Doha, Qatar – ‘Now is all’ is a trademark of the Qatar 2022 organizers. It couldn’t be more appropriate on Sunday.
The stage is set for a grand farewell at Lusail Stadium. Viewership will reach 89,000. Billions around the world will be watching.
On paper and on the pitch, Argentina will face France in the final of the 2022 World Cup at the Lusail Stadium. But for the majority it was advertised as a Messi show. Supposed to be the conductor of the biggest football show to reach its finals, the boy from Rosario is reaching the peak of his career.
At least that’s what it says in the script.
The highlight of Sunday’s inaugural World Cup in the Middle East will be Messi’s final appearance at the tournament. It’s not so much that he wants to leave an indelible mark on this tournament – and emulate the great Diego Maradona – but that he and the millions who follow him around the world want the World Cup to be Messi’s World Cup, his last, its best, its only.
The episodes that precede this finale have certainly highlighted this storyline and pointed to this very happy ending (not for France, of course).
Lionel Messi keeps writing his name in the World Cup history books 📚 pic.twitter.com/ebB5cU3oZ9
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 13, 2022
Messi scored in Argentina’s first game at Qatar 2022 – a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia.
Messi scored in the last game – a stunning humiliation of last year’s finalists Croatia.
In between, he scored three more goals and provided an assist that not only confirmed his status, stature and hulking presence, but also sent infidels to place their pot of gold next to the blue and white stripes.
“It’s just Messi, wallah (by God), it’s just Messi,” said Mohammad Nahawi, a Brazilian fan who was in awe of Messi after the Argentine’s spectacle against Croatia in the semifinals.
“I support Brazil but I love Messi. This guy Wallah. That’s 99.9 percent him and 0.01 percent the rest of the players [on the team]. Nobody can stop this guy.”
Messi’s story is a tragic tale, one of incomplete dreams, unfulfilled desires and heights he dreams of. But for Sunday the stages are set, the script is written and the lawn is watered. It may very well be that the dream is completed, the desires fulfilled, the heights achieved.
The ball dances to its whistle, and so should the sport. But that’s not it. Not until he lifts the trophy that matters most, to him, to the country, to these billions who wear the number 10 stripes and chant his name in Rosario, Kerala, Dhaka, Bangkok and Doha.
Lionel Messi with the support of the tournament.pic.twitter.com/09eQcFQIWC
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) December 13, 2022
“Pfft, no words for him, he’s Messi,” said Dong, who traveled to Qatar from China to see Messi play. “He was just… so perfect. And he showed us those godlike moments. You can’t stop him, no way. Argentina will be champions and Messi will lift the trophy.”
There was exceptional demand for Messi’s number 10 shirt as he made his way to the final. It had sold out in some countries and had run out in others.
Such was the demand that Adidas issued a statement saying the company was working to “bring more jerseys to fans so they can celebrate an incredible journey for the national team”.
“He’s the special, the best, the crazy, call him what you want, he’s the one,” said Federico, who was born in Rosario, the city that gave Messi to the world.
“No one can take the ball from him, he’s in that place right now. He has his best World Championship and we are so proud of him and what he has achieved so far.”
When the final whistle blew against Croatia in the semifinals, Messi was alone on the halfway line. He looked up, looked down and leaned in before engaging in a bear hug with the substitutes.
He realized he was within reach of fulfilling his dream, the dream of a nation and the millions who wear the blue and white stripes with the 10 on their backs.
France have already lost once in this tournament. But they just want to become the third team to win back-to-back World Cups (Italy 1934 and 1938, Brazil 1958 and 1962), so victory isn’t handed out on a plate.
It can’t just be about Messi on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium. But after seeing the mark he’s left in the last month or so and how the calm of a late November night was shattered with utter disdain by the Argentinian fans celebrating his goal against Mexico, it could very well be.
Messi is joint top scorer at the 2022 World Cup with five goals [Paul Childs/Reuters]