Messi aims to fulfil Maradona's dream

If there is anything more difficult than winning a World Cup, it is retaining the title. Only two teams in football history have achieved this feat—Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962. No team has won back-to-back World Cups for over six decades. Argentina, the reigning champions, are aiming to change that history when they take the field on Wednesday. This could also be Lionel Messi's last World Cup, and with it, a chance to fulfil Diego Maradona's unfinished dream of winning consecutive World Cups.

Argentina will begin their World Cup campaign at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, which has a capacity of 76,000, at 7:00 am Bangladesh time on Wednesday. Their opponents are the strong African side Algeria. On paper, Argentina are favourites, but the pressure of a World Cup opener is always different.

The Albiceleste are in excellent form heading into the World Cup. The top-ranked team in the FIFA rankings has won their last seven matches, scoring 21 goals and conceding just one. They dominated the tough South American qualifiers, securing their World Cup spot with 38 points from 18 matches.

However, the journey has not been flawless. A home defeat to Uruguay, a loss to Paraguay, and a draw with Venezuela have shown that Argentina are not beyond mistakes. At the same time, five of their qualifying matches ended in 1-0 victories, demonstrating the team's mental strength to grind out results when needed.

The most talked-about moment of the qualifiers was the double defeat of arch-rivals Brazil. A 1-0 win in Rio de Janeiro followed by a 4-1 demolition in Buenos Aires not only proved Argentina's strength but also became one of the reasons for Brazil's coach Dorival Júnior's departure.

Emiliano Martinez, the wall in goal
One of Argentina's greatest strengths is goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. His exceptional saves in crucial matches, mental fortitude in penalties, and ability to organise the defence make him one of the best in the world. His World Cup experience boosts the team's confidence.

Romero-Otamendi, the defensive backbone
The centre-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Nicolás Otamendi is one of Scaloni's most reliable assets. Romero's aggressive tackling and ability to intercept, combined with Otamendi's experience, provide balance to Argentina's defence. Full-backs Nahuel Molina and Nicolás Tagliafico provide width by pushing forward and recover quickly to defend.

Argentina's engine room in midfield
In midfield, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, and Rodrigo De Paul are central to Scaloni's strategy. De Paul's relentless work rate, ball recovery, and ability to assist Messi make him the team's unsung hero. Mac Allister controls the tempo of the game, while Enzo handles long passes, possession, and building attacks.

Messi, the focal point of attack
Even at 39, Lionel Messi remains Argentina's biggest weapon. Though he lacks the pace of his younger days, his game-reading ability, precise passing, free-kicks, and match-winning quality make him one of the world's most dangerous players. Alongside him, Julián Álvarez's relentless pressing, off-the-ball movement, and goal-scoring ability make Argentina's attack more dynamic. Lautaro Martínez can also change the game when needed.

There are concerns, however. Ángel Di María has retired and is no longer in the squad. Messi's age is also a reality. The warm-up matches against relatively weaker opponents did not provide a true test of the team's strength. Even goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez admitted he was not entirely satisfied with the performances in the preparation matches.

Meanwhile, Algeria are confident ahead of their opening match. Head coach Vladimir Petković has made it clear that they have no plan to stop Messi individually but instead trust their own natural game. According to him, World Cup openers are always full of uncertainty, so there is always a chance for a surprise.

All calculations suggest Argentina are clear favourites in the group stage. Their primary goal is to advance to the knockout stages from a group consisting of Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. The real test will come after that. If they succeed in that test, Argentina will not only retain the World Cup crown but will also become only the third team in football history to win back-to-back World Cups, alongside Italy and Brazil. And that will be the greatest story of fulfilling Maradona's unfinished dream through Messi.