Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ANOTHERFINE
Icon single-handedly fires Argentina to Russia and Sampaoli roars: Messi doesn’t owe Argentina a World Cup, football owes one to Messi... he’s the best in history
HIS harshest critics insist Lionel Messi’s failure to inspire his country to World Cup glory means he can’t yet be considered the game’s greatest-ever player.
But the fact Argentina will have another shot at ending their wait to be crowned kings of the world next year, for the first time since 1986, is purely down to their incredible maestro Messi.
When his country needed him, the 5ft 7in star stood up and delivered like never before, to inspire Argentina to Russia with a stunning hat-trick against Ecuador on Tuesday.
Jorge Sampaoli’s men were staring at an embarrassing group-stage exit and went into their final game sixth, not even in the play-off place.
They had only won one World Cup qualifier in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, before this week’s crucial clash. Boss Sampaoli, appointed in June, was still waiting for his first competitive win.
When Argentina fell a goal down inside the first minute, the prospect of them missing out on a first World Cup since 1970 became even more real.
But then up stepped Messi to single-handedly turn the match and salvage glory from a dire campaign, in which they only won seven of their 18 games. The Barcelona superstar struck twice in seven first-half minutes, before his cheeky chip just after the hour made it 3-1. That completed his fifth hat-trick for Argentina and 44th overall.
No other player has scored a competitive goal for Argentina since last November. Despite all his achievements with Barca, the lack of major international trophies is often held against 30-year-old Messi.
Pele won the World Cup three times with Brazil. Maradona once with Argentina. Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s modern-day rival, inspired Portugal to Euro 2016 victory.
Messi only has three Copa America final defeats, plus another in the 2014 World Cup final to his name. But Sampaoli