FIFA WC 2022: Will this be the year Messi finally lifts the WC?

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is just around the corner as the cluster of teams across the globe gets ready for the carnival of football in Qatar. The occasion will serve as the final time when Argentina’s modern-time great Lionel Messi takes center star stage in the World Cup after he confirmed the news in the first week of October. So will Messi enter the record books as the Greatest Player of All Time (GOAT) and lift the holy grail in Doha on 18th December?

Currently the third-highest international scorer in the World with 90 goals, Messi has won everything in his playing career except the coveted World Cup prize. In 2021 he even took the Argentina side home for their first Copa America success since 1993 and ended his trophy drought with the national side. 

But the World Cup remains the missing piece in the puzzle having lost in the final in the 2014 edition. The Mario Gotze winner saw Messi miss out on the silverware that could have forged his legacy as one of the greatest players ever to have graced the game of football.

Putting into context, the World Cup remains the highest honor for a recognized top player to be called the GOAT. In the history books, the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo (Brazil) are considered the greatest players of all time as they won the World Cup in their playing days. Unlike Ryan Giggs and Gareth Bale who come from countries where FIFA World Cup qualification is a quest, Argentina has always been a World Cup favorite.

Ever since moving from Barcelona, Messi hasn’t been at his fluent best like he would hammer 40-plus goals in a season, but he still has the hunger and desire to take his team home.

Messi Co ready to pounce on the challenge

As things stand, Messi will have the services of Angel Di Maria, Juan Correa, Cristian Romero, and others who have all the tools in the arsenal to win the World Cup. While the experience of Gonzalo Higuaín, Pablo Zabaleta, and Sergio Aguero no longer is available, the current core of stars is still much hungrier to get them over the line.

Argentina’s World Cup group won’t be a cakewalk as they face the likes of Mexico and Poland while Saudi Arabia awaits them in the opening match. The likes of Spain, England, and Germany will be the big challenges, but as the world suggests, to be the best you have to beat the best, and Lionel Messi will certainly be ready to cherish his final opportunity to win the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar.