“Nothing else matters when the best in history plays”

It was emptied of Mexicans, Qatar. Pity, they provided color and number. In fact, fifteen fans left with the elimination of their teams, and today the Americans are starting their return. The Press Center also lost its number of journalists. Many turned when they lost their equipment. But others embarked excited to see that their selections advance. It is possible that another ten thousand Dutch will arrive between now and Friday. The country received two million applications for the Hayya Card, a record by which the exact number of fans who came is known. And, despite the fact that they stayed within a radius of 10 km, everyone found a place, there was no overlapping or problems or fights. They have witnessed the Qatar phenomenon. Yes, he has money, but the emir does not accumulate it in the palace, he turns it into quality of life.

The World Cup is a brilliant excuse, by the way, within the National Vision of Qatar 2030 master plan, whose central objective is that, by that year, the small emirate “becomes an advanced society capable of sustaining its development and offering a high standard of living for its people. Visitors can attest that it is being fulfilled. What is remarkable is that the transition towards tomorrow is carried out while preserving their culture, their religion and their traditions. That is non-negotiable. Pride for everything Arab is palpable. There is a decided leap into the future without westernizing it. Part of the plan was for the rest of the world to make it visible. It has been fulfilled.

The Netherlands was the first quarterfinalist of the championship. In the early hours he dispatched the enthusiastic United States, a spirited and offensive team, albeit with a certain candor in the brand. And in soccer, the one who defends poorly loses. Holland is similar to the face of their coach, let’s say boring but dapper. It is more Mechanical than Orange. And efficient in attack. With that he was enough to get around the fence and rest until next Friday while waiting for Argentina.

Sparks are still flying in Uruguay over their elimination. There is a national complaint about the arbitration of the German Daniel Siebert. A penalty is claimed. But the way in which La Celeste withdrew from the field was unsportsmanlike, violent, groping the judge and his assistants, insults, Cavani knocked down the VAR monitor with his fist, Giménez hit a FIFA official from behind… All very Copa Liberators of the ’60s. It may cost you dearly with a view to the next Qualifier. Diego Alonso, the Uruguayan coach, finished his contract with the AUF and in Uruguay they take it for granted that he is no longer there, but the president of the association will offer to renew it. The fans do not want more national coaches “because they are defensive,” they say. Marcelo Bielsa’s name came up, but Bielsa is Argentine, something indigestible for Uruguayans.

The World Cup has been a guillotine for fifteen technical directors. Gerardo Martino (Mexico), Roberto Martínez (Belgium) and Otto Addo (Ghana) have already left. On the precipice are the aforementioned Alonso (Uruguay), Jalel Kadri (Tunisia), Félix Sánchez (Qatar), Carlos Queiroz (Iran), Kasper Hjulmand (Denmark), Hervé Renard (Saudi Arabia), Rob Page (Wales), Rigobert Song (Cameroon), Luis Fernando Suárez (Costa Rica), Gustavo Alfaro (Ecuador) and Hansi Flick (Germany). Not even the ’29 crash generated so many layoffs.

all of leo

But neither that nor anything else matters when the best player in history plays and we are on the field, it only matters that he touches it. Let the ball reach him and proceed. But he does not reach him because Australia is a compact and tough defensive block. They even give firewood to sell. The party is not bankrupt anywhere. Argentina cannot go through that customs office and so it touches to the sides, backwards, it goes round and round. And it’s been 35 minutes of dancing with her sister until the genius appears and, out of nowhere, invents a colossal goal, and the Ahmad Bin Ali, an equally colossal stadium, explodes. He literally busts. It is the power of the supernatural, of the unearthly that these subjects to whom God conferred powers that we do not have. He shot a long wall with Mac Allister, on the 20th he returned it, but it fell to Otamendi, who wanted to stop it and it bounced off him, Messi almost stole it from his foot and hit it as it came through a forest of Australian legs. And the ball entered, entered, yes… And the game was broken. And there the genius began to compose a World Cup ode. And thirty or forty thousand began the classic “Meeeessi… Meeeessi…” bowing, a Catalan creation from when the 10 delighted in Barcelona.

The singing exploded too. “Come, come, sing with me… That a friend, you will find… That by the hand, of Leo Messi… We are all going to turn around…” And there were tens of thousands who moved the Sunday ritual from there to here. It was not the field of Boca or River, it was Qatar. The night he celebrated 1,000 official matches, he gave the country a party. “It’s over”, they say in Spain. The acabau gave a recital with Calamaro and together they drove the people crazy.

Once again, as against Mexico, Messi vented all of Argentina. There the team was released and began to play free. And the second came due to a mischief by Julián Álvarez who stole the ball from goalkeeper Ryan (not the soldier) and quickly sent it into the net: 2-0. And Messi’s festival continued, but against Australia, a shot from outside the area deflected past Enzo Fernández and upset Dibu Martínez, the great custodian of the Argentine sticks. Unusually, Australia went 1-2 and began to enlarge. In turn, Leo was getting bigger, by the minute he was doing one more beautiful and deeper maneuver than another. He dribbled all over Australia, served Lautaro Martínez two goals that he missed inexplicably (or explicable seeing how he plays). And in the last breath, with 97 minutes on the clock, the dark and stocky Kuol had the equalizer at his feet, finished off, the hearts of millions of Argentines, Pakistanis, Bengalis, Indians and Asians in general who are fans of Messi froze. , and the cheeky but notable Dibu Martínez made a miraculous save. The companions jumped on him to thank him as one thanks the virgin. He prevented the massive heart attack. And Argentina won. And he’s in the quarterfinals after that fateful afternoon against Saudi Arabia. And celebrated like never before.

When a genius is in his night, it is possible to make hundreds, billions, happy. His name is Leo Messi and it is official: he is not finished.

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