The last stop to Lionel Messi's GOAT tour

MANILA, Philippines – One can only imagine what is inside the mind of Lionel Messi as his own personal redemption tour is in its apex. He is on course to win his first league trophy outside La Liga with Paris St. Germain (in his senior career) after his controversial departure from his longtime club Barcelona. 

In the FIFA World Cup Finals for the second time in his career, Messi has a chance to ease the pain of the loss in 2014 to Germany. He has five goals in Qatar (tied with France’s Kylian Mbappe) and also has a chance to be the Golden Boot winner while annexing the World Cup that would cement his claim as the “Greatest of All Time”.

For much of his career, Messi was said to be only a great player at club level. However, on international duty, he could not win the big one.

But in these last few years, Messi has steadily added to that missing international silverware.

There was the 2021 Copa America title where Argentina defeated Brazil. And the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions where they took down the Azzurri, 3-nil. 

The FIFA World Cup is the one Messi or any footballer wants. This is why he isn’t always included in the conversation with Pele and Diego Maradona. 

Yes, Messi has been tabbed as the GOAT by many. The stain there is not winning the Big One. 

Messi will have a chance that many players of his generation have been denied.

Luka Modric will always be acknowledged as one of the world’s greats, but not having the World Cup will hurt. At least Modric’s team got to the semifinals.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s squad crashed out in the quarterfinals, and he never even got to play. In many ways, it is a sad end to his own personal annus horribilis where he has feuded with Manchester United and perhaps scarred his legacy with the team and now to be left out after leading Portugal to so much glory in the past. It is humiliating.

Poland’s Robert Lewandowski finally got to the World Cup. While his Polish team was never seeded to win the World Cup, we are very sure he hoped to bring his nation to the Promised Land. His only consolation was he got to score in his final World Cup appearance. 

Luis Suarez’ chase for football glory has been tainted with his biting (Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup) and handball incidents (against Ghana during the 2010 World Cup). He was on the bench for Uruguay and sobbing on his way out as his side never progressed outside the group stage. 

Germany’s Manuel Neuer did play all his matches, and yet, his team never got out of the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup. But at least Neuer was part of Germany’s 2014 World Cup champion side — the only one of this generation of stars thus far to have lifted that trophy.

A chance that Messi and Angel di Maria — who will also play his last World Cup match — will have when Argentina plays France on Sunday, December 18. The French, of course, are looking to be the first repeat winners since Brazil accomplished that feat in 1958 and 1962.

Furthermore, Hugo Lloris, the famed French goalkeeper in his last World Cup campaign, will want a say in this whole matter. 

The stakes are high indeed.