the seven steps of Argentina World Champion in Qatar

A magical novel, with love, sadness and suspense, with a stellar protagonist whose luck in the World Cup had eluded him, but who was always known to have a special light. That and much more is what Qatar 2022 was for the National Team and for the rest of the Argentines, that society so beaten that received a pampering as indispensable as it was unforgettable. Distance is often forgettable, even though only a year has passed since Lionel Messi lifted the cup dressed in a superhero cape. Therefore, it is not bad to remember the step by step of the Scaloneta, the dreamed path to glory.

Debut and defeat 1-2 against Saudi Arabia on November 22. A slap that for many seemed like a knockout.

“And now that? The blow is brutal, unexpected. The World Cup of hope became another World Cup to suffer. Too fast. With that bitter feeling left the thousands of fans who arrived at the Lusail stadium singing “that with the hand of Leo Messi we are all going to turn around…”; Those who got up before seven in the morning in Argentina had to face the rest of the day with that disappointment. Is it cursed, Qatar?, everyone asks; “Will there be a resurrection in time? They ask the stars.”wrote Adrián Maladesky in the pages of Clarion.

“We are dead. It is a very hard blow because we did not expect to start this way. We were confident of winning and starting with the three points that give you peace of mind”Lionel Messi released after the fall. And he confided: “This group has always stood out for its unity and strength and it is time to be more united than ever and to know that we have to return to the basics of how our game works to try to beat Mexico. It’s time to show that we are a real group”.

On November 26, before Mexico, the first of the 6 finals that would remain for the National Team was played: it was a 2-0 victory. It was too early to run out of margin for error, but the spirit of the team emerged, the wrist of Lionel Scaloni to understand the duel, the scoring appearance of Enzo Fernández and the hierarchy of Messi to unblock the game. The anguish of Pablo César Aimar, that almost always serene and reflective assistant, also remained for posterity.

“Leo showed a “Maradonian” rebellion. He asked for the ball and gave electricity to the National Team. The game changed, Messi was present. There was another vibe in the air at the Lusail stadium. At 18 minutes, Enzo Fernández looked for Di María and Fideo looked for Messi. Leo found a solitude that he had never had. One second. He made the most of it: his low, furious left-footed shot seemed driven by millions of Argentines who wanted another story for the National Team and by millions of fans of other nationalities who did not want Messi to say goodbye so quickly. “This is how Argentina escaped the knockout and revived”analyzed Maladesky.

“It was a great liberation. It was a peace of mind to have passed a difficult test like this. Although we were confident and are aware of what we can do and give, when push comes to shove, many things play in our heads and sometimes it is difficult to isolate yourself from all that. This group is ready. “We achieved a very important step, but now we have another step left to achieve the first objective”Messi added. And he added: “Now let people continue to trust. It was spectacular how they encouraged this time and the union that there was. We knew it was going to be this way. This group has been showing for a long time that it can fight and we needed the people. It was proven that when we are united, beautiful things happen”.

It was not a rival Poland on November 30 and the feeling settled in that something big could happen because the 2-0 with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez was overwhelming.

“Welcome Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Goodbye ghosts, goodbye doubts, goodbye to all that belly ache caused by imagining that the road could end too soon here in the Middle East. The thing is that the National Team was once again the Scaloneta. With other interpreters, even with another system. With a coach like Lionel Scaloni who makes strong decisions and makes the team improve as it goes. With Enzo Fernández becoming the boss of the middle and the great figure of this humid night in Doha. With Julián Álvarez who does not feel the difference between playing in a pasture in his native Calchín or in a stadium made with containers. With Otamendi firm to intimidate a blurred Lewandowski. With De Paul again De Paul. With a Di María always ready to make trouble. And with a Messi who was not imperial only because he was once again betrayed by a penalty. The 2-0 win over Poland was not only relief from qualifying. The 2-0 win over Poland, a rival whom they eliminated from the field, was an almost perfect production that allows you to dream”explained Martín Voogd in these pages.

On December 6, the 2-1 victory against Australia It was without extenuating circumstances, beyond the saving save by Emiliano Martínez shortly before the end. La Scaloneta won well with goals from Leo and Julián and deserved a greater advantage in the result. For Messi, furthermore, it was a special game: he reached 1000 games in his career.

“Millennial. Here, in the city of Al Rayyan, which functions as a gateway to the immensity of the dunes, there is something even more immeasurable and he wears the number 10 shirt of the Argentine National Team. Lionel Andrés Messi reached a thousand matches in his career in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and celebrated it with one of his best performances in World Cups, being the absolute protagonist of the suffered 2-1 victory against Australia in the series of eighths“, stated the chronicle of Nahuel Lanzillota.

“I knew I had to help them. I try to do the best I can,” confided the Aston Villa player. Today we took a step forward as a team. I love the Argentine people, every time I go out on the field, I think I dedicate that save to all of them”Dibu Martínez stated.

From the crossing with Netherlands of December 9 a separate novel could be made. Or better: a great series for one of the many platforms. And the game had everything, from unexpected goals, epic plays, anguish, fights, penalties and even a provocative Messi like never before, who encouraged Topo Gigio and the “go ahead, fool”.

“It will be one of those World Cup days that will forever remain in everyone’s memory. Because of how the classification to the semifinals was given. For the great game that the National Team had played. Because he was justifiably winning 2-0. For that tie in tenth! minute of stoppage time that made the entire Argentina go into tachycardia. For the draw’s saves. But above all things because it was another night, here in Qatar, in which Lionel Messi gave a performance that will be talked about in the bars on the corner as long as coffee exists and football fans exist.”wrote Lanzillota in Clarion.

“Van Gaal sells that he plays football and put tall people and started throwing balls,” said Messi, who had just shouted at him “What are you looking at, stupid!”, to Wout Weghorst, the 19th Dutchman who came on in the second half and scored both goals for his team. “He provoked us from the moment he came in, he shocked us, he told us things and that is not part of football, I always respect everyone and they did not respect us“added the captain. Some time later, he would regret it.

The semi-final on December 13 against Croatia, one of the executioners in Russia 2018, was the calmest match for the Scaloneta in the entire World Cup. In the lethal 3-0, Julián Álvarez became eternal with a double and a made penalty. Messi also gave away his magic by making a fool of Joško Gvardiol, the Croatian in the mask who would later be bought by Manchester City for a sum exceeding 100 million euros.

“In addition to having Lionel Messi, Argentina had Kylian Mbappé, disguised as Julián Álvarez. And so he resolved a match that he thought would be long, with two knockout hands in the first half and a genius in the second. This paved the way for Sunday’s final in Qatar. This is how he dreams and he has reasons to do so. Wow if he has them…”, wrote Maladesky. And he continued: “’This is inexplicable. I feel immense joy at being able to give such great joy to all Argentinians. It is a pride. Who do I dedicate it to? To my family. to the people who always supported me, in the good times and the not so good times. My family and my girlfriend are here and it is a pride that they can enjoy this important moment,’” says Álvarez with a smile, as it could not be otherwise, this 22-year-old boy who, in addition, accidentally added another milestone “Only Pelé – yes, you read that right, Pelé – scored two goals in a World Cup semi-final at a younger age.”.

There is not much to say about the Final against France, that unfair 3-3, that deserved victory on penalties: everything is stored in memory. La Scaloneta played 70 minutes of a final like no National Team has ever played in history. But in front of him was the great Mbappé. And we had to endure to see Messi with the World Cup in his arms.

“Messi had to suffer. He had to suffer Argentina. But the suffering is over. It’s over. The fucking mother. Argentina is world champion. Yes, it’s not a dream. Messi is world champion. And it is justice. In Qatar. In a magical and exotic World Cup that left a magical and exotic final. Because, if you leave all the suffering behind, it was an apotheotic final. Dramatic. With Mbappé, in devil mode, author of three goals that rescued France from a beating. But Argentina has Messi, who scored two goals and was the best of the tournament. And he has Dibu Martínez who appeared again in a penalty shootout. And before too. About the end of the game. And to enjoy. Because what just happened in this Lusail is history. La Scaloneta dominates the world. And Messi. Yes, Messi. There is no longer any discussion: he is the best of all time”Vogd wrote.

“I knew God was going to give me this.“Messi warned. “I don’t sit at the same table as Bilardo and Menotti. They marked an era. It matters to me that people are happy. It’s just a World Cup, but for us it’s more than just football. For Argentina. Let them celebrate it. That they understand that things can sometimes go wrong. Many said they came out of commitment. Life goes on. The problems we have will continue to be there, but we are a little happier”was the humble reflection of Lionel Scaloni.