By Biodun Busari 

Argentina is one of the star-studded teams participating in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this winter with Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player on the planet playing his last at the global stage.

The Argentine team will be spearheaded by the Paris Saint Germain forward and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and talents like Angel Di Maria, Paulo Dybala, Lisandro Martinez, and Lautaro Martinez among others playing in top-flight European leagues.

Argentina are two-time champions. They won it first in 1978 and the second one was claimed in 1986 with 25-year-old prime Diego Maradona captaining the team that beat West Germany 3-2 at the final in Mexico.

Lionel Scaloni’s side is in group C alongside Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland and is expected to top the team, not only because they have Messi but the team parades skilful players that would grace the tournament.

Notwithstanding their talents, Messi and his compatriots hopefully will not underrate their opponents if they want to advance to the next round. 

The 1994 edition hosted by the United States of America would serve as a great lesson for them where they finished third in the group stage behind Nigeria and Bulgaria despite having Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Ariel Ortega and other stars in their squad. 

Players to watch out for:

Name: Lionel Messi 

Position: Forward

Current club: PSG

Age: 35-year-old

All eyes would be on Messi to shine and deliver as his Argentine squad is one of the favourites expected to be crowned champions in Qatar. 

The 35-year-old former Barcelona star has said Qatar will be his final. “This will be my last World Cup, for sure. The decision has been made,” Messi told Argentine sports journalist, Sebastian Vignolo early October 2022.

Messi is an enigma and defenders’ nightmare who has scored over 780 senior career goals for club and country and has the most goals by a player for a single club. He has scored 90 goals for Argentina in 164 games.

The PSG forward won the 2021 edition of Copa America beating the South American arch rivals Brazil 1-0 in the final and his brilliance on the ball would be a spectacle at the competition.

Name: Angel Di Maria

Position: Winger

Current club: Juventus

Age: 34-year-old

Di Maria has been with the Argentine team for more than a decade and his experience will avail the team due to his ability to play as an attacking midfielder or winger. 

The Juventus winger brings to the fore tenacity to withstand the aggressiveness of any defensive line and accurate dribbling skills to produce assists or goals at crucial times. 

He has 123 caps for Argentina scoring 25 goals and his spells with Real Madrid, Manchester United and PSG make him a player expected to perform at the tournament.

Name: Lisandro Martinez

Position: Defender

Current club: Manchester United

Age: 24-year-old 

Martinez is in fine form at the moment for Premier League giants, Manchester United and the team would bank on his sturdiness as a center-back for the World Cup games.

He has just 9 appearances for Argentina since he was called up in 2019 and he was part of the squad that won Copa America in 2021.

The Red Devil is nicknamed ‘the Butcher’ for his aggressive style of play and can be relied on for his range of passing and composure on the ball. He will be on guard for the Argentine side as he is a defender with winning mentality.

Coach

Name: Lionel Scaloni 

Position: Manager

Age: 44-year-old

Scaloni took over the coaching role of the Argentine team in 2018 after the World Cup in Russia and won Copa America the following year achieving what previous coaches have not been able to do over the years.

As a manager gifted with an array of stars, Scaloni, at worst, is expected to reach the final of the tournament at the Arabian peninsular country while his biggest feat will be to win the world’s most presitigious trophy in Qatar.

Scaloni only managed U-20 team before taking the senior team job and his World Cup appearance would test his managerial ability as tactics that win games are crucial tasks he needs to develop. He is known to play popular 4-4-2 formation with the uniqueness of the team specialised in short passes and dribbles.

The La Albiceleste will do well with Messi leading the pack of the attack but the Scaloni will take the larger chunk of the credit if he rules the world in Qatar.