Lionel Messi’s passionate performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are earning him loads of affection from the Argentinian, but fans’ inherent bias towards Diego Maradona could resurface unless Messi takes home the trophy in his last attempt.
Two small but brilliant 10s wowed the world with their prolific goalscoring ability and strikingly similar style that relied on a low center of gravity to spin and slam through defence, then flash ball.
However, only Maradona won the biggest title. He was leading an ordinary team in 1986 when his “Hand of God” goal against England became a symbol of pride after an embarrassing defeat in the Falkands War.
For years, Argentinian fans assumed that no matter how many Ballon d’Ors and trophies Messi won with Barcelona, he couldn’t match Maradona until he lifted the World Cup trophy too.
Fans still wonder why Messi is so shy and introverted while the “lovely” Maradona stands out for his jokes and songs.
But Messi is still a true Argentinian anyway, and some people disagree with the comparison, especially older fans. Anyway, Messi has also come to Spain since the age of 13 while Maradona is one of them, born in a slum and developed his career through local clubs including Boca Juniors.
“Love – Hate”
Of course, Messi has enjoyed more success in terms of goals and trophies than Maradona, even surpassing the national team’s appearances compared to the legendary Maradona, when he sent Argentina into the round 1/8 of the 2022 World Cup. He has kept himself in great form while Maradona has succumbed to drugs and a wild lifestyle in ways that will disappoint and upset even the most loyal fans.
Those close to Messi say that, although Messi’s shyness may be hiding something from his past, what he has always aspired to is to bring glory to Argentina. That passion was revealed when he burst into tears after leading Argentina to the Copa America in 2021, their first major title in 28 years.
“Argentines have always had a love-hate relationship with Messi,” said 44-year-old fan Gustavo Franchini in Buenos Aires.
“We always compare him to Maradona, who won the World Cup 36 years ago, since then we have not won it again… Everyone says that Messi has to win the World Cup to match Maradona’s stature.”
In Qatar, on Messi’s fifth and final mission, he is the beating heart of the team and Argentina seem to have their best chance of lifting the trophy on December 18.
Present at stadiums in Qatar, bars and parks in his homeland, fans have supported Messi all along, cheering for his two goals, cheering him up after a penalty miss and holding up his picture proudly.
Emotional Messi
Many of the banners featured Messi and Maradona walking together, some with the late number 10 smiling from heaven with his heir. And Messi himself opened up emotionally to rally the team and country after the shock defeat to Saudi Arabia. He celebrated the goal wildly with the fans and sang celebratory songs on the pitch and in the dressing room after they beat Mexico and Poland.
Facundo Moreno, 39, a fan in the Argentine capital, said: “After the Copa America, Messi seems to have relaxed and enjoyed it.”
“For me, Messi has always given his all for the national team, from the first game until now. He is my idol. Maradona and he have completely different personalities but on the pitch they are both the same,” Moreno said.
Marcelo Sottile, a sports reporter and author of a book about Messi, says that, while Messi’s clean image and polite personality reflect the image Argentinians aspire to be, Maradona’s Rebels reflect more than they really are.
However, there is a generation gap between Maradona cultists and younger fans who are less prejudiced against Messi. Messi has suffered from being a revered star in Barcelona but is regularly attacked in Argentina.”