Lionel Messi World's Cup Win: What can we learn from his victory?

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It has already been 100 days since one of the most celebrated matches in football's history. The 2022 FIFA World Cup men's final gave us one of the most electrifying matches we have ever seen in the history of the sport. France vs Argentina absolutely gave us a demonstration of what football can be at its highest expression. An exciting match between the two counterparts until the last minute, where teams played the most exciting 40 minutes in a World Cup final that people have ever seen. However, all eyes were on one individual that night, Lionel Andrés Messi, the all-time football genius who was having his last shot at becoming a FIFA World Champion.

The 3-3 draw between Argentina vs France was not only a battle between two of the greatest teams in football history but also matched up two main figures on the field, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé: the present of football and the future of football. Both showed and pushed their personal skills to the limits, taking their teammates to the greatest heights of performance. With an inspired Mbappé who confirmed that he is an undeniable force on the field and with formidable determination by Messi who fought until the last ball, pushing his team to the absolute limit to demonstrate that no one was stealing the spotlight from him that night. By all means, a match made in heaven. probably what everyone wanted to see as a football fan that night.

After the most intense match ever seen, we had reached the final accolade that Lionel Messi was missing: being a world champion. A place that only a few have been, confirming undoubtedly his place in the debate of the greatest player of all time. However, many people in the world might not know the struggles that Lionel Messi had to face on his path to becoming a world champion with the Argentinian national team. A path full of deceptions, injustice, hate, and obstacles either on or off the field that made the dream of becoming a world champion an absolute struggle.

Nevertheless, Messi achieved the task and probably delivered one of the best individual performances ever in a World Cup. However, how was Messi able to individually seize the opportunity and deliver on a state of constant flow at 35 years old? What made the difference from the last deceptions? What can we learn from him? Let's see what Messi went through to become a world champion.

A Look At His Path

Lionel Andrés Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. The son of a metal factory worker and a cleaner, Messi grew up in humble surroundings. However, even as a child, Lionel showed incredible talent for playing football, fascinating any adult who saw his skills on the field. This talent led him to sign with Barcelona at the young age of 13, where he continued to amaze everyone with his talent, and well, everyone knows how it went for him after that.

Although his path with the Argentinian team was not as glamorous as his path with Barcelona, many doubted him because he could not translate his success in Barcelona to the Argentinian national team. Messi debuted in the Argentinian national team on August 17, 2005, at only 18 years old in an international friendly match against Hungary, which ended up with his expulsion 2 minutes after he entered the game. Not exactly the dream debut for any football genius, but nevertheless, the Argentinian youngster continued his career without any further problems when it came time to perform. Furthermore, he became the top scorer in the history of the Argentinian national team with 100 goals (a record achieved in the last game) and the top assister as well.

However, Lionel Messi did not lack criticism coming his way. Before the Copa America won in 2021, "La Albiceleste" had not won an international championship in 28 years. Obviously, this was not Messi's fault, but the team had failed to deliver in 4 different finals (3 of those in a row) with Messi in the starting 11. The Copa America (2007, 2015, 2016) and the World Cup Final against Germany in 2014, especially the 3 finals lost in a row, cost Messi a ton of criticism from Argentinian journalists and society. Criticisms that led Messi to retire from playing in the national team after his 3rd loss in a row in 2016 against Chile in the Copa América, where he failed to convert his goal in the penalty kicks. These events made the football genius undoubtedly question himself and his capacity to deliver results with his national team, as he stated in a post-interview of the final in 2016:

"It is over for me, the national team. I tried it a lot but I couldn't make it happen. It hurts me more than anyone that I can't make Argentina a champion, but it is like that and I leave without making it happen" (Lionel Messi post-match interview, Copa America Final 2016).

This statement makes us rethink what would have happened if he had not decided to come back to the national team. But as we can testify, the crack did not have it easy before becoming a champion. Furthermore, many football fans saw no hope in the Argentinian team ever becoming world champion with Lionel Messi. For many deniers, it was proof that he was no match for other football legends like Maradona and Pelé. How could a player who was not a world cup champion ever be considered the best player in the history of the sport?

The Rise of the Legend

It was a bitter event for him, knowing that even as the most valuable player ever, he still received strong criticism from the very people he went to defend on the pitch.

Nevertheless, this did not stop Messi, who, after a restructuring of the team by Scaloni and the AFA (Argentinian Football Federation), made a comeback to the national team. This started a new golden age for the national team of his country, winning the Copa America in 2021 against their all-time rival Brazil in their home, the Finalissima against Italy, and the World Cup against the almighty reigning champions, France. However, not only was Messi part of the squad that took the country to the pinnacle of the sport, but he was also the absolute figure of the team.

Distinctively, his performance in the World Cup was absolutely stunning, carrying the weight of the team when the hope of being champions almost disappeared after a tough loss against Saudi Arabia in the first game. This translated into him breaking the record of being the first player to score at every stage of the World Cup and not scoring only in one game against Poland in the group stage. This absolutely demonstrates the resiliency of Lionel Messi to come back from his past losses and capitalize on his last opportunity to probably win the World Cup at 35 years old.

What can we learn from his experience?

Lionel Messi's path can be defined by many as almost perfect, but like any professional career, it has its ups and downs, and his career is no exception. As professionals, we can only learn and take notes from some public figures, study their paths, and take the relevant lessons into account. Messi's career is an excellent example for each one of us. From being in the bottomless pit of defeat and failure to rising to the top of the world, his actions and dedication can teach us perseverance and discipline, in the hardest time.

Like each one of us, Messi faced great challenges throughout his career. Mistakes were made, and losses were taken, but at the end of the day, his resilience and mental strength to move forward made the difference. He could have retired from the national team, knowing that he had nothing to prove to anyone and that his career was already cemented in history. However, his unwillingness to conform and his understanding that losing is part of the process finally led him to achieve his maximum dream.

It is said that luck can be a big factor in professional success, but in reality, luck only blesses those who are capable of seizing opportunities in the correct manner and have put in enough effort to recognize the opportunity. As they say, you create your own luck, and in a more practical example, the third goal of Argentina came from a lucky rebound from Lloris, an action directly created by Messi, who seized the opportunity that luck put at his feet.

Today, Messi's life may seem foreign to us, but his reality can be translated to each one of us who face struggles in our personal or professional life. Many times, life won't turn out the way we want, but the capacity to learn from our mistakes and understand that failing is part of the way is how we can grow to our maximum potential. Messi decided to face the challenges ahead one more time before hanging up his boots, and his bet paid off.

Maybe many of us are afraid of taking the next step in our careers, or maybe others are facing hardships in their lives that make the decision of moving forward harder.?But as we can confirm with Messi's case if we don't take accountability for the challenges ahead of us that can leave us with a big regret, and unanswered questions for the rest of our lives.