Lionel Messi’s big dream of World Cup gold may well come true in his last tournament. It would be contradictory on Qatari soil, writes Urheilu’s Jussi Vainikka.
Lionel Messi probably the most watched player of the World Cup. World Cup gold is the only thing he lacks as a footballer.
The victory of the South American championship tournament Copa America the other summer has freed Messi and all of Argentina to play in the shirt of the Albiceleste in the way that history obliges.
In the first World Championships Diego Maradona after the death, Argentina is one of the biggest favorites to win. It has not lost in 36 matches and on Tuesday can rise to share the longest unbeaten streak in men’s national team history with Italy.
If you think about football romantically, Messi and Argentina’s triumphant journey to the World Cup gold would be the perfect icing on the cake of the incredible career of perhaps the world’s best player of all time.
If Messi, 35, lifts the golden trophy in his arms in Qatar, perhaps the word can be removed from the previous sentence at the latest. In the opinion of many, it is not necessary, even if Messi does not achieve his biggest dream.
However, romantic football thinking is difficult in these games. Stadiums built from scratch by oppressed migrant workers serve as a grim stage for the world’s biggest sporting event, whose legacy is threatened by the greed of the sport’s decision-makers.
In advance, Messi is the tournament’s biggest football entertainment attraction, an almost mythical figure who is looking for the last crown in his career. The story starts on Tuesday with a match against Saudi Arabia at the same stadium in Lusail, where it is supposed to end in the World Cup final in a month.
When following the story, it’s good to remember that Messi’s top performances have been in Qatar’s pocket for a long time. His salary is practically paid by the state of Qatar, which has also paid for the most expensive and absurd World Cup of all time.
Messi’s club team, the French PSG, is owned by the Qatari state-owned investment company Qatar Sports Investments. Even in Barcelona, Messi played for years in a jersey with the logo of Qatar’s state-owned and financed airline.
It is not surprising that Messi was not asked any questions about, for example, human rights in Argentina’s pre-press. Instead, he received applause when he left the press conference, and just in time one local journalist confessed his love to the Argentine, according to the news agency AP.
And he wouldn’t have said anything even if asked. Messi has always been reserved in front of the media and only commented on the events on the field of play, so why would he now say anything about the entity that pays his salary?
The championship of Argentina and Messi would be advantageous for the Qatari government and everything on which the contested games are built. On the other hand, a golden trophy in Lionel Messi’s arms is also exactly what a large part of the footballing world wants to see.
That’s just a contradiction.
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