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Lionel Messi ready for World Cup but Argentina in chaos

By Nishant Narayanan

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - JULY 06: Lionel Messi of Argentina sings the national anthem prior to the Copa America Brazil 2019 Third Place match between Argentina and Chile at Arena Corinthians on July 06, 2019 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Alessandra Cabral/Getty Images)
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - JULY 06: Lionel Messi of Argentina sings the national anthem prior to the Copa America Brazil 2019 Third Place match between Argentina and Chile at Arena Corinthians on July 06, 2019 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Alessandra Cabral/Getty Images) /
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Lionel Messi prepares for Argentina’s World Cup Qualifiers.

FIFA World Cup 2022 is almost upon us and it is almost going to be the final time we see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in football’s most prestigious tournament. The end of an era is nearing and Messi feels like he still has to give his nation one parting gift before he retires from international duty. The Argentine has managed to win every cup available in club football, however, international trophies have always evaded his grasp. Thus this might be his last chance to rectify that statistic in his legacy.

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Messi enters the 2022 World Cup with a very mixed Argentina side. No longer is the country as feared as they once were but they still have some very strong names to help them get through the tournament. The attack is where the men in blue and white will shine. After failing to meet Inter Milan’s transfer fee for Lautaro Martinez, Barcelona were unable to fulfill the Argentine’s dream of playing alongside Lionel Messi at the club level. But the partnership can now be formed on the international stage.

While Leo has struggled to find the back of the net in Barca’s last 3 La Liga clashes, with the only goal coming off a penalty, Lautaro has enjoyed a rather successful beginning to the new season with Inter, scoring eight goals in the last 5 matches. Another attacker who is being considered to feature under Lionel Scaloni is Sevilla star, Lucas Ocampos. He has had an impressive season so far, as evident in his latest clash against Barcelona, where he caused a lot of trouble for the Catalan’s backline. Scaloni has been extremely pleased with the Sevilla man that he decided to drop a regular member of the Argentine squad, Angel Di Maria.

Meanwhile, in the midfield, Leandro Paredes of Paris Saint-Germain will be supporting the frontline alongside Rodrigo De Paul of Udinese. The third midfielder is yet to be decided as the options are immense with Marcos Acuna and Paulo Dybala fighting for the spot. On top of that, players like Joaquin Correa, Giovani Lo Celso, Eduardo Salvio, and Alejandro Gomez are also desiring a chance.