Rio de Janeiro: Many are perceiving the Copa America final between Brazil and Argentina to be a personal contest between two former Barcelona mates – Neymar and Lionel Messi. However, that may not be true as this summit clash may well turn out to be a battle within for Lionel Messi.
Since wearing the Argentina colours, the six-time Balon d’Or winner has not won anything with the national side. The closest Messi came to doing that was in the 2014 World Cup final and the 2007, 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals. However, on all occasions he turned out to be second best.
At 34, this is the probably best chance of Messi to win something major with Argentina. Next year Messi will certainly have a go at the World Cup, but that will be a tournament of far more difficult proposition than the Copa. And one can be sure that the ongoing Copa America and the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be Messi’s swansong for Argentina.
Messi and Neymar also have a chance to go past the respective icons of both their countries – Diego Maradona and Pele. In spite of winning the World Cup (Pele thrice and Maradona once), they have never been on the winner’s podium in the Copa America. Saturday will be the chance to change all that for Neymar and Messi. At 29, Neymar still has age on his side… but for Messi, this indeed is a golden opportunity to break the hoodoo.
The players themselves, though, see the bigger challenge Saturday at the Maracana Stadium here. It will be between one of the toughest defensive lines to break in world soccer and the protection around one of the best players in history.
Neymar’s Brazil lineup have conceded only two goals in six matches at the Copa America. Veteran Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Éder Militão are taking shifts as starters without putting the Selecao under too much risk. Defensive midfielders Casemiro and Fred are relentless. Right-back Danilo and left-back Renan Lodi are keener to defend than go running up front.
These players initially criticised the South American soccer confederation for shifting the continental tournament to Brazil in emergency mode. Before the final against Messi’s Argentina, they’ve changed their narrative to winning at all costs and also keeping a clean sheet.
“The zone where Messi plays is where I play, we face each other a lot during matches,” Casemiro told a news conference Thursday. “I can’t mark any player by myself, you need teammates. And you don’t mark only one player. It starts with Neymar, Richarlison and it ends in the goalkeeper — a team play with 11, defend with 11 and attacks with 11,” he added.
Messi has scored four goals and given five assists during this edition of Copa America. Before the tournament, he said it was his dream to win his first major title with Argentina. He is playing Barcelona-style for his national team, scoring from free-kicks, dazzling adversaries with frequent runs despite his age and giving plenty of passes.
Some people believe winning something with Argentina is Messi’s only remaining professional goal. “We’ll try to stop him achieving this objective,” said Brazil centre-back Marquinhos. “As much as Messi, we also have players that deserve this title … like our own ‘Ney’ (Neymar) who wasn’t there for the last Copa,” he added.
But as well as the two superstars lining up on opposite sides Saturday, this is a classic match between two world heavyweights.
“We’re going to play a final against our eternal rivals, the lifelong ones, the two most powerful national teams in South America and we hope… it will be a great match,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.
As well as looking to end his career-long trophy drought with Argentina, Messi could make history in another way Saturday. He currently sits on 76 goals for Argentina, one shy of Pele’s South American record of 77 national team goals.
