In the 2026 World Cup, Argentina defends its title, why?
It's certainly not okay to count on Messi. Messi, who released the fans on the scene during the trip to Hong Kong, China, did not say that he would participate in the next World Cup. Even if he is willing to play, it doesn't make much difference, the already old Messi, who can't even lead a professional league team, can he still lead Argentina to compete in the World Cup with strong players?
There is no doubt that the time of the Argentine Lautaro has arrived!
At 4:00 a.m. Beijing time on February 17, in the 25th round of Serie A in the 2023-24 season, Inter Milan defeated Salernitana 4:0 at home and won the "first and last battle", accumulating 63 points in 24 games, leading by 10 points, and winning the championship only sooner or later. Lautaro, who scored in the game, scored 23 goals in all competitions this season, and was only inferior to Mbappe and Kane in the entire five major leagues, and Lautaro is also the third player in Inter Milan history to reach 20+ goals in three consecutive seasons.
From Messi to Lautaro, just like from Kempes to Maradona, it is the inheritance of the times.
Messi is 36 years old, he will be 38 years old in two years, and he will be 39 years old during the 2026 World Cup.
Some people may say that Lautaro's performance in the Argentine national team is too poor! In the 2022 World Cup, he made 6 appearances, 2 starts, and did not score a single goal, not even an assist. At the end of the 2022 World Cup, Lautaro played 8 more games for the Argentine national team, starting 3 times, and still did not score a single goal or assist.
But let's be clear about the reasons behind this.
At Inter Milan, Lautaro wears the number 10 shirt, and in the Argentine national team, the number 10 shirt is worn by Messi.
In the just-concluded Asian Cup, South Korea, which aims to win the championship, was eliminated in the semifinals, and 22-year-old Lee Gang-in challenged the 31-year-old leading brother Son Heung-min in his own way. It is conceivable that Son Heung-min will soon fade out of the South Korean national team, and Lee Gang-in will become the new leading big brother.
In the upcoming Copa America, Lautaro can completely follow Li Gangren's example and replace Messi as the new Argentine "leading big brother".