Football Daily - Lionel Messi: Destiny

Episode Date: October 30, 2023

Lionel Messi has won his eighth Ballon d’Or and Guillem Balague gives a behind-the-scenes account of how in Qatar, the Argentinian won the World Cup. Guillem hears from the biggest names in the sport; from Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, former England forward Gary Lineker and ex-Argentina defender, Pablo Zabaleta - who give their unique perspectives on what happened during that tournament. We are taken on a journey – from that shock loss in Argentina’s opening game against Saudi Arabia, to one of the best international finals ever – where Argentina beat France on penalties, fulfilling Lionel Messi’s destiny of winning the World Cup and cementing himself as one of the greatest players of all time

I have seen the player that will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Lionel Messi. Those are the words of one of football's greatest legends, Diego Armando Maradona. I am Guillem Balaguer and this is a story of how Messi succeeded in fulfilling his destiny by lifting the only trophy he had yet to win, the World Cup. In football, in this thing that we've invested so much time in following, he's the best we've seen. And to know that that might be ending, this might be the last time you see him,

I think that's almost unimaginable. He's the best player in the history. One thing missing from him was the World Cup. This was it, really, for him. He knew that this was probably the last big shot at the World Cup. A dream that's been elusive over so many years. It's Germany! Another night for the world's best individual this year.

Argentina are out. That's the World Cup for Messi. It's destiny. The journey of Lionel Messi and his dreams of winning a World Cup with Argentina have been a tough one. He's only one of six men to have played in five, and on his fifth

attempt in the deserts of Qatar he achieved his aim. But one thing is for sure, it has not been an easy ride. Let's go back to the World Cup in Russia in 2018. Argentina were in the last 16 and faced France but it was another number 10 that stole the headlines that day Argentina lost 4-3 to the eventual champions

and it was another World Cup to forget for Messi. And it was time for a change of the pitch, with manager Jorge Sampaoli leaving after the disappointment in Russia. This meant Argentina were looking for the fourth coach in four years. So in stepped Lionel Scaloni. But would he be able to work with Messi? Here's journalist Marcela Imora Araujo. In terms of delivering a World Cup, the Football Association had a single objective, find a manager that could work with Messi. Argentina has a wonderfully kind

of varied relationship between national team and manager, but usually the manager has quite a protagonic role as some sort of personality or character whether it's Minotti chain-smoking and being intellectual or Bilardo being ridiculously strict, Passarella being authoritarian or Basile being incredibly kind of libertarian. But Scaloni's almost like we didn't really know that much about him when he arrived. Most people were furious and against his appointment because it felt like that job should go to a character. And it just went to, you know, a guy who was sort of anonymous. Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been part of the senior national team since 2021. And for him, this is what made Scaloni so special.

He brought togetherness in the group. That's the hardest part to manage in Argentina because you're always going to have talented players. It's hard to manage them. It's like having a Ferrari, and if you don't know how to drive it, then you're going to crash in every corner. That's the only explanation I can give to Scaloni.

He knows exactly how to drive a Ferrari. Scaloni took over at a difficult time, but what happens when you are faced with one of the best players in the world? It all started with a conversation with Messi, and it was an equal one, with the questions like, what kind of players should we have?

What would work for you? Scaloni had a clear idea that resonated with Messi, which didn't happen with past managers. The changes kept coming for Leo, but this time on the domestic front. In August 2021, after spending more than 20 years at Barcelona, he was on his

way to France to sign for Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal. Here's former Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta. When you have to leave one play that you've been for so long, it's not just about a football team, but it's also about your friends and your family, your kids.

Surely it was tough, but of course then the pressure was there. And you can see on the pitch, his first season probably was not how Messi expected it to be. Little by little, Messi found his feet towards the end of that first season. He was doing well in leg one and was flying in Europe, but also working hard with Argentina. He went to the Qatar World that first season, he was doing well in leg one and was flying in Europe, but also working hard with Argentina. He went to the Qatar World Cup fully prepared, with the national side on a 36-game unbeaten run.

And they were one of the favourites too. But what this tournament meant for Messi? Here's Tabaleta. The team before the World Cup had been in an incredible run. And I think we all had that feeling that, oh, we're going gonna go into the World Cup when I'm gonna smash every single team I think even for Messi this World Cup was special and he wanted to win this World Cup at all cost like no no I want to

leave everything on the pitch I want to carry this team to the final again I cannot miss that chance. First up in Doha for Argentina was Saudi Arabia, and the game did not go to plan. Argentina in control, in the lead, courtesy of a Lionel Messi penalty. Al-Sheri has equalised for Saudi Arabia. And they're all at sea suddenly here argentina and they're now behind watching that day was journalist christian martin but first his former england forward gary lineker it was an extraordinary match really saudi arabia had some incredible energy and was

absolutely kicking lumps out of the argentinian players right throughout including messi and you know what did they have about three three shots, I think, in the whole game, but managed an incredible victory. It's one of the World Cup all-time shocks. They put a huge damper, I would expect, in an Argentinian hopes, having gone into the tournament so confident, and then to lose against one of the weakest nations in the tournament. Here's journalist Marcela Imora Araujo.

After that, Scaloni gave a press conference saying, look, it's only a game. My brother's been calling, weeping, everyone's weeping, and really, we all need to kind of turn it down a notch. The population was on tenderhooks for any tidbit of mood and emotional well-being of the squad. Because after Saudi Arabia, there was such a depleted sense of, oh, we were all so hyped up and now this is going to be over by Saturday. It was now essential that Argentina had to win their next two games.

They were bottom of the group and it was Mexico up next. There was tension in the air, as Pablo Zabaleta and sports journalist Jonathan Wilson explain. I think in an odd way, the defeat to Saudi Arabia actually did them good. And I think maybe if you do go unbeaten for that long, you do, complacency is maybe the wrong word, but you lose a bit of a hardness that you need. And obviously, if you've gone 36 games unbeaten,

you don't want to change too much. But what it allowed Scaloni to do, after that game, he had to change stuff. And he could bring in McAllister and Alvarez and Fernandez, three players in their early 20s, who hadn't been there at the beginning of the run. And the three of them were all absolutely critical in terms of getting them on the right tracks.

Scaloni was very proactive to change two or three players to go into this must-win game. One mistake and you go home. It was bad in the first half against Mexico. You could see all the doubts had been there in that last half-hour against the Saudis. All the same problems, everybody very anxious.

I was sat next to Simeone and I will never forget that halftime. We look at each other thinking, that's going to be tough. You could really see that the tension was there. I'm sure that we're going to win, but you need to wait for someone to get in the ball and produce a moment of magic. The World Cup turns on Messi getting half a yard of space, if that, he has to do it.

There's nobody else to do it. Messi for Rennes! Argentina save it! It was a moment of relief, which just charmed life, celebrating like I was playing again. That match ended with a 2-0 win for Argentina, with the team rising to second in their group, which was helped by the starring role of Argentina's young guns,

who were on hand to step up and support Lionel Messi. Here's Gary Lineker. There were so many similarities to this Argentinian team to the one that I played against in 86 with Maradona. Not many superstars, but much better than people give them credit for. You've got McAllister who came out of nowhere. You've got Alvarez. They were tough at the back and had Martinez in goal.

So I think the young players had to step up. And their work ethic was exemplary. Then, up next, was Poland. The eyes of the world firmly fixed on Lionel Messi. Then, up next was Poland. Messi appeared unaffected after missing the penalty, maybe because he knew he had a team with players who could stand up, support him and be counted, like... Alexis McAllister of Brighton had his first ever international goal and what a time to score it.

Journalist Cristian Martin remembers it well. The team was not Messi-dependent. We had other options. If the opposition just put two players on Messi or three players on Messi, then that would create more space for other players. The respect that Messi generates on his teammates creates these moments of magic.

Fernandes. Oh, what a hit! Alvarez! of magic. After the 2-0 win against Poland, confidence and the mood was high with the team relaxing in Doha and spending their downtime drinking mate tea, playing truco cards and eating Argentine meat, which journalist Marcela Imora Araujo and Pablo Zabaleta witnessed. I think for all Argentinian people, if you have mate, truco and a beautiful barbecue, you're so happy. You don't need more. You don't need more in life. And I think these three things is something that for us is like a religion. There was much press coverage on the amazing amounts of Argentinian meat that were flown over. 2,000 kilograms of meat. In 1986,

Diego Maradona's dad making the asados is a kind of crucial emblematic part of the family mood of the squad. When Messi did join the Argentina squad that Scaloni had built, the younger players, who were a little bit in awe of Messi, said, would it be all right to just knock on his bedroom door and say, do you want to drink some mate and play through court? And that's how the ice was broken. So Argentina were through to the last 16, with Australia their next opponents.

And playing that day was Emiliano Martinez. We always said we know the most talented national team because we were watching different nations. They had better players and better squad than us, but the togetherness that we had, no one had it. Callister, Messi! It had to be! Messi was on form once again with the score ending 2-1 and this time the fans came out in force as journalists Marcelo Morada Ujo and Cristian Martin recall. In a country with 140% inflation a year,

we bring 70,000 people to Qatar. I don't know how, but everybody gets to the World Cups. People mortgage houses, sell assets, get loans, all sorts of things to be there. Generally speaking, in Argentina, there is a climate of hardship, hyperinflation, there is economic instability. Just before the World Cup kicked off, my brother and his mates did this kind of ad hoc poll asking random people in the street what would they prefer, economic stability or winning the World Cup.

Some people were saying, well, economic stability, how long does that last? But the World Cup is forever. We don't expect football to change anything about the reality, but we all want just this little bit of joy for a bit. For the global south, this was the first World Cup ever to take place in summer. So the mood of the squad in Qatar and the people in Argentina was completely in sync throughout the whole tournament. And that's a really odd thing to have happened, but it genuinely did happen. The quarterfinals loomed,

and up next for Argentina was the Netherlands. But the two teams had history. Here's journalist Christian Martin, but first, Jonathan Wilson. They've got this history with the Netherlands going back to the 74 World Cup, where the Dutch beat them, and really humiliated them in 74.

But 78, that final, there's a period when the Dutch are left on the pitch alone, so they've got the whole stadium going at them just to intimidate them. And that sort of lingered all the way through. You've got the brilliant quarterfinal in 98 when there was the two red cards. And then in 2014, when Van Gaal, his coach,

had had De Jong, Man Mark Messi, and they marked him out of the game. So, yeah, there was a lot of reasons for Argentina to particularly want to win that game. The Dutch said things, they provoked. Van Gaal said that they were confident to go on to penalties, underestimating Emiliano, and said the worst thing that you can say to Leo

is when Argentina defends, they defend with 10 players. Argentina is a country that loves to find a slight that it can get itself worked up about, to feel the bronca, as they would call it, the inner fury. And they used that. Messi. Lovely drop of the shoulders. Half a yard of space. Back it goes to the Marino. I think you saw in the quarterfinal the difference between the Messi of 2022 and 2014. In 2014, you could mark him out of the game because he played a much more orthodox role. By 2022, he was barely involved. He was this sort of sprite existing on the periphery.

You can mark a man, you can't mark a ghost. It's two. It's his tournament. Is it written in the stars? He celebrates a goal with this gesture, which is a very symbolic goal celebration. He played the E as two van Gaal, you know? I can't hear you.

What were you saying? Say it again. In Argentina, he recognised it as being first manifested by Riquelme. It just kind of grew the whole net of footballing references that were being suddenly evoked on that one game. Then it reached the 83rd

minute. Here's Pablo Zabaleta and Gary Lineker. They panicked a little bit in Argentina. That's a good ball in and a very, very good header, and the Dutch are backing it. Do or die now for the Netherlands. It all comes down to this. The last free kick, I was next to Ferdinand.

I was so nervous because last free kick, you know, let's not concede it. And I will never forget Ferdinand filming that free kick. He scores it, his face is going to go to the wall. Oh, my God! Saba! I couldn't believe it. Sorry, man, I'm sorry.

I didn't know what to do. I just went to the toilet. And then it got really intense, didn't it? There was. I just went to the toilet. And then it got really intense, didn't it? There was so much aggression out there. Paredes just kicking the ball to the bench of Holland.

It goes to penalties. And obviously, the Argentinian goalkeeper is quite a character and one you absolutely want on your side when you're in a penalty shootout, that's for sure. We we had Emiliano which is our ace he learned straight in Stoke on

a Wednesday night like they say in England because it's true Emiliano was sent on loan everywhere and he became an icon for me that was a brilliant moment. And yeah, it was his moment. It was all about him. Lucena Rucks and Argentina are in the semifinals. Yeah, I was dead on the floor there. Someone hacked me and said, oh, I can't believe you just done it again.

You saved us again. And then when I look up, it was Leo. That picture I always have in my heart. Argentina won 4-3 on penalties, and it was another hurdle that the side had to overcome. But was that match a turning point for Messi? Marcelo Imora Araujo and Pablo Zabaleta certainly thought so. For people that we know Messi from a long time,

we all know that he's the leader. Of course, then, because he's a bit quiet, people think, no, he's not a proper leader but no, they're wrong and I think Messi in that World Cup especially, he was more than that. What we haven't seen before for Messi is those kind of maybe reactions on the pitch. He was always a bit angry. Messi was showing signs of being quite confrontational. And then in the tunnel on the way to the changing rooms where he's doing his Argentinian TV post-match,

the number 19, as he calls him, walks by and Messi interrupts the live bitch to say, You go away, you fool, you know. Suddenly everyone among the press there were texting and writing, has Messi been taken over by the spirit of Maradona? At last, finally, Maradona speaks through Messi. And my epiphany was thinking, no. Maradona would have invented especially obscene and offensive insults

specifically for the number 19. It's very mild, bobo. It's the kind of thing someone's grandmother might say. But for Argentina, that's what was missing, perhaps. Bad boy Messi, and the fans loved it. He was one of them now, something Emiliano Martinez also enjoyed. We were more aggressive, probably, than the team that he had before in the national team, so he probably became a little bit like us,

you know, that bad boy. Messi's boyhood dream was to win the World Cup and this was starting to become a reality. The end was nearly in sight. Argentina just had to beat Croatia first in the semi-finals. Here's Jonathan Wilson. He must have realised that the clock's ticking. He must have known that, actually, if I'm going to do this,

I've got to do it. And that was the thing about watching Messi at this World Cup. Every game that I saw him, you're thinking, is this the last time I see him? In football, in this thing that we've invested so much time, so much emotional energy, so much intellectual energy in following, he's the best we've seen at this thing you've cared about for so long. And to know that that might be ending,

this might be the last time you see him. That, for me, for fans, for journalists, that was a huge thing. So what it must be for him, I think that's almost unimaginable. Messi understands that he's a player of moments, but the best moments in the World Cup were the ones he was involved in.

Messi. Guardiola's got back at him. Will he be able to stay with him? moments in the World Cup were the ones he was involved in. It finished 3-0 with Messi scoring a penalty and Julian Alvarez getting two against Croatia. The dream was still on track and once again he showed his commitment to the team. TV Publica reporter Sophie Martinez interviewed Messi after the match. Amazing, it was like a massacre. The World Cup, football, it's a big passion since I was a child. And to have the opportunity to be next to him in that special moment before the final of a workout, I just want to say to him that it was enough.

It's going to be an amazing story without willing to. He already did something for our country. So powerful, so powerful. He's like an example for all the titles in Argentina. For many though, it was wonderful to see a player whose career had spanned two decades, who had seven Ballon d'Ors, more than 700 career goals and four Champions League to his name. And it seemed the whole world wanted Messi to win the trophy he desired the most. But there was still one more step to make his dream a reality. But France, and a certain PSG teammate, was standing in his way.

It became a real battle for the ages and one that Gatlinica and Jonathan Wilson were looking forward to witnessing. I think with international football, games can become much more about one individual against another individual. And so obviously this was Messi v Mbappe. The saucer and the apprentice. And that's exactly what we got.

And the beauty of it all is that there are many stories that could be told, but we don't know which one will be written. And what a game that was. Yeah, it's the greatest World Cup final there's ever been. Greatest international game I think I've witnessed. Argentina were, by a massive margin, the better side in the first half. Down goes Di Maria. Penalty, Argentina.

Messi scores. Argentina were all over them all over the pitch totally one-sided Messi turns it out to Alvarez who gets it through and that's McAllister looking at Di Maria

and you thought that was it and then 10 minutes to go break away penalty it all changed after Messi has given the ball away Messi's been robbed by Coman.

Mbappe gets the return! Oh, carabiner! It was 2-2 in the 81st minute. Had Lionel Messi blown his own World Cup final? Well, the world was just about to find out. Here's Gary Lineker once again. And then the extra time, I think was the best extra time I've ever seen.

It was just madness. There's Messi. Messi wants it again. Lloris in the way. And the referee has pointed to the middle and said goal. And then you thought, that must be it now. There is another change around here, a France penalty.

And Bappe is the man. A hat-trick in the biggest game of all. And then even after that, it could have been one. It was like one in. Call number one is in. Martinez with the save. And it went straight down the other end. Here they go again.

Martinez waits in the middle. That had to be. It was one of the most exciting, thrilling, tremendous games I've ever seen. And there's more to come because the 22nd World Cup final has gone to penalties. Now it was time for Argentina to step up again. Journalist Cristian Martin was watching. When it came down to penalties, we had Emiliano Martinez.

He's got that skill. In a penalty shootout, you know, it's like arm wrestling. Emiliano will put the team ahead. So the pressure was on them all the time. The first one I didn't do anything. Nothing, just good luck and that's it. Mbappe will go first for France. And Mbappe will score for France.

Three times on the spot. Whatever you can do, I will endeavour to do as well, is Lionel Messi's message. And he rolls it in. Well, that's stylish. That's incredible at this time, this occasion. The next one is the one, you know. Saved by Martinez! The first cheers are Argentina's.

The third one is a pressure pen. That's the one that I need to do something, you know? Martinez has thrown the ball away. He's done that before. This is all part of his penalty routine. Make them work. Unbelievable. Wide!

People say, no, do you practice that dance? No, I never danced the way I danced after the second pen they missed. Never in my life. You know, that's me sometimes. I'm a child on the pitch. I don't see what's going to happen next, you know. He became like a specialist penalty saver. Like he did against Holland, he saved the first ones against the French. And that put the pressure on the French. They miss, we score. They miss, we score. And it came down to Gonzalo Montiel, you know, to deliver that last kick. This for the World Cup.

It's Argentina! And they had done it. Lionel Messi and Argentina had won the World Cup. I cried a little bit. It was mad. I've never thought about living a moment like this. I was only one year old when Argentina won in 1986. At the age of 38, I can see that I saw Argentina win the World Cup. In the streets, in the homes, in the hearts, it was absolutely fantastic.

The images went around the world of Messi holding the trophy he wanted more than anything. He did it! His childhood dream had become a reality. Now it was time to celebrate with his teammates, including his goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. We were talking to each other, drinking mate, drinking champagne, singing all the way to Argentina. It was just happiness, you know, and everyone enjoyed it. And the celebrations got even bigger when Messi, his teammates and the trophy finally went back home to Argentina. And the crowds that gathered in Buenos Aires were on a scale that had not been seen before. Here's South American journalists Sophie Martinez and Cristian Martin.

Five million people filled the streets of Buenos Aires. The Argentinian society became divided, you know. And I think this World Cup kind of brought everybody together. Because of the happiness. Everybody was happy. Everybody. When do you think that happened in your life? In your country?

With what? In my country? With what? In my country, with a World Cup. Everyone is happy. It's like that. I swear. And for goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, it was a moment he will never forget. You're seeing in front and you see, like, ants, you know. White and blue ants.

And you can see people on top of the trees. Just lovely. Lovely. So, after so many years, Lionel Messi could finally call himself a World Cup winner. 36 years on from Maradona's heroics from Argentina, he had done the same. A history maker.

An icon. One of the greatest players of all time. So where does this leave him in the pantheon of footballing greats? What will his legacy be now? To answer that, let's leave the final word to those who knew him, studied him and respected him too. This bunch, led by Messi, they are so different and influential of the way Argentina plays international football.

It's mad to think that I'm a World Cup champion, that I won the World Cup alongside Messi. The light shone on him just performing. Whatever has happened in that final or even in the tournament, for me, Messi's now indisputable. Messi's legacy would be to be as big as Maradona in the canthion of the football gods. He has to be up there as the number one and then the rest.

He's won absolutely everything now in the game. You get to your fifth World Cup and finally after all the misfortune, all the pratfalls, everything's gone wrong, finally you win it. It's the perfect ending. There's nobody that compares with Lionel Messi.