Argentina’s Lionel Messi has one more chance to deliver World Cup glory, one year after leading Argentina to the Copa America title.
Thiago Messi, Lionel Messi’s son, has written a letter to his father as Argentina’s captain prepares to lead his country to victory over France in the World Cup final.
Before the tournament, Messi stated that Qatar 2022 would “certainly” be his final World Cup. He now has a chance to end his career on a high note by winning the tournament for the first time, after coming so close in 2014 when the Albiceleste were defeated by Germany in extra time.
Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo shared the letter from Thiago, 10, on social media. It mentions Diego Maradona, who inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 and died at the age of 60 in 2020, as well as his father’s quest for glory.
“I was born in Argentina, the land of Diego [Maradona] and Lionel,” Clarin begins the letter (via the Mail). “I will never forget the Malvinas children. I can’t tell you because you won’t understand.
“For how many years I cried for her in the finals, but that ended in the Maracana, the final with the brazuqas, and Dad won it again.
“Boys, we’re pumped up again; I want to win the third, I want to be world champion, and we can see Diego from heaven, with Don Diego and La Tota rooting for Lionel.”
Regardless of who wins the final, they will have done so despite losing a match along the way. Argentina were defeated by Saudi Arabia in their first group game, while France lost to Tunisia in their final group stage match after a controversially disallowed late goal from Antoine Griezmann.
Argentina advanced to the final after a 1-0 victory over Australia , a penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands , and a 3-0 victory over Croatia . Messi shone in the latter, scoring from the penalty spot and then going on a mad dash to set up the third for teammate Julian Alvarez .
Meanwhile, France won all of their knockout games in under 90 minutes. Les Bleus defeated Poland 3-1 in the last 16 before defeating England and ending the run of giant-killers Morocco to reach the final, and have scored 13 goals to Argentina’s 12.
Messi, along with his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe , enters the World Cup final as the joint-top scorer, and his goals against Australia, the Netherlands, and Croatia were the first he has ever scored in the knockout stages of a World. Cup. Both players have five goals, with Alvarez and Olivier Giroud trailing by one.