When Lionel Messi scored against Mexico and became Argentina’s savior for instigating a 2-0 win, his idol collapsed: Pablo Aimar, a once fine little footballer with magic in his feet, and has been working as an assistant to Argentina national coach Lionel Scaloni for a number of years. Aimar covered his face with his hands so no one would see his tears, which were nothing but tears of relief at the burial of fear. Aimar gasped like someone who had just faced death.
As if in shock.
The picture was similar 60 meters away as the crow flies, with the difference that there, behind the baseline, in front of the stands with the Argentinian fans, the players in the white and blue jersey broke into one of the warmest hugs in World Cup history. And it took little imagination to imagine Messi’s eyes welling up in tears too. In fact, there were people who spoke of close-ups showing exactly that: tears of happiness in Messi’s eyes at staying alive after the 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia in the opening game. Yes: alive. Because if there’s one place in the world living the old adagio of Bill Shankly, who claimed football was more than a mere matter of life and death, it’s Argentina.
Sisyphus’ endeavor must have been simpler
Hours later, as Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni sat in the press room, he was asked what he said to Aimar on the bench. Scaloni and the second assistant, Walter Samuel, had been talking to Aimar behind closed doors to outmaneuver the lip readers. And it took a lot of strength for Scaloni to fight back the tears that welled up in his eyes again. Just like they shot into his eyes after scoring to make it 2-0. Scaloni did not reveal what he had said. Instead, he invited journalists to follow his thoughts. In other words: to understand what it means to “be here” in Qatar and to feel the burden of responsibility on one’s own shoulders 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s obviously not that simple.
“You should use a little more common sense and remember that it’s just a football game,” Scaloni said before his voice cracked. “My brother called me and said that he went to Córdoba crying because he couldn’t watch the game. It can’t be,” he added, “we have to fix that”.
Tears after the victory that kept Argentina in the tournament: National coach Lionel Scaloni knows how important it is for the fans at home.
(Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)
It’s not the first time he’s said such a thing. And actually he had had the faint hope that his compatriots had sweated out the poison that causes millions of Argentines to reward only victory, never the loyal fight for a good performance. Sisyphus’ undertaking – rolling the stone up the mountain just to start again and again – must have been easier than practicing folk pedagogy in Argentina: “It’s difficult to make people understand that the sun will rise tomorrow – no matter what whether you win or lose. And that only the ‘how’ matters.”
The how was truly remarkable this time: Scaloni had dared a revolution and changed the starting eleven to five positions. However, the crucial move to make this plan work was created in Leo Messi’s mind, as Ángel di María would later report. For an hour Messi was surrounded by fear and Mexicans. Until the scene unfolded that Messi had dreamed up, and which for the Argentines was nothing more than an oasis in the desert.
Messi also took the overall situation with him
Messi told him at half-time that he should play it exactly where he got the ball in the 64th minute in order to sever an increasingly tight knot: a good 25 meters from the opposing goal, “they put themselves in deep, when we have the ball,” Messi had said.
It was a good plan. Because it’s always or still a good plan to give Messi the ball when you’re stuck. And it so happened that, for the first time in the game, Messi had exactly the time and space to load his leg and unload a shot that landed in the bottom right, just off the post. Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo “Meme” Ochoa stretched in vain. Di María later thanked life for being able to play alongside Messi. “I have no more words to describe it: I’m lucky enough to play with him at a club (Paris Saint-Germain) and I’ve been with him for 14 years in the national team. Leo is everything to me,” said the 34-year-old.
At the age of 35, this 2022 Leo of the Year is perhaps the most mature and outspoken Messi ever. But even he, who has experienced billions of battles, victories and dramatic defeats, was affected by the overall situation. When he was still full of the 2-0 that the brilliant substitute Enzo Fernández (Benfica Lisbon) had made with a grandiose shot into the top corner, he made a lapse that gave deep insight.
Still found a way through the Mexican defence: Giving the ball to Lionel Messi is still a good plan.
(Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
He also said that you started to be better than your opponent when you played more calmly. But while the 35-year-old was telling this, he started to say “cag…(ado)”, “to be scared”, before correcting himself and turning the broken word into “calmado” – “calmado” like “calm “. So Freud sent his regards. “We were doomed to win and it’s difficult to play in such conditions,” said Messi, who now has the same number of World Cup appearances (21) as Diego Maradona, who died two years ago – and the same number of goals (eight ).
On the other hand, who better to be prepared to live hand-to-mouth than Argentines, who have been living hand-to-mouth in a steady state of runaway inflation for decades. Just like this Argentina national team, who stayed alive and can’t relax, only have finals ahead of them. A win will be enough to progress, a draw against Poland only under certain circumstances. Another defeat, on the other hand, would mean the journey home. And finally make Messi unfinished, the heir to Maradona without a World Cup. “We have to win again now,” said Lionel Messi. “Win to achieve our goal.”