NYT WORLD: World Cup Final Caps a Complex Saga Between Messi and Argentina
By Jack Nicas and Sebastián López Brach
Section: World
Source: New York Times
Published Date: December 17, 2022 at 02:00AM
But as Argentina played to a 0-0 draw against Colombia in the 2011 match, the stadium reverberated with boos.
“He’s a failure,” one fan said outside the match. “Since he arrived, we haven’t won a thing,” another said. “He should never be compared to Maradona,” said a third, referring to Diego Maradona, the Argentine legend who never faced such jeers by his fellow countrymen.
Few nations are as soccer-obsessed as Argentina, and few humans have ever been as talented with a soccer ball as Messi. Yet the relationship between the two — a man and his homeland — has been deeply complicated.
Messi was born in Argentina but became an adult and a star in Europe. He piled up awards and titles with Barcelona’s renowned club team but for many years struggled to win with Argentina’s national team. And despite his status as perhaps the world’s best player, in Argentina, he has lived and played in the shadow of Maradona, whose brash style endeared him to Argentines unlike the reserved Messi.
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By Jack Nicas and Sebastián López Brach
Section: World
Source: New York Times
Published Date: December 17, 2022 at 02:00AM
Lionel Messi left Argentina when he was 13 and has had a complicated relationship with the nation since. But this World Cup has changed things.
ROSARIO, Argentina — It was the second time Lionel Messi was starring for the Argentina men’s national soccer team in the province where he grew up — a sort of coming-home party for him, a maestro who had left this corner of the world when he was 13.But as Argentina played to a 0-0 draw against Colombia in the 2011 match, the stadium reverberated with boos.
“He’s a failure,” one fan said outside the match. “Since he arrived, we haven’t won a thing,” another said. “He should never be compared to Maradona,” said a third, referring to Diego Maradona, the Argentine legend who never faced such jeers by his fellow countrymen.
Few nations are as soccer-obsessed as Argentina, and few humans have ever been as talented with a soccer ball as Messi. Yet the relationship between the two — a man and his homeland — has been deeply complicated.
Messi was born in Argentina but became an adult and a star in Europe. He piled up awards and titles with Barcelona’s renowned club team but for many years struggled to win with Argentina’s national team. And despite his status as perhaps the world’s best player, in Argentina, he has lived and played in the shadow of Maradona, whose brash style endeared him to Argentines unlike the reserved Messi.
Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/17/world/americas/world-cup-final-messi-argentina.html
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