Messi is still sad even though on a personal level he has collected almost all the titles, but with the Argentina national team, he has played for many years until the age of 34 but has never won a single title, no matter how small.

Lionel Messi has affirmed his class with the records he has set up until the 2022 World Cup: participating in the most matches, assisting and scoring the most goals for the Argentina team. Photo: VNA

He was just a stone’s throw from the World Cup at the Maracana eight years ago, but he was miles away from the last World Cup triumphs, and the hearts of millions of fans in blue and white from Buenos Aires to Rosario, from Bahia Blanca to Cordoba, from Santa Fe to La Plata were bleeding with pain. For them, football in general and the Argentine national team’s jersey were a religion. They had reached the pinnacle of glory in 1978 and 1986, but they had shed tears in the finals of 1990 and 2014.

But here in Qatar, the tears were only shed in the first group stage match against Saudi Arabia, then the happy smiles of victory, victory, victory. Messi, in the best World Cup of his career, scored the goals, made the passes to send Argentina to another final. His depressing 34 years of age also ended with a Copa America title in 2021.

Somewhere, people might say that it is a trophy of little value, because in South America, organizing a tournament of this kind is extremely messy. But for Messi, it really means something, because it helps him end his title drought, and when everything is clear, it gives him the motivation to fight and lead Argentina to the final on the night of December 18.

With his penalty in the semi-final against Croatia, Messi has now scored 11 goals at the World Cup, setting a record as the highest-scoring Argentine in the tournament’s history, one ahead of the legendary Gabriel Batistuta. It’s a feat in itself, even though three of his five goals in Qatar were penalties. But they were all crucial goals, including the opener against Saudi Arabia, with the outcome as we know it, and the thought that Messi’s endless sadness will never end.

Then came the goal against Mexico, then being voted the best player in the match against Poland (even though he missed a penalty in that match), the beautiful goal against Australia , the penalty against the Netherlands and most recently the opening goal and two assists that helped Argentina easily defeat Croatia.

As Argentina’s players transformed from the blunderbuss of the 2022 World Cup opener into a formidable team that knew nothing but victory, the sad Messi became the joyful, radiant and inspired Messi. The distant hauntings of the failed World Cup final at the Maracana in July 2014 were beginning to fade. That night, Messi and his teammates lost the battle against the Germans .

They missed so many good chances against Manuel Neuer, then collapsed by a goal too beautiful, too quick from Mario Götze in the 112th minute. People will forever remember the image of Messi staring at the gold trophy at the medal ceremony that night in Rio de Janeiro. Then came the Copa America finals that ended in defeat on penalties. But also at the Maracana, at the Copa America 2021, life returned. When Messi and his teammates believed that they could still win something really big, they would do it, they were strong enough to overcome everything, just as they had overcome the shocking defeat against Saudi Arabia.

This Sunday, Messi will set a new record: He will become the player with the most appearances in World Cup history, with 26. It would be meaningful if that same milestone were to be followed by Argentina’s first world title in 36 years, in Messi’s last World Cup. He is no longer the sad Messi, but the happy Messi, in a tournament that seems to exist for him. Whatever the outcome of the final, he will emerge a giant of world football.