Should Messi close his cycle with Argentina after winning the World Cup? | DT SURVEY

Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup that he wanted so much, the one that was so demanded of him. Like Mario Kempes, like Diego Maradona, the Argentine captain celebrated Doha in style. It is the third World Cup for the albicelestes.

El Comercio spoke with Argentine journalists to make a quick and necessary evaluation of what they have seen in Qatar 2022, of Messi and Scaloni.

• Scaloni showed that they were not wrong with him. What factor do you consider about him that made this group support him with achievements?
• Messi won the title. With this, can we say that he has completed his cycle with Argentina?
• What have been the key for Argentina to win the World Cup?
• What would you say to Messi if he was in charge?

Emanuel Tristán – Radio Andina’s Dos de Punta program – Mendoza, Argentina

1.- I think that he managed to give the team an aura of earthiness that it had not had until now. He and his coaching staff preached a humility rarely seen, they managed to unite the group and make them identify with the nation they represented every time they played a game. Scaloni himself said it, “we played like fans”.

2.- I don’t know if he completed the cycle. Now he has a long way to go taking the world cup all over the country. And in 2026, at 39, he can play at least honorarily. I wouldn’t say that he completed a cycle, but he did already win and made us win everything we wanted.

3.- The union and strength of the group. The humility, the symbiosis with the people and the country they represented. Learning from the first defeat against Saudi Arabia and a team that found the perfect balance between high-flying football and absolute dedication and sacrifice.

4.- I would thank you for so many joys, for so much dedication and for so much football. Seeing him play makes you emotional. And I would tell him that I love him until the end of time and that I am lucky to have been a contemporary of his time to have seen his entire career and even had the chance to see him live several times.

Diego Mendoza – AM 990 from Argentina

1.- They were not wrong. The type [Scaloni] he burned all the papers without any previous experience. He grabbed and did everything perfectly, obviously with the results, which is 90%. He put together an almost new team. In the first games Messi was not there. Paredes, De Paul, Cuti Romero, Dibu Martínez, it was all his, since they were all summoned by Scaloni. So he has enormous merit.

2.- Messi has already complied. I think that now it is possible to say Maradona and Messi, beyond what I think, that for me Diego is the greatest thing in history. But Messi is on a par with Diego, without a doubt, since he will never be questioned again in Argentina.

3.- I thought that after the Copa América the team had reached its ceiling and I was wrong. Not only does it continue on the same path, but it also evolved. Lautaro Martínez was the starting number 9, but he did not convert. And he met Julián Álvarez, who played incredible. That made us a team not only of eleven, but of all those who had to play.

4.- Messi is thanked like the whole team. They have already fulfilled, they are eternal and it will remain in the memory of all Argentines since they have fulfilled the dream of many generations of seeing Argentina as world champion after 36 years. So thanks.

Alan Mineo – Journalist for rugidosagrado.com

1.- At first, the Argentine people mistrusted Scaloni, since we had never seen him direct, only the youth teams. The criticisms of him were good, for that very reason. Faced with ignorance, we tend to criticize. Over time, as they say in our country, “he covered our mouths with results.” He quickly built a team, with firm ideals and each of the players under a remarkable commitment to the colors of the shirt. And mainly, a collective game that included Messi, without depending on him. Over time the team consolidated and achieved successful results. Scaloni planted seriousness, ideals, commitment and professionalism in the team, with a football performance that had not been seen for a long time. With those aspects, we believed in him.

2 – Messi fulfilled the achievement that we Argentines longed for so much: the World Cup. I think the trophy was waiting for Messi, and Messi really wanted to win the Cup. There was an agreement between them for Qatar. This World Cup has surely been Lionel’s last, but we will continue to enjoy it in the Argentine team in the meantime. Hopefully, at 38 and a half years old, he will make it to the next World Cup.

3 – The keys are on the table and many of the humans know them: I play soccer intelligently. Scaloni commented that each game was unique and each of them deserved a different tactic and strategy, and that’s how he played each game. None was the same, neither in operation nor in names. He knew how to adapt to each game, this is the key.

In addition, he transmitted a winning spirit since he began to lead the team. That spirit was seen in its maximum splendor, precisely, in the final. It had been a while since I was so excited about my selection. In the Copa América and in this World Cup, thanks to him and Dibu, on time, I have cried a lot with joy.

4 – I would say: Thank you for moving me with each of your plays, and for leaving us at the pinnacle of world football.

Alejandro Benvegnu – Radio Miter de Córdoba

1.- The change of players, the union of the group and that the selection does not depend solely on Messi.

2.- Yes, he has already fulfilled the selection and he has nothing else to win.

3.- The commitment of the players. The great world of Messi, Julián Álvarez, Dibu Martínez, Enzo Fernández and the entire coaching staff

4 – That together with Maradona, he is the most spectacular player I have ever seen and thanks for everything Leo. And that football did justice to him.

Hernán Sisto – T y C Sports and Double Yellow Card from Qatar

1.- The confidence that he has shown in the players and the work, the rearming of the group with Messi as the banner.

2.- The union of the group, the coaching staff and the leaders with Tapia at the helm and how this team has consolidated since the replacement to get used to winning and knowing how to get up in bad times.

3.- Messi will complete his cycle when he decides, without a doubt he will be the one who puts an end to it to his liking.

4.- I love you Leo. Thank you for making us happy and for showing us that you can. For teaching us to always fight, even in the most complicated and for never abandoning us when some were not fair to you. Thank you for being an example to follow and for guiding us to the top of the world, I admire you.

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