World Cup 2026: How Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah have become national icons
The most talked about word in Argentina these days is ‘bicampeonato’ (back-to-back World Cup titles).
But the question everyone thinks and nobody wants to say is: ‘What will we do when Messi retires?’
Each new match the national team plays in the World Cup – like Tuesday’s game against Egypt – takes another step towards victory, a chance to achieve a feat only two countries (Italy in 1934 and 1938; Brazil in 1958 and 1962) have achieved.
However, every match brings us one step closer to the retirement of national team captain Messi, the greatest icon of Argentine football.
Their goals in this tournament (seven), new records (playing in their sixth World Cup, scoring in eight consecutive World Cup matches) and dramatic encounters such as the game against Cape Verde have allowed the country to focus solely on the present.
Moreover, Messi plays like he is 25 years old, not 39 years old.
But we all know that the man who led us to one World Cup victory (Qatar 2022) and two Copa America titles (Brazil 2021 and United States 2024) has danced his last tango in the albiceleste jersey.
So, each victory represents progress in the tournament, but also one more opportunity to enjoy the man who managed to reach the same height as Diego Maradona in our pantheon of football gods.
Interestingly, many Argentine sports journalists criticized the fact that the national team has once again become “dependent on Messi” in this World Cup.
One of the greatest achievements attributed to manager Lionel Scaloni was that he was the first manager to build a team that complemented Messi rather than relying on him.
In the years before Scaloni’s arrival, the national team had suffered a series of heartbreaks: the 2014 World Cup final defeat in Brazil and two Copa America defeats on penalties in the final (Chile 2015 and the United States 2016), but that has changed under the current coach.
Of the 11 goals Argentina scored in the United States, only four were not scored by Messi; The two main forwards – Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez – appear to be playing solely as support for the great captain, and the creative midfielders who have stood out in previous tournaments – Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister – appear more focused on defending their own goal than attacking the opponent’s goal.
As in a personal relationship, the closer we get to seeing someone we love leave, the more we seem to need it.
