Tayguara Ribeiro: Messi’s title would be good for football

I was surprised, at first, when I noticed many Brazilians rooting for Argentina in the semifinal. With the arrival of the big decision this Sunday (18), the crowd for a victory for the neighbors seems to have increased even more.

This estrangement stemmed from the idea that Argentines are our arch-rivals in football. Whether in Libertadores, Copa America or in the friendly. It is conventional to say that there is a special pleasure in beating them.

I don’t know, I confess, the origin of this rivalry. Se was born after many clashes in club and national team tournaments. Perhaps it has to do with the geographic proximity between the two countries. Whether there are historical or social issues. This is all of a sudden.

Well, it’s a final against France, Brazil’s executioner. It has already beaten the Brazilian team three times in the World Cup, including the 1998 final. That may be an explanation for the fans for the local rival.

It can be a tantrum with European teams in general. What would have aroused a “parochialism”. Hence, effusive celebrations after goals or plays by Lionel Messi.

Yeah, there’s Messi. The Argentine is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He has repeatedly amazed football fans with his genius, including in the Qatar Cup.

Chosen many times as the best player in the world, numerous titles with Barcelona, ​​moves, goals, anyway… It is unnecessary to list the accomplishments of Lionel’s career.

But in national team tournaments it seemed that things didn’t work out. Until he won the recent Copa America. He cried.

There were five Cups in which he participated. In Brazil, in 2014, Messi played very well, and Argentina was runner-up.

In 2022 Messi had Messi performances. He managed a team on the verge of disaster (after the defeat to Saudi Arabia) and turned the team into a World Cup finalist. And he was brilliant when he needed to be.

He has five goals in the tournament and three assists. In addition to the cold numbers, it is possible to notice how silently Messi commands his teammates on the field. They look for him, either with the ball or with their eyes.

There’s a funny thing about Messi: it’s very difficult to understand which way he goes during a play. He is unpredictable, he does not create a pattern. It’s funny to us, but I bet quarterbacks wouldn’t agree with that word.

The impression I get from watching him play is that if Lionel Messi wakes up wanting to play, there’s nothing you can do to stop him.

Exaggerations aside, it would be quite unfair, given the career he built and the good he did to football with his art, for Messi to say goodbye to his likely last World Cup without a title.

Yes, many other ball geniuses have not won a football World Cup. Fact. But we are facing a contemporary ace. And he faced a Cup final. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why some Brazilians support Argentina. Football art, even if it’s from a rival.

I’m not advocating that you should root for the Argentines.

But I say that it would be good for football if the most popular sport on the planet stopped committing injustices and producing geniuses without a Cup.