Can Messi take Argentina one step closer?

By Anmar Goodridge-Boyce

Four nations remain in the 2022 FIFA World Cup after the quarter-final stage with England, Portugal, Brazil and Netherlands waving Qatar goodbye. It’s a different story for Argentina, France, Morocco and Croatia as their dreams of lifting the most coveted trophy in world football is still very much alive.

However, today Argentina and Croatia will clash in the first of two semi-final matches with hopes of booking a spot in next Sunday’s final at the Lusail Stadium.

The question on every football fan’s lips is whether Lionel Messi can take Argentina one step closer to winning the World Cup for a third time.

Perhaps, it’s one of the few if not the only accolade in his illustrious career that evades him. The World Cup semi-final? Messi has been here before, exactly eight years ago when he lost to Germany in an agonizing fashion in 2014.

It was a tough one for Messi who announced his retirement from international football two years later when despair followed him again, this time in the 2016 Copa America final versus Chile.

Nevertheless, Messi returned and this surely is the last dance for the Argentine great.

Messi must have watched on Saturday as his biggest rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream of winning the World Cup came to a heartbreaking end. Ronaldo was distraught and in tears at the final whistle when his nation was knocked out by Morocco, the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-final.

The Semi-finals will be billed around Messi and whether the icon, superstar and legend can overcome a stubborn Croatia side and reach his second World Cup final.

Messi at 35 declared years ago that this is his final World Cup, he has had a glittering career which includes capturing 10 La Liga titles, a Ligue 1, four champions league titles, seven FIFA Ballon d’Or awards and a 2021 Copa America trophy.

Often Messi is compared to the greatest players the world has seen, Brazil’s Pele and his countryman, the late Diego Maradona but unlike the other Hall of Famers, football’s biggest prize is not in his possession.

For Argentina, it has been 36 years since they last won the World Cup and were led at the time by Maradona.

All eyes will be on Messi versus Croatia to help Argentina reach the final and attempt to add to his legacy and perhaps become the greatest player of all time.

So far, Messi has four World Cup goals at this edition, 10 in total. He scored from the penalty spot versus Netherlands in a 2-2 draw which had to be decided on penalties.  Messi currently on four goals is one goal behind Kylian Mbappe of France (5) in the race for the golden boot.

Messi will need to deliver versus this very organized and well-drilled Croatian unit today. The greatest players in the world step up for their nations when it matters most, Messi has shown on numerous occasions he can do it for club, producing several moments of magic, he needs to do it on the biggest stage.

Croatia on the other hand will look to Luka Modric, arguably the best midfielder in the world at the moment. His clever play, creativeness and solidity has once again taken Croatia deep into the World Cup. Croatia, the 2018 runners-up will set up solid defensive strategies, trying not to concede and take the match into extra time and eventually penalties where they will be favourites after winning two shoot-outs in Qatar.

Messi against Modric should be an incredible battle to watch, two men who are captains, two men who have lost World Cup finals, two men who wear the number 10, with the last chance to win before their careers end. Kickoff is set for 3 pm Barbados time, but the big question will be can Messi take Argentina one step closer? The answer we will know over 90 or 120 minutes.