DOHA, Qatar — We have always known that Lionel Messi is different, but the 2022 World Cup is seeing a different Messi.
The talismanic, ethereal status that Messi possesses in the hearts and minds of Argentines everywhere was once so great a burden that he briefly retired from international football in 2016 after losing his fourth major international final in nine years, comprising three Copa Americas and one World Cup. The weight of expectation was too much, the shadow of Diego Maradona too dark a place for him to exist.
Yet in Qatar, the 35-year-old is playing with that mixture of purpose and freedom reminiscent of his best form which long ago cemented his status as one of the all-time greats.
Argentina now stand on the brink of a first World Cup triumph in 36 years. Victory in Sunday’s final over France would accentuate the debate over who is the best player of all time even further in his favour. There are myriad reasons for the change in Messi’s approach, but two more recent developments stand out.
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“Winning the Copa America in Brazil last year was a big relief for Messi, his first major trophy with the national team,” Messi’s former Argentina teammate Pablo Zabaleta told ESPN. “It took a lot of pressure off him and after that he has been playing some great football with Argentina — 36 games unbeaten [before the shock group-stage defeat to Saudi Arabia] and a World Cup final now.”
That accounts for Messi’s freedom. The accompanying (and uncharacteristic) aggression in evidence — most obviously in a stormy quarterfinal penalty shootout success over Netherlands where there were a World Cup-record 18 yellow cards and Messi celebrated in front of and then confronted opposition coach Louis van Gaal for his prematch comments afterwards — perhaps first stems from Argentina’s opening 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
