten matches, between the defeat by Brazil in the 2019 Copa América, in the Mineirão, and the debut in the Qatar Cup, against Saudi Arabia.
The commitment ended the fast of 26 years without any title among the professionals. Messi and Di María were Olympic champions.
Strange to understand why Scaloni changed five starters after losing for the first time in three years, and why he changed four more positions after beating Mexico, in the second round.
The pressure should have eased after breaking the title fast at the 2021 Copa América at Maracanã, sung by players in the locker room. But the cry of assistant coach Pablo Aimar revealed that the Argentines still have emotional issues to resolve.
“This should just be a football match,” said Lionel Scaloni. It’s not, my friend… This is the World Cup!
For Argentines, much more than a narration by Galvão Bueno, the group stage of the World Cup is a tango.
Eliminated in the first phase four times, it also placed third in its groups in 1990 and 1994. It only advanced in the play-offs, because four third-placed teams could play in the round of 16.
Messi missed the penalty, saved by Szczesny, and the Argentines finished 14 times in the first half, but stopped on the Polish wall. They returned nervous for the second half and changed the mood of the stadium with Mac Allister’s goal in the first minute.
The bleachers are as nervous as Pablo Aimar, and the images of compulsive crying demonstrate this. The bitten nails, grinding teeth and fingers pulling their own hair are mostly from people who came from Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, Tandil, Mendoza and Santa Fe. In the subway, you can see and it is possible to know the city of each one.
The profile of Argentine fans at the Cup is different from Brazilian fans. A little bit is the charisma of the yellow shirt, which does not belong to any political party, but to the entire population. You can see fans from Brazil with an accent from Bangladesh, Lebanon, Nepal, from all the countries that have exploited workers in Doha. Argentina has too. But there are more people who came from America in search of the dream of seeing Messi win the title.
The nervousness of who will have to pay the bill makes more sense than that of such an experienced team, playing what Scaloni defines as “just a football match”.
At stadium 974, the Argentine national team beat Poland and its nerves, ranked first and is, in the draw of the brackets, with a chance to face Brazil in the semifinals.
With the victory over Poland, tango became rock.
Scaloni’s team made their best performance in the group stage and will play the round of 16 against Australia as favorites.
Messi and Lewandowski remain in the Cup.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
_144818.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
