OSSIE ARDILES: Copa America win took the pressure off Messi

OSSIE ARDILES: Lionel Messi always lived in the shadow of Diego Maradona but the pressure lifted when he led Argentina to the Copa America last year… people back home love his new, aggressive image and he could deliver our first World Cup since 1986

  • Argentina’s triumph in the Copa America last year took the pressure off Messi 
  • The South American side beat Brazil in the final of the competition last year 
  • It saw Messi lift his first international trophy and ended a career-long wait 
  • The PSG star can still inspire Argentina to victory out in Qatar this year

It is hard to explain quite how much this World Cup means to Argentina and Lionel Messi but I will try.

Messi has always lived in the shadow of Diego Maradona, the leader of our last World Cup winning team in 1986.

He could never escape the similarities. They are both No 10s, both the best players in the world, both left footed and both capable of magical, extraordinary moments.

Lionel Messi is looking to win the World Cup for the very first time in his career in Qatar

Winning the Copa America with the national side last year will help alleviate the pressure

And yet they were very different in terms of personality. Diego was very forceful, charismatic and sometimes aggressive. Messi was almost timid and wouldn’t say much. People were always looking for a leader like Maradona and Messi wasn’t that person.

When Messi was playing wonderfully for Barcelona and winning everything, he never seemed to be at the same level for Argentina. I never believed it but the perception grew that he didn’t care.

He had moved to Spain when he was 13 to join Barcelona and it was almost as though people thought he was disconnected from his homeland. He even had a period when he didn’t play for the national team, so difficult had it become. 

It always seen to be his fault if they didn’t win. The intensity and pressure just became too much. With him in the team and later as captain, they lost a run of major finals: Copa America finals in 2007, 2015 and 2016 and the World Cup final in 2014.

It always seemed to feel like Messi’s fault whenever Argentina failed on the international stage

But everything has changed since Argentina won the Copa America with him as captain last year in Brazil. You could see in his face that the pressure had been lifted and you could feel it among the people as well. 

They could see the team was rallying to him. And the whole country, even the previous critics, embraced him. He had always been the focal point but now he is much more of a leader. And it looks as though the players in Qatar are determined to win it for him.

Maybe there have been World Cups where he has played better, as a younger player. But there has never been a World Cup where his influence has been as important as it is now.

He leads this team off the pitch and on the pitch, all their creative play comes through him. He is not just Argentina’s most important player, but he is the most important player at the World Cup.

The South American side earned the title after beating rivals Brazil in the final

I know in England some people were surprised at his aggressive reaction after the Netherlands game, the confrontation with Louis van Gaal and some Dutch players.

But you have to remember the context. While England remains the No 1 European team for us to beat, Holland is the No 2. It started in 1974 when we lost 4-0 to them. So it is a long story with a lot of bad blood.

Van Gaal had tried to get Messi to react before the game, inflaming the fire by talking about how Messi didn’t defend well for the team. Then, during the penalties, the Dutch players were constantly trying to disrupt the Argentinian players, playing mind games by walking up to them and celebrating by them if they missed. 

This isn’t to justify what happened but to understand it. There was a lot going on, unsavoury scenes from both sides.

But in Argentina many people loved this new image of Messi. It wasn’t normal for him. It was more of a Maradona reaction, which means the people love him even more. The old perception was that he was cold and not passionate. Now they his feel his desire to win for Argentina. We are Latin people. We react and show our emotions. Sometimes maybe we overreact.

Messi and Co are just two games away from winning the 2022 World Cup title

Now we have to take the next step against Croatia. Many people think it will now be a France versus Argentina final, for sure. But Morocco and Croatia are the best two tactical teams in the tournament. In England, you know only too well how smart the Croatian team can be in World Cup semi-finals. 

I think Argentina will go through but Croatia knows exactly how they want to play the game. With Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic having incredibly good World Cups, it will be the hardest test Argentina have had in midfield.

You can imagine the passion in Argentina as we build up to the game. It is the first World Cup since Diego died, It is Messi’s last chance. We haven’t won the World Cup since 1986. Everybody is crazy and waiting for this moment. 

I think we can do it. Maybe Diego, wherever he is, will be looking down on us and helping us. And maybe that will be enough to make the difference.




Share this article

Source: Read Full Article