FIFA World Cup 2022 - Can Lionel Messi's Argentina Finally Go All The Way?

Heading into Qatar 2022, one of the many storylines that will be on the forefront of every football fan's mind will be, whether Lionel Messi finally win the one trophy that has evaded him his whole career, the World Cup. 

Messi is one of the best footballers ever, but it's news to nobody that he has an empty spot in his trophy cabinet, and this might be his last time to try and fill it. This will be Messi’s fifth attempt at taking the trophy home, with his previous closest attempting coming in Brazil in 2014. 

Arguably the best team across the whole tournament, the Argentines fell to a Mario Götze goal in extra time that year. When Messi had the chance to equalise with a free kick in the dying stages of extra time, his attempt soared high into the Rio sky, a moment that will live forever up in his nightmares. 

Messi will be 35 years old when the 2022 World Cup kicks off, and with a recent slump in individual performance, this could be his last chance at the ultimate glory. Stats Insider's World Cup projections have Portugal as a 8.0% chance of winning it all in 2022, so let's have a look at how Messi and his team can do just that. 

World Cup 2022 Predictions for Argentina

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Argentina is in-form

This is one of the most in-form Argentinian sides coming into a World Cup in a very long time. Let's look at a few recent results that speak to this form:

• Broke their Copa America drought of 28 years, conceding only three goals for the entire tournament, and scoring 12 goals. 
• Had a qualification campaign that was one of the best from any confederation, winning 11 of their 17 games and only conceding 8 goals. 
• Won the first 'Finalissima' since 1993, a game that pits the champions of Europe and the champions of South America against each other, the international equivalent of the UEFA Super Cup. Messi’s men beat out Italy 3-0 in a very convincing display at Wembley Stadium. 
• On top of all this, Argentina hasn’t lost a competitive game in nearly three years, showing their dominance. 

Messi has played a big part in all four of these accomplishments, being the joint top scorer at the Copa America with four goals, as well as winning the award for the best player in the tournament. 

He also scored seven times across his 14 starts in World Cup Qualification, and grabbed two assists and man of the match in the Finalissima. 

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These performances display that Messi's ability at the top level is still more than enough despite his recent slump in performance for club side PSG, as well as his drive and hunger to achieve greatness with his national team being his current priority. 

A motivated and driven Messi, leading this in-form Argentinian side will be fierce competition for anyone they come up against. Couple this with the form of others in the squad, and this is building to be a scary side capable of going all the way. 

The likes of Lautaro Martinez, Christian Romero and Rodrigo De Paul have all played big roles in Argentina's ability to have such a strong last 18 months. Add in young stars like Julian Alverezand Lisandro Martinez knocking on the door of a first-team start, and you have quality depth in nearly all areas, alongside a core group of players that are in the prime of their careers, playing some brilliant football. 

Lionel Scaloni, Master Coach

Another big reason for this recent success is Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, and his ability to get the best out of the players at his disposal. 

Deploying a 4-3-3 / 4-3-2-1 system, Scaloni amplifies the strength of his players, whilst also mitigating and hiding their weaknesses. The main tactical feature of this system is the single pivot in midfield. 

Typically performed by Guido Rodriguez or Leandro Parades, this role is the main cog in the machine, as it holds the responsibility of acting as both a defensive anchor, being able to shuttle across the backline and offer support, as well as being the number 1 ball-player in midfield, being able to recycle possession and dictate the tempo. 

Both Rodriguez and Parades offer very different assets, Rodriguez is more of a defensive midfielder, who has an emphasis on winning the ball back. With him in the starting 11, Argentina has much more defensive solidity. This can be seen as he is averaging 3.22 tackles and 2.19 blocks this calendar year. 

Whereas with Parades, you get much more of an offensive threat, as he can play passes in-between the lines and be the first line of attack for Argentina. This is exemplified through his 5.46 progressive passes per game this calendar year. 

Another key features of this system is the narrowness of Martinez. The number 9 very rarely leaves the central third, as the half spaces are occupied by the wingers and two advanced number 8s who make late runs into the box to create overloads in those areas.

This allows for a constant structure that Argentina can rely on if they are in danger, as they always know that Martinez will be in a central area, meaning he is an option for an outlet ball. 

Lastly, Messi’s role in this squad is far simpler than some might think. He has played in various positions for the national side though the years, being used as a number 10 and a striker at times, however, it has been established that Argentina plays its best when Messi plays on the right-hand side. 

Despite his brilliance and majestic nature on the ball, he is treated as just another player in this system. Playing a relatively simple role on the right-hand side, Messi's main objective is to drift inside the half space and play as a right-sided forward, occupying a very narrow space. 

This allows for his brilliance to be used in more threatening areas, as well as giving space for an overlap from the full-back and central midfielder. 

Lionel Messi vs Diego Maradona

The argument will live on for generations, who is the better Argentine, Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona? 

While Messi edges it in club and individual accolades, and the conversation about who was the better player will never be truly resolved, one thing that Maradona has, that Messi doesn’t, is the World Cup. Something that all Argentinians hold closer to their heart than anything else. 

This could be Messi’s last chance to get there, and while we all want that Hollywood-style ending for this great sporting icon, mischievous sporting fate could spoil the party and leave a lot to the imagination.

He has the cattle around him to get there, and now there’s possibly no excuse why he couldn't achieve the ultimate glory, but one thing is for sure, there are no second chances now. 

Messi will be 39 by the time the USA, Mexico and Canada host the 2026 World Cup, and while that isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he could play, it is certainly more unlikely than it is likely. 

The greatest footballer to ever play the game deserves the greatest trophy in the sport, and he has one last chance to get it done. 

(Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)