Recently, the BBC released a documentary called "Lionel Messi: Destiny", which tells the story behind Messi and Argentina's World Cup victory.
A coach for him
"Scaloni this guy is great, but he can't even direct traffic, how can you hand over the national team to him?" In 2018, after Scaloni became Argentina's manager, Maradona spoke a lot about the Argentine.
The Argentine Football Association asked Scaloni to be coach for no other reason, that is, to keep Messi. In the years before Scaroni took office, Messi did not have a good relationship with the national team, and sometimes even with the national team manager.
After Argentina was eliminated by Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup, Maradona, then the manager of Argentina, criticized Messi for not having a leadership temperament. In the 2016 Copa America, Argentina lost to Chile in the final. After the match, Messi briefly withdrew from the national team. In the 2018 World Cup, Argentina suffered another Waterloo, and Sampaoli left class early.
"The Argentine Football Federation has only one goal - to find a coach who can work with Messi and maximize his potential," said footballer Balague, "When Scaroni took office, he asked Messi: 'What do you think is the right plan?'" It's an equal conversation and when you have the best players in the world, you have to do it. ”
"Scaroni is very relaxed," Manchester City striker Alvarez said, "very honest, he is from the town, I resonate with him, I am also from the town, he is quite human. ”
Villa goalkeeper Martin said: "We have no shortage of good players, the key depends on how the coach leads the team. Let's say you have a Ferrari but you can't drive it, so you're sure to drive it everywhere. My assessment of Scaloni is only one thing - he is too good at driving Ferrari. ”
The smell of home, he knew
Messi left Argentina at a very young age, but he never forgot his roots, and he has a particularly deep affection for his hometown Rosario.
"He speaks with an Argentine accent, eats Argentine food, watches Argentine movies, and listens to Argentine music." Football legend Jonathan Wilson said.
During the World Cup in Qatar, Scaloni and the Argentine Football Association created a "Little Argentina" in the station in order to make Messi and his teammates feel at home.
During Scaloni's coaching period, young players often played cards with Messi in hotels whenever the national team was trained. The eldest brother and the younger brother get along very well.
In Qatar, they not only play cards as usual, drink yerba mate and, more importantly, barbecue. According to media reports, the Argentine team brought 900 kilograms of beef from its country.
Powerful logistics support is one of the reasons why Messi and his teammates can give full play to their combat effectiveness on the field.
He regained his childhood self
Before the World Cup quarter-final, Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said Messi was not involved in defending on the pitch. As soon as this remark came out, it immediately angered the teammates of the king of the ball, and also laid the groundwork for a series of conflicts later.
"Criticize Leo... You really shouldn't say that in front of an Argentinian. Brighton midfielder McAllister said.
In the 73rd minute, Messi scored and rushed to the sidelines, replicating Riquelme's classic celebratory move, echoing Van Gaal's previous remarks. (Riquelme was not used under Van Gaal at the beginning, and Messi used this to ridicule the latter for not recognizing goods)
After the game, Messi clashed with Dutch assistant coach Davis, and in an interview, he scolded Westhorst, who wanted to exchange jerseys in the top 3, as a "bobo", resulting in chaos in the scene and requiring Lautaro and Aguero to persuade.
Balague believes that Messi's "reaction may have been subconscious, even he did not expect it".
"In the World Cup, Messi has an advantage, the atmosphere in the team is good, he is very comfortable. That was probably what he was on the street when he was 12. Later, when he went to Barcelona, he had to change, become more like a Taylan, become quieter, but he had this character in him. "It wasn't that he became Maradona, but that Rosario kid in him appeared in the World Cup."
Arauyo, the Argentine footwriter, said that the "bobo" that Messi scolded Westhorst was a word that only "children would use."
He became the real big brother
In the early years, the Argentine team had a big brother like Mascherano who loved to talk and could talk. At last year's World Cup, these veterans were no longer in the team.
In the first round of the group stage, Argentina lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia, and the prospects of qualification were worrying. According to historical experience, after this kind of competition, the captain generally does not stay in the mixed mining area to avoid being "tortured and forced to confess" by the media.
"After the defeat, Messi took an hour to get out of the mixing zone," Ballagher revealed, "and he told the reporters: 'We're going to play better than this one.' ’”
Martin added: "He answered every reporter's question and kept saying: 'Trust us, we won't let you down, trust us.'" 'Leo is very determined. ”
Argentine football legend Zabaleta said: "We really like Messi, he is a good leader and he speaks and does things decently. The team had a hard time, only he stood up and spoke, he didn't want inexperienced young players to face the media, he did a great job. ”
He is not Maradona
During the World Cup, many media posted that Messi had "Maradonaization" and found "Diego in his heart".
Arauyo disagreed, stating:
"He was smiling, holding his head high and confident. Some people say: 'Did Messi invite God to Maradona?' 'Nope! He didn't become Maradona, he just became himself.
"Over the years, Messi has been under a lot of pressure to play well. Some demanded more abstract from him, asking him to become more like Argentino, more passionate, more like Maradona.
"I think for a few years, he was very uncomfortable. In this World Cup, the biggest difference between Messi is that he is very comfortable, he plays without pressure, and he will be more comfortable being himself. ”
At the same time, Messi has not forgotten the responsibility on his shoulders. "I think he must have felt a sense of mission, must have felt that the moment was coming." Wilson said.
"In the 2006 World Cup, he was on the bench and did not play in the quarter-final against Germany. He seemed angry and a little childish. "In Qatar, he's not like that at all, he's really mature psychologically." ”
"I think after this World Cup, he made football a success." Martin added.