Fifa World Cup final: A look at Lionel Messi’s legacy and comparisons to the late great Maradona

Messi has had a terrific tournament so far, with performances that have willed his team to the finals. This is not to say that Argentina is not a good team without Messi – it boasts quality footballers and a coach who knows what he is doing. However, Messi is the one that makes the whole team tick, providing the unquantifiable oomph that has carried a good team to the verge of greatness.

For Messi, winning the World Cup will not just be a fairytale ending to a legendary career, in some ways it will be necessary to cement his legacy. This is not to say it should be, and tonight’s result may be out of Messi’s hands. To judge a whole career on the basis of one game, however important it may be, would be disingenuous. But such is the affliction of being great.

Perhaps the biggest reason why he must win the World Cup is that the man who came before him did, in 1986. Ever since Messi kicked a football, he has been compared to Diego Maradona and touted as his second coming, the torch-bearer of his legacy. While Messi has undoubtedly had a greater career at the club level, in the eyes of many fans, Maradona’s 1986 World Cup remains the pinnacle of footballing excellence and achievement, which Messi is still to touch.

Messi and Maradona: Diminutive left-footed footballing geniuses

As far as comparisons go, Messi-Maradona footballing comparisons are obvious. Maradona was short, with a low centre of gravity that was integral to his game. The ball seemed to always stick to his feet as he weaved his way past dumbfounded defenders. He saw passes that no one else would imagine, let alone have the skill and audacity to execute. And his left foot seemed to make the ball defy the laws of physics.

All the above descriptors are as applicable to Messi as they were to Maradona. While the eras they played in are undoubtedly different, necessitating differing styles of play, in terms of raw skill and physical attributes Messi is undoubtedly Maradona’s footballing successor.

Argentina, a football-crazy nation

Crucially, like Maradona before him, Messi wears the number 10 Albiceleste (white and blue) shirt – the most prized shirt of a nation that lives and breathes football.

In a politically polarised and economically unequal Argentina, football is a unifying force. Everyone watches the game. Most people play, whether on the streets of their neighbourhoods or ultra-competitive local games where tackles fly and passions soar. Clubs have rich histories and fierce rivalries with brawls not uncommon. Unlike any other country in South America, even Brazil, football is a part of Argentina’s national identity and, in many ways, its loudest representation.

Pedestrians walk past a mural depicting Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi near the home where he was born, in Rosario, Argentina. (Photo via REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

Thus, wearing an Argentina shirt is not easy. Expectations are always high. Failure is despised, with fans not known for mincing words. Fans want good players to be great and great players to be the best in the world. As much as failure turns players into pariahs, success turns mere mortals into Gods.

The 1986 World Cup: Argentina and Maradona’s crowning glory

While Argentina had already won a World Cup in 1978, Diego Maradona’s exploits in 1986 elevated him to unparalleled heights. The story of that World Cup, as often told, describes Maradona single-handedly carrying the nation to the biggest prize in football. Like all legends, this one too leans in on exaggeration, but only when it comes to describing the rest of the team as incompetent.

The 1986 squad had solid players who were capable of going toe-to-toe with the best in the world. However, none of the other players was Maradona. The fact that Maradona had the greatest individual performance in a World Cup, is unquestionable.

One of the defining features of great players is how they make fans get used to their brilliance. Otherworldly performances seem to be “just another day in the office.” Maradona’s 1986 performances often bore this mark – he would casually score a goal, make a crucial pass, dribble past multiple players, and ultimately help Argentina win the game. Things that would stand out from anyone else were routine for Maradona.

Another defining feature of great players is that once in a while, they will provide moments that will indeed stand out and get etched in footballing lore. Maradona also had his fair share of such moments, none more defining of him as a player than the “goal of the century”, or the second goal against England in the quarter-finals. He dribbled past pretty much the entire English team before finding the net to win the game.

Diego Maradona’s 1986 performance roused the romantic in every fan’s heart. As commentator Victor Hugo Morales memorably put it after Maradona’s second goal against England, “Thank you, God, for football, for Maradona, for these tears, for this — Argentina 2, England 0.”

After Argentina defeated West Germany in the finals, Maradona’s mythic status in Argentina was sealed forever, forged on the backs of sustained excellence with a healthy sprinkling of memorable moments.

Messi’s unsuccessful pursuit of the ultimate glory

Getting compared to Maradona is a compliment in itself, a testament to the talent that a player possesses. Yet for Messi, it is also the ultimate curse, because despite everything he has done on the pitch, he still awaits his “1986”.

He came incredibly close in 2014, losing courtesy of a Mario Gotze moment of magic (or Gonzalo Higuain’s ineptitude, if you so want to put it). But despite being the best player in the tournament, the ultimate prize still eluded him.

Thus, with the comparisons to Maradona have come the caveats and the cynics. “Is Messi really as good as Diego?” “Is he worthy of being called the greatest of all time?” “Was he only good in Barcelona because of how amazing his team was?” “Can he carry a team single-handedly?” These are just some of the questions that have been asked of Lionel Messi for a long time.

But 2022 might be about to change the conversation forever.

Messi’s magnum opus

In all likelihood, this is Messi’s final World Cup. And what a World Cup he has had. He has easily been the best player in every game Argentina has featured in (even in their loss to Saudi Arabia). Over the course of the tournament, he has racked up 5 goals and 3 assists (tied for first in the tournament in both categories). In addition to that, his very presence has kept opponents busy, making chances for other attackers on his side.

Beyond his everyday greatness, however, have been the moments of pure magic that he has provided. Much like Maradona in 1986, Messi’s World Cup has been one that has evoked the romanticism that surrounds football.

In the semi-final, Leo casually dribbled past Josko Gvardiol, Croatia’s promising 22-year-old defender. Gvardiol seemingly had Messi covered, shepherding him to the edge of the box on the right-hand side. Yet, with a sudden change of pace and direction, the 35-year-old Messi glided past the defender into the baseline and delivered a perfect pass to the advancing Julian Alvarez who scored.

Against Mexico, in a must-win game for Argentina after losing their opener, Messi produced a goal out of nowhere with an inch-accurate left-footed strike in the bottom corner.

In this World Cup, Messi’s relationship with the magic has been such that comparisons to 1986 have been floated time and again. Much like Maradona, Messi has been at the heart of everything that Argentina does offensively. He has breathed life into players who are skilful and hardworking but do not necessarily have the genius to unlock stubborn defences.

But only time will tell how Messi’s World Cup story will end; whether it will indeed be his crowning glory or a tragedy that will forever keep him in the shadow of the one who came before.