World Cup final: Why many hate Argentina but still want Messi to win

The day after England’s bruising defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals, Oliver Brown wrote in The Telegraph: ‘Messi a sorcerer alright but surrounded by scoundrels.’ Such angst in the British media is typical as they have been again pipped by their bitter rivals, but it also has an element of truth about the way Argentina had polarised the global football fans throughout this tournament.When La Albiceleste take on the slick

Spanish armada with an eye towards becoming only the second country after Brazil to win back-to-back World Cups, it also marks a final leap for them to silence the critics for now. They have tided over unprecedented criticism about FIFA favouritism in the past one month – which sparked a viral social media nickname VARgentina, for invoking politics on the pitch with controversial Falklands banner after the semi-final as well as an ongoing FBI probe of financial fraud by the national federation through US banks.

However, if Messi can hold aloft the glittering trophy one more time on Sunday night – it will unleash a tsunami of emotions from Buenos Aires to Bangladesh. It may sweep a lot of misgivings under the carpet as he will outshine his idol Diego Maradona and help add a fourth star in the shirts of the national team – with an agonising 36 years separating their second triumph in 1986 and Qatar.

The road to a World Cup final is never easy – and it just got tougher from this edition with an additional knockout round with 48 teams in the fray. However, the not-so-subtle digs at Argentina started right after the draw which pitted them in a conspicuously easy group with Algeria (against whom Messi scored his first hattrick of the World Cup), Austria and Jordan. It’s a luck of the draw, one would argue, but it’s not enough to stop the conspiracy theories at the thought that Argentina first played a top 10 side as late as in the semi-finals against England.

There were trouble awaiting them in last 32 when Lionel Scaloni’s men needed extra time to beat the bravehearts Cabo Verde in a 3-2 thriller. The next match against Egypt returned a similar scoreline – but not before the Pharaohs were left furious over three major missed calls by the French referee Francois Letexier. This included a disallowed Egyptian goal early on, a denied penalty for a so called foul on Mohammed Salah and an uncalled Argentine foul right before their 93rd-minute winner. The Egyptian Football Association went as far as filing a formal complaint with FIFA.

The quarter final against Switzerland also had its share of controversy when with the scoreline showing 1-1 and the Europeans putting up a defiant show, the turning point came in the second half when Swiss striker Breel Embolo was shown the red card after two bookings in the same match. The VAR review applied the new rule of ‘mistaken identity,’ which found Embolo guilty of simulation and reversed the earlier decision of a yellow on Argentina’s Leandro Parades – a decision which looked harsh as the collision was not at a critical zone.

Down to 10 men, the Swiss lost their attacking outlet and ended up losing the match 3-1.  Incidentally, doubts of a Messi bias emerged in their first group match itself when the captain’s spikes found the back of Algerian defender Aissa Mandi’s feet, but VAR failed to review it for a potential red card, prompting a complaint from the Algerian Football Federation. It’s an open secret that the football ecosystem has historically showed a covert favouritism towards big teams and stars to guarantee them a longer run in the tournament – but the showpiece in North America outdid all. 

The question that begs to be asked on the eve of the final is: how justified is the vilification of Argentina who have, for four knockout matches on the trot, come back from the dead thanks to the Messi genius as well as some wonder goals? Back in England, the discerning media has now moved away from just singling out Thomas Tuchel’s defensive substitutions as the sole reason for defeat. Harry Kane & Co are now under fire for bottling up under pressure and Tuchel himself was candid enough to almost plead helplessness against the genius of Messi.

Here’s what the German had to say after the semis: ‘’You can stop him (Messi) for 85 minutes, but Messi only needs five seconds to destroy everything you have built. That’s what happened tonight. Two assists, no panic, no wasted movement just pure football intelligence. He doesn’t force the game. He waits…and when you make one mistake, you’re dead.’’

If one thinks if such effusive praise is an attempt at justification by the England coach, here’s what Pep Guardiola had to say about the masterclass: ‘’People keep asking me how Messi is still doing this at 39 years. My answer is simple because football has never seen anything like him. Age defeats everyone, but somehow it refuses to defeat Messi. What he did tonight was beyond football…it was art.’’

This is the dilemma about this Argentina team – there is Messi and then there’s the rest. While their harshest critics want Spain to have the last laugh tomorrow, deep down they won’t be unhappy if the God of football does it again.

Catch the match

FIFA World Cup final

Argentina vs Spain

Venue: New York New Jersey Stadium

Time: 12.30 am (Monday IST)