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Before the commencement of World Cup 2018, the top 4 contenders were Brazil, Spain, Germany, and France. But the one thing that made Argentina, a South American giant on the wane of its powers, a contender for the World Cup was the presence of Lionel Messi.
Argentina came into this World Cup on the back of an abysmal qualifying campaign, where they barely managed to qualify for the prestigious competition. Things went south during their World Cup campaign when they were held to a 1-1 draw by minnows Iceland and were beaten handsomely by Croatia. But an inspirational Lionel Messi performance saw Argentina qualifying for the Knock-out stages, where they bowed out to a rampant French side led by Kylian Mbappe.
But what would have happened had Messi won the World Cup this time around? Here are 4 things:
#4. A golden generation would have retired for good
2014 FIFA World Cup saw Leo Messi and company face off against a rampaging German side. Billed as "the best player vs the best team", the best team ultimately prevailed against the man perceived by many as the reincarnation of God himself.
But that team also included a string of talented players such as Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuain etc. who were instrumental in their side's voyage to the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The same bunch of players then went on to lose 2 successive Copa America finals, which further intensified the heartache they had endured after losing the Final in 2014. Even after the debacle in the 2018 World Cup, Messi is still in the hunt for International glory with Argentina despite limited talent and unlimited expectations.
If Messi had won the World Cup in 2018, he would have retired for good and many of his colleagues such as Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria etc would have retired following in their captain's footsteps, paving the way for the youngsters in the process.
#3. He would not have been labeled a Barcelona player only
As once pointed out by Sir Alex Ferguson, many people consider Leo Messi as Barca material, who is only good in a possession-based system. The success he has achieved at Barcelona and a series of heartbreaks he has endured while playing for Argentina seem to be a major testament to that. But this is not entirely true and it should not be used as a parameter to belittle the little Magician's achievements.
First of all, Messi won the FIFA U-20 World Cup and Olympic Gold Medal in 2008 along with numerous Individual honors including Golden Ball in FIFA World Cup 2014. Although he has been at the losing end of 4 International finals, even reaching there requires immense self-belief and ability which Messi has shown time and again. If Messi had won the World Cup in 2018, all the doubts over his ability to lead the nation would have vanished and he would not have been stereotyped anymore.
#2. He would have been the frontrunner for this year's Ballon d'Or
Messi came into this World Cup on the back of a brilliant Individual season, which propelled Barcelona to yet another domestic double. But still, it looks like Messi is going to find it hard to mount a serious challenge for the Ballon d'Or in 2018 because Cristiano Ronaldo managed to win an unprecedented 3rd successive Champions League title.
Couple that with the fact that Ronaldo even managed to outscore him in the World Cup, where he scored 4 goals and saved his team from a certain defeat against Spain. Although the tally of 1 goal and 2 assists from 4 World Cup appearances is not bad by any measure, a lot was expected from Messi going into this World Cup.
But the one thing that is in Messi's favor is that all the probable candidates had an indifferent season where they found success and failure in equal proportions. Real Madrid's woeful domestic performances have somewhat hampered Ronaldo's chances while only domestic success is not going to help Neymar either.
Mohamed Salah's lack of silverware, coupled with a disastrous World Cup outing, is going to prove detrimental to his cause. So if Messi had won the World Cup this year, his chances for winning the Ballon d'Or would have skyrocketed, and it would have been difficult for any other player to challenge Messi for the prestigious prize.
#1. He would have achieved cult status in Argentina
Diego Maradona is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time alongside the legendary Brazilian Pele. He was also the joint FIFA player of the century alongside Pele. But the primary reason for that is his exploits with Argentina during the 1986 World Cup. He was instrumental in his side's World Cup triumph where he scored or assisted 10 of Argentina's 14 goals in the tournament. Moreover, he won the golden ball for his heroics with Argentina, who were not fancied to win the tournament in the first place. This is the reason why he has achieved cult status in the nation.
As a football crazy nation, the Argentines can't fathom the fact that one of the greatest players of this generation has been unable to guide his nation to World Cup glory. Although Messi has tried his best and has guided Argentina to 4 major International finals, the lack of silverware has prompted them to feel that Messi isn't the same player with Argentina as he is with Barcelona. Had Messi won the World Cup this time around, he would have definitely achieved cult status in Argentina, much like his peer Maradona.
