“Captain Messi.” It should be the name of a movie, a documentary, a book. Argentina winning the World Cup, one day it will be, someone will have that idea (even though I already had it, and I won’t get anything for it).
It’s hard to root against. Not against the currently imaginary film, but against the Argentines triumphing in Qatar. I’m rooting in favour, solely and exclusively, for captain Messi to lift the cup at the Lusail stadium.
The way Messi is playing in this World Cup, in his last participation in one (this is his fifth), eating the ball at the age of 35, it is almost compulsory to want him to win. Fair and deserved reward to one of the greatest geniuses, from the top of his 1.70 m, that football has ever seen (and still sees).
As it happens, the star will become the 22nd different captain, in 22 editions of the Cup, to get his hands on the trophy before sharing it with his teammates.
Captain Messi, if he triumphs, will make the Cup witness something rare since 1930, when Uruguay hosted the inaugural tournament. Only twice, out of 21, has a professional striker captained his national team in the title game. The first, in 1938; the second and last, in 1954.
In the third World Cup, that of France, Italy, who had won four years earlier at home, won the second against Hungary with Giuseppe Meazza (1910-1979) as captain.
Player who gives the name to the stadium used for Milan and Inter Milan games (clubs he defended), Giuseppe Meazza is a football legend, considered one of the best in Italy, alongside Paolo Maldini, Roberto Baggio, Franco Baresi and Gianluigi Buffon.
It was Giuseppe Meazza’s second Italian goal in the 2-1 victory over Brazil in the semifinal, in Bordeaux – from the penalty spot, and his only goal in that Cup.
In the fifth World Cup, in Switzerland, the champion West Germany, who overcame Hungary de Puskás in the decision, had as captain Fritz Walter (1920-2002), scorer of three goals in that Cup, two of which were from the penalty spot.
Like Giuseppe Meazza, Fritz Walter, who had his career interrupted to fight for his country in World War II, names a football stadium, that of Kaiserslautern, the only club for which he played in his career, scoring 357 goals in 364 matches.
He is on the list of great German strikers such as Rummenigge, Völler, Seeler, Klose and Gerd Müller.
The other captains of World Cup winning teams were midfielders (twice), midfielders (three times, including Dunga), wingers (three times, including Cafu and Carlos Alberto), defenders (seven times, including Bellini and Mauro) or goalkeepers (four times). times).
Even the two number 10 shirts (the same one worn by Messi) who lifted the FIFA Cup, despite constantly going ahead and scoring goals, were not strikers, but midfielders.
In 1986, in Mexico, Diego Maradona, Messi’s compatriot, played behind Burruchaga and Valdano, and the same happened in Italy, in 1990, when Lothar Matthäus, who rivaled Maradona in the final, had Klinsmann and Völler ahead of him, in addition to by Littbarski.
Thus, captain Messi will have to break on Sunday (18) a 68-year-old script, according to which the striker does not lift the Cup cup, to be world champion.
In Qatar, 11 forwards, in addition to Messi, wore the captain’s badge, including stars like Kane (England), Lewandowski (Poland), Bale (Wales), Son (South Korea) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal. All succumbed.
At the Lusail stadium, it will be captain Messi against captain Lloris, goalkeeper of the very strong France, current world champion, of Mbappé, Giroud, Griezmann, Varane. Which went through Morocco in the semifinal.
Lloris is the captain who lifted the cup in the Cup before this one, Russia, in 2018. The number 1 has already felt that sweet taste and will do everything to repeat the delight – he would be the first player to win twice as captain.
“Captain Messi v Captain Lloris”. Another good movie title. It will be a great duel. I’ll cheer for Messi, but may the best man win.
Below is a list of all captains who have won World Cups.
- Uruguay-1930 – Jose Nasazzi (Uruguay) – defender
- Italy-1934 – Gianpiero Combi (Italy) – goalkeeper
- France-1938 – Giuseppe Meazza (Italy) – striker
- Brazil-1950 – Obdulio Varela (Uruguay) – midfielder
- Switzerland-1954 – Fritz Walter (Germany) – striker
- Sweden-1958 – Hilderaldo bellini (Brazil) – defender
- Chile-1962 – Mauro branches (Brazil) – defender
- England-1966 – Bobby Moore (England) – defender
- Mexico-1970 – Carlos Alberto (Brazil) – side
- Germany-1974 – Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) – defender
- Argentina – 1978 – Daniel Passarella (Argentina) – defender
- Spain-1982 – Dino Zoff (Italy) – goalkeeper
- Mexico-1986 – Diego Maradona (Argentina) – midfielder
- Italy-1990 – Lothar Matthäus (Germany) – midfielder
- USA-1994 – Dunga (Brazil) – steering wheel
- France-1998 – Didier Deschamps (France) – midfielder
- Korea/Japan-2002 – Cafu (Brazil) – side
- Germany-2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) – defender
- South Africa 2010 – Iker Casillas (Spain) – goalkeeper
- Brazil-2014 – Philipp Lahm (Germany) – lateral
- Russia-2018 – Hugo Lloris (France) – goalkeeper
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