Messi’s last World Cup: Why is Qatar 2022 so Important to Argentina?

Most Argentines plan to get together with family and friends to see each of the matches of the first round of Qatar 2022. Once every four years, the illusion of winning the most coveted trophy in soccer is renewed. But this year “feels” different, as that this might be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup, and also due to the fact that the Argentine national team was champion of the Copa America last year. 

Argentina has won the World Cup twice: in 1978, when it hosted the championship, and again in 1986, with Diego Armando Maradona as the main protagonist. Since then, fans have been left with a rather bitter taste, depending on how close the team has come to the top spot.

Messi’s last World Cup

Now, after having taken the Copa America trophy home in 2021, the illusion of being able to repeat the feast of 1986 has been renewed. This is even more so since this is probably the last World Cup Lionel Messi will play, as he’s already turned 35 years old. 

The player, who wears the shirt with the number 10 on his back- the same that Maradona also wore- has faced the critics of many Argentines because, despite being on of the top players in Europe, with both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, luck seems to elude him whenever he has played for his home country.

To understand this even more, while in Europe he has won 11 club championships and four Champions Leagues of the Union of European Football Federations, he has also received the Ballon d’Or seven times, which is awarded each year to the world’s best soccer player.

However, he has played in the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups wearing the Argentine jersey, and hasn’t won any of them. In fact, the closest the Argentine team came to victory was in 2014, when it reached the final and lost to Germany.

But many sports journalists have noticed that Messi appears to look quite a bit different this time, seemingly more relaxed and enjoying himself. He has even appeared smiling, a far cry from his usual frown in the past. Will that change of attitude be enough to assure the cup? We’ll have to wait and see. We  also need to remember that he’s not playing alone, so the hopes shouldn’t rely only on his performance.  

Lionel Scaloni, manager of Argentina’s national football team since 2018, chose these players for Qatar 2022: 

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli, Franco Armani.

Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Germán Pezzella, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Marcos Acuña, Nicolás Tagliafico, Juan Foyth.

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Guido Rodríguez, Alejandro Gómez, Enzo Fernández, Exequiel Palacios.

Strikers: Ángel Di María, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Nicolás González, Joaquín Correa, Paulo Dybala, Lionel Messi.

When will Argentina play 

The Argentine National Team is in the C group, so for the first round of the Qatar 2022 World Cup it will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. The first match will be played on Tuesday, against Saudi Arabia. In the next one it will face Mexico, on Saturday, November 26th. And on Wednesday, November 30th, it will face Poland.

Ignite your passion for Messi and Argentina with these series

Whether or not you are a soccer fan, there are several series and documentaries that you can watch to soak in the passion and get revved up before you watch the matches. And even if you don’t plan on watching the games, these shows can help you to understand the sensation that fans of the sport feel when their team is playing.

Sean eternos: campeones de América. This three-episode Netflix series was released a few days ago, and it takes an unprecedented close-up look at Lionel Messi and the Argentine team’s battle to break a 28-year title drought in Copa América. You’ll get to see everything the players had to go through to earn the title.   

Argentine National Team, Road to Qatar. In six episodes, this Amazon Prime series shows how the Argentina National Football Team has prepared for the World Cup and opens the door to  behind-the-scenes. The qualifiers, the Copa América (in Brazil), the Finalissima (Italy) and match preparation for Qatar as never seen before.

Matchday: Inside FC Barcelona. This is another Netflix series (from 2020), that offers exclusive unseen content from on and off the field with FC Barcelona, one of the world’s most popular and successful soccer clubs. It’s narrated by John Malkovich, and different players, including Lionel Messi, provide their testimony. 

This is Football. This is a 2019 six-part documentary you can see on Amazon Prime. It explores football’s extraordinary impact on the world. From the streets of Delhi to the fields of post-war Rwanda to the pitches of the Champions League, this globe-spanning series tells a unique story of the game and its power to unite countries, inspire generations and captivate billions. The last chapter is dedicated to Lionel Messi: “A genius in boots.”

Watch our brand new series: Quest to Qatar  to keep updated on latest news about the world cup!