By cy.Reporter, 15 July, 2021
Argentina celebrates winning a title after almost 30 years and cyNews "flips" the chapters of the Argentine life of the man who lifted the weighty trophy in Maracana… Where Lionel Messi saw his nightmare begin in 2016 and turn into in a dream in 2021. The Argentine superstar who had consciously chosen to fight with the colors of his country, having to "defeat" "Gods" such as Diego Maradona and "demons" such as comparison, pressure and criticism from the press …
Lionel Messi who "carried" his country to the finals but always left with tears… However, above the titles in sports are the emotion and the tears, either from sadness or from joy, showed that the Argentine superstar "carried" a " burden "that would hardly be tolerated by anyone other than… Messi of Argentina…
It was July 13, 2014 Λ Lionel Messi was watching in silence, speechless and unable to react - after an exhausting month on the pitch in Brazil - the German players were celebrating and lifting the world cup in the sky of Maracana περ Argentin had just missed the opportunity to enter the pantheon of the top and to "dethrone" for many Diego Armando Marnadona from the top of the football "Everest".
"Only with Barcelona does he win titles", "He can not be like Maradona" "A nation was disappointed" were some expressions the day after Argentina's defeat in the World Cup final in which it found itself after the distant 1990…
Chapter 1: Choose Argentina, the difficulties have started…
But let's go back in time and specifically find ourselves in Lionel Messi's debut with the Albiceleste jersey. Better yet, before his debut to see the reasons that led him to say "yes" and choose to play with the jersey of the country in which he was born, because he had a choice not to do it… A key aspect that could change the future of both Messi and Argentina was Lionel's crucial choice when he made his first football steps in Spain.
The rising -then- football "star" could choose to play with the jersey of the Spanish national team and not with the jersey of Argentina if he wanted to. However, as he stated years later, his decision was very easy. "Someone told me that if I had played for the Spanish national team I would have won the World Cup. But it never crossed my mind and for me it would not be the same to do it with Argentina. It would be something unique with my homeland ".
Messi made his official debut with the Men's National Team jersey on 18 August 2005 against Hungary, however, when he entered the pitch as a substitute, he inadvertently and due to excessive zeal hit his opponent in the face and saw in a few minutes the red card!
Chapter 2: Successes We May Not Know
A few months earlier, in June 2005, Lionel Messi became World Champion with the Argentina Youth Team and scored both goals in the final against Nigeria (2-1), winning the trophy and becoming the tournament's top scorer. as well as the best football player of the tournament! Three years later, at the Beijing Olympics, he won Olympic gold with Argentina and scored the only goal of the match against Nigeria after an assist by Angel Di Maria. Little Lionel Messi has been an Olympian with his country since he was 21 years old! Something that in the field of football may not mean much, however, in the field of sports is the crown of the sports life of every child who dreams of becoming a champion when he grows up and the anthem of his country is heard in his honor!
Chapter 3: The first comparisons and failures
The widespread disappointments from the Argentine national team had brought despair to the ranks of the Argentines who, in the absence of Diego Maradona, were desperately looking for the new "Messiah" and trying to find the new "Diego" in any footballer who had at least one of his characteristics. The news from Barcelona about a footballer the like of whom the football world would never have seen, had reached the "ears" of the Argentines. In fact, when Lionel Messi scored exactly the same goal as the "goal of the Century", which looked almost the same in time, in way, in distance, but also in the way Getafe's opponents marked Lionel Messi, the football planet started talking about the new "Maradona". No one asked Messi if he could stand at this age the comparison with the legend and hero of millions of people who worshiped Argentina and Maradona as a god. People were hoping and looking to find the new "Messiah". And as we know, the "Messiah" is easily transformed from "God" into a "scapegoat" overnight.
At the 2006 World Cup, he became the youngest player to play for Argentina, but Albiceleste was disappointed with another major tournament with their early disqualification. The following year, Argentina reached the final of the Copa America. The young Messi, started to show his talent, scored in both the quarterfinals and the semifinals of the tournament and emerged as the best young player in the tournament, but this was of little interest to the Argentines, who saw their country fail again and lose. with 3-0 from Brazil in the final of the tournament.
Messi's upward trajectory continued at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa under Diego Armando Maradona, who wore the captain's armband to Greece for the first time. both Messi and Maradona can not do anything and bring their favorite country back to the top of the world. A year later, the Copa America was hosted in Argentina but the hosts were eliminated for another year in the quarterfinals of the tournament, spreading disappointment once again…
Chapter 4: The time has come!
World Cup 2014. Brazil hosts the biggest football event and the whole football world is focused on Lionel Messi. The leader -now- of Barcelona and the National Team of Argentina has a goal. To celebrate after a plethora of titles with Barcelona, a title with his country as well. Lionel Messi showed from the first day of the tournament how much he wanted to help his country. Maybe not so much for himself, but for the expectations that millions of people had for his face. Everyone in Argentina was in disarray… The country's media "bored" in training and made comparisons of Messi's look with that of Maradona when Argentina last won the 1986 World Cup! The pressure was at truly unprecedented levels!
Argentina may not have had the big names to support Messi, but the Argentine did everything on the pitch. In the first match he scored one goal in the 2-1 victory over Bosnia, in the second match he gave the victory with 1-0 against Iran and in the third match he scored two goals in the 3-2 victory over Nigeria. In summary, Messi was involved in 4 of his team's 6 goals in the group stage! In the quarterfinals, Messi assisted Di Maria in the 1-0 victory over Belgium and essentially led Argentina to the semifinals of the tournament on his own, winning the award for best footballer in the first 4 matches! In the semifinals, Argentina prevailed over the Dutch on penalties and reached the final of the tournament. Messi was trying to manage the fatigue of the whole season, he now seemed exhausted both physically and mentally. Neuer's beam… A few inches from heaven to hell… A few inches from being the best of all or the loosers as they called him… or not?
Germany prevailed 1-0 in overtime and the World Press had found its "victim". Lionel Messi was the reason that Argentina could not become World Champion, you are brave and football is an individual sport and not a team sport… Messi did not speak ταν was criticized… Messi had completed the World Cup with the most football opportunities, the most dribbles and most awards for the best player of the match, however, a few inches out of a place were more valuable to the press who was "thirsty" to "devour" a footballer and give him the title of looser…
Chapter 5: Establishment… in defeats
The following year, the Copa America was held in Chile. Messi had another chance to lead Argentina to a title after the distant 1993! Argentina reached the final, however, shortly before the teams were sent to the penalty spot Higuain lost another quarter… In the penalty shootout Argentina lost 4-1 and the only goal was scored by Lionel Messi, but it was not enough to lead to victory of the trophy… Now, the criticism has reached the limits of ridicule. The best player in the world saw everyone making fun of him and judging him…
However, he did not give up… The following year, the anniversary Copa America was held for the 100th anniversary of the event. Messi led Argentina to consecutive finals, had it at the top of the big tournaments, but defeats in the finals overshadowed everything μπ Albiceleste reaches the final again against Chile until… Messi misses on penalties… Argentina knows another ή Messi could no longer believe that he managed to keep Argentina at the top of all the big tournaments, but he could not win a title…
His cries were mocked by many, when he had led Argentina to another final alone with 5 goals and 4 assists in the tournament and then… "It is amazing that we can not win the trophy. It happened to us again and again on penalties. It is the third consecutive final. We tried and it was not written to come out winners. It is difficult at the moment to do any analysis. In the locker room I thought that the national team is not for me ". These were the words of the injured Lionel Messi… However, the Argentine superstar could not leave his great love for a long time… He returned, but in the 2018 World Cup he was eliminated by France with 4-3…
Chapter 6: Fate vindicated him
Copa America 2021. Argentina is back in Brazil. Messi returns to the place where he felt the big loss for the first time. The Argentine superstar makes another great tournament and leads Argentina to another final… Brazil's opponent in Maracana. Where the nightmare for Messi started, there he was to be saved Άν Angel Di Maria scored and as soon as the Argentine heard the whistle of the end, he burst into tears and around him were his teammates who were celebrating like little children. After 28 years Argentina reached the top of a big tournament and Lionel Messi as captain lifted to the Brazilian sky the trophy he had been waiting for so many years with Argentina… and for another event he emerged as the best footballer to play in the tournament…
The chapter of his life
Lionel Messi for many spelled the "ghosts" that "haunted" him with the Copa America cup, however, his statistics from his overall presence in Argentina show that he not only "carried" all these years Argentina but without him Albiceleste probably could not even reach the finals of major events. Statistics show that he is the top scorer in the history of the team with 76 goals and first in participations with 151 appearances. Olympian with the National Team of Argentina, holder of the Copa America, holder of the World Cup with the Youth team, finalist of the World Cup with the Men's team and finalist in three Copa America…
But the most important thing is that, above the statistics, above the defeats, Lionel Messi never gave up, he received harsh and often unfair criticism, as everyone was trying to find something negative to reduce the football value of a unique footballer. . Many times he thought of giving them up, but as an authentic leader does, he not only returned but gave a trophy that the Argentines had been waiting for for almost 30 whole years… who knows it might not have been the last for Messi and his Argentine team and just to be the beginning… However the leader of Albiceleste did not have to give answers to anyone. The answers this time were given by football itself…
Research, writing, editing: Christos Davos (cyNews sports editor)