Following on from the recent trend of behind-the-scenes sports documentaries, Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend follows the Argentinean victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but it omits some key details. Lionel Messi is one of the greatest athletes of all time, but his glittering career had always been missing the World Cup, the most prestigious prize in soccer. In 2022, Messi led Argentina to victory at his fifth, and probably final, tournament. Messi’s World Cup reveals some fascinating insights into Argentina’s campaign, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Apple TV+ documentary charts the history of Messi’s international career. It focuses on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but it also flashes back to some of Messi’s tough time in an Argentina shirt, including his World Cup Final loss in 2014 and his repeated struggles at the Copa América. Telling the story of such an illustrious career in just four episodes necessitated some cuts. Fans of Messi know that his career has been even more dramatic than the documentary shows, and his crowning achievement in Qatar becomes much more emotional when given the context of his history.
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10 Messi’s Move To PSG
Messi’s club career added an extra dimension to the drama of the World Cup Final
Messi’s World Cup episode 4 focuses on the intense World Cup Final between Argentina and France, especially the battle between Lionel Messi and the French phenom Kylian Mbappé. What the documentary doesn’t mention is that Messi and Mbappé were teammates at club level at the time. Messi moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, where he played alongside Mbappé for two years before joining Inter Miami. After the World Cup Final, Messi and Mbappé reunited on the same team for the remainder of the season, and Messi played for a predominantly French fan base.
9 Argentina’s World Cup 2018 Loss To France
2022 wasn’t the first time Messi and Mbappé crossed paths at the World Cup
Messi’s World Cup details some of the recent Argentinian World Cup campaigns, but it gives more attention to 2010 and 2014 than 2018. Argentina weren’t an especially strong side at the 2018 World Cup, but they still managed to reach the round of 16. There, they came up against Kylian Mbappé and France, who would go on to win the tournament. Messi provided two assists, but the game is remembered for Mbappé’s performance, which helped establish him as a world-class talent. The fact that his performance came against Messi’s side was symbolic of a potential changing of the guard.
8 Diego Maradona’s Off-Field Issues
Maradona’s shadow hangs over the Argentinean team throughout the World Cup
Throughout his career, Lionel Messi has had to endure comparisons to Diego Maradona. Maradona was one of the greatest players ever, and he is revered as a legend in Argentina. Messi’s World Cup reveals how Maradona was a great friend and mentor to Messi, but it doesn’t delve into his off-field controversies, including his history of substance abuse. Focusing too much on Maradona would have pulled attention from Messi, simply because his story is so fascinating. Messi’s World Cup chooses to talk about his talent and his status as an icon.
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7 Argentina Winning The Copa América In 2021
Messi’s World Cup underplays the importance of Argentina’s 2021 triumph
Messi’s World Cup heightens the tension surrounding the 2022 World Cup by relegating the previous year’s Copa América victory to a footnote. In reality, it was a pivotal moment in Messi’s career, as it marked the first major international trophy he ever won with Argentina. The documentary does briefly refer to the tournament, but it doesn’t show any footage from the final against Brazil, nor does it explain how the win cemented Messi’s status as a legend for the Argentinian national team. Without the Copa América, the World Cup would have been even more tense.
6 Argentina’s Qualification Campaign
Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend starts in Qatar
Casual soccer fans may have missed the fact that, before they even arrived in Qatar, Lionel Messi and Argentina had to qualify for the tournament over the course of two years. The South American qualification campaign began in October 2020 after a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Argentina kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Ecuador, and they played 17 matches in total. Only four of the ten teams in South American qualifying were guaranteed a World Cup spot. Argentina were always likely to progress, but other historically competitive teams like Chile and Colombia missed out.
5 The Controversy Around The 2022 World Cup
Many soccer fans objected to FIFA’s decision to stage the World Cup in Qatar
FIFA awarded the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, and this decision immediately drew criticism from fans and journalists. There were allegations of corruption in the bidding process from the outset, with FIFA committee members accused of selling their votes to the highest bidder. Regardless of whether Qatar’s bid was above board or not, there was a public outcry over the decision to stage the biggest sporting competition in the world in a country with an inconsistent human rights record. Any discussion of the 2022 World Cup feels incomplete without acknowledging the circumstances surrounding the tournament.
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4 The 2022 World Cup’s Unusual Placement
The World Cup traditionally takes place in the summer months
One of the concerns over hosting a World Cup in Qatar was that the extreme summer temperatures would make a sporting competition virtually impossible. To ensure the safest conditions for both players and fans, FIFA made the decision to move the World Cup from its traditional spot in June and July to November and December. This disrupted the tightly packed soccer calendar across the globe, and players traveled to compete in the World Cup in the middle of their seasons. The 2022 World Cup was unlike any other, although Messi’s World Cup treats it like a normal competition.
3 The Details Of Argentina’s Semi-Final Win Over Croatia
Not every Argentina game receives an equal amount of attention
Messi’s World Cup allots more time to the most interesting games of Argentina’s tournament. The shock loss to Saudi Arabia, the fiery contest with the Netherlands, and the final against France each take up the majority of an episode. The other games receive relatively little attention, and the semi-final against Croatia is quickly brushed past. Messi’s World Cup does show the most brilliant piece of skill in the match, as Messi jinks past Joško Gvardiol to assist Julián Álvarez, but the other two goals aren’t shown. Messi opened the scoring with a penalty and Álvarez doubled the lead before half-time.
Messi’s World Cup 2022 Statistics | |
Game | Lionel Messi’s Goal Contributions |
Lost 2-1 vs. Saudi Arabia | 1 Goal |
Won 2-0 vs. Mexico | 1 Goal, 1 Assist |
Won 2-0 vs. Poland | None |
Won 2-1 vs. Australia | 1 Goal |
Won 2-2 (4-3 on penalties) vs. Netherlands | 1 Goal, 1 Assist |
Won 3-0 vs. Croatia | 1 Goal, 1 Assist |
Won 3-3 (4-2 on penalties) vs. France | 2 Goals |
2 The Other Major Contenders For The World Cup
Messi’s World Cup stays inside the Argentina camp
Messi’s World Cup only focuses on the teams which play against Argentina. This means that France and the Netherlands are given some backstory, but none of the other major contenders for the World Cup feature at all. The 2022 World Cup was extremely competitive, with plenty of great teams who could have won. Argentina’s rivals Brazil were led by Neymar, England entered the tournament with their best squad in decades, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal also looked threatening. Mentioning the fierce competition would have highlighted the incredible challenge of the World Cup.
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1 Messi Almost Retired From The Argentina National Team A Second Time
Messi’s brief retirement was a key turning point in his international career
Lionel Messi’s decision to retire from the Argentinian national team was a huge shock in 2016. Although he soon reversed his decision after an outpouring of public support, he almost retired for a second time in 2018. Following Argentina’s loss to France in the 2018 World Cup, Messi stated that he wouldn’t play in the next few international matches. It was unclear at the time if this was just a temporary break, but some pundits speculated that he was preparing to retire again. Messi’s history with the national team has been even more difficult than Messi’s World Cup shows.
