Looks like it’s written in the stars for Lionel Messi and Argentina.
The Mercurial striker is considered one of the best players in the world for the past 15 years or so, having often done things few others can dream of on the pitch.
But while his trophy cabinet is filled with league titles and Champions League trophies, he misses the biggest prize of all – the World Cup.
Now, in what is expected to be his last appearance on football’s biggest stage, Messi has the chance to emulate his late idol Diego Maradona.
should Argentina beat France in Qatar on Sunday, they will win their first World Cup since Maradona led the national team to success in 1986.
The question is often asked, who is better – Messi or Maradona?
Given that the two have played in different times, on different grounds and with different regulations in place, it seems impossible to answer.
But we can certainly compare their World Cup records and see who was more influential in their respective teams’ journeys to the final.
Two geniuses guiding Argentina to glory?
Comparisons can certainly be made between this Argentinian side and the one that last triumphed 36 years ago.
Match of the day presenter Gary Lineker, in Qatar for the current tournament, was part of the England squad that lost 2-1 to Maradona’s Argentina in that controversial quarter-final in Mexico which featured the “Hand of God” goal.
“I look at this Argentinian team and I see a very similar one to the one that won the World Cup in 1986,” he said.
“They are very aggressive, they have a lot of strong and powerful players, not extremely gifted talents all over the pitch, but they had a very good centre-forward in Jorge Valdano in 1986 and now Julian Alvarez. Then they give the ball away to a genius – Maradona and now Messi.
“It’s a similar approach, but will it be good enough?”
Maradona provided the assist for Jorge Burruchaga’s winner as Argentina beat West Germany 3-2 in the 1986 showpiece, adding to their previous title success in 1978.
Messi’s story for the final will be written on Sunday.
But there isn’t much between them, certainly in terms of the final product, about how they influenced their respective team’s run to the final.
Maradona scored or assisted nine of Argentina’s 11 goals at the end of the semi-finals in 1986, while Messi assisted in eight of the current Argentina side’s 12 goals.
The 35-year-old Messi has certainly had some memorable moments in this tournament – his superb goal against Mexico in the group stage and the magic assist against Croatia in the semi-finals – but he also had quiet spells in some games.
Maradona, meanwhile, was widely considered to have almost single-handedly guided Argentina to World Cup victory.
Of course, he is also remembered for both the ‘hand of God’ goal and the brilliant solo strike in the win over England. But in the other games, he also stood out from everyone else.
In total, Maradona completed an incredible 53 dribbles in the 1986 tournament (compared to 15 in that World Cup for Messi), and created 27 chances in seven games played.
Former France midfielder Zinedine Zidane, himself one of the best players of his era, opened up in 2020 about how fascinated he was with Maradona’s performance in those finals in Mexico.
“I was 14 at the time, and when you’re 14 you know everything,” Zidane said. “It was really then that I became aware of the player he was, making differences like him. He won games on his own.
“That’s what he had more than other players. In 1986 he was on another level.”
Messi’s moment to emulate Maradona?
What about their overall World Cup record?
This is Messi’s fifth appearance in football’s crown jewel, having first appeared at the tournament in 2006. It takes him past Maradona’s record after appearing at four World Cups from 1982 to 1994.
Messi also played his 25th tournament in Qatar, meaning he has now played four more World Cup appearances than Maradona.
Sunday’s final will be his 26th and, according to the little Argentinian, his last appearance on football’s biggest stage.
Overall, their stats are quite similar, especially when you take into account that Messi is making more World Cup appearances.
Messi’s number of goals and assists per 90 minutes averages 0.78, while it’s slightly below 0.74 for Maradona.
They both created a similar number of chances per 90 minutes (3.0 for Messi, 3.1 for Maradona) and performed a similar number of dribbles (5.1 for Maradona, 4.9 for Messi).
But all the stats will mean little to Messi if he’s unable to guide his side to a World Cup final win against France.
“The stars are aligned for Messi at this tournament,” said former England defender Rio Ferdinand.
“When the question is asked who is better, Maradona or Messi? – and then people say Messi hasn’t won a World Cup. But this could be his moment.”
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