After a poor showing at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and coming off winning the Copa America in 2021, Argentina and Lionel Messi have plenty of pressure on their shoulders to win the World Cup in Qatar.
Furthermore, this competition will mark Messi’s last for the South American nation, so there’s pressure on the players to provide the veteran forward his storybook ending to allow the Paris Saint-Germain star to leave international football on a high note.
In an interview with ESPN Argentina, the 35-year-old provided the team’s mindset heading into the World Cup as the ball gets rolling in a few days.
“We are very excited,” Messi told the Argentina media outlet. “We have a very nice group that is very eager, but we started to go little by little. We know that World Cup groups are never easy and we try to, hopefully, begin the competition in the best way to face everything that comes after. But we are very excited.”
"ESTAMOS MUY ILUSIONADOS", Leo Messi habló mano a mano con la Conmebol, sobre como llega el grupo de la Selección Argentina al Mundial de #Qatar2022. pic.twitter.com/zoeQvzWYwC
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) November 15, 2022
Messi is in good form to serve as the focal point of the Argentina offense, but the question is which other player will step up to provide the former FC Barcelona star the support he needs to win the competition.
Argentina is one of the favorites to advance to the knockout stages. It will be there when many have their eyes on the South American nation and whether they can reach the finals as they did at the 2014 World Cup.
