Messi equals Maradona: details of the 21 matches in the World Cups

All the cameras are on him. They record each of his movements, his gestures. He is the great football leader that he has Argentina. He is the big star World Cup Qatar 2022. But Lionel Messi is also, along with Diego Armando Maradona, the Argentine with the most matches in the history of the World Cups. Before Mexicothe current ’10’ from the Albiceleste matched the 21 games of the eternal ’10’ in a magical game for him: scored the 1-0 that began giving the victory to the South American team who ended up defeating the Central Americans 2-0 thanks to a great goal from Enzo Fernández.

The mark was set by Pelusa in the United States in 1994, the World Cup that made him earthly and to which he was not going to go. Nine months he was withdrawn from the national team, but the thunderous defeat suffered by Colombia at the Monumental de Núñez generated a tidal wave that brought him back to wear the Albiceleste.

Alfio Basile, the coach of the Argentine team at the time, summoned him to play the international playoffs against Australia. With a 2-1 aggregate, a round trip series in Sydney and Buenos Aires, the two-time world champions obtained their visa for the World Cup in extremis to be held in the giant North American country.

To united states, Diego arrived with 19 World Cup matches behind him since his debut against Belgium in Spain 82. The most remembered, clearly, was the final of Mexico 86 when he became world champion, along with Argentina, at the Azteca Stadium against Germany.

However, the 1994 edition would have saved an episode as unexpected as it was dramatic. At the end of the match against Nigeria (2-1 victory), for the second round of group D, Maradona was interviewed on the playing field. “I felt very on the court. I felt important. The team needed me to have the ball and I did. This goes for all Argentines. I love you so much”, he pointed. Next to her was a nurse who would accompany her to the anti-doping control. They left hand in hand and he was smiling.

But the joy did not last long. That test ended up giving positive for several substances, including ephedrine, a stimulant. Days later, Maradona left the World Cup and was removed from the playing fields for fifteen months due to a FIFA sanction. He did not play another game with his team, much less a World Cup. He was left with 21 games in four world cups and eight goals, being until then the only Argentine to represent both his country in the largest tournament at the national team level.

Messi’s 21 games in detail

It is likely that Lionel Messi is playing, in Qatar, his last World Cup. He said it in several interviews in which he was asked the same thing, perhaps with the hope that he can revive the fan’s illusion by saying that he may be in 2026, but it did not happen. Even so, the ’10’ equaled Diego Maradona with 21 games in the tournament.

Throughout the four World Cups that it played, the first of which was in Germany in 2006, La Pulga played a total of 21 games and scored eight goals. In fact, against Mexico he achieved an incredible data. According to Mister Chip,

His best performance was Brazil 2014, a competition in which he scored four goals and was decisive for the team to return to a final. the one of South Africa 2010 It was the only one in which he could not score goals, he did do it in Germany, Russia 2018 and now in Qatar he has two goals.

In addition, he only received a single yellow card in all the games he played. A clear sign that the attacker does not usually press the opposing defenders hard nor does he go to the mark rudely that he can be punished with a warning.

In the event of playing against Poland, next Wednesday the 30th at stadium 974 for the third date of group C of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the winner of seven Ballon d’Ors will be at the top of the table of matches played by Argentines in World Cups . Nevertheless,

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