Argentina (National Football)

Lionel Messi will reportedly miss Argentina's 2018 FIFA World Cup warm-up match against Spain on Tuesday evening due to a hamstring injury. 

The Barcelona attacker was absent for La Albiceleste's 2-0 friendly victory over Italy, and ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden backed up a report from Juan Castro of Marca, which said Messi was a doubt to face Spain:

Reports Messi won't play against Spain tonight after all.

— Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) March 27, 2018

Marsden followed up, saying the 30-year-old's withdrawal appeared "more precautionary" than anything else, with Barcelona reportedly set to assess their forward when he returns from international duty this week.

"Muscle fatigue" in his hamstrings is cited as Messi's specific reason for reportedly sitting out Tuesday's fixture at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. Guillem Balague of Sky Sports noted there is "no serious injury" to the player.

Argentina will have wanted their main man back for the test against the 2010 world champions, but Ole previewed potential lineups with and without the magician, per football writer Peter Coates:

With @Argentina still waiting on the fitness of Lionel Messi, @DiarioOle show Sampaoli's 2 possible line-ups for the friendly against Spain tomorrow pic.twitter.com/PDYJgE4wNl

— GOLAZO (@golazoargentino) March 27, 2018

Messi led Argentina to the final of the 2014 World Cup, where they were beaten by Germany in Brazil. He will turn 31 by the end of this summer's tournament, and he told Fox Sports Argentina (h/t Sports Illustrated) it's "now or never," approaching what looks likely to be his last chance at the title:

"We feel that it's now or never. Because this is it, we have to think that this could be the last for this group of players. [The players] have a debt with ourselves. We don't owe the fans anything because we always give our 100 percent and we've reached three finals [from 2014].

"Right now we're not among the contenders to win the World Cup. There are much better teams like Spain, Germany, Brazil and France."

Spain goalkeeper David De Gea said in the buildup to Tuesday's clash that he was looking forward to testing himself against the best there is to offer, via Goal:

He's ready!

David de Gea is looking forward to the challenge of trying to deny Lionel Messi when Spain play host to Argentina in Madrid. 👊 pic.twitter.com/LhKFLEImVj

— GOAL (@goal) March 27, 2018

Messi spoke to TyC Sports (h/t Alex Wood of the Daily Star) before Friday's meeting with Italy and explained his ailment in further detail: "I have been suffering from this hamstring injury for some time. I always want to play, but the road to the World Cup is still long. We decided to wait for this game [against Italy] to rest, but I'm optimistic about playing against Spain."

Wood's report cited Diario Gol and also said Barcelona—11 points clear at La Liga's summit with nine matches remaining—have agreed to rest Messi in some league games ahead of the World Cup.

Both Barca boss Ernesto Valverde and Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli face a testing few months in handling the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's condition, with Messi still in the hunt for some of the biggest trophies in world football. 

Lionel Messi is happy for the support he and Argentina have received ahead of the 2018 World Cup but has slammed the treatment of the team at the hands of the press.

Speaking on Argentinian television show La Cornisa (h/t Marca), Messi said: 

"I have seen everywhere how many people want it to also be a good World Cup for me, that there is a desire to see me win it. 

"The truth is that it has struck me, that in any part of the world they are waiting for Argentina to become the champions and for it to be given to me, it is impressive."

Messi will turn 31 during this year's tournament, and it may be the last World Cup he'll compete at in his prime.

The forward is already considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, but he is perhaps yet to truly make his mark on football's biggest stage. 

He picked up the Golden Ball at the 2014 World Cup as he guided Argentina to the final, but with all four of his goals having come in the group stage, he was something of a surprise choice for the award.

Miguel Delaney of The Independent would like to see Messi at his best this year:

https://twitter.com/MiguelDelaney/status/974029826741895169

For some, Messi's lack of silverware on the international stage prevents him from being considered in the same bracket as legends such as Diego Maradona and Pele, who won the World Cup once and three times, respectively.

Football writer and commentator Juan G. Arango believes it will matter the most to his reputation in his own country if he does not manage to win a World Cup:

https://twitter.com/JuanG_Arango/status/974037455069499392

Messi also helped La Albiceleste reach the final of the Copa America in 2015 and 2016, but on both occasions they lost on penalties to Chile, with Messi scoring in the first shootout and missing in the second.

Despite the achievement of reaching three major finals in as many years, Messi believes the treatment they have received has been unfair, with this tournament representing the last chance for many of this generation:

"That is behind the thinking about this whole group, right? That we reached three finals, which unfortunately we couldn't win and many things were said about us.

"They don't think about us getting closer to becoming champions, [they think] that we won't have another chance. If so, they will ask that the entire group of players leave the national team."

Given the talent Argentina have at their disposal, particularly in attacking areas, it is a poor reflection of their capability that they didn't manage a single goal in any of the three finals in which they have contested.

Along with Messi, La Albiceleste have also been able to call upon the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria, but all three will be 34 by the time the 2022 World Cup comes around, so realistically this is their last chance, aside from the 2019 Copa America.

Argentina captain Messi has also been at odds with the local press in the past.

In 2016, he led his team-mates in a media boycott after a journalist made allegations about Ezequiel Lavezzi smoking marijuana amid criticism of the national side as they struggled during World Cup qualifying.

He added:

"They were already saying things out of place, things that have nothing to do with sports.

"They say that, if we play well, if we play badly, if it is a disaster, that we don't have to be there, but already they get into our private life and other things that are lies.

"Not only [Lavezzi], but a lot of barbarities have been said so they can win a fight."

Messi also discussed the state of the country as a whole during the interview and is unsure if he will return to Argentina to live upon his retirement because of the crime and social problems there.

"I suffer and I feel sorry that today Argentina is as it is," he said, (h/t Sport, via Goal's Ryan Benson). "The reality of the country, the insecurity. I look at the future, I think about being able to return to Rosario and enjoying my city because I could not do so as a kid, I had to come here, something I do not regret, but I'm worried."

He is contracted to Barcelona until 2021, but the talisman has revealed his desire to play for boyhood club Newell's Old Boys prior to retiring.

However, due to ongoing concerns regarding his home country, he may opt to see out his glittering career with Barca, which would be a similarly fitting end.  

There are rivalries and then there is the Superclasico. 

Whenever Buenos Aires giants River Plate and Boca Juniors meet, Argentina comes to a standstill. Even when the match takes place five hours south in Mar del Plata and is a "friendly."  

We took Fernando Perez to this unique sporting occasion so that he, and you, could experience it.

Enjoy the ride. 

Argentina legend and former national team manager Diego Maradona has offered to come back and coach La Albiceleste following their 4-2 friendly defeat to Nigeria on Tuesday evening.

Maradona took to Instagram after Argentina surrendered a 2-0 lead in Krasnodar, Russia, to lose their first match under incumbent boss Jorge Sampaoli.

"El Diego" compared his record to that of his peers dating back to the 1970s:

ESPN FC provided a translation of the caption, written in Spanish, which read: "Who wins more ?? Let's draw our conclusions, I'm mad because they give away our prestige, but the players are not the ones to blame, I WANT TO RETURN !!!"

Maradona earned 91 caps for Argentina as a player and led the national team between 2008 and 2010, until he was sacked following their elimination from the 2010 World Cup at the quarter-final stage, per The Telegraph.

Jorge Sampaoli took over the helm in June, and while Tuesday's loss to Nigeria may be the first blemish on his record, his side have won only four of the eight games he's managed and only just qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The signs were already there that Argentina require a lot of fine-tuning if they're to challenge for the World Cup, but South American football writer Peter Coates put that notion into new context on Tuesday:

Gol de Nigeria! Alex Iwobi again & Argentina now trail 4-2. Reminder that Sampaoli has a LOT to do before the World Cup (if anyone didn't know)

— GOLAZO (@golazoargentino) November 14, 2017

With Lionel Messi absent, Sergio Aguero and Ever Banega supplied the goals that put Argentina two up against Nigeria, only for an Alex Iwobi brace to prove their undoing alongside goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Brian Idowu.

Fans and coach alike will ask questions of the players' resolve and their ability to retain a lead, although broadcaster Deji Faremi noted a fateful feeling around the friendly fixture:

Last time Argentina conceded 4 goals in a game was in June 2011.

They lost that game 4-1 to...Nigeria! pic.twitter.com/qKwiV1dLBe

— Deji Faremi (@deejayfaremi) November 14, 2017

In any case, Argentina can only be so upset with the current management considering little was at stake on Tuesday with some key players missing, leading to Maradona's plea ahead of the World Cup.

The 57-year-old hasn't built his resume much since leaving the national-team helm seven years ago. He led United Arab Emirates outfit Al Wasl for one year and was appointed chief of second-tier UAE side Al-Fujairah following a five-year spell out of management.

And while "El Diego" may have his supporters as he looks to resume the position, it's improbable Argentina will make such a late change, particularly to reappoint someone with a chequered past in the position.  

Sergio Aguero fainted in the dressing room as Argentina lost 4-2 to Nigeria in an international friendly in Russia on Tuesday, according to reports.

The Manchester City striker was substituted at half-time, triggering a staggering collapse from the South Americans at the Krasnodar Stadium.

TyC Sports (h/t City Watch) reported Aguero regained consciousness but was taken to hospital for checks.

Manchester City confirmed that Aguero had been cleared to return to England—but they denied the reports that he ever lost consciousness.

A statement from City read: "Sergio Aguero has been cleared by doctors to return to Manchester as planned after suffering a dizzy spell during Argentina’s 4-2 defeat by Nigeria in Krasnodar today.

"Sergio never lost consciousness, and was taken to hospital for precautionary medical checks."

Pep Guadriola's Premier League leaders face Leicester City at the weekend and Aguero will be given an assessment ahead of the game, per City's statement. 

Aguero had claimed his country's second in the first half to open a 2-0 lead, but the Nigerians struck back to score four in a row.

Sergio Aguero becomes Argentina’s outright third-highest goalscorer!

—Lionel Messi (61)
—Gabriel Batistuta (54)
—Sergio Aguero (36)

🙌🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/8b7kLCff7x

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 14, 2017

Arsenal's Alex Iwobi was the hero, grabbing a brace in the second half, as Russian fans applauded the Super Eagles' comeback.

Nigeria defeated Argentina 4-2 in an international friendly in Russia on Tuesday, as the nations prepare for action at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

Ever Banega and Sergio Aguero gave Argentina a two-goal lead after 36 minutes, but Kelechi Iheanacho struck back on the stroke of half-time at the Krasnodar Stadium.

Nigeria were on level terms seven minutes into the second half, with Alex Iwobi netting for the Super Eagles, and they took a shock 3-2 lead just two minutes later through Brian Idowu.

Argentina's problems were compounded after 73 minutes. Iwobi grabbed his brace as the scoreline ended in embarrassment for the South American giants, despite the defeated side dominating possession.

Argentina were missing Lionel Messi, who departed the squad before the match, with La Albiceleste providing their selection for the friendly: 

[SELECCIÓN MAYOR] A continuación, los 11 futbolistas elegidos por Jorge Sampaoli para enfrentar a Nigeria. pic.twitter.com/xrveinhSam

— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) November 14, 2017

Leicester City's Iheanacho led the attack for Nigeria, as the Super Eagles provided footage of the sides as they lined up for the opening whistle:

Kickoff is upon us.
National Anthems rendering at the moment. pic.twitter.com/zY54sXfLad

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) November 14, 2017

Argentina maintained control through the opening phases, playing with confidence as they retained possession.

However, Nigeria sat deep on the counter-attack and were prepared to concede territory as they focused on using pace.

It was the Argentinians who took the lead after 27 minutes, with Banega curling his free-kick home with skill and composure.

La Albiceleste doubled their advantage nine minutes later, as Nigeria allowed Aguero time and space in the box to tap home the second.

Argentina maintained a gear their opponents could not match, and the Nigerian defence struggled to hold their position and poise.

However, the Super Eagles carved out a lifeline in the dying embers of the first half as another direct free-kick hit the back of the net.

This time it was Iheanacho with the deadly instinct, making it 2-1 at the interval with a tremendous finish.

Aguero was substituted at half-time as Argentina shuffled the pack, but it was Nigeria who grabbed the impetus to level the match.

Idowu was the hero, sliding his strike into the bottom corner, triggering a remarkable collapse for the South Americans after 52 minutes.

Argentina had no time to shake off the cobwebs and were 3-2 down just two minutes later, with Iheanacho once again at the heart of Nigeria's play.

Brian Idowu combined with Iheanacho to score his country's third of the night, as Argentina's defence appeared dumbstruck by the unfolding events.

As the Argentinians attempted to regain composure without Aguero on the pitch, Nigeria went for the throat, and their tactics once again gave them success through Iwobi's magic.

The Arsenal player beat three defenders as he fired home, and the Argentina players were lame and beaten.

It was a great night for the Gunners attacker, proving his quality on the international stage at the expense of a world giant.

Nigeria head into Russia 2018 in great spirits, but it's back to the drawing board for the South Americans who clearly lack inspiration and leadership without Messi in their ranks.

Argentina face Nigeria in an international friendly at the Krasnodar Stadium in Russia, but the South Americans will be without Lionel Messi on Tuesday.

The icon withdrew from the squad after La Albiceleste defeated Russia 1-0 in Moscow on Saturday.

Nigeria dominated Group B in CAF qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, topping the standings ahead of Zambia, Cameroon and Algeria.

Here is how you can watch the game:

                   

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 14

Time: 4:30 p.m. (GMT)/11:30 a.m. (ET)

TV: beIN Sports (U.S.)

Stream: beIN Sports CONNECT

            

Preview

Messi was certainly the star name for the friendly in Krasnodar, but the Barcelona maverick has returned to his club after the victory against Russia.

According to Argentina's official Twitter account (h/t Tom Webber of Goal), the forward opted to leave preparations with his country, and it has been confirmed the player is not suffering with injury.

Messi linked with Sergio Aguero to capture a late 1-0 victory against the Russians, with Argentina dominating possession as they battled for territory.

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli was delighted with the performance at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, lauding his attack after the match.

Per Tom Webber of Goal, Sampaoli said:

"This is what we are looking for.

"There was more vertical play with [Alejandro] 'Papu' Gomez next to [Angel] Di Maria, interesting movements between Aguero and Messi, many movements on the wings.

[...]

"He [Aguero] read and understood the match very well in a few places.

"He had a couple of shots in the first half and another three in the second, one of which was a goal."

Aguero has been forced to battle for his starting place at Manchester City since the arrival of Gabriel Jesus, but the striker was sharp when he had to be at his most clinical for his country.

Nigeria will be in a celebratory mood when they walk out to face their opponents, fresh from completing qualification for the World Cup as unbeaten group winners.

The Super Eagles shocked African football fans by skipping past Cameroon and Algeria, who could only record one victory between themselves in Group B.

Nigeria scored 12 goals in their six qualification games, and their detractors had no answer as they progressed in style.

Argentina will be a different kind of prospect for the Africans, but with Messi out of the friendly, there could be a shock in Krasnodar.

The South Americans have been hugely inconsistent in the past 12 months and have appeared short of inspiration during Messi's absences.

Aguero remains in good form, but Argentina will need to do better in the final third if they are to make short work of the Nigerian threat.

Russia face Argentina at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, as the 2018 FIFA World Cup hosts take on the South American giants in an international friendly on Saturday.

Lionel Messi is in the squad for La Albiceleste's trip, which also includes an additional friendly against Nigeria at the Krasnodar Stadium in Russia.

Argentina scraped into the World Cup finals, as they qualified from the CONMEBOL group after winning their last qualification match.

A 3-1 victory in Ecuador was enough to propel Messi and Co. to a place at Russia 2018.

Here is how you can watch the game:

                 

Date: Saturday, Nov. 11

Time: 1 p.m. (GMT)/8 a.m. (ET)

TV: ESPN3

Stream: WatchESPN

            

Preview

Both teams enter the friendly unbeaten in their last five in all competitions, but Argentina will be desperate to forget the trauma of World Cup qualification after almost missing out on the finals.

Messi was the hero as he smashed a hat-trick past Ecuador, and his side grabbed the win to advance in third spot.

The Argentinians lacked their usual clinical edge, scoring just 19 goals in their 18 qualification matches, compared to Brazil's 41 strikes as they topped proceedings.

Russia have played a series of friendly matches over the past two years due to their status as hosts at the World Cup, and this is often a tricky path for nations as they prepare for major competition.

Argentina will provide Russia with the calibre of opponent they need to face, and Messi's presence will spice up the encounter if he is selected to start.

The Luzhniki is being re-opened on Saturday ahead of the World Cup, with Argentina's Leandro Paredes calling the venue "an amazing stadium."

Speaking to FIFA.com, the Zenit Saint Petersburg midfielder commented about life in the Russian Premier League:

"They ask us how we're finding things here and how we've settled in. It goes without saying that most of the questions are about the weather and if it's cold. We're the only guys in the national team who play so far to the north. We don't speak about the World Cup just yet; there's still too long to go until it starts.

"The Luzhniki is an amazing stadium. It's looking modern and beautiful after its reconstruction, but I believe our stadium in Saint Petersburg is as good. I'm sure the World Cup in Russia will be wonderful and our home ground will be one of the showpiece arenas."

It will be no surprise if a different Argentina emerges for this game, with the strain of qualification in the past.

Messi has started this season in fine fettle with Barcelona, and he dragged his country through the group when hope was evaporating.

However, Russia will not want to be embarrassed at home.

It is a huge honour for the Russians to host the World Cup, and they will want to put on a capable display against one of the most fabled nations at the tournament.

With backs against the wall, staring over the abyss into the pit of international mediocrity, Argentina needed a rescue act. For so long, the football-obsessed nation has turned to Lionel Messi in its hour of need.

But after a torrid qualifying campaign, Messi joined late following the despair of a Copa America final defeat to Chile on penalties. Questions were being asked about the greatest player on the planet.

Those questions continued with World Cup elimination staring Argentina in the face. But Messi temporarily quieted any concerns with the 44th hat-trick of his career to sink Ecuador and book Argentina's passage to the World Cup finals.

The celebrations in the dressing room highlighted the relief and the joy that victory brought, but scratch under the surface and there are problems one supreme performance cannot gloss over.

The headline on the front page of Wednesday's Argentinian sport newspaper Ole declared: "Messi is Argentinian." Outside Argentina, these huge words printed in yellow may seem redundant, if not simply silly. Taken literally, everyone knows Messi is Argentinian. However, in Messi's homeland, this headline can be decoded in another way, as it has at least three meanings.

Firstly, it's a word-play linked to an old Argentinian saying that God is Argentinian, which connects to another (footballing) saying that "Diego Maradona is God" (he is named in the media as D10S, with "Dios" meaning "God" in Spanish). But it's also strongly linked with the severe criticism Messi has received since the very beginning: that he isn't a true Argentinian.

Although he neither reads papers nor watches TV, Messi is aware he is regularly criticised in Argentina. As he admitted in a July interview with TV show Alma de Potrero: "I no longer care about critics, but I did care at the beginning, because there were so many things people said about me. I was a boy and didn't understand why I was so criticised."

While worshipped in Catalonia, the relationship between Messi and Argentinian fans has never been smooth. It's been more of a love-hate one: He was loudly booed during the 2011 Copa America played in Argentina, but fans begged him to have second thoughts following his retirement. The loss to Chile was his fourth in an international final (Copa America 2007, World Cup 2014, Copa America 2015, Copa America 2016), and he was tired as well as frustrated.

Afterward, he announced his retirement from international play:

"I have tried so hard to be a champion with Argentina. But it didn't happen. I couldn't do it. So I think it's best for everyone, for me and for many people who want it. This is over, this is my decision."

At that point, Argentina weren't struggling in the qualifiers—they had already picked up 11 points from six games and were third in the table ahead of Brazil in sixth.

It was understandable. Messi had been criticised for a long time, even for not singing the national anthem before games, which gave fuel to the notion he wasn't a true Argentinian. Messi was drunk in May 2009 when he spoke in Catalan for the first time in public while holding a microphone surrounded by his Barcelona team-mates in front of a full Camp Nou during the celebrations for winning the treble (UEFA Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey). He yelled, "Visca el Barca y visca Catalunya" ("Long live Barca and long live Catalonia").

He had lived and studied in Catalonia since 2000 and perfectly understood spoken Catalan. He told Argentinian TV station TyC Sports in 2009, "Once you get used to it, it's an easy language."

He has never publicly backed the Catalan independence movement because, according to Sebastian Fest, co-author with Alexandre Juillard of the book Misterio Messi, he doesn't care about politics in Spain or Argentina. Nevertheless, he is unquestionably loved passionately in Catalonia.

Conversely, in his homeland, he has been scrutinised since the beginning. He has even been treated as if he wasn't an Argentinian by a considerable, intense portion of his countrymen, no matter how hard he has tried to be—and look—like an Argentinian. He talks like an Argentinian, he insults like an Argentinian and he jokes like an Argentinian, even though he left his hometown Rosario and moved to Catalonia at 12.

"I don't sing the national anthem because I don't feel I have to," Messi told Alma de Potrero. "Every person feels the national anthem in different ways, and mine is feeling it inside my body while listening to it."

Criticism for not singing the national anthem is closely linked with another complaint fans and journalists have regularly made of Messi—not being like Maradona. Maradona is remembered for singing it passionately and for insulting Italian fans booing it during the 1990 World Cup. In the fans' imagination, Maradona never underperformed playing for Argentina and won the 1986 World Cup by himself without his team-mates' help, while Messi has failed in four finals and has never been the charismatic leader he was expected to be.

So the homage Messi is being paid now in Argentina was unthinkable earlier this week, when he and his Argentina team-mates were on the verge of missing a World Cup for the first time since 1970.

It's no wonder the players, an exultant Messi included, sang inside the dressing room after the game: "We don't care what the f--ker journalists say. Sons of bitches. You have to cheer the national team. You have to cheer the national team until death."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdEsJLQID-4

Because there is another story behind all this jubilation: the story of Messi's suffering throughout these qualifiers.

"It's difficult for me to play alongside Messi [in the national team]," Juventus star Paulo Dybala said during a press conference before the UEFA Champions League clash between FC Barcelona and Juventus in September.

Unintentionally, the 23-year-old striker had fed the beasts. The sensationalist media in Argentina, but also well-respected TV pundits such as 1986 World Cup champion and former Argentina captain Oscar Ruggeri, criticised Dybala harshly, as if he had committed a crime.

Dybala, who at that point had played only three games with Messi, explained at the press conference that, though enjoyable, it was difficult to play alongside the Barcelona ace because they play the same position.

"He didn't mean to criticise Messi at all—conversely, he has said that playing with him is a dream come true," journalist Marcos Villalobo, author of Dybala's biography, La Joya, told B/R.

Nevertheless, it became a scandal.

It acted as evidence something was wrong inside the dressing room. And Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli didn't help when he benched Dybala in the last two games against Peru and Ecuador. Of course, something was wrong in Argentina. How else could you explain the inexplicable—that a national team starring Messi and a world-class supporting cast including Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Mauro Icardi, Dybala, Javier Mascherano and Angel Di Maria was struggling in the qualifiers? What was wrong with Argentina? Or, more specifically, what was wrong with Messi?

1986 World Cup champion and 1990 runner-up Carlos Bilardo feels the problems started when Julio Grondona died in July 2014. Grondona was president of the country's football association from 1979 until his death. Nicknamed "The Godfather," he appeared without being properly named as "co-conspirator No. 10" in the FBI investigation into FIFA after he died. During his reign, only once did an opponent pop up: a former referee called Teodoro Nitti, who voted for himself and was defeated 40-1 in 1991.

Grondona—also FIFA vice-president and finance committee chairman, even though he didn't know how to use a calculator—had a good relationship with Messi, who interrupted a holiday with his family in Italy to fly back for his funeral in Buenos Aires.

Since Grondona's death, the FA has been a mess, and Messi has evidently suffered. There were delays at airports ("My God, what a disaster the FA," Messi wrote on Instagram during the Copa America 2016 in the United States, after a flight was delayed), and flights on cheap charters like LaMia, the Bolivian company that became known worldwide following the plane crash involving Brazilian team Chapecoense in Colombia in which 71 people died.

Messi was in Barcelona during the 2015 FA election in Buenos Aires, the first one after Grondona's death, which ended up tied 38-38 between candidates Luis Segura and Marcelo Tinelli even though 75 people had voted. That's the FA Messi has had to deal with throughout these qualifiers.

"But without Grondona, we have also had so many changes in terms of coaches; three coaches throughout the qualifiers," 78-year-old Bilardo, who is no longer a manager but a lecturer around the world, told B/R. He added, "So, even though these players have known each other for like 10 years, that's troublesome. 'What's going on here?' they may well ask while seeing one coach being suddenly sacked and another coach suddenly appointed. And that surely has had an impact on the players. It definitely did."

Before Messi's debut in the national team in 2005—when he was sent off 40 seconds after coming off the bench because he unintentionally elbowed a Hungarian—Argentina had six coaches in 32 years: Cesar Menotti, Bilardo, Alfio Basile, Daniel Passarella, Marcelo Bielsa and Jose Pekerman. Since Messi's debut, there have been eight coaches in 12 years: Pekerman, Basile, Maradona, Sergio Batista, Alejandro Sabella, Gerardo Martino, Edgardo Bauza and Sampaoli.

The instability has reached its peak in these qualifiers. As Bilardo pointed out, Argentina have had three coaches with three different styles. It started with former Barcelona boss Martino, who believed in players' inspiration and quit when he grew tired of not getting paid and the FA's disorganisation.

Then came Bauza, appointed out of the blue while working at Brazilian club Sao Paulo and whose contract with them was said to have a release clause in case Ecuador's FA offered him a job (and not Argentina, as he had never dreamt about managing Argentina). He believed in defensive stability with a conservative style, said that Argentina would play the 2018 World Cup final while struggling in the qualifiers and was sacked by the FA after eight games.

Finally, there is Sampaoli, who believes in offensive football and tactical innovation. Consequently, Argentina has shown no coherent style of play in the qualifiers.

Argentina legend and 1978 World Cup champion Mario Kempes disagreed with Bilardo. The former Valencia striker, who played in three World Cups (1974, 1978 and 1982) and now lives in the U.S., where he is an ESPN TV commentator, blamed the players for the troubles Argentina has gone through in the qualifiers.

"It's not the coaches' fault but the players'. We are talking about world-class footballers that play in the best clubs in Europe," Kempes told B/R. "But the problem here is that they have clearly underperformed in these qualifiers. Actually, you could see in the games that, when they were in trouble and under pressure, team-mates desperately passed the ball to Messi expecting him to solve everything by himself."

Roberto Ayala, who was Argentina captain from 1998 until 2006, added: "Messi is definitely our best player but should be a piece in a team—the most important piece, obviously—but he should be supported by his team-mates and a tactical system inside the pitch. But that hasn't happened in the qualifiers. He wasn't supported but left alone, and we were all waiting for him to do all by himself."

He certainly has a point. Against Ecuador, both Di Maria and Icardi wasted decent chances while Messi was clinical inside the box. It's no wonder that Argentina have scored only 19 goals in 18 games, three more than underdogs Bolivia and the same number as Paraguay and Venezuela, both of whom failed to qualify, even though Higuain, Icardi, Dybala, Aguero and Messi played regularly.

Ayala, who is studying to be a manager while enjoying his status as one of Argentina's best footgolfers, added: "We should definitely be a good team, but we are not. We have had no long-term projects in Argentina, and Messi has suffered. We have certainly done everything wrong without realising that Messi won't be here one day."

Ayala knows what he is talking about: He worked for only a month as Argentina national teams director from October until November 2016, when he unexpectedly quit because some decisions had been made without his knowledge.

Argentina has become Messi-dependent. And the media has criticised him throughout the qualifiers because that dependency, as they say, had to do with what it is called the "Messi Friends Club." The sensationalist media, but also some well-respected journalists, have pointed out that Argentina's trouble throughout the qualifiers was a logical consequence of picking underperforming friends of Messi like Paris Saint-Germain winger Di Maria or Sevilla playmaker Ever Banega.

It's actually an urban legend in Argentina that Messi picked the national team players, not the coaches.

Hernan Claus, a journalist who has covered news regarding the national team for Ole since 1999 and has interviewed Messi several times, refuted that notion to B/R:

"It is not like people and even some journalists say: Messi doesn't pick the players. He intervenes less than people think. Actually, the so-called 'Messi Friends Club' is not a real thing. Banega wasn't called up to the 2014 World Cup even though Messi is a close friend of his; Aguero has never been the main No. 9 in the national team and has been regularly benched even though he is also a close friend of Messi; or think about Pablo Zabaleta, who is no longer in the squad. So where is this 'Messi Friends Club'?"

Although Maradona has backed Messi publicly several times, he has undermined him subtly in a classic Maradonian way. While coaching him (which was always Messi's mother's dream) from 2008 until 2010, the former Napoli ace addressed Messi as Lio and not Leo. Although he is called Lionel, Messi is known worldwide as Leo and signs his name as "Leo Messi."

Even today, Maradona keeps calling him Lio. When he was appointed as Argentina manager in 2008, Maradona said Argentina would be "Mascherano-plus-10" without mentioning Messi. Then there was the time Maradona was in conversation with Pele in Paris in 2016. Without noticing the cameras were recording his chat, Maradona said: "Messi is a good person but does not have the character to be a leader."

The comparison between Maradona and Messi reappeared as Argentina's troubles grew throughout the qualifiers. Ayala said: "The comparison has been damaging but also pointless. Why should we compare Messi with Maradona instead of enjoying them?"

In July 2016, Argentinian novelist Juan Jose Becerra wrote in the paper Clarin:

"They are two equivalent beasts even with their differences. Maradona is Elvis Presley singing 'My Way' at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. He embodies the deity and the ruin, the absolute power and the sunset, the snowy peaks and the abyss. And Messi is Paul McCartney. He is the long-play list, the career, the talent expanded without pauses, the continuity and the health. Ask one of them to have what the other has doesn't look to be a proof of social intelligence but a proof of the galloping dissatisfaction of a country—half country—that doesn't conform with having two of the three best footballers in history in less than 40 years."

As Maradona did in 1993, Messi returned to the national team after quitting. Since then and until Tuesday night, it had all gone dramatically downhill. He was banned for two matches because he lost his temper and insulted a referee even though his team had defeated Chile at home. Argentina collapsed with two embarrassing draws at home against Venezuela and Peru. The fans and journalists were furious.

But in the end, that's the passionate, footballing Argentina—a country in which Messi isn't seen as a winner yet because he hasn't won a title with the national team, with his 2008 Olympics gold medal not considered important enough.

It was actually Bilardo who has been professing this ideology for 35 years.

"Messi and his team-mates don't get the recognition from the fans simply because they have lost three finals in the last three years. It's understandable. This is like if you are a student: You go to the university and get excellent grades day after day after day, but you fail at the final exam. It doesn't matter what you had achieved when you fail at a final exam."

And Messi knows it. As he said in July: "Argentinians think they do know everything about football. It is what it is. I always say that if we had reached a World Cup final and two Copa America finals for another country, well, it would've been different [in terms of recognition]. But this is Argentina."

On Tuesday night, with his hat-trick against Ecuador, Messi gave Argentina—and himself—another chance to win an international trophy.

Argentina saviour Lionel Messi has said it would have been "crazy" for the national team not to have made the 2018 FIFA World Cup after his hat-trick helped them beat Ecuador 3-1 and qualify for the finals on Tuesday evening. 

La Albiceleste were on the brink of failing to make next year's World Cup in Russia, which would have been their first time missing a tournament finals since 1970. Messi spoke to the media after his team's third away win of the qualification campaign and said:

"There was always the fear of coming here to play. Luckily, we could react and we managed to play well.

"We were calm, we achieved the goal and that is the most important thing. Thanks to God, we fulfilled the objective.

"It would have been crazy not to be in the World Cup. The group deserved to qualify."

Jorge Sampaoli's side entered the final day of CONMEBOL games outside of the qualification spots and needing a positive result to stand a chance of advancing, and Messi delivered when it mattered most.

Argentina fell behind in Ecuador after only 38 seconds, but the heroics of Barcelona superstar Messi saw them leading 2-1 after 18 minutes, and the player completed his hat-trick in the second half, via Goal:

Lionel Messi just single-handedly sent Argentina to the World Cup with a hat-trick.

Legendary. pic.twitter.com/4EkNU2BOP0

— GOAL (@goal) October 11, 2017

Head coach Sampaoli will take the national team to the World Cup for the first time, and he hopes he can go one better than the runner-up finish managed by predecessor Alejandro Sabella in 2014.

Dominic King of the Daily Mail reflected upon the unique skill set Barca's devastating maestro boasts: 

So Superman wore his Lionel Messi pyjamas last night ... in 50 years kids will hear stories about him that will defy their belief. #Greatest

— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) October 11, 2017

Not long after FIFA President Gianni Infantino told Argentinian newspaper La Nacion (h/t Goal's Chris Burton) Messi must win a World Cup before being dubbed one of the greatest of all time, the player responded in ideal manner.

Football blogger Tim Stillman put into further context just how unrealistic it might have been for Argentina to ponder qualification without Messi, so vital is he to the national team cause, the sign of a true great:

In Argentina’s final 8 qualifiers, they only had 2 goal scorers:

Messi
Own goal.

— Tim Stillman (@Stillberto) October 11, 2017

Messi is 30 years of age and will be 35 by the time the 2022 World Cup in Qatar comes around, meaning this may be his last chance to add the most elusive of titles to his trophy cabinet.

Argentina owe their talisman a courageous campaign in Russia next year at the very least, and after pulling them in by the skin of their teeth, Messi will be looking to make the most of what could be his last World Cup chance.