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Atletico Madrid legend Diego Godin has said that the very best of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ace Lionel Messi was on display at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Messi guided Argentina to their first FIFA World Cup trophy in 36 years last December. The PSG superstar scored seven goals and claimed three assists, winning the Golden Ball for his exploits. Messi was also uncharacteristically vocal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, leading from the front when the odds were stacked against them, never shying away from a fight.
Uruguay icon Godin has said that Messi bought his visceral side to the FIFA World Cup and proved his mettle as the unabashed leader of the Argentina team.
Speaking to Argentine media outlet Ole, Godin said:
“We saw him viscerally, the most human Messi that could be seen. And that’s because of how he felt in the group. We saw him lead, something that was demanded of him here in Argentina, and his best version of him came out.”
The former Atletico centre-back also admitted to being happy for Messi and Argentina, despite Uruguay's South American rivalry with the Albiceleste.
“Seeing him win made me happy because, in Uruguay, people empathised a lot with this team,” added Godin. “It is obvious that we are rivals, and we always want to beat Argentina, but this team generated something different. For the coach, of whom they speak wonders to me, for how they declared, and, precisely, for seeing Messi being a man on the field, playing the World Cup of his life and with the team on his shoulder.”
Godin added that everyone wanted Argentina to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of Messi:
“The matches were very exciting, suffered, and we like that better at the Río de la Plata. In Uruguay, everyone wanted Argentina to win because of Messi."
Bayern Munich could follow Marseille gameplan to close down Lionel Messi
On Wednesday (February 8), an exuberant Marseille side dumped PSG out of the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France, beating them 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome. Except for Neymar, who assisted Sergio Ramos’ goal, everyone else had a poor outing, including the legendary Lionel Messi.
The Argentine maverick uncharacteristically failed to apply the finish from close range in the 79th minute, lost possession 28 times and lodged no effort on target. With less than a week to go before PSG square off against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, alarm bells are ringing in Paris.
With Kylian Mbappe ruled out with a hamstring injury, PSG need Lionel Messi and Neymar to share the workload.
While Neymar seems up for it, Lionel Messi does not seem to be at his best. Marseille effectively neutralised him by blocking passing lanes and putting bodies in front of him. If Bayern pull off a similar strategy, it could be mighty difficult for PSG to breach the German club’s backline.
