TIME TO JOIN THE GREATS
Argentina ready to crown lethal Lionel
THERE are few more respected voices in world football than Pep Guardiola. The Bayern Muni c h coach does not defer to many in the game, such is the cult following he had grown since turning to management and winning two Champions League titles, four league titles, three domestic cups in his first five seasons in his new career.
Only one man seemingly has the capacity to make him appear subordinate. ‘I was lucky enough to enjoy (Lionel) Messi at Barcelona,’ said Guardiola, the former Nou Camp coach, said last week. ‘Com- petitively he’s on a level way above my understanding. A player like him is born once a lifetime. He always takes the right decisions and I would have been too embarrassed to try to tell him where and how to play.’
The watching world would doubtless endorse his words. There have been hat- tricks against Real Madrid, an impossible goal against Getafe mimicking Diego Maradona, and that extraordinary Champions League final at Wembley in 2011 where he simply swept aside the best efforts that Manchester United could muster. And those are just a handful of his highlights.
And yet greats from yesteryear such as Pele, Johan Cruyff and Maradona made their names at the World Cup.
So far it has been different for Messi. In 2006 he was too young to make an i mpact. In 2010 he departed Cape Town in tears, with Argentina dismantled by a vibrant young German team.
The following year at the Copa America in Argentina the relationship between Messi and his home nation reached its nadir. Argentina were knocked out on penalties by Uruguay; Messi was jeered by his own fans. It was noted that he didn’t sing the anthem and those who questioned his allegiance claimed he didn’t know the words. Messi had become a global superstar thanks to Barcelona and Argentina were just a peripheral part of his story.
Not now, however. Messi is clearly integral to Argentina. From the moment he announced himself at this World Cup with his goal at the Maracana, to the last-minute winner against Iran, to the two goals that perplexed Nigeria and the run and pass that created the decisive goal against Switzerland, Messi has been at the heart of this team.
As for Belgium, it is tempting to view them as extras in a drama constructed around one man.
‘I think he’s been outstanding,’ said Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen when asked about that man. ‘Obvi- ously he’s their main man. There are many other players to watch but he’s been outstanding in the games I’ve watched.’
However, Marc Wilmots, the Belgium coach, appears confident, saying: ‘People tend to focus on Messi, and rightly so, but the team isn’t just one player but a whole. I also saw they left a number of scoring opportunities for Switzerland. I don’t think we need to fear anyone. We won’t adapt to their style. It’s a quarter final and we can write history.’
With their array of Premier League stars, Belgium could of course stop the story in it tracks. Switzerland, a lesser side, managed to frustrate them. If Eden Hazard were to shine, if Vincent Kompany can maintain his imperious demeanour against the greatest player of this generation, if Divock Origi can demonstrate more of the raw talent that has led Liverpool to sign him, they surely have a chance.
Argentina have been laboured in this tournament thus far. The defence looks chaotic at time; Javier Maschrano and Fernando Gago don’t appear to be able to offer them adequate protection; Angel Di Maria has been erratic; Gonzalo Higuain is misfiring.
In fact, it is beginning to look a little like Messi and 10 others, just as the 1986 side was Maradona and the rest. He is surrounded by some fine players. But what lifts this side from being merely good to being excellent is clearly the presence of one man, whose ability and experience is far above anyone else left at this World Cup.
‘As in politics, so in football, in Argentina we are always looking for one man to save us,’ said Jorge Valdano, the 1986 World Cup winner last week. ‘If we win the World Cup, the people will crown Messi with laurels; if not it will be a crown of thorns.’