MESSI AND ARGENTINA, THE STORY OF A SAWTOOTH RELATIONSHIP (1/3)

The ultimate target, the quest of a lifetime, these are the words that kept coming up in the world press and in Argentine heads. Everyone wants to see the Albiceleste win the World Cup, and in particular one man, Leo Messi. More than the Argentinians, it is all the fans of football and of the genius who will be behind him on 18 December. But if this pursuit of the Holy Grail has taken on such magnitude, it is undoubtedly because Messi's relationship with his country has not always been smooth, far from it. From excitement to glory to criticism and disappointment, it has been a turbulent journey for the man who, from the start, was compared to the country's greatest legend...

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The portrait of Messi will be divided into three parts, discover the first one below...

NB: This article was made on the basis of research and interviews. Throughout the article, we find the words of the Argentine journalist Claudio Martinez and a fan of the Albiceleste, Santi Tosini.

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I – IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GOD DIEGO

It is difficult to follow a legend, especially a player and a character like Diego Maradona. From a national point of view, it is difficult to find such a strong link between a man and his people. A true god for Argentines, Diego's legend was nevertheless built on a sad note. At the age of 17 and already a rising star in world football, the young Diego experienced the "saddest day of his career" (as he says in his autobiography) when he learned that Cesar Luis Menotti had not selected him for the 1978 World Cup, which the Albiceleste would win anyway. He soon got his revenge. He won the U20 World Cup the following year with the same Menotti and the World Cup 8 years later, being the main actor. His legendary actions, from the "hand of God" against England to his monumental goal in the same match, will gradually build his legend.

A unique and controversial character

But beyond the sporting dimension, Maradona was a truly controversial character off the pitch, but also on it. The numerous fights, statements and outbursts are examples of this. He did not hesitate to insult journalists when they criticised him, to injure the leaders of FIFA and those of the world. Obviously, his relationship with drugs, for which he was suspended in 1991, did not help to slow down the controversies, although he ended up despising this scourge. But paradoxically, it was this extra-sporting presence that allowed him to take on a supernatural and divine dimension...

"So he was a character who went far beyond football, he was a rather controversial person and an immense talent for his time."

A divine figure

It is difficult for us in the West to understand how mere individuals can be considered true divine figures in some countries. Yet Maradona is a perfect example. It was Maradona himself who began to deify himself, especially after the historic semi-final against England in 1986. After his goal with his hand, he completely confessed his gesture and described it in the following way: "A bit with the head of Maradona, and also a bit with the hand of God".

Thus, this character, described as "cosmic kite", allowed the Argentine people to reign over the world of football, and to breathe into the people, a wind of freedom, joy and revenge (especially on the British after the Falklands War). In spite of his character, which is far from having done nothing but good, Maradona is still seen as being above the rest.

"It's like that in Argentina, there's a tendency to deify sporting idols".

But this deification, which is characterised in particular by the existence of a cult and a Maradona church in Mexico in which some people get married, is not unique to Diego. In fact, it is more of an Argentinean custom. "It's like that in Argentina, there's a tendency to deify sporting idols, even players like Maradona who hasn't exactly been an example of anything, especially off the pitch," Claudio Martinez explains. He even adds that "it happens with other people too, especially with some musicians". These include the legendary Carlos Gardel and the actress Eva Perón, who played a major political role.

So, when you know how important Maradona's image is, it must be difficult to carry the weight of his succession...

II – BETWEEN EXPECTATION AND RETICENCE

The arrival of Messi in the world of football provoked a strange feeling among Argentines. The latter, between wonder and reserve, wanted to avoid yet another disappointment. So when Messi was presented as the "new Maradona", many of them remained on their guard. Because there had already been "new Maradonas" (as there are now "new Messis"). From Claudio Borghi to D'Alessandro, passing through Ortega and Riquelme, the Argentinians have never stopped believing in the reincarnation of their legend. So when a 17-year-old arrives, they don't get too excited. Even if "we didn't know what he was really worth because he was playing in Spain", some of the videos are going around the world and not going unnoticed in Argentina. One Albiceleste fan, Santi, tells us:

"He didn't stop getting attention, Leo wasn't very visible outside of Spain, he was more discreet, but when he started to do great performances, videos of everything he did there started to reach Argentina, it was something impressive and we saw a lot of Diego in him."

So we can't deny a certain excitement of the people. Nevertheless, it was reserved, discreet.

III - A perfect start and a national hero in waiting

A thunderous debut

Leo Messi first pulled on the Argentina shirt in 2004 with the Under-20s, in a friendly against Paraguay. After a long wait, he opted to represent Argentina after Spain had offered him the chance to play for them. In his first match, he scored a brilliant goal that was destined to remove all doubts from the Argentine people.

A year later, he won the U-20 World Cup and finished as the best player and top scorer of the competition, with 6 goals. The buzz around him continued to grow, and it did not stop the following year.

A promising first World Cup

In 2006, the Argentine genius was called up by Pekerman to play in his first World Cup. Argentina lost on penalties to Germany in the quarter-finals. Considered one of the best young players of the World Cup, Messi made some good appearances in his rare starts. He scored and provided an assist in 15 minutes against Serbia-Montenegro (2nd group match) and played some interesting extra time in the 1/8 final against the Netherlands (2-1 win). However, he did not play against Germany, which was a huge mistake for his compatriot Juan Pablo Sorin, who would react years later:

"We all wanted to see Messi against Germany. All of us. After our goalkeeper was injured, we all wanted a change. We deserved to win, we could have won on penalties and in the end we were eliminated. That team could have gone all the way."

The coach's choice to put Julio Cruz in for Messi will be the talk of the town...

Olympic success

In 2008, Messi returned to the youth team for the Olympic Games. He had a more than interesting tournament alongside a certain Angel Di Maria. Argentina won the Olympic title and Messi stood out after pushing hard to play in the tournament. Claudio Martinez explains: "At first Barcelona didn't want him to go, but Leo decided to go anyway and was ready to do so even without the club's permission, which he finally got. And he won the gold medal in Beijing". He shows a certain love for the national team and takes his presence and the national triumph as a real duty.

This success in the national team and this global validation will unfortunately not last...

IV – 2010, the beginning of the criticism

In 2010, Messi already has a Golden Ball and two Champions Leagues, including the 2009 one, playing a more than major role in one of the best teams in history. So, in his country, he is expected to be a star. With Maradona as coach, the golden generation of the Albiceleste (Aguero, Di Maria, Pastore, Tevez...) has been a shadow of its former self.

Thus, the year 2010 undoubtedly represents the beginning of the criticism of Leo Messi. In 2010, the Argentine press will not be able to ignore the fact that Argentina is once again eliminated by Germany in the quarter-finals (by a 4-0 scoreline) and that he is the author of a World Cup with no goals.

" Over there he wins everything, here he wins nothing. Actually, they considered him more Spanish than Argentine"

They start to criticize him for one thing: a drastically different face with Argentina compared to the one he shows with Barça: "They criticize him above all for not being the same with Argentina as with Barça. There he wins everything, here he wins nothing. In fact, they considered him more Spanish than Argentine".

They began to point out his lack of desire, his nonchalance, and they made him bear the burden of the defeat. Maradona's friendly statement on Messi's condition did not change this criticism: "I am his friend. I saw him crying in the shower when we lost 4-0 to Germany when many players were already looking for flights home."

And these criticisms are not going to go away any time soon...