Part 5
Stop 5: Argentina's Burden
Start with the first major honor: the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Messi was 21, already a Barcelona star, but this was his first taste of international glory. Argentina won gold, and the transcript reminds us it was “his first major honor and the gold medal would be the catalyst to more spectacular successes.” It wasn’t the World Cup, but it was proof he could lead a national team to a title.
Then came the senior World Cups. 2006: a teenager, flashes of brilliance, but Argentina fell to Germany on penalties. 2010: Diego Maradona as coach, chaos, and a 4-0 thrashing by Germany in the quarterfinals. Messi didn’t score a single goal in that tournament. The world expected more. But he was playing deeper, trying to create, and the team around him wasn’t built to maximize his genius.
2014 was different. Messi dragged Argentina to the final in Brazil. He scored four goals in the group stage, including a stunning winner against Iran. In the knockout rounds, he was quieter, but Argentina ground out 1-0 wins. They reached the final against Germany at the Maracanã. The transcript sets the scene: “Argentina are on the cusp of not making the World Cup Finals... World Cup in Russia the last in the peak years of Messi.” But that’s Russia 2018. In 2014, they made the final. And they lost 1-0 to a Mario Götze goal in extra time.
That final is the ghost that haunted Messi for years. He had a chance early in the second half, a shot that sailed just wide. If it goes in, everything changes. But it didn’t. Germany lifted the trophy, and Messi stood with the Golden Ball award, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. The image of him staring at the World Cup trophy as the Germans celebrated is one of the most heartbreaking in sports history.
Fast forward to Russia 2018. Messi was 31, still the best player in the world, but Argentina were a mess. They barely qualified for the tournament, needing a Messi hat-trick in the final qualifier against Ecuador. In Russia, they lost 3-0 to Croatia, then beat Nigeria 2-1 thanks to a late Marcos Rojo goal. In the round of 16, they faced France. It was a 4-3 thriller, but Argentina lost. Messi didn’t score, but he assisted twice. The transcript says: “When he was needed he was called for by his country and he delivered.” He did, but it wasn’t enough.
The 2018 campaign was chaotic. Coach Jorge Sampaoli seemed out of his depth, and the team lacked balance. Javier Mascherano, Ángel Di María, and Gonzalo Higuaín were all past their peaks. The France match was a classic, but the ending was familiar. Messi walked off the pitch, head down, and the world wondered if he’d ever win the World Cup.
The transcript puts it bluntly: “Look back and they’ll point a finger mainly at Lionel Messi.” That’s the unfairness. We expect miracles from him because he’s that good. But football is a team sport. One man can’t do it all, no matter how great he is.
And yet, the debate rages on. “Five Ballon d’Ors or one World Cup? Which would you choose?” It’s a false choice. Messi’s career isn’t defined by a single tournament. The transcript says: “Over two months to me just makes no sense whatsoever.” Judging a player by a World Cup is like judging a novelist by one book. It ignores the body of work.
There’s a moment in the documentary where Messi cries. It’s raw. He’s not a machine; he’s a human being who feels the weight of a nation. The transcript says: “He’s number one... best player there is today and certainly best in history.” That’s not hyperbole. It’s a fact backed by numbers, trophies, and the eye test.
If you want to go deeper, watch Asif Kapadia’s 2019 documentary “Diego Maradona.” It’s a brilliant portrait of another Argentine genius who carried his country to a World Cup. The parallels are unavoidable. Maradona did it in 1986; Messi hasn’t. But Maradona also had his demons. The comparison isn’t about who’s better; it’s about how we mythologize these players.
There’s also the 2014 documentary “Messi,” directed by Álex de la Iglesia. It’s a more conventional look at his life, but it captures the early years and the pressure. And of course, Cristiano Ronaldo is the unavoidable comparison. But this isn’t a debate bro take. It’s about appreciating two different paths to greatness.
You can find these documentaries on various platforms: “Diego Maradona” is on BBC iPlayer and Netflix; “Messi” is available on ESPN+ and other streaming services. They’re worth your time.
The Impossible Debate
So what do we do with the missing trophy? We accept it. We accept that Messi is human. We accept that he can’t win everything. But we also celebrate what he has done: four Champions Leagues, ten La Liga titles, six Ballon d’Ors (at the time of this story), and countless moments of magic. The World Cup is a gap, but it’s not the whole story.
The transcript asks: “Five Ballon d’Ors or one World Cup? Which would you choose?” It’s a question without a right answer. But for Messi, the World Cup would mean everything. You can see it in his eyes. He wants it not for himself, but for his country.
And now, go back and watch the opening again. Remember the Ronaldinho-Casillas-Messi rebound? The kid didn’t celebrate like a star; he celebrated like someone who couldn’t believe the ball fell to him. That’s the Messi we’ve been watching all along. The archive is not a highlight reel; it’s a story about a man carrying a country. The missing trophy is part of that story, but it’s not the ending.
Next time, we’ll look at the matches that define the debate: the 2014 final, the 2018 France thriller, and the night Messi finally broke his Chelsea duck. You won’t want to miss it.
